Armed Forces of Ukraine

As of 1992, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were completely inherited from the Soviet Union, in which Ukraine had been a member state (a union republic). Like other Soviet republics, it did not possess its own separate military command, as all military formations were uniformly subordinated to the central command of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Administratively, the Ukrainian SSR was divided into three Soviet military districts (the Carpathian Military District, Kyiv Military District, and Odesa Military District). Three Soviet air commands and most of the Black Sea Fleet naval bases were located on the coast of Ukraine.

When the collapse of the Soviet Union took place in 1991 (see Novo-Ogaryovo process), the newly independent state of Ukraine inherited one of the most powerful force groupings in Europe. According to an associate of the Conflict Studies Research Centre, James Sherr: "This grouping, its inventory of equipment and its officer corps was designed for one purpose: to wage combined arms, coalition, offensive (and nuclear) warfare against NATO on an external front".[20] At that time, the former Soviet armed forces in the Ukrainian SSR included a rocket army (43rd Rocket Army), four air-force armies, an air-defense army (8th Air Defence Army), three regular armies, two tank armies, the 32nd Army Corps, and the Black Sea Fleet.[21] Altogether the Armed Forces of Ukraine included about 780,000 personnel, 6,500 tanks, about 7,000 combat armored vehicles, 1,500 combat aircraft, and more than 350 ships. Along with their equipment and personnel, Ukraine's armed forces inherited the battle honors and lineage of the Soviet forces stationed in Ukraine. However, due to the deterioration of Russian-Ukrainian relations and to the continued stigma of being associated with the Soviet Union, in 2015 the President of Ukraine ordered the removal of most of the citations awarded to the Ukrainian units during the Soviet era.[22]

On 26 February 1991, a parliamentary Standing Commission for Questions of Security and Defense was established. On August 24, 1991, the Ukrainian parliament (the Verkhovna Rada), in adopting the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine, also enacted a short resolution "About military formations in Ukraine".[23] This took jurisdiction over all formations of the armed forces of the Soviet Union stationed on Ukrainian soil and established one of the key agencies, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.[24] On 3 September 1991, the Ministry of Defence commenced its duties. On 22 October 1991 units and formations of the Soviet Armed Forces on Ukrainian soil were nationalized.[25] Subsequently, the Supreme Council of Ukraine adopted two Laws of Ukraine on December 6, 1991,[26][27] and Presidential Ukase #4 "About Armed Forces of Ukraine" on December 12, 1991.[28] The government of Ukraine surrendered any rights of succession to the Soviet Strategic Deterrence Forces[29] (see Strategic Missile Troops) that were staged on the territory of Ukraine. Recognizing the complications of a smooth transition and seeking a consensus with other former members of the Soviet Union in dividing up their Soviet military inheritance, Ukraine joined ongoing talks that started in December 1991[30] regarding a joint military command of the Commonwealth of Independent States.[31]

Inherent in the process of creating a domestic military were political decisions by the Ukrainian leadership regarding the country's non-nuclear and international status. Among these were the definition, agreement, and ratification of the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) which not only established the maximum level of armament for each republic of the former USSR, but also a special ceiling for the so-called CFE "Flank Region". Included in this region were Ukraine's Mykolaiv, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Another key event in the development of the Ukrainian military was the 1992 Tashkent Treaty, which laid out aspirations for a Commonwealth of Independent States military. This collective military proved impossible to develop because the former republics of the USSR all wished to go their own way, ripping the intricate Soviet military machine into pieces.

Ukraine had observer status with the Non-Aligned Movement of nation-states from 1996.[32] However, due to the 2014 Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada repealed this status on 23 December 2014.[33]

A Tu-22M being dismantled through assistance provided by the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program implemented by the DTRA, 2002

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited two divisions of the Strategic Rocket Forces' 43rd Rocket Army (HQ Vinnytsia): the 19th Rocket Division (Khmelnytskyi) (90 UR-100N/SS-19/RS-18) and the 46th Rocket Division at Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast, equipped with 40 SS-19 and 46 silo-mounted RT-23 Molodets/SS-24s.[34] While Ukraine had physical control of these systems, it did not have operational control. The use of the weapons was dependent on Russian-controlled electronic Permissive Action Links and the Russian command and control system.[35][36]

A SS-20 on display at the World War II Museum in Kyiv

Ukraine voluntarily gave up these and all other nuclear weapons during the early 1990s. This was the first time in history that a country voluntarily gave up the use of strategic nuclear weapons, although the Republic of South Africa was dismantling its small tactical nuclear weapons program at about the same time.

