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Kraken Regiment

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Kraken Regiment
Спецпідрозділ «Kraken»
Spetspidrozdil «Kraken»
Kraken insignia
ActiveFebruary 2022[1][2] – present
CountryUkraine Ukraine
Branch Main Directorate of Intelligence[3]
TypeSpetsnaz[3]
RoleReconnaissance[4]
Sabotage[4]
Size600 - 1,500 (Estimated February 2022)[5][6][3][7]
1,800 (Estimated August 2022)[8]
Engagements
WebsiteOfficial Telegram channel
Commanders
Current
commander		Konstantin V. Nemichev (February 2022 - present)[20]
Insignia
First Flag Variant
Second Flag Variant

The Kraken Regiment (Ukrainian: Спецпідрозділ "Kraken", romanized: Spetspidrozdil "Kraken") is a Ukrainian military volunteer unit, part of the spetsnaz units of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR)[3] formed in 2022 as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Named after the mythical sea creature, the regiment was formed by veterans of the Azov Regiment and has successfully liberated several occupied villages during the fighting,[8] later also taking part in counter offensives and sabotage operations, becoming one of the more high-profile volunteer units in the war.

History

Member of the Kraken Regiment burning a pro-Russian billboard with a Molotov cocktail

Origin

Many of the eventual members of the Kraken Regiment were amongst those who gathered in the Kharkiv hideouts that had been stashed with arms in preparation for the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. At the same time, Kostiantyn Nemichev, who was at the time head of the local National Corps, was gathering volunteer soldiers. They took part in the defence of Kharkiv, and by March after driving out Russians of Vilkhivka the unit had started to form to the point the name ″Kraken″ was chosen after a commander of the unit suggested it based on his Naval special forces background.[9]

Activities in 2022–23

Kraken members in Balakliia

In April 2022, the unit dismantled the monument to Marshal Georgy Zhukov in Kharkiv.[21] In late September, it was reported that Nemichev claimed the unit had captured more than 15 Russian officers, handing them over to the Main Intelligence Directorate. He was quoted saying “All of them were thrown into the infantry. Therefore, it is indicative that Russians have big problems now. They do not know where to get people to send to death. Therefore, they gather them in different units and deploy them here. So they’re not doing well as it is, and then we come along and ‘spoil the mood’ some more.”[22]

Also in September, the regiment was reported to have played a key role in recapturing Izium.[23] In late December, the Main Directorate of Intelligence published a video showing Kraken along with the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade carrying out an assault on Novoselivske, successfully removing the Russian forces in the settlement and inflicting losses upon Russian equipment and personnel.[24] In January 2023, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally thanked the regiment for their work fighting enemies in the Soledar region.[25]

In March 2023, Kraken announced the destruction of a Russian observation tower in Bryansk Oblast through the use of a kamikaze drone.[26] The unit posted a video of the operation showing the tower being destroyed, though did not specify exactly when it took place.[27][28]

According to leaked documents, in response to the worsening situation in the Battle of Bakhmut, UAF Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi "declared a need for HUR's elite Kraken unit to prevent the UAF from losing Bakhmut" and subsequently deployed it to the city. No further information was provided, but Bakhmut was still under Ukrainian control six weeks later.[29]

On 21 October 2023, Zelenskyy again thanked the unit for successfully performing ″particularly complex″ tasks on the battlefield.[30]

Organization

Leadership

The commander of the regiment, Konstantin V. Nemichev, is a military and political figure in Kharkiv, member of the National Corps and veteran of the Azov Battalion, with many of his supporters joining the unit.[31]

Members

Like the Azov Regiment, the Kraken Regiment has also been the subject of controversy surrounding recruitment of fighters from far-right groups, though the soldiers of the unit reject the claim as Russian propaganda. Commanders in the unit acknowledged that it is possible that far-right individuals are members in the regiment, but said such people are outnumbered by a diverse group with the intent to defend Ukraine. Kraken is not officially part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but answers to the Defense Ministry.[8]

The unit is said to be composed of "gym rats", "ultras" and bouncers, while also having drawn in experienced combat veterans of ages varying between 25 and 60. The morale of the regiment has been described as high.[8]

Selection process

Before becoming members of the regiment, candidates must undergo testing including questionnaires and a polygraph test. Candidates are then taken to a training center where they go through a 14-day test, of which about 30–35% of candidates pass.[9]

Equipment

Kraken has published media showcasing their use of Western small arms weaponry, including Austrian Glock pistols, Belgian Scar rifles, American M4A1 assault rifles, DD MK18s, Swiss B&T submachine guns, and lightweight multi-shot RBG6 hand grenade launchers made in Croatia.[32]

