User:Davomme/sandbox/kraken special unit

The Kraken Special Unit (Спецпідрозділ «Kraken»), also commonly referred to as the Kraken Regiment or Kraken Battalion, is a Ukrainian volunteer formation of the Main Directorate of Intelligence formed in 2022.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's defence intelligence, said that the unit has become "one of the most battle-worthy units" throughout Ukraine - being one of the more high-profile volunteer units in the war. It was also reported that Kraken is the largest unit within the defence intelligence forces and also known with an "outstanding" fighting reputation.

Formation
The Kraken Special Unit was formed in late February 2022, ensuing the Russian invasion of Ukraine which begun on 24 February 2022. The unit begun in Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, while the Russians were invading as part of the Eastern Ukraine campaign, with Konstantin Nemichev gathering volunteers to form a unit. Nemichev was a former soldier of the Azov Regiment, and at the time was the head of the local National Corps party. Additional members such as Serhii Velychko, another veteran of the Azov Regiment joined the defenders at the end of February 2024 after he was released from being in pre-trial detention.

Kraken was formed on the basis of the 225th and 226th Battalion of the 127th Territorial Defense Brigade, which Nemichev was appointed on 12 March 2022, alongside many other volunteers such as ultras. It was noted that the two volunteer battalions were formed mainly of veterans of the Azov movement. Among the volunteers that were recruited, it comprises of football fans, patriotic activists, and local citizens that joined in retaliation to the Russian invasion. In the first days of the war the unit was estimated to be approximately 600 in strength.

The volunteers of the fighting formation would go on to participate in the Battle of Kharkiv, helping to defend the inner city on 27 February 2022 alongside the Freikorps Volunteer Unit at Specialized school No.134. In March 2022, after the successful operation of taking Vilkhivka village on 27 February 2022, the unit was officially formed as the Kraken Special Unit, based on a commanders naval special forces experience and background.

In the early days, it was reported by Kraken's Special Assault Company's commander - callsign "Rebel", that the unit lacked ammunition, proper weaponry, or combat experience.

Recruitment
In the early days of the unit, Kraken recruited volunteers across Kharkiv and on the basis of its original battalions under Nemichev's command. Over time, the process of recruitment and selection into the unit has become more complex due to the nature of the unit operating as special forces, with only a third of applicants passing. Before becoming a member of the unit, candidates must undergo testing which includes questionaires and a polygraph test. After this, candidates are then taken to a training center where they go through a 14-day test - of which only about 30 to 35% of candidates pass and become fully-fledged members.

Insignia
The insignia of the special unit is based on a beast in Scandinavian mythology known as the Kraken - depicted as an aggressive creature. The insignia follows a triangular shaped patch with a border divided in half between the colours red and black. The interior of the patch depicts the Kraken creature with a Tiwaz rune embedded in the head of the creature, with the bottom of the patch having the name of the unit inscribed in white.

Controversies and Allegations
According to the Washington Post, it was reported that the Kraken unit also came under controversy, similarly to the Azov Battalion, with the unit allegedly drawing fighters from ultranationalist and far-right groups. These allegations were however rejected by the soldiers of the unit, claiming it to be Russian propaganda. Furthermore, it was further reported that the commanders of the unit have acknowledged that far-right soldiers may be present among their ranks, claiming that they were instead "outnumbered" by those who are more dedicated to defending against the invasion instead.

The unit has been accused by the BBC of mistreating Russian prisoners of war, between 26 to 27 March 2022, a video circulated online showing activities of a Ukrainian unit shooting three men in the legs at close range with an assault rifle. The video was filmed at the village of Vilkhivka, geo-located by the BBC. However, this has not been confirmed, and it had been acknowledged that other units such as the 92nd Mechanized Brigade. Nemichev was also contacted by the BBC, denying any connections to the video of the mistreatment of prisoners at the dairy - claiming to treat prisoners "humanely".