Ukraine has plentiful amounts of highly enriched uranium, which the United States wanted to buy from the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology. Ukraine also has two uranium mining and processing factories, a heavy water plant and technology for determining the isotopic composition of fissionable materials. Ukraine has deposits of uranium that are among the world's richest. In May 1992, Ukraine signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) in which the country agreed to give up all nuclear weapons and to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state. Ukraine ratified the treaty in 1994, and as of January 1, 1996, no military nuclear equipment or materials remain on Ukrainian territory.

On 13 May 1994, the United States and Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Transfer of Missile Equipment and Technology. This agreement committed Ukraine to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) by controlling exports of missile-related equipment and technology according to the MTCR Guidelines.

Other disarmament – strategic planes & other missiles

Ukraine and NATO estimate that 2.5 million tons of conventional ammunition were left in Ukraine as the Soviet military withdrew, as well as more than 7 million rifles, pistols, mortars, and machine guns. The surplus weapons and ammunition were stored in over 180 military bases, including in bunkers, salt mines and in the open.[37] As of 2014, much of this surplus had not been scrapped.[38][39]

Ukraine's first military reforms began on December 26, 1996, with the adoption of a new "State Program for the Building and Development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine". One of the aspects was to shrink the standard combat unit from division size to brigade size which would then fall under the command of one of the three newly created military district; the Western Operational Command, the Southern Operational Command, and the largest – the Northern Operational/Territorial Command.[40] Only Ukraine's 1st Airmobile Division was not downsized. This downsizing occurred purely for financial reasons with Ukrainian economy in recession this was a way to shrink the government (defense) expenditure and at the same time release hundreds of thousands of young people into the private sector to stimulate growth.[41] During this time Ukraine's military-industrial complex also began to develop new indigenous weapons for the armed forces like the T-84 tank, the BMP-1U, the BTR-3, KrAZ-6322, and the Antonov An-70. All these reforms were championed by Leonid Kuchma, the 2nd President of Ukraine, who wanted to retain a capable military and a functioning military-industrial complex because he didn't trust Russia who he believed might one day become Ukraine's enemy, stating once "The threat of Russofication is a real concern for us".[42]

Kuchma was also eager to modernize the equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, however, after learning of the price tag of such a move, he backtracked, preferring to rely on the sizable Soviet supply of weapons which he made sure were well maintained. But the cancellation of the modernization program left a question of how to provide jobs in the military industrial complex which then comprised a double-digit percentage of the GDP. Export of new and modernized weapons on the world's arms markets was settled on as the best option, where Ukraine both tried to undercut the contracts of the Russian arms industry – offering the same service for a cheaper price, and was willing to sell equipment to whoever was willing to pay (more than once to politically unstable or even aggressive regimes), causing negative reactions from both Western Europe and the United States federal government.[43] During this time 320 T-80 tanks would be sold to Pakistan and an unfinished Soviet aircraft carrier the Varyag which today is known as the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning.[44]

Though the military was well equipped it still experienced lack of funds particularly for training and exercises, which led to a number of incidents with one notable one being the Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 of 2001 the other Sknyliv airshow disaster of 2002. Still, the military's effectiveness was demonstrated during the Tuzla Island Conflict – when (brief description). In 2003 Ukraine completed its first set of reforms which were judged largely successful, with the personnel numbers stabilizing at 295,000 of which 90,000 were civilian contractors.[45]

Ukrainian military tactics and organization are heavily dependent on Cold War tactics and former Soviet Armed Forces organization. Under former President Yushchenko, Ukraine pursued a policy of independence from Russian dominance, and thus tried to fully integrate with the West, specifically NATO.

Until the Euromaidan crisis of 2014, Ukraine retained tight military relations with Russia, inherited from their common Soviet history. Common uses for naval bases in the Crimea and joint air defense efforts were the most intense cooperative efforts. This cooperation was a permanent irritant in bilateral relations, but Ukraine appeared economically dependent on Moscow, and thus unable to break such ties quickly. After the election of President Victor Yanukovych, ties between Moscow and Kyiv warmed, and those between Kyiv and NATO cooled, relative to the Yushchenko years.

