State Transport Special Service (; abbrev: ДССТ, DSST) is a specialized

military unit Military organization ( AE) or military organisation ( BE) is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. Formal military organization tends to use hiera ...

that is a part of the

Ministry of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

and was created to guarantee the reliable operation of transportation during special occasions and times of

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

. The structure of the military formation was altered in compliance with revisions made to the

Law of Ukraine The legal system of Ukraine is based on civil law, and belongs to the Romano-Germanic legal tradition. The main source of legal information is codified law. Customary law and case law are not as common, though case law is often used in support ...

On the State Special Transport Service
at the end of 2017; the previous combined and independent units were restructured into

brigades A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

regiments A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service, or specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted in one ...

, and separate

battalions A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

Tasks

The tasks of the State Special Transport Service include: * To ensure the activity of the

Ukrainian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

and other military units created in accordance with Ukrainian law, technological cover,

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, o ...

, and the installation of barriers at the locations of the country's national transportation system. * Building new facilities for the national transportation system, repair, and extending their useful lives and capacities both during times of peace and during periods of

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

. * Reconstruction of transportation communications impacted by

emergencies An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

accidents An accident is an unintended, normally unwanted event that was not deliberately caused by humans. The term ''accident'' implies that the event may have been caused by unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Many researchers, insurers and attorneys w ...

, and

disasters A disaster is an event that causes serious harm to people, buildings, economies, or the environment, and the affected community cannot handle it alone. ''Natural disasters'' like avalanches, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires are caused by natur ...

both

man-made Artificiality (the state of being artificial, anthropogenic, or man-made) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity. Connotati ...

and

natural Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the laws, elements and phenomena of the physical world, including life. Although humans are part ...

. * Protection of equipment of Ukraine's national transportation system during peacetime and at a particular timeframe. * Fulfillment of additional duties connected to taking part in state defense and making sure Ukraine's national transportation system operates efficiently. Additionally, decontaminating

explosive materials An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...

at transportation infrastructure facilities has been given to the DSST. The service works in conjunction with the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

, and US European Command headquarters. Together with receiving assistance from stations of the information management system in the IMSMA's

mine countermeasures A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are deposited and left ...

actions, modern mine detectors, off-road vehicles, protection and communication tools,

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...

navigators, and other tools were also used. In total, during the War in Donbas five demining groups in the Joint Forces Operation (OOC) area were in active service.

History

The State Special Transport Service, which included the

railway troops Railway troops are soldiers who are also railway engineers. They build, repair, operate or destroy militarily relevant railway lines and their associated infrastructure. History The establishment of railway troops by the great powers followe ...

, was placed under the Ministry of Transport and Communications on 1 November 2004. The force was formed out of the reformed remnants of the Soviet 2nd Railway Corps. The State Transport Safety Service of Ukraine, which reports to the Ukrainian Special Transport Service, was founded on 10 September 2014, per Cabinet Resolution No.442. Draft Law No.7242, dated 27 October 2017, was approved by the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...

of Ukraine on 5 December 2017. As a result, it was once again under the Ministry of Defense. According to the explanatory note to the draft law, this will provide Ukraine's security and defense sector the chance to be optimized, planning will be more effective, and budget money allocated for ensuring the state's defense capability will be used in a responsible manner.

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...

, the

president of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

decreed A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

the locations of the State Special Transport Service's structural divisions and the total number of its management bodies on 29 November 2018, via Decree No.399.

2022 Russian invasion

The

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

in 2022 resulted in a renewed relevance for the SSTS of the AFU. With Western support, alongside fighting with regulars and reservists, the SSTS has also fulfilled the mandates given to this branch of the Armed Forces. The 8th Training Center, based in Chernihiv, took an active role in the defense of bridges and lines of communication during fighting in that city.

Structure

State Special Transport Service is classified as a special state transportation agency.

Officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

, warrant officers, contract service sergeants,

conscripts Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

, and civilian experts make up its staff. The overall number of the State Special Transport Service is set at the legislative level, accounting for the criteria of paragraph 22 of the first part of Article 85 of the

Ukrainian Constitution The Constitution of Ukraine (, ) is the fundamental law of Ukraine. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the ''Verkhovna Rada'', the parliament of Ukraine, on 28 June 1996. The constitution was passed with 315 ayes o ...

, which will total 5,000 individuals, including 4,600 military personnel. The structure of DSST is as follows: * DSST Administration (Kyiv) work unit T0100 * 195 DSST base (Kyiv) MUN T0710 * 194th pontoon-bridge detachment ( Novomoskovsk) MUN T0320 * Department of Military Training of DSST Specialists * Dnipropetrovsk National University of Railway Transport * 8 DSST Training Center (

Chernihiv Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukraine ...

) work unit T0500 * 1st combined mechanization detachment (

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

) MUN T0110 ** 11th separate track detachment ( Chervonohrad) MUN T0200 ** 72nd separate mechanization detachment (Chervonohrad) MUN T0410 ** 18th separate bridge detachment ( Chop) MUN T0300 ** 220th separate mechanization unit (Chervonohrad) MUN T0600 * 26th United Mechanization Detachment (

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

) MUN T0120 ** 19th separate bridge detachment (Dnipropetrovsk) MUN T0310 ** 1936th separate mechanization detachment (

Kryvyi Rih Kryvyi Rih ( ; , ), also known as Krivoy Rog ( ), is a city in central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kryvyi Rih Raion and its subordinate Kryvyi Rih urban hromada in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The city is part of the Kryvyi Rih Metropo ...

) MUN T0400 ** 1935th a separate mechanization unit (Dnipropetrovsk) MUN T0610 * 36th United Mechanization Detachment (

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

) MUN T0130 ** 92nd separate track detachment (

Konotop Konotop ( ) is a city in Sumy Oblast, northeastern Ukraine. Konotop serves as the administrative center of Konotop Raion within the oblast. Konotop is located about from Sumy, the administrative center of the oblast. It is host to Konotop Ai ...

) MUN T0210 ** 337th separate mechanization detachment (Konotop) MUN T0420 ** 199th equipment base (Kharkiv) MUN T0700

Leaderships

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Mykola Ivanovich Malkov (2004—2020) * Major General Bondar Bohdan Volodymyrovych (since 2 March 2022)

References

{{authority control 2004 establishments in Ukraine

Transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...