The Tavr Battalion formerly the Svyatyi Mykolai Battalion (

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

Battalion), also known as Mykolaiv Battalion, is a battalion of the Tsunami Regiment of the

Liut Brigade The Liut Brigade (, also spelled Lyut), is an assault brigade of the National Police of Ukraine formed on January 13, 2023, as a merger of three Special Purpose units from the War in Donbas (2014–2022), War in Donbas. History Formation Dur ...

of the

Special Tasks Patrol Police The Special Police Forces () is a Ukrainian volunteer corps of law enforcement units, part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. History In April 2014, Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov issued an order to create battali ...

subordinated to

Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (; ; ) is the Ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian government that oversees the interior affairs of Ukraine. History Name *People's Committee of Internal ...

. It was established in 2014 and has, since then seen regular combat on the frontlines in addition to special counter-crime operations.

History

The formation was established on 5 May 2014 in

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...

during the

2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine From the end of February 2014, in the aftermath of the Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity, which resulted in the ousting of Russian-leaning President of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, demonstrations by Russian-backed, ...

, which led to separatist movements in southern and eastern regions of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. Volunteers for the Battalion had to be aged 18 to 50 years. In May 2014,Ukraine crisis timeline

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

its task was to man roadblocks on the outskirts of Mykolaiv. On 11 July 2014, they began operating in

Luhansk Oblast Luhansk Oblast (; ), also referred to as Luhanshchyna (), is the easternmost Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the n ...

during the

war in Donbass The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war began in April 2014, when Russian paramilitaries seized several towns. Ukraine's military launched an operation ...

. The unit updates its equipment through a charity foundation, obtaining a Kamaz truck. and

bulletproof vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or bullet-resistant vest, is a type of body armor designed to absorb impact and prevent the penetration of firearm projectiles and explosion fragments to the torso. The vest can be either soft ...

s. Their main task in the

ATO zone Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone (), or ATO zone (), was a term used by the media, public, the government of Ukraine, and the OSCE and other foreign institutions to identify Ukrainian territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (oblasts) under the c ...

included the neutralization of separatist reconnaissance and sabotage units. On 16 August 2014, 49 soldiers of the special battalion returned to

from the

. On 1 September 2014, the battalion left

Lutuhyne Lutuhyne (, ) is a city in the Luhansk Raion of Luhansk Oblast (oblast, region) of Eastern Ukraine, Donbas. Residence of Lutuhyne urban hromada. The 2022 population was History From mid-April 2014 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, pro-Russi ...

following its capture by separatists. On 16 September 2014, a detachment of battalion again went to the

. On 2 January 2016, the ex-commander of the disbanded Mykolaiv PPS battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Mykhailo Moshchanets became the battalion's commander. It was again deployed to the

for

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

and maintenance of public order, replacing the personnel who were stationed there for a long time. On 4 September 2016, joint infantry patrol units were established in

encompassing personnel of the Battalion to take part in operations against increasing crime rates in the city. On 29 July 2017, the battalion was again deployed to the

to take part in operations against illegal weapons and drugs, separatists and their collaborators. Following 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 ...

, the battalion took part in the

Battle of Mykolaiv The battle of Mykolaiv started on the night of 26 February 2022, as part of the southern Ukraine campaign during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It ended with Russian forces being repulsed from the city in March, and by April all but a few of ...

, during which on 26 February 2022, two personnel of the battalion (Yury Volodymyrovych Kravchenko and Yaroslav Mykolayovych Lukyanenko) were killed in action. On 5 May 2022, the battalion was reformed into the Tavr Battalion which in 2023, became the fourth battalion as part of the Tsunami Regiment of the

.petition.president.gov.ua/petition/211700 Штурмовий батальйон «Тавр»
/ref> On 31 March 2023, Major Volodymyr Voloshyn, of the Tavr Battalion died as a result of vehicle accident, while on duty. In the liberated

Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast (, ; ), also known as Khersonshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the northern or right bank ...

, the personnel of the Tavr Battalion came under attack by Russian forces by artillery, killing a soldier of the battalion (Yury Khyzhinsky) and wounding four others. In June 2024, the Battalion took part in the

Battle of Chasiv Yar The battle of Chasiv Yar is an ongoing military engagement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine between the Russian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine for control of the city of Chasiv Yar and surrounding villages. The battle began on 4 ...

. Despite the Russian shelling and numerous assaults, the battalion held its positions preventing a Russian capture.Бійці батальйону «Тавр» продовжують обороняти Часів Яр
/ref>

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Mykolaiv Oblast in the Russo-Ukrainian War Special tasks patrol police of Ukraine Military units and formations established in 2014 2014 establishments in Ukraine Luhansk Oblast in the Russo-Ukrainian War

History

See also

References