T-64BMs in Eastern Ukraine

In March 2014, after the Crimean crisis began, it was announced by the reformist government that a new military service, the National Guard of Ukraine would be created. Previously a National Guard had existed up until 2000, thus the 2014 NG is a reformation of the one raised in 1991, but this time formed part of personnel from the Internal Troops of Ukraine.

In May 2014 with war happening in eastern regions, a helicopter with 14 soldiers on board including General Serhiy Kulchytskiy, who headed combat and special training for the country's National Guard, was brought down by militants near Sloviansk in East Ukraine. Outgoing President Olexander Turchynov described the downing as a "terrorist attack," and blamed pro-Russian militants.[47]

In the early months of the War in Donbass, the Armed Forces were widely criticised for their poor equipment and inept leadership, forcing Internal Affairs Ministry forces like the National Guard and the territorial defence battalions to take on the brunt of the fighting in the first months of the war.[48][49]

In late July 2015, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry revealed new Ukrainian Armed Forces uniform designs, later a revised rank insignia system was created.[50] These made their national debut on August 24, 2016, at the National Independence Day Silver Jubilee parade in Independence Square, Kyiv.

By February 2018 the Ukrainian armed forces were larger and better equipped than ever before, numbering 200,000 active-service military personnel and most of the volunteer soldiers of the territorial defence battalions have been integrated into the official Ukrainian army.[51]

A late 2017-early 2018 United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that human rights abuses allegedly committed by Ukrainian security forces and armed groups remain an ongoing issue of the War in Donbass that erupted in 2014. The nature of the alleged crimes ranges from unlawful or arbitrary detention to torture, ill-treatment and/or sexual violence. Within the reporting period of 16 November 2017 to 15 February 2018 the OHCHR monitoring mission documented 115 cases of credible allegations of human rights violations committed by both sides of the conflict since 2014.[52]

SSO operators during exercises

Ukraine's stated national policy is Euro-Atlantic integration, with the European Union. Ukraine has a "Distinctive Partnership" with NATO (see Enlargement of NATO) and has been an active participant in Partnership for Peace exercises and in peacekeeping in the Balkans. This close relationship with NATO has been most apparent in Ukrainian cooperation and combined peacekeeping operations with its neighbor Poland in Kosovo. Ukrainian servicemen also serve under NATO command in Iraq, Afghanistan and in Operation Active Endeavour.[53] Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych considered the level of co-operation between Ukraine and NATO sufficient.[54] His predecessor Viktor Yushchenko had asked for Ukrainian membership by early 2008.[55][56] During the 2008 Bucharest summit NATO declared that Ukraine will become a member of NATO whenever it wants and when it meets the criteria for accession.[54] Former Ukrainian President Yanukovych opted to keep Ukraine a non-aligned state. This materialized on June 3, 2010, when the Ukrainian parliament excluded, with 226 votes, the goal of "integration into Euro-Atlantic security and NATO membership" from the country's national security strategy.[57] Amid the Euromaidan unrest, Yanukovych fled Ukraine in February 2014.[58]

The interim Yatsenyuk Government which came to power, initially said, with reference to the country's non-aligned status, that it had no plans to join NATO.[59] However, following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and parliamentary elections in October 2014, the new government made joining NATO a priority.[60] On 23 December 2014, the Ukrainian parliament renounced Ukraine's non-aligned status[58][61] that "proved to be ineffective in guaranteeing Ukraine's security and protecting the country from external aggression and pressure".[62] The Ukrainian military is since transforming to NATO standards.[63] Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk stated early February 2016 that de facto the Armed Forces must, soon as possible, begin its transition for Ukrainian entry into NATO and towards NATO-capable armed forces.[63]

The Chief of the General Staff oversees the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

KRAZ Spartan

As of 2016, there were a reported 169,000 personnel in the Ukrainian Ground Forces.[69] The Ukrainian Ground Forces are divided into Armoured and Mechanized Forces, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence and Rocket and Artillery Troops. There are 13 mechanized brigades and two mountain warfare brigades in the Mechanized Forces. Ukraine also has two armoured brigades. There are seven rocket and artillery brigades as well as five airmobile brigades. Until 2013, the Ground Forces were divided into three army corps. These were disbanded in 2013 and reorganized as Operation Command West, Operation Command North and Operation Command South. Operation Command East was formed in 2015 to coordinate forces in the War in Donbass.

