Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine

Territorial defence battalions emerged almost spontaneously out of already existing political parties and/or groups, as "armed factions" (also known as militias in Western sources). For instance, the Right Sector political party (not featured on FOTW-ws yet) which spawned the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps, or the Azov Battalion, which emerged out of the Patriot of Ukraine. If you look at these political groups, most of them are considered ultra-right (hence neonazi) and that is why it is labeled by Russian media as Ukrainian Nazis. However, since most of these military units have been incorporated into the Territorial Defence Forces, they are no longer under control of their former political parties. So, the Territorial defence battalions (2014–2015) were then transformed into the Territorial Defence Forces (de facto since 2015, de iure since 2022).
Esteban Rivera, 1 March 2023 (by e-mail)

Now, in the current armed conflict, which escalated into a military campaign on February 24, 2022, there have been new military formations activated, under the Territorial Defence Forces (Війська територіальної оборони), which are the military reserve component of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. These Defense Forces are composed of Battalions (hence the term "Territorial defence battalions") and have been active since 2014 as well. Additionally, new militias (outside this hierarchy) are also starting to appear and be called "territorial defense units", since they have not yet achieved battalion size status, that is: composed of 300 to 1000 personnel. Most likely, these new militias will either be incorporated to the already existing battalions or form new ones. The latest legal steps towards reactivation and reorganization of these military formations were taken on May 25, 2021 when the President passed a Bill to Parliament called "On the foundation of national resistance", approved on July 16, 2021 and signed into Law on July 29 by the President. It was further amended on January 1, 2022 (other sources mention January 27). On Section I General Dispositions, Article 1 Basic Terms definitions, item 15, they are formally labeled as "Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine", meaning a separate paramilitary force that acts in coordination with the existing Armed Forces. The new voluntary units are authorized by Resolution № 1449 of December 29, 2021 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, in which the Regulations on voluntary formations of territorial communities is approved. They are known as "ТрО" (English: TerrDef), "тероборона" (English: Defense), ТрОЗСУ (Romanized: "Sprotyv") (English: TerrDef ZSU), ЗСУ Romanized as ZSU, standing for Zbroini Syly Ukrainy, Armed Forces of Ukraine) and "ТериторіальнаОборона ЗСУ", (English: Territorial Defense ZSU).

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_Defense_Forces_(Ukraine) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021%E2%80%932022_Russo-Ukrainian_crisis)

For additional information go to Sprotyv (official website) https://sprotyv.in.ua/

Esteban Rivera, 28 February 2022

130th Territorial Defense Battalion

image located by Zachary Harden, 8 May 2023
(source, picture)

The English subtitles in the source-video (scroll down) allude that this flag is that of the Ukrainian 130th Territorial Defense Battalion during the recapture of Hoptivka, September 2022.
William Garrison, 8 May 2023

Independent Motorized Infantry Brigade

image located by William Garrison, 19 June 2022

The 58 ОМПБр (Independent Motorized Infantry Brigade, IMIB) is a brigade size military Unit which was incorporated into the Ukrainian Army Land Forces encompassing originally three Territorial Defense Battalions :
     – 13th Territorial Defence Battalion " Chernihiv-1" (Chernihiv Oblast) (13 окремий мотопіхотний батальйон (смт. Вороніж).
     – 15th Territorial Defence Battalion "Sumy" (Sumy Oblast) (15 окремий мотопіхотний батальйон).
     – 16th Territorial Defence Battalion "Poltava" (Poltava Oblast) (16 окремий мотопіхотний батальйон).
It was established on February 17, 2015 (even though its founding Units were established earlier) and took active part in the War in Donbass (2014-2015 and current conflict) as part of the "Оперативне командування «Північ»" (Operational Command "North") (official website ).
Sources: Memorybook, source #2, source #3 and source #4.

The flag in question has the same color composition background as that of Ukraine, that is: blue on top and yellow on bottom.
To the left it features the patch insignia, having a shield with silver outline, divided in the middle vertically by two equal stripes, left in red and right in blue, superimposed by the monogram "TW" in black capitals, with the motto on top in Latin SIMUL AD VICTORIAM (together for victory).
To the right, on the blue stripe, it features the name of the Unit: 58 ОМПБр 958th IMIB0 імені гетьмана = in memoriam Hetman Івана Виговського = Ivan Vyhovsky

Below, on the yellow stripe, towards the fly, it features the three coats of arms (patch insignia) of the founding Units mentioned above (13-й, 15-й and 16-й) and below that, the same motto, this time in Ukrainian "Разом до перемоги!" (Together to victory!) (picture).
Notice that the images of the coats of arms may have slight variations when referring to the flag sent since they either evolved when incorporated from being volunteer Units to standing military formations and/or readjusted according to task):
– #44a is the coat of arms of the 13th Territorial Defence Battalion "Chernihiv-1".
– #44b is the coat of arms of 15th Territorial Defence Battalion "Sumy".
– #44b is the coat of arms of 16th Territorial Defence Battalion "Poltava".

