Ukraine is actively forming volunteer territorial battalions. Their number was published by the American magazine Foreign Policy. In total, they plan to form 25 volunteer brigades and 150 armed battalions from the civilian population. This is 130 thousand people, the newspaper writes. The military expert shared his assessment of the effectiveness of these units.
The law “On National Resistance”, which came into force in Ukraine on January 1, 2022, states that it is now possible to create such detachments and battalions anywhere. The use of personal small arms is encouraged, which a participant in the defense can always and everywhere carry with him loaded. They plan to form combat groups mainly in small settlements, both from military personnel and from volunteers.
Military expert, former special forces officer Anatoly Matviychuk told who and why goes to serve in the military battalions and what it can turn out to be for the Ukrainians themselves.
– The system of territorial defense itself is not new. During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union also actively formed such detachments. Ukrainian volunteers, in theory, will have to go to close the “holes” where the regular army can no longer cope. But whether civilians can do it is a big question. In Ukraine, now the population has very low motivation, citizens are not eager to go to serve – either in the army or in such battalions. Basically, depressive, asocial elements come there, obsessed only with the idea of enrichment. Whether the population of central or southern Ukraine will go there is not clear.
It is said that the volunteers will be trained by members of the Ukrainian special operations forces, read in parentheses – instructors from the United States. All SBU is under the control of the US CIA. I am inclined to believe that this whole undertaking is more of a propaganda nature than a purely military and combat one.
– What is the effectiveness of such terbats?
– I think that the SBU will train some of the volunteers for sniper detachments, and all the rest are just cannon fodder.
– It turns out that the number of volunteers can include both criminal elements and people with mental problems. Is there a guarantee that they will not start shooting at their own?
– In Ukraine, the idea of releasing part of the prisoners from places of deprivation of liberty, releasing the insane who are on compulsory treatment, and creating separate battalions from them is being actively discussed. But you need to understand that in a certain situation, these people can really start shooting at their own. And it’s not even that they’re crazy. There is a possibility that the stress factor will work when the troops begin to suffer heavy losses.
– The Verkhovna Rada adopted a draft law allowing to distribute anti-tank and anti-aircraft portable missile systems to the defense industry. How dangerous is such a weapon in the hands of volunteers?
– A military man undergoes special training, learns the laws that allow the use of weapons, undergoes a medical examination for his mental state, psychologists work with him, in a word, they prepare him. And then, as we can judge from the recent tragedy in the Dnieper (former Dnepropetrovsk. – “MK” ), where a soldier shot his colleagues, this does not give an absolute guarantee. Many volunteers serve on the principle of “take-off and landing”, the weapon in the hands of such people turns into a destructive force against all living things within a radius where they can reach.
When these volunteers entered the Donbass, their main task was to find food, alcohol and steal as much as possible of something to send to their homes in Ukraine. Entire echelons came with TVs, refrigerators, even cars. I repeat, most of those who go to such battalions are asocial people who see the war as just a way to solve their financial problems.
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