Documentation for Ukrayina battalion
May 21, 2014
BBC Monitoring Kiev Unit
In addition to Poltoratska, three more active members of the self-proclaimed Donetsk people's republic (DPR) have been detained in Donetsk Region and brought to Kiev, the website of the influential Ukrainian analytical newspaper Zerkalo Nedeli reported at on the same day, quoting a Facebook entry by presidential candidate and MP Oleh Lyashko.
He said that his volunteer battalion called Ukrayina had detained not only Poltoratska but also Denys Yaniyev, Poltotatska's deputy, a former Ukrainian policeman recruited by the Russian special services, Ihor Polyakov, and the separatist leader in the town of Snizhne, Oleksandr Simko.
June 3, 2014
BBC Monitoring Kiev Unit
[Correspondent] Here Oleh Lyashko is already in the status of the commander of his own battalion Ukrayina. After the events in Mariupol, he announced the mobilization on his Facebook page. There were about 1,000 volunteers.
June 10, 2014
BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union - Political
Oleh Lyashko, people's [parliamentary] deputy and leader of the Radical Party, also has his own fighters. A battalion called Ukrayina will act as part of the Interior Ministry and already consists of more than 500 activists.
July 15, 2014
OHCHR report on the situation in Ukraine
The Ukrainian security operation involves the army, the military police (National Guard), the National Security Service (SBU) and a number of volunteers’ battalions. The involvement of battalions of volunteers (Donbas, Azov, Aydar, Dnipro, Ukraina, etc.) raises important questions. While they nominally operate under the command of the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Defence, they would appear to enjoy a large degree of autonomy in their operation