Kraken has also been subjected to misinformation and other forms of criticism online on the platform Telegram. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda which stated that a number of Telegram channels had been spreading misinformation about Kraken for allegedly shooting civilians in the village of Petropavlivka in Kharkiv Oblast. It was further stated that the reality of this was a Russian kamikaze drone hitting the car, killing two people and injuring one more which was confirmed by Oleh Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, on 20 February 2024.

Kraken has reportedly been deisgnated as a terrorist organisation in the territory of the Russian Federation, being labelled as a "nationalist formation".

Small arms
Throughout the existence of the special unit, it has undergone several transformations in its small arms usage, mostly shifting to the usage of Western small arms. Since the beginning of the invasion, volunteers have used a variety of Kalashnikov rifles, predominantly the AKM and the AK-74, often mounted with various attachments to enhance durability, accuracy, and operator usage. Limited numbers of the AK-12 rifle has been seen in use by Kraken, notably in its defence of Kupiansk in late 2023.

The unit has published media showcasing their diverse weaponry, including a member known by the callsign "Vito." Kraken's arsenal features the PKM general-purpose machine gun, which has been shown with camouflage paint and a picatinny rail on the dust cover fitted with an optical sight. Other weapons include an Austrian Glock with an optical sight and suppressor, and a Malyuk bullpup rifle with a sight and suppressor. The unit also utilizes Swiss B&T submachine guns, similarly fitted with suppressors and sights. Additionally, the M4A1 assault rifle is prevalent in the unit, first widely seen during the Kharkiv counteroffensive in 2022, particularly in the Battle of Balakliia.

The arsenal also includes a CZ BREN 2 rifle, equipped with a foregrip, a red dot sight, and a suppressor. FN SCARs, such as the SCAR-L, are in service, notably used by one of the unit's commanders, Serhii Velychko. The unit also employs single-charge infantry grenade launchers designed by Heckler & Koch and other grenade launchers such as the RBG.

Vehicles
At the beginning of Kraken's existence, several trucks alongside a captured KAMAZ was used during the operation on Vilkhivka village in late March 2022.

The unit also uses a vatiety of vehicles, originating dfrom several nations. On 15 June 2022 the Kraken Special Unit receives several Alvis 4 armored vehicles from Estonia with the vehicles first arriving in Ukraine in May 2022, being marked with Ukrainian flags and symbols of the unit.

Kraken has also been seen to possess several variants of the T-72 and T-80 tank platforms. Several infantry fighting vehicles such as the BMP-1, and BMP-2, alongside armored vehicles such as the BTR-82 have been spotted from official publications by the unit.

Russian invasion of Ukraine
The unit has fought extensively throughout the invasion, participating in some of the most important military operations in the entire conflict - notably in the Eastern Ukraine campaign.

Battle of Kharkiv
On 24 February 2022, the day of the Russian invasion commencing, Kharkiv was attacked being one of the most important targets for Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Volunteers quickly scrambled to join in the defence of the city in the early hours on the morning of the invasion, with Kraken being reportedly deployed to North Saltivka in Kharkiv alongside the 92nd Mechanized Brigade, allegedly at one point being one of the most dangerous areas during the battle according to Nemichev in a video with United24. Professors and students from Kharkiv’s National Air Force University and the Law Academy defended this suburban area.

Volunteers of the Kraken unit participated in a firefight that occurred outside of Specialized School No.134 towards the centre of Kharkiv city on 27 February 2022, after Russian special forces breached through the Ukrainian defenses. They fought alongside other volunteers that made up the Freikorps Volunteer Unit, another volunteer organisation based in Kharkiv which had engagd in fighting pro-Russian separatists in the Luhansk direction since July 2017.

Vilkhivka
On 25 March 2022, the unit and other forces of the Ukrainian Ground Forces such as the 92nd Mechanized Brigade attacked the village of Vilkhivka. The settlement was successfully liberated on 27 March 2022, being one of the first successful operations for Kraken. The operation by Kraken into Vilkhivka was its first ever operation that it had conducted in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ruska Lozova
Kraken fighters were the first to enter the settlement of Ruska Lozova in April 2022, with the village being liberated on 29 April 2022. It was reported by the