Esteban Rivera, 21 June 2022

128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade

image located by William Garrison, Martin Karner
(source, source, picture)

Flag of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade (128 Окрема Гірсько-Штурмова Закарпатська Бригада). This is confirmed by a Twitter message presented by Youtuber Jake Broe in the newest of his analysis videos (see beginning of the video, the unit called there 128th Jaeger Brigade – perhaps an inaccurate translation, perhaps a self-designated short version (still image from video. The right flag is from the 2nd Separate Rifle Battalion).
Martin Karner, 20/21 June 2023

2nd Separate Rifle Battalion

image located by William Garrison, 20 June 2023

This flag belongs to 2nd Separate Rifle Battalion (2-й окремий стрілецький батальйон) (source).
Zachary Harden, 21 June 2023

[still image from video, see 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade above]

247th Separate Battalion (127th Kharkiv City Defense Brigade)

still image from video located by William Garrison, 20 June 2023
(source: Youtube)

Flag of the 127th Kharkiv City Defense Brigade, Territorial Defense Forces. The 247 seen in the badge (not the black text) refers to the 247th separate battalion that is a part of this brigade.
The text reads "For the defense of Slobozhanshchyna 24/7" with that area is referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloboda_Ukraine.
Zachary Harden, 25 June 2023

Aidar Battalion

image located by William Garrison

Source: https://thesanghakommune.org/2022/03/13/lugansk-neo-nazi-aidar-battalion-criminality-destroys-lenin-statue-1-5-2007/
caption: A black-field flag with white slogans & logo, allegedly used by the Ukraine Aidar Bn.; c. March 2022.
William Garrison, 29 March 2022

The inscriptions make parts of a single motto: "Freedom of Ukraine or death".
The emblem is a variation of the 1918–1921 arms of Ukraine which has had several variations during the time of its use: http://www.heraldicum.ru/ukraine/unr.htm
Tomislav Todorovic, 29 March 2022

This Unit is listed as 24th Territorial Defence Battalion "Aidar" (Ukrainian: 24-й батальйон територіальної оборони «Айдар).

"At the end of April 2014, during the Revolution of Dignity (Революції Гідності) (November 30, 2013 – February 23, 2014), the commander of the Maidan Self Defense delegated on the commander of the 28th Hundred, "Сотня", romanized sotnia or sotnya, "hundred" is a military term of Slavic origin, which was also a territorial subdivision used in Ukraine in the times of the Cossack Hetmanate to establish a military unit in the Luhansk Oblast. The word, which literally means "hundred", in this context refers to a military unit of about 75–150 persons. In modern military language it is the equivalent to a company-size military formation.

On May 1st, the creation of the Battalion was approved and on May 3rd, 2014 the Minister of Defence issued an Order formally establishing Battalion No. 165 which later was named "Aidar".

It is important to highlight the fact that this was the first Territorial Defense Battalion of Ukraine – a volunteer military detachment subordinate to the Ministry of Defence. Furthermore, this unit represents and started the evolution from civilian Maidan Self Defense (militias) to standing military formations.

Currently the unit's official formal status is 24 Separate Assault Battalion, also denominated as 24th Detached Assault Battalion, abbreviated as 24 OSHB).

Hence, it is by no means coincidence that Russian forces started the current military campaign on February 23–24 2022 coinciding with the end of the "Revolution of Dignity" eight years prior.

Sources:
http://aidar.kiev.ua/іstorіya-bataljonu
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotnia
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/

The symbol of the Battalion is a night owl, because it is a hunting bird that approaches silently.
Source: http://aidar.kiev.ua/simvolіka-bataljonu/

