The 3rd Border Detachment named after the Hero of Ukraine Colonel Yevgeny Pikus, also known as Pomsta Brigade, (Ukrainian: помста, lit.

The Russian Federation announced the annexation of Crimea and began supporting militants in eastern Ukraine who declared independence for the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.

The border guards requested support but the dispatched Su-27 fighter jet did not use weapons as the separatists were occupying positions in residential buildings.

The battle continued on 2-4 June 2014, grenade launchers and large-caliber "Utes" machine guns were used and ultimately the detachment's positions were overrun.

[2][3][4] On 20 June 2014, the detachment's Izvaryne-Donetsk post was overwhelmed and the personnel were forced to retreat into Russian territory, where many guardsmen were captured, and later returned to Ukraine.

[8] On 10 August 2014, four guardsmen of the detachment (Vyacheslav Igorovich Akutin,[9] Serhii Volodymyrovych Andrienko,[10] Dzidzinashvili Davyd Georgiyovych[11] and Shilo Volodymyr Serhiyovych[12]) were killed as a result of shelling of the "Pivnich" TU.

[13] On 25 August 2014, Colonel Yevheny Mykhailovych Pikus[14][15][16] along with three soldiers of the detachment (Vyacheslav Oleksandrovich Firsov,[17] Vyacheslav Oleksandrovich Firsov[18] and Oleg Serhiyovych Sorochenko[19]) were killed and three wounded in a clash in Krasnaya Talivka when border guards stopped a separatist reconnaissance group that infiltrated Ukraine from Russia at about 3 p.m.

The battle lasted 2.5 hours, the terrorists were supported by artillery from the Russian Federation as well as mortars, 2 armored personnel carriers and 2 BMPs and 2 Mi-24 combat helicopters of the which fired unguided rockets at Ukrainian border guards.

[21] On 9 September 2014, three soldier of the detachment (Maksimenko Oleksandr Oleksandrovych,[22] Yury Oleksandrovych Lukyantsev[23] and Kuznetsov Vyacheslav Mykhailovych[24]) were killed and two guardsmen (Artem Kruchinin and Vitaly Skokov) were seriously wounded as a result of a landmine detonation beneath their vehicle near the village of Nizhnobaranivikka while accompanying the film crew of the Luhansk TV company "IRTA", which left to prepare a story about the death of two families of local residents from Russian artillery shelling.

On 28 September 2017, two guardsmen of the detachment (Dede Dmytro Vasyliovych[32] and Huvir Serhiy Ivanovich[33]) were killed as a result of a landmine explosion.

[39] On 25 January 2023, a guardsman of the detachment (Oleksandr Kharkivets) was killed while performing a combat mission near Ivanovske as a result of an artillery strike.