Internal Troops of Ukraine
Encyclopedia
The Internal Troops
of Ukraine (Ukrainian
: Внутрішні війська України, Vnutrisni Viys'ka Ukrayiny - Interior forces of Ukraine; abbreviated ВВ, VV) is an uniformed gendarmerie
-like forces in Ukraine
. Internal Troops are administratively subordinated to the Chief Directorate of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
(the police
authority of the country) and closely cooperate with the Ministry of Emergencies
. The VV are used to assist militsiya
in policing, deal with large-scale riot
s, internal armed conflicts, and safeguard important facilities such as nuclear power plant
s. During wartime
, the Internal Troops fall under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian armed forces and fulfill tasks of local defense and rear area security
. In case of a state of emergency
, the Internal Troops fulfill a special regime of emergency nation-wide or throughout the declared zone of emergency.
The Internal Troops of Ukraine retain much of the personnel, bases, equipment and traditions of the Soviet Internal Troops
. The reason for this is that Soviet VV units that were stationed in Ukrainian SSR during the dissolution of the Soviet Union
fell under jurisdiction of the newly-independent Ukraine. However, Ukrainian VV troops are not a direct successor of the Soviet Internal Troops (unlike in Russia
) and experienced substantial reform of their structure and tasks. In 2008 there were about 33,000 troops of the Interior forces.
was a series of peaceful protests that overturned an election for the Presidency in the winter of 2004/2005 resulting in the election of Viktor Yushchenko
.
On November 28, 2004 over 10,000 Internal Troops mobilized to put down the protests on Independence Square in Kiev according to their commander Lt. Gen. Sergei Popkov
. The SBU warned opposition leaders of the crackdown. Oleksandr Galaka, head of GUR
(Chief Directorate of Intelligence) made calls to "prevent bloodshed". Col. Gen. Ihor P. Smesko (SBU chief) and Maj. Gen. Vitaly Romanchenko (military counter-intelligence chief) both warned Popkov to pull back his troops, which he did. Thus, the senior officers of the Ukrainian Security Services claimed the credit for averting a situation that they said risked bloodshed and, possibly, a civil war.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/17/international/europe/17ukraine.html
dispute over the troops. President Viktor Yuschenko issued a decree placing Internal Troops from the Ministry of Internal Affairs directly under the jurisdiction of the President. Later, on May 25, the Internal Troops command loyal to the President ordered an unprecedented and dramatic march on the capital Kiev
. The MVS criticized both the decree and the subsequent troop move.
Sides of the political crisis managed to avoid further clashes between law enforcers. The Internal Troops subsequently returned to their routine tasks and have re-established practical co-ordination with the militsiya. However, the legal dispute over the troops remains unsolved. The Troops command declares its loyalty to the President in accordance with the decree which is currently appealed in the court by the Cabinet of Ministers
.
s and service. The Chief Commander and Staff of the troops maintain their separate chain of command and the VV units (battalion
s and regiment
s) are under the command of territorial commanders (six), who in turn report to the Chief Commander. The units are stationed in military bases throughout the country, including a base in the center of the capital Kiev
.
The Internal Troops also have one aviation brigade that was initially formed out of 51st Separate Helicopter Guard Regiment (Oleksandriya) and 31st Special Helicopter Battle Squadron (Bila Tserkva
). In 2000 the 51st Separate Helicopter Brigade was reinforced by another aviation squadron from a special operations unit "Yaguar" as well as receiving an extra airfield in Kalynivka of Vinnytsia Oblast
.
Territorial division
There are six directorate of territorial commands sometimes abbreviated as Trk: West, North, East, Center, South, and Crimea. Each Trk has a certain units assigned directly to it which are identified by a four digit number. Beside that there are several units of a direct subordination.
Other selected Units:
conscript system (similar to that for the Soviet Army
) to the contract personnel system. VV officers are trained in the special Academy of Internal Troops.
Internal Troops
The Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs ; alternatively translated as "Interior " is a paramilitary gendarmerie-like force in the now-defunct Soviet Union and its successor countries, particularly, in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan...
of Ukraine (Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
: Внутрішні війська України, Vnutrisni Viys'ka Ukrayiny - Interior forces of Ukraine; abbreviated ВВ, VV) is an uniformed gendarmerie
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
-like forces in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Internal Troops are administratively subordinated to the Chief Directorate of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine is the main body in the system of central bodies of exeecutive power that provides formation and realization of the state policy in the sphere of protection the rights and liberties of citizens, unlawful acts against the interest of society and state,...
