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Aidar Battalion (Ukraine)

image located by Bill Garrison, 29 March 2022

Aidar Battalion

See also:

Aidar Battalion

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.
Bill 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 "Революції Гідності" (English: Revolution of Dignity) (November 30, 2013 - February 23, 2014), the commander of the "Самооборони Майдану" (English: Maidan Self Defense) delegated on the commander of the "28-ї Сотні" (English: 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 "батальйону №165" (English: 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 "Самооборона Майдану" (English: Maidan Self Defense) (militias) to standing military formations.

Currently the unit's official formal status is "24 окремим штурмовим батальйоном" (English: 24 Separate Assault Battalion), also denominated as "24-й окремий штурмовий батальйон" (English: 24th Detached Assault Battalion), abbreviated as " 24 ОШБ" (English: 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 and
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 (already sent by Bill). This is a modern representation of the "Kholodny Yar Republic, Cold Ravine Republic or "Холодноярська республіка" (English: 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" English: 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, 29 March 2022

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, 29 March 2022

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, 29 March 2022

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, 29 March 2022

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 Bill provided.

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

Esteban Rivera, 29 March 2022