Battalion Ajdar
|
Ajdar |
|
|---|---|
|
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| Lineup | 2014 |
| Type | battalion |
| Strength | about 800 |
| motto | God with us ( З нами Бог ) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Podpolkownik Yevgeny Ptashnik |
The Aidar Battalion ( Ukrainian Батальйон Айдар) , mostly written as Battalion Aidar in German-language media , is a voluntary Ukrainian combat unit founded in May 2014 . The battalion bears the name of the Ajdar River in Luhansk Oblast . The volunteer battalion was one of the first to emerge in 2015 to fight the separatists in eastern Ukraine.
history
The association was set up in the context of the crisis in Ukraine in 2014 to militarily fight the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine . The first in command was Serhiy Melnichuk. Unlike most of the voluntary Ukrainian combat units that are subordinate to the Interior Ministry of Ukraine or the National Guard , the Ajdar Battalion is integrated into the Ukrainian Army as the 24th Assault Battalion for special use .
Structure and political orientation
The Tagesschau reported: "Particularly notorious is the AIDAR battalion, which includes right-wing Ukrainian nationalists, some of whom adorn themselves with swastikas and other Nazi symbols, as badges on camouflage clothing or as tattoos on their bodies. The leaders and many members are avowed neo-Nazis and members of right-wing extremist groups. " Only about 10% initially had military training. The volunteers initially completed two weeks of basic training. Most of the members of the combat unit come from eastern Ukraine or the Donets Basin and often belong to academic professions.
War crimes
The international human rights organization Amnesty International reported on war crimes committed by the Ajdar battalion in September 2014 . Its members are charged with kidnapping , robbery , ill-treatment , extortion and fake executions . In December 2014, the battalion blocked humanitarian aid to the people in eastern Ukraine. Amnesty International accused Ajdar of using the starvation of civilians as a weapon of war.
Members of the association are accused of numerous serious crimes, such as murders and kidnappings, by Ukrainian authorities and international human rights organizations.
The Ukrainian professional soldier Nadia Savchenko was fighting in the Ajdar battalion when she was arrested by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in June 2014, and later taken to Russia. The Russian judiciary has accused Savchenko of coordinating an attack that killed two Russian journalists. She was released in May 2016.
Web links
- Appearance of the Ajdar Battalion on Facebook (Russian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Vyacheslav Schramowitsch: Екс- "айдарівець" Дикий: Україна для Росії - як Афганістан для СРСР (German: The Ukraine, for Russia, was for the USSR "Aydar" Dikij: Ukraine, which was for the USSR for Russia. BBC Ukraine, February 20, 2015, accessed March 24, 2018 (Ukrainian, interview with Evgeny Dikij).
- ↑ Anastasia Vlasowa: Volunteer Aidar Battalion fights on front lines in Luhansk Oblast. In: Kyiv Post . July 21, 2014, accessed September 28, 2014 .
- ^ A b Florian Kellermann: Ukraine - Growing criticism of volunteer battalions. In: Deutschlandfunk . June 10, 2015, accessed March 24, 2018 .
- ↑ Міністр оборони: "Айдар" може стати спецпідрозділом ЗС України. In: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. August 7, 2014, accessed February 2, 2015 (Ukrainian).
- ↑ Bernd Musch-Borowska: Bloody battles in Eastern Ukraine. In: tagesschau.de . September 29, 2014, archived from the original on October 1, 2014 ; accessed on October 1, 2014 .
- ^ André Eichhofer: When the professor picks up the Kalashnikov. In: The world . August 11, 2014, accessed September 28, 2014 .
- ^ Ukraine conflict: both sides commit war crimes. Amnesty International , September 10, 2014, accessed March 24, 2018 .
- ↑ Aert van Riel: The wrong heroine. In: New Germany . May 27, 2016, accessed on March 24, 2018 (beginning of article online; full access for a fee (subscription)).
- ↑ Frank Nienhuysen, Julian Hans : How is out with two destinies war. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . August 23, 2014, accessed September 28, 2014 .