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The Bohdan Khmelnytsky Battalion (also spelled in a Russian form as Bogdan Khmelnitsky Battalion) is a so-called volunteer battalion of Russia composed of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). Russian state media has claimed that its members are Ukrainian (POWs) who were "recruited" from Russian penal colonies.
Russian state media has claimed that the battalion has "recruited" roughly 70 Ukrainian POWs in February alone. However some sources state that up to 200 Ukrainian POWs have joined the battalion [65] It was reported that members of the battalion have begun training and will begin fighting in "an unspecified area of the front line" when they are ...
The Russian paramilitary Wagner Group widely recruited from prisons starting in 2022, growing their forces by an estimated 40,000. [ 2 ] [ 4 ] According to the New York Times, Wagner's prison recruitment campaign began in early July 2022, when Prigozhin personally appeared in prisons around St. Petersburg and offered deals to the prisoners. [ 5 ]
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The battalion, according to Russian state-controlled media, was created in February 2023 in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk Oblast. [8] The formation's alleged commander, Andrii Tyshchenko, told RIA Novosti that they had recruited around 70 Ukrainian POWs in February alone. [9]
A few Russian POWs talked eagerly and at length with AP journalists, though most refused to speak at all. Guards stayed far from journalists during interviews. Prisoners gave only their first names.
A Russian woman has claimed that one of the Russian POWs shown in the video is her adopted son Ivan Kudryavtsev, a 20-year-old conscripted soldier from the Omsk Oblast. He is identified as a wounded soldier who passes out while being interrogated. On April 29, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that he went missing during military service. [11]
Consolidated Orthodox Battalion "Voshod" or Voshod Battalion (Russian: Батальон «Восход», meaning "Sunrise Battalion") – Formed in June 2014, it had 300 fighters. [151] Death Battalion – Unit composed mostly of Chechen volunteers from Russia sent by Ramzan Kadyrov. It was commanded by Apti Bolotkhanov. [152]