Aidar Battalion
| 24th Separate Assault Battalion (Mar 2015–present) 24th Territorial Defence Battalion "Aidar" (2014–Mar 2015) |
|
|---|---|
| Ukrainian: 24-й окремий штурмовий батальйон «Айдар» | |
Unit insignia
|
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| Active | 2014–present |
| Country |
 Ukraine
|
| Allegiance | Ministry of Defense |
| Branch |
 Ground Forces
|
| Role | Assault unit |
| Size | <300 |
| Part of | 10th Mountain Assault Brigade |
| Motto(s) |
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| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Serhiy Melnychuk |
Aidar Battalion was a Territorial Defense Battalion of Ukraine, a volunteer military detachment of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. The battalion took part in the war in Eastern Ukraine and had roughly 400 members. The unit was known for links to the far-right.
The battalion was formally disbanded on 2 March 2015 and reorganized as the 24th Separate Assault Battalion of the Ukrainian Army.
Aidar was a Territorial Defense Battalion of Ukraine, the first of its kind to be established. It was one of several volunteer battalions publicly supported by Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi.
In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, former Aidar commander, Serhiy Melnychuk, became a member of the Verkhovna Rada representing the Radical Party of Oleh Lyashko; he ranked third on the party's election list. The commander of Aidar's second company, Ihor Lapin, is an MP for People's Front after winning a constituency seat in Lutsk in the same election.
On 8 August 2014 Ukraine's Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey stated that the battalion would be reorganised, would receive better equipment and would see more combat missions. Melnychuk has described that order as "criminal", but has admitted that most of Aidar's soldiers had demobilized or come under official control by 2015.
Several dozen Aidar fighters were killed in an ambush south of Shchastya after the announcement of the ceasefire on 6 September 2014.
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Wikipedia