Shkval Battalion

Shkval Battalion is a Ukrainian military unit made up of former convicts.^[5][6] It was formed after the Verkhovna Rada passed Registered draft law No. 11079 which allowed for the mobilization of convicts into the Ukrainian Army.^[7][8]

Shkval Battalion
Батальйон Шквал
Active	2024 – Present
Allegiance	Ukraine
Type	Penal military unit
Role	Assault troops[1]
Size	Unknown
Engagements	Russian Invasion of Ukraine Pokrovsk offensive
Commanders
Current commander	"Oleksandr"[2][3][4]

History

Formation

Members of the battalion are offered wages ranging from $500 to $4,000 per month, depending on time spent on the front line. However, they are required serve in the military until the end of the war.^[5] Members of the battalion were then trained by other Ukrainian units.^[9][10] In September 2024, the 59th Brigade's Shkval battalion told reporters that they are making legal requests in order to allow more murderers of various degrees to join their ranks.^[11]

Treatment and use

Protection for Prisoners of Ukraine leader Oleg Tsvily said that his organization "supports the idea behind the law but the text that was passed is discriminatory".^[12] He also raised concerns about convicts being abused by their commanders and used as cannon fodder.^[13][14] Some convicts said that they had only had 20 days of training before being sent to the frontline.^[15][16][11]

Combat performance

Shkval battalions saw action during the Pokrovsk offensive.^[2] Ukrainian media outlets reported that Shkval Battalions fight bravely and made claims that they "destroy Russian forces in large numbers."^[3][17] One officer with the callsign "Kit" spoke with UNN about the 47th Mechanized Brigade's Shkval Battalion where he praised their motivation but said that there were "issues with their upbringing".^[4] The unit took part in the defense of the village Druzhba.^[18] Yevgeny Alkhimov, an officer of the 28th Mechanized Brigade, praised the soldiers of the brigade's Shkval battalion after an assault on Russia positions northeast of the city of Toretsk saying that the soldiers "showed themselves very well at the tactical level in order to level the positions, to somehow improve our situation. Actually, they stormed enemy positions and repulsed them".^[19]

Units with Shkval Battalions

• 28th Mechanized Brigade^[20]
• 35th Marine Brigade
• 47th Mechanized Brigade (Nicknamed Squall Battalion)^[21]
• 57th Motorized Brigade^[22]
• 59th Motorized Brigade (Nicknamed Wind Gust Battalion)^[23]
• 93rd Mechanized Brigade (Nicknamed Alkatraz. Also known as the Specialized Rifle Battalion)^[24]
• 129th Territorial Defense Brigade^[25]