See also

References

  1. ^ Kunkle, Fredrick; Korolchuk, Serhii (3 June 2022). "Ukraine's volunteer 'Kraken' unit takes the fight to the Russians". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  2. ^ Korshak, Stefan (17 May 2023). "Specialized Unit Kraken – Ukraine's Counteroffensive, Units to Watch #6". Get the Latest Ukraine News Today - KyivPost. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Під час звільнення населеного пункту Руська Лозова спецпризначенці ГУР МО України знищили десятки одиниць бойової техніки та живої сили окупантів". Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Reconnaissance officers of "Kraken" unit received drones and warming kits from volunteers". Всі новини України на UAnews.net / News UA. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Ukrainian "Kraken" Elite Unit in Vanguard of the Kharkiv Counteroffensive". Defense Express. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  6. ^ Lidón, Luis (22 June 2022). "Ukraine volunteer unit Kraken says Russia is building up forces in Kharkiv". La Prensa Latina Media. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  7. ^ Shcherbak, Alla (13 November 2023). "Exclusive: How Ukraine's military intelligence conducted their first successful operations against Russian forces in Kharkiv". Ukraine News Premier Independent English-language Source — The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Kunkle, Fredrick (3 June 2022). "Ukraine's volunteer 'Kraken' unit takes the fight to the Russians". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Kraken attacks: the story of the Defence Intelligence unit that the Russians have demonised". Ukrainska Pravda. 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Kraken special forces unit carries out operations in Bilohorivka". Militarnyi (in Latin). 16 July 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Ukrainian fighters captured a Russian intelligence officer". Ukrainska Pravda. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  12. ^ Epstein, Jake (11 April 2023). "Ukraine's military intel chief privately warned Bakhmut was 'catastrophic' as he made a gamble to get it under control, leaked documents show". Business Insider. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  13. ^ "How artillery of Kharkiv "Kraken" fought enemy near Soledar. VIDEO". Censor.NET. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Defenders liberate Novoselivske village in Luhansk Oblast". Ukrainska Pravda. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  15. ^ Shcherbak, Alla (31 December 2022). "Dramatic video from Ukraine's Kraken special ops group shows liberation of Novoselivske". Ukraine News Premier Independent English-language Source — The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Dramatic video from Ukraine's Kraken special ops group shows liberation of Novoselivske". Yahoo News. 31 December 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Ukraine's Kraken unit releases video from Chasiv Yar, says 'no occupiers in city'". The Kyiv Independent. 7 May 2024.
  18. ^ Stein, Aaron; Lee, Rob (15 May 2024). "Russia Launches New Offensive in Ukraine". Foreign Policy Research Institute. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  19. ^ Hardie, John (14 May 2024). "Russia's Kharkiv Offensive Stretches Ukrainian Forces". FDD. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  20. ^ McCardle, Guy (6 June 2022). "Ukraine's Kraken Special Forces Take the Fight To the Russians". SOFREP. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  21. ^ "Monument to Zhukov demolished in Kharkiv". Ukrinform. 17 April 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  22. ^ "Ukraine's Kraken special forces unit says it captures officers, 'spoils mood' of enemy". Yahoo News. 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  23. ^ Haynes, Deborah (15 September 2022). "Ukraine war: Behind Russia's abandoned lines, ammunition, scattered clothes and wrecked vehicles found". Sky News. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Dramatic video from Ukraine's Kraken special ops group shows liberation of Novoselivske". Yahoo News. 31 December 2022. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  25. ^ "These Ukraine troops are standing up to the Wagner mercenaries". Switzerland Times. 14 January 2023. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  26. ^ "Ukraine destroys surveillance tower in Russian border region, military says". CNN. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  27. ^ "Kraken special unit announces destruction of observation tower in Russia". Yahoo News. 5 March 2023. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  28. ^ "Ukraine's Top Generals Want to Keep Fighting for Bakhmut". The New York Times. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  29. ^ Epstein, Jake. "Ukraine's military intel chief privately warned Bakhmut was 'catastrophic' as he made a gamble to get it under control, leaked documents show". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  30. ^ "Zelensky praises Kraken special force unit for exceptional battlefield performance". ukrinform.net. 21 October 2023.
  31. ^ University, © Stanford; Stanford; California 94305. "MMP: Azov Battalion". cisac.fsi.stanford.edu. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ "Ukrainian Kraken Regiment show their small arms and revolver grenade launchers". Ukrainska Pravda. 5 March 2023. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
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