Ukrainian Su-25

In 2016, the Ukrainian Air Force was reported to have included 36,300 personnel.[70][71]

The Krivak III-class frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy; the current flagship of the Ukrainian Navy[72]

According to an August 2015 Kyiv Post report, the Ukrainian Navy consisted of 6,500 personnel.[73]

The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces are composed of 8 air assault brigades and support units.

Ukraine's special forces are reported as 4,000 strong.[2]

The Soviet Union required all able-bodied male citizens to serve two years in the armed forces (three years if drafted into the navy), although the draft could be postponed due to continued higher education. It was possible to be drafted into non Ministry of Defense military forces such as the KGB Border Guards, the Militsiya, or the Internal Troops. When Ukraine gained its independence it retained the policy of conscription, although the time in service was reduced to 18 months in the navy and one year in all other services. Ukraine also gradually began recruiting professional soldiers, although in almost all cases a person had to serve as a conscript prior to becoming a professional soldier. The Ukrainian Naval Infantry was the first service to convert to being staffed by fully professional marines.

In October 2013 President Yanukovich ended conscription in Ukraine, at the time 60% of Ukraine's forces were composed of professional soldiers.[74] However, due to the 2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine conscription, as well as a partial mobilization, was reinstated in 2014.[75] Ukraine has modified the age group of males eligible for conscription for 2015 from 18–25 to the 20-27 age group.[76]

After serving out the term of service Ukraine's conscripts become part of the inactive reserve and are eligible to be recalled for mobilization until they reach age 55, age 60 for officers. Due to the War in Donbass Ukraine has instated a partial mobilization to fill needed positions in its armed forces, recalling conscripts who have served before, because of the war many conscripts have also been forced to serve longer than their original 18-month term of service.[77] It was planned that in 2015 Ukraine would undergo three waves of partial mobilization, this would have allowed new troops to replace those serving longer than their original term of service.[78] As a result, the number of defections from Ukrainian Armed Forces has risen substantially cause the Ukrainian conscripts had no wish to put their life at risk in combat. An advisor of Ukrainian president described the quality of forcibly mobilized Ukrainian soldiers as "alcoholics and dodgers, drug addicts and morons".[79] According to many reports the increased consumption of drugs and alcohol on duty has become a serious issue in Ukrainian Armed Forces. As a response the Ukrainian government launched a military police service and deployed National Guards in war zone.[80][81][82]

Due to the reintroduction of conscription, and partial mobilization, Ukraine's armed forces is expected to nearly double from approximately 130,000 personnel in December 2014 to approximately 250,000 personnel in 2015.

All medical workers in Ukraine, regardless of gender, are eligible to be called up for service in case of a national emergency.

Draft dodging is present in Ukraine as with most nations using the draft. It was reported that between April and August 2014, over 1,000 criminal inquires into draft evasion were opened in Ukraine.[83] Draft evasion can be problematic because unless a male citizen was unable to serve for medical reasons, an application to receive an international passport of Ukraine may be denied due to a lack of military service, thus preventing the individual from traveling abroad.[84]

As of autumn 2016, conscripts were no longer deployed in the so-called "ATO"-operations in the east of Ukraine.[85]

In 2017 more than 14 thousand people signed up for contract service with the Armed Forces.[86]

For participating in the War in Donbass (in May 2017 7.5 thousand) soldiers on the front line receive an average salary of 16 thousand Ukrainian Hryvnia.[86] The minimum maintenance for a contract soldier is 7000 Hryvnia.[86]

West Ukraine supplies the fewest people for contract service.[86]

Ukraine's Armed Forces outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense consist of:

• Internal Troops → National Guard (Ministry of Internal Affairs): 46,000 [87]
  • Special operation formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, i.e. Omega, Scorpion (nuclear sites security), Tytan, and others. Most of Felidae-named formations (such as Bars, Jaguar, others) along with Berkut were reformed.
• Border Guard: 42,000 (including 8,000 civilian workers)[87]
  • Ukrainian Sea Guard – the coast guard within the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
• Various military troops of the SBU (no generic name): 30,000
• Civil Defence Forces (State Emergency Service of Ukraine): 10,218 (including 668 civilian workers)[88]
• Special Transportation Service of Ukraine – (Ministry of Transportation and Communications)[89]

Although not components of the Armed Forces, these militarized institutions are supposed to come under the Armed Forces' command during wartime.