(the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
authority of the country) and closely cooperate with the Ministry of Emergencies
Ministry of Emergencies (Ukraine)
The Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine is the main body in the system of central bodies of the executive power that provides realization of a state policy in a sphere of a civil defense, rescue, creation and functioning of the system of insurance fund documentation, utilization of radioactive...
. The VV are used to assist militsiya
Militsiya
Militsiya or militia is used as an official name of the civilian police in several former communist states, despite its original military connotation...
in policing, deal with large-scale riot
Crowd control
Crowd control is the controlling of a crowd, to prevent the outbreak of disorder and prevention of possible riot. Examples are at soccer matches, when a sale of goods has attracted an excess of customers, refugee control, or mass decontamination and mass quarantine situations . It calls for gentler...
s, internal armed conflicts, and safeguard important facilities such as nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
s. During wartime
Wartime
The term wartime could refer to:* Wartime, Saskatchewan, a small community in Saskatchewan, Canada.* Wartime Station, Saskatchewan, a small community in Saskatchewan, Canada.* A formal state of war, as opposed to peacetime...
, the Internal Troops fall under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian armed forces and fulfill tasks of local defense and rear area security
Rear (military)
In military parlance, the rear is the part of concentration of military forces that is farthest from the enemy . The rear typically contains all elements of the force necessary to support combat forces - food, medical supplies and substantial shelters, planners and command headquarters....
. In case of a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
, the Internal Troops fulfill a special regime of emergency nation-wide or throughout the declared zone of emergency.
The Internal Troops of Ukraine retain much of the personnel, bases, equipment and traditions of the Soviet Internal Troops
Internal Troops
The Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs ; alternatively translated as "Interior " is a paramilitary gendarmerie-like force in the now-defunct Soviet Union and its successor countries, particularly, in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan...
. The reason for this is that Soviet VV units that were stationed in Ukrainian SSR during the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
fell under jurisdiction of the newly-independent Ukraine. However, Ukrainian VV troops are not a direct successor of the Soviet Internal Troops (unlike in Russia
Internal Troops (Russia)
Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs is a paramilitary national guard like force in the now-defunct Soviet Union and its successor countries, particularly, in Russia and Ukraine. Internal Troops are subordinated to Internal Affairs Ministries of the...
) and experienced substantial reform of their structure and tasks. In 2008 there were about 33,000 troops of the Interior forces.
Evolution of Internal Troops structure and tasks
Soviet Internal Troops units in Ukraine were initially reorganized into the National Guard of Ukraine. This was an interim national military created while the Armed Forces was under formation. Later the troops regressed back to their traditional tasks (and eventually original name), as the National Guard was formally liquidated.Internal security during election unrest
The Orange RevolutionOrange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
was a series of peaceful protests that overturned an election for the Presidency in the winter of 2004/2005 resulting in the election of Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
.
On November 28, 2004 over 10,000 Internal Troops mobilized to put down the protests on Independence Square in Kiev according to their commander Lt. Gen. Sergei Popkov
Sergei Popkov
Sergei Nikolayevich Popkov is a Russian professional football coach.-External links:...
. The SBU warned opposition leaders of the crackdown. Oleksandr Galaka, head of GUR
Chief directorate of intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
The Chief directorate of intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine or HUR , is Ukraine's military intelligence service. It is a subdivision of the country's Defence Ministry and is under direct subordination to the Ministry of Defense, not the General Staff...
(Chief Directorate of Intelligence) made calls to "prevent bloodshed". Col. Gen. Ihor P. Smesko (SBU chief) and Maj. Gen. Vitaly Romanchenko (military counter-intelligence chief) both warned Popkov to pull back his troops, which he did. Thus, the senior officers of the Ukrainian Security Services claimed the credit for averting a situation that they said risked bloodshed and, possibly, a civil war.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/17/international/europe/17ukraine.html
Recent reorganization attempts
After a decade of existence within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Internal Troops undergo a new period of reorganization now. In May 2007, the on-going political crisis in Ukraine lead to a jurisdictionJurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
dispute over the troops. President Viktor Yuschenko issued a decree placing Internal Troops from the Ministry of Internal Affairs directly under the jurisdiction of the President. Later, on May 25, the Internal Troops command loyal to the President ordered an unprecedented and dramatic march on the capital Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. The MVS criticized both the decree and the subsequent troop move.
Sides of the political crisis managed to avoid further clashes between law enforcers. The Internal Troops subsequently returned to their routine tasks and have re-established practical co-ordination with the militsiya. However, the legal dispute over the troops remains unsolved. The Troops command declares its loyalty to the President in accordance with the decree which is currently appealed in the court by the Cabinet of Ministers
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
.