Notice that depending on the illustration of the symbol (owl or trident) of the battalion, it is represented on the flag. That is: there are three (which are the most well known/used).
1. Black background and b/w trident. This is a modern representation of the Kholodny Yar Republic, Cold Ravine Republic or Kholodnoyarsk Republic (1919–1922), which was a self-proclaimed state formation, partisan movement, and ran on the lands of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), in the Chyhyryn district of the Kyiv province (now Cherkasy Raion of Cherkasy Oblast), in the area of the Kholodny Yar forest tract. The village of Melnyky was its capital. Kholodny Yar Republic was the last territory in which Ukrainians continued to fight for an independent Ukrainian state before the incorporation of Ukraine into the Soviet Union as the Ukrainian SSR. In fact, the logo used in the flag is the coat of arms of such Republic. The
inscription reads "Воля України або смерть" (Freedom of Ukraine or death).
"In the 21st century the Kholodny Republic flag was used during the Euromaidan demonstrations and by the Azov Battalion." (Sources:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kholodny_Yar_Republic#Legacy and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Free_or_Die)
2. Blue and yellow (based on the Ukrainian national flag) with the logo in the middle, meaning it was a paramilitary unit.
3. Purple variant, with a white eagle, the name of the Battalion on top in yellow, and the motto "З нами Бог" (English: God with us) (below). This flag also has the coat of arms of the Ukrainian Ground Forces on the canton, meaning it is now an incorporated military Unit.

Additional flag images are seen here: https://zname.com.ua/ua/flags/fat809.html

Images:

image by Esteban Rivera

Coat of arms in use between 1918–1920 of the historical Ukrainian People's Republic, adapted and used in a black and white pattern, on the flag of the militias of the Aidar Battalion).

image by Esteban Rivera

Flag copied from the original located here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kholodny_Yar_Republic#/media/File:Volya_abo_smert%60.jpg source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kholodny_Yar_Republic.

image by Esteban Rivera

Image from the original located here:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/...Aidar_battalion_patch.png, source: https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/

image by Esteban Rivera

Image from the original located here: https://thesanghakommune.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/1377338_original.jpg, source: https://thesanghakommune.org/2022/03/13/lugansk-neo-nazi-aidar-battalion-criminality-destroys-lenin-statue-1-5-2007/. This is a flag found from the link that William Garrison provided. [Another picture provided by William Garrison, source]

For additional information go to Aidar (official website): http://aidar.kiev.ua

Esteban Rivera, 29 March 2022

Donbass Battalion

image by Zoltan Horvath

The Donbass Battalion is a troop of voluntaries, who are fighting for the Ukraine government against the Russian separatists in East Ukraine. Here is a photo of the consecration ceremony of their flag in 2014.
Jan-Patrick Fischer, 1 January 2015

Please note that flag colours are reversed to compare with Ukrainian national flag, does it have any significance?
Zoltan Horvath, 2 January 2015

This battalion was established as an Ukrainian military volunteer unit (now incorporated) into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as opposed to the "Donbass People's Militia"

Donbas Battalion, (Ukrainian: Батальйон "Донбас"), is a volunteered National Guard of Ukraine unit subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, based in Severodonetsk. The (military) formation was established in the Spring of 2014 during the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine, more precisely through a fundraiser in April 2014 by Semen Semenchenko (nom de guerre of Kostyantyn Hrishyn) (who claimed to be an ethnic Russian native of Donetsk and holds the rank of Major in the National Guard of Ukraine. The unit has been fully integrated into the armed forces of Ukraine and re-designated as the 3rd Reserve Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine.

Semenchenko, a former Ukrainian reserve captain, claims that he and the other members of the Donbas Battalion gained combat experience in the Ukrainian Ground Forces or Soviet Army. According to him the all-volunteer Battalion was initially funded wholly by their own members savings and donations from individuals and "receiving zero salary from either the state or oligarchs". The Ukrainian Interior Ministry adopted Donbas Battalion as a National Guard of Ukraine unit thus allowing them to operate legally.

Sources:
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donbas_Battalion
• http://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Донбас_(батальйон)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semen_Semenchenko

The flag is the emblem on a horizontal yellow over blue (equal stripes) flag, as seen here.

The emblem has the word Донбас (Donbass in Ukrainian) over the Donetsk County flag, above a diving black eagle.
The Donbass battalion is one of such "Territorial defense battalions" (Ukrainian: Батальйо́ни територіа́льної оборо́ни) which are non-professional (para)military units compounded of volunteers and they are under the command of Ukrainian Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defence created to combat Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic insurgents (and allegedly also regular Russian troops who later joined the conflict) during the War in Donbass. By late 2014 there were more than 50 of these units.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_defense_battalion_(Ukraine)

For additional information go to:
Donbass Battalion (official website)
http://www.bat-donbass.com/

Esteban Rivera, 2 January 2015

Dudayev Battalion

  image by Marc Pasquin

A flag used by the Dudayev Battalion, a foreign fighters unit fighting alongside Ukraine and composed of Chechen volunteers.

