Ukrainian territorial defence battalions

They should not be confused with the volunteer units of Special Tasks Patrol Police of Ukraine created along with territorial defense battalions, but under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior.

In March 2014, acting President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov issued an order to create seven territorial defence battalions.

Ukraine also lost control of the Ukrainian–Russian border and this allowed a large inflow of insurgents and military supplies from Russia.

[29] After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian government announced general mobilisation [30] and formed new territorial defense battalions to accommodate the influx in men.

[5] The best known volunteer groups are Self-defence of Maidan, which has its own warehouses in Melitopol, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv, and Army SOS, an initiative of former Euromaidan activists.

Volunteers provide things like: hygiene items, food, sleeping bags, night vision goggles and multicopters (for use as drones).