Organization
Despite reporting to a civilian militsiya authority, the Internal Troops of Ukraine are a military-like force with a centralized system of rankMilitary rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
s and service. The Chief Commander and Staff of the troops maintain their separate chain of command and the VV units (battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s and regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s) are under the command of territorial commanders (six), who in turn report to the Chief Commander. The units are stationed in military bases throughout the country, including a base in the center of the capital Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
.
The Internal Troops also have one aviation brigade that was initially formed out of 51st Separate Helicopter Guard Regiment (Oleksandriya) and 31st Special Helicopter Battle Squadron (Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva is a city located on the Ros' River in the Kiev Oblast in central Ukraine, approximately south of the capital, Kiev. Population 203,300 Area 34 km².-Administrative status:...
). In 2000 the 51st Separate Helicopter Brigade was reinforced by another aviation squadron from a special operations unit "Yaguar" as well as receiving an extra airfield in Kalynivka of Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsia.-Geography:The area of the region is 26,500 km²; its population is 1.7 million....
.
Territorial division
There are six directorate of territorial commands sometimes abbreviated as Trk: West, North, East, Center, South, and Crimea. Each Trk has a certain units assigned directly to it which are identified by a four digit number. Beside that there are several units of a direct subordination.
Other selected Units:
- Ten' (Shadow) - intelligence unit of Crimea Territorial Command, a paramilitary formation in BalaklavaBalaklavaBalaklava is a former city on the Crimean peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol which carries a special administrative status in Ukraine. It was a city in its own right until 1957 when it was formally incorporated into the municipal borders of Sevastopol by the Soviet government...
(CrimeaCrimeaCrimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
) - Lavanda (Lavender) - a mountain-rifle unit of special operations, initially as a battalion, currently it is a company size element (Crimea)
- Kobra (Cobra) - a mountain-rifle battalion of special operations, headquartered in BalaklavaBalaklavaBalaklava is a former city on the Crimean peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol which carries a special administrative status in Ukraine. It was a city in its own right until 1957 when it was formally incorporated into the municipal borders of Sevastopol by the Soviet government...
(Crimea) - Bars (Snow LeopardSnow LeopardThe snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
) - separate brigade of special operations - Omega - anti-terrorist unit, structurally it is part of Bars
- Skat - unit of military swimmers of Crimea Territorial Command
- Skorpion - anti-terrorist unit in security of the national nuclear objects
Tasks
- Assisting militsiya in policing
- Crowd controlCrowd controlCrowd control is the controlling of a crowd, to prevent the outbreak of disorder and prevention of possible riot. Examples are at soccer matches, when a sale of goods has attracted an excess of customers, refugee control, or mass decontamination and mass quarantine situations . It calls for gentler...
at mass events, anti-riot operations - Safeguarding and defense of top-important facilities and special cargos
- Safeguarding external perimeters of foreign embassies in Ukraine
- Dealing with internal armed disturbances and terrorismTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
(including some special forcesSpecial forcesSpecial forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
tasks) - Maintaining state of emergencyState of emergencyA state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
regime
Personnel
The Internal Troops of Ukraine are experiencing a slow transition from the SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
conscript system (similar to that for the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
) to the contract personnel system. VV officers are trained in the special Academy of Internal Troops.
Commander
- Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General 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 normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Serhiy Yarovyi 2010 - present- Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General 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 normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Serhiy Konoplyanyk 2010 - present (first deputy and commander of VV in battle and special training)
- Lieutenant General
See also
- ParamilitaryParamilitaryA paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
- Military ruleMilitary ruleMilitary rule may mean:* Militarism or militarist ideology - the ideology of government as best served when under military control* Military occupation, when a country or area is occupied after invasion.** List of military occupations...
- Berkut (Ukraine)Berkut (Ukraine)The "Berkut" is the system of special units of the Ukrainian militsiya within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ukraine's successor of the Soviet OMON. Currently it is considered to be part of the Militsiya of Public Security. Its full name is "Berkut" Separate Special Assignment Unit of...
- European Gendarmerie ForceEuropean Gendarmerie ForceThe European Gendarmerie Force was launched by an agreement in 2006 between five members of the European Union : France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Romania subsequently joined in 2009...
External links
- Official Website (Ukrainian language)
- English page of the official Website (obsolete page content as of June 19, 2007)
- Overview of MVS' special units