The battalion is named after Dzhohar Dudayev, the first president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Most commanders within the battalion fought for the independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (1991–2000) which explains the use of one of its flag variant (during the republic existence, a version of the flag without the emblem was also used). The central emblem can also be seen on the uniform of various members of the battalion.

Since the she-wolf is facing toward the viewer's right, I would assume it's the reverse of the flag we are seeing. Of note is the fact that the unlike most other monochromatic versions of the emblem, the circle above the she-wolf is grey rather than black.

The Dudayev Battalion should not be confused with another Chechen unit, the 141st Special Motorized Regiment (AKA "Kadyrovtsy" [Kadyrov's followers]) lead by Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic within the Russian Federation, which is fighting alongside Russian forces.

Source: Al Jazeera English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxsXAq0tmgk

Marc Pasquin, 17 October 2022

See also:   • Independentist Chechen Flag
                  • Ukrainian-Chechen solidarity flag
                  • Akhmad and Ramzan Kadyrov flags

International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine (aka Ukrainian Foreign Legion)

Flag
image located by Esteban Rivera

Logo
image located by Esteban Rivera

Esteban Rivera, 10 March 2023 (by e-mail)

Georgian National Legion

image located by Esteban Rivera

image cropped from the original located here: https://sprotyv.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/dobrovolcy-533x261.jpg, (picture) source: https://uawire.org/georgian-legion-left-the-ukrainian-armed-forces

image located by Esteban Rivera

image from the original located here:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki, source: https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki

For additional information go to Georgian Legion (official website): http://georgianlegion.com.ua/

Ukrainian Volunteer Corps

image from the original located here: https://www.google.com/maps/@50.5266205,30.596692,3a,15.1y,241.74h,100.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sApqiuOtiJHK0h04YhVWe3w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=es-419. It seems that this was either the first or one of the first flags to be displayed at the "паркові алеї "Доброволець" (English: "Volunteers" park alley), since the flag shown is from May, 2015.

Sources: https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki

Esteban Rivera, 28 February 2022

Kharkiv – Hero City Flag (127th Territorial Defense Brigade)

    images located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg (left), Martin Karner

In yesterday's report [picture], Jake Broe showed a massive Russian ammunition dump being blown up. Quiet a sight, but the more important bit, was of course that Jake currently shows a flag in his background. I read it as being from Kharkiv, but the lower line of text is only partially visible, and my Ukrainian is not good enough to recognise the partial text to determine what it says.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 21 September 2024

The inscriptions are "Kharkiv – City of Heroes (or Heroic City)", as are not good visible the last letter/s.
Valentin Poposki, 21 September 2024

In this blog of the Ukrainian musician Sergei Babkin (scroll down about a quarter of the page at 15 September 2024) he is holding up on a photo the same flag as Jake Broe has in his videos. The text reads (translated with deepl.com): "The musician added that he chose to help Ukrainian defenders by donating funds from his charity concerts. According to the singer, it is already hundreds of thousands of Euros. Babkin showed a flag that was handed over to him by the 127th Separate Brigade of the Kharkiv-based Logistics Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two watches – one for men and one for women."
Martin Karner, 21 September 2024

I can confirm this is a flag belonging to the 127th Territorial Defense Brigade (Wikipedia). As for the text, Valentin Poposki is correct about the text. It says "Kharkiv – Misto Heori" (Kharkiv – Hero City). It was awarded to the city, along with several others, on the onset of the 2022 invasion by Russia (see Wikipedia).
About the embattlement on top of the insignia, it's a tell that 90% of those units belong to the TrO [TrO = Terytorialnoi Oborony = Territorial Defense]. This copies the sleeve insignia used by the TrO on the national level.
Zachary Harden, 22 September 2024 (and via e-mail)

26th Artillery Brigade (Morale Flag)

This flag is used by the 26th Artillery Brigade (named after Colonel-General Roman Dashkevych [lower inscription]) for PR purposes (but also as a way to thank civilians for service/helping the unit. I note that because of the use of Latin and Ukrainian on the flag, the letters "UL" and "R" up top are in a different font from the rest of the flag. This flag comprises the brigade's badge (shoulder sleeve insignia) on a red/green background (that is also present on their badge). Ultima Ratio (Last Resort) is the motto of the unit. Red and the cannon is main colors and symbols of the Ukrainian artillery forces; the green and the axes are borrowed from the arms of Berdychiv, Zhytomyr. Berdychiv is the location of the brigade's headquarters/garrison. (source, picture)

Video with explanation of the arm badge's symbolism (in Ukrainian)

Zachary Harden, 18 January 2025