Territorial Defense Forces (Ukraine)
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The Territorial Defence Forces (Ukrainian: Війська територіальної оборони, romanized: Viiska terytorialnoi oborony) are the military reserve component of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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Territorial Defence Forces | |
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Війська територіальної оборони (Ukrainian) | |
Founded | 2014 (unofficially) 2022 (officially) |
Country | Ukraine |
Type | Military reserve force |
Role | Light infantry Home guard |
Size | 37,000 active 130,000 volunteers |
Part of | Armed Forces of Ukraine |
Anniversaries | The first Sunday of October[1] |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Major General Ihor Plakhuta[2] |
Insignia | |
Identification symbol |
The Territorial Defence Forces were formed after the reorganization of the Territorial Defence Battalions, volunteer militias created during the war in Donbas under the command of the Ministry of Defence.[3] Territorial Defence units existed from 2015 until 2021 in semi-organized forms until 2022 when they were officially organized into a unified corps that formed a separate branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[4][5]
It is formed by a core of part-time reservists, usually former combat veterans, and in cases of war can be expanded to include local civilian volunteers for local defense, in a case of mass mobilization,[6] with the core expected to lead the mobilized volunteers.[5] The TDF was officially activated with the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and more than 100,000 civilians had volunteered by March.[7]
The International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine, formed by foreign volunteers, is part of the Territorial Defense Forces.[8]