On 3 June 2016, Defense Ministry's Order No. 292 allowed women to serve in combat units.[19]

According to Defense Ministry figures early June 2016 some 49,500 women served in and worked in the Ukrainian military; more than 17,000 were military servicewomen, of which more than 2,000 officers.[19] In 2020 58,000 women served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[90]

Women have also joined the various volunteer Territorial defense battalions before the order for women's integration in the armed forces was enacted.[19] Women are eligible to be drafted into the military as officers.[91] In 2009 women comprised almost 13% of the armed forces (18,000 personnel) but with few females holding high rank (2.9% or 1,202 women).[92] Contractual military service accounted for almost 44% of women. However, this being closely linked to the low salary of such positions: men refuse to serve in these conditions while women accept them.[92]

Nadiya Savchenko is perhaps one of the most well known female Ukrainian soldiers and was held as a prisoner in Russia from July 2014 until May 2016.[93]

According to President Petro Poroshenko, in October 2016 about ten thousand women served in combat units.[94]

In September 2018 legislation made women and men equal in the military and law enforcement agencies.[95] The following month Liudmyla Shugaley became Ukraine's first female general (she was appointed the head of the Military Medical Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine).[95]

Since 2019 the Ivan Bohun Military High School accepts both male and female cadets.

•  Afghanistan: ISAF (PRT CHAGHCHARAN) – 13 Officers (3 medical officers)[98]
•  Democratic Republic of the Congo: (MONUSCO) – 12 Experts on Mission and four Mi-24 helicopters[98][102][103][104]
•  Iraq (NTM-I): – 10 officers[98][105]
•  Kosovo: (KFOR) – 128 Soldiers[98][106]
•  Kosovo: (UNMIK) – 1 Military Liaison Component Chief of Staff, 1 liaison officer[98][102]
•  Liberia: (UNMIL) – 277 Contingent Troops, 2 Experts on Mission[98][102]
•  Moldova: (Transnistria) – 10 Military Observers[98]
•  Sudan: (UNMIS) – 9 Experts on Mission[98][102]
•  Mali (20)

On 2 March 2014, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were placed on full alert following a Russian military intervention in Crimea.[107]

On 19 March 2014, Ukraine drew plans to withdraw all its troops and their families to the mainland "quickly and efficiently".[108]

• 2003: $1.01 Billion (UAH 5.06 billion @5.0 exchange rate)[124]
• 2004: $1.29 Billion (UAH 6.46 billion @5.0 exchange rate)[124]
• 2005: $1.23 Billion (UAH 6.16 billion @5.0 exchange rate)[124]
• 2006: $1.47 Billion (UAH 7.35 billion @5.0 exchange rate)[124]
• 2007: $2.12 Billion (UAH 10.6 billion @5.0 exchange rate)[124]
• 2008: $1.78 Billion (UAH 8.926 billion @5.0 exchange rate)[125]
• 2009: $0.93 Billion (UAH 7.4 billion @8.0 exchange rate)[126]
• 2010: $1.63 Billion (UAH 13.1 billion @8.0 exchange rate)[127]
• 2011: $1.82 Billion (UAH 14.6 billion @8.0 exchange rate)[128]
• 2012: $2.05 Billion (UAH 16.4 billion @8.0 exchange rate)[129]
• 2013: $1.88 Billion (UAH 15.3 billion @8.1 exchange rate) [130]
• 2014: $1.37 Billion (UAH 15.1 billion @11.0 exchange rate) [131]
• 2015: $1.91 Billion (UAH 40.2 billion @21.0 exchange rate) [131]
• 2016: $2.11 Billion (UAH 56 billion) [132]
• 2017: $2.65 Billion (UAH 69 billion) [133]
• 2018: $3.20 Billion (UAH 83.3 billion) [133]
• 2019: $4.08 Billion (UAH 102 billion) [133]
• 2020: $5.2 billion (UAH 130 billion) [134]

"Security and Defense" combined budget apart from Department of Defense (Defense Ministry) for Armed Forces of Ukraine, also includes expenses for Police, Customs, and Border Control.