The Shkval Battalion is series Ukrainian Penal military units[5] that were formed in 2024 after the Verkhovna Rada passed Registered draft law No.

[8] Like other Russian and Ukrainian penal military units, members of the battalion are recruited from prisons on the premise that successful service would result in a deduction of their sentence.

[13] 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.

[17] 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".

[10] Another Ukrainian officer claimed in a post on Telegram that the battalion had been thrown into assaults with no professional military training and no coordination with the other units which resulted in heavy losses.