Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment
Military unit / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment[lower-alpha 1] (also known as simply Połk Kalinoŭskaha or the Kalinoŭski Regiment),[10] formerly the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion until May 2022[11] is a group of Belarusian opposition volunteers, which was formed to defend Ukraine against the Russian invasion in 2022.[12]
Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment | |
---|---|
Полк Кастуся Калиновського Полк Кастуся Каліноўскага | |
Active | March 2022 – present |
Country | Ukraine |
Type | Foreign volunteer regiment |
Role | Territorial defence |
Size | 300 [1] |
Part of | Armed Forces of Ukraine |
Patron | Konstanty Kalinowski |
Motto(s) | "First Ukraine, then Belarus" |
Engagements | |
Website | Official Website of the Regiment |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Dzianis Prokharaŭ[6] |
Notable commanders | Vadzim Kabanchuk [be] (deputy commander) Aliaksiej Skoblia † (deputy commander) Ivan "Brest" Marchuk † [7][8] Pavel "Volat" † (company commander)[9] |
Insignia | |
Flag |
As of March 2022, it was reported that more than a thousand Belarusians have applied to join the unit.[13] According to its own statements, the battalion is not incorporated into the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine in order to preserve greater autonomy.[14]
The unit is named after the Belarusian and Polish national hero Kastuś Kalinoŭski, who was a leader of the January Uprising in 1863 against the Russian Empire in Belarus and Lithuania.[15]
The regiment is confirmed to have suffered seven killed as of July 2022.[16]