Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion
| Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Батальён Кастуся Каліноўскага | |
 | |
| Active | March 2022 – present |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Branch |  Territorial Defence Forces |
| Type | foreign volunteers |
| Role | Territorial defence |
| Size | est. 200+[1][2] |
| Part of | International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine |
| Patron | Kastuś Kalinoŭski |
| Engagements | 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Website | Telegram |
The Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion (Ukrainian: Батальйон імені Кастуся Калиновського) is a group of Belarusian volunteers, which was formed to defend Ukraine against the 2022 Russian invasion.[3]
History[edit]
The first foreign volunteer group in Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War was the Tactical group "Belarus", formed in 2015 during the War in Donbas.[4]
The battalion was named after Kastuś Kalinoŭski, a 19th-century Belarusian leader of the 1863 January Uprising against the Russian Empire.[3] It was reported that as of 5 March 2022, about 200 Belarusians had joined the battalion.[1]
On 13 March 2022, the battalion announced its first casualty, Alexei Skoblia.[5]
The battalion has been featured on public posters in Kyiv to illustrate Ukrainian-Belarusian military ties.[6]
Reactions[edit]
The creation of the battalion was endorsed by Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who noted that "more and more people from Belarus join to help Ukrainians defend their country".[7][8] President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, called the volunteers "crazed citizens".[5]
Notable members[edit]
- Pavel Shurmei, a former Belarusian Olympic rower and world record holder.[9]
- Dzyanis Urbanovich, chairman of the Young Front[10]
Losses[edit]
On 13 March 2022 the deputy commander of the battalion, nicknamed “Tur” (real name Aliaksiej Skoblia), was confirmed killed in the Kyiv Offensive when his unit was ambushed.[5][11]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Belarusians From Kastus Kalinouski Battalion Sharpening Their Skills: Video Fact". charter97.org. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ "Ва Украіне заяўляюць, што беларускіх вайскоўцаў хочуць апрануць у форму РФ для ўдзелу ў вайне". belsat.eu (in Belarusian). Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ a b Buckby, Jack (2022-03-10). "Putin Won't Like This: Belarusian Volunteers Are Fighting Against Russia in Kyiv". 19FortyFive. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ РАЦЫЯ, РАДЫЁ (2017-02-10). "Расея можа паўтарыць украінскі сцэнар у Беларусі". БЕЛАРУСКАЕ РАДЫЁ РАЦЫЯ (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- ^ a b c "Лукашэнка адрэагаваў на ўтварэньне ва Ўкраіне беларускага батальёну імя Кастуся Каліноўскага" [Lukashenka reacted to the formation of Kastuś Kalinoŭski Belarusian battalion in Ukraine]. Радыё Свабода // Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Belarusian). Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ "У Кіеве з'явіліся беларускія банеры" [Belarusian posters have appeared in Kyiv]. Наша Ніва / Nasha Niva.
- ^ "Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: Is the fate of Belarus tied to the fate of Ukraine?" (Podcast Interview). BBC. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "This is the Kastus Kalinouski battalion – a volunteer group of Belarusians formed to defend Ukraine". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ "Экс-гребец Шурмей о войне в Украине: "Каким бы не был этот путь, он закончится победой украинского и беларусского народов"" [Ex-rower Shurmei about the war in Ukraine: “Whatever this path is, it will end with the victory of the Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples”]. BY.Tribuna.com. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ "«Верым, што пераможам Расею, а пасьля вызвалім Беларусь». У беларускую роту тэрабароны Ўкраіны запісаліся сямёра маладафронтаўцаў". svaboda.org (in Belarusian).
- ^ "Под Киевом погиб один из основателей белорусского добровольческого движения в Украине" [One of the founders of the Belarusian volunteer movement in Ukraine died near Kyiv]. 24 Канал (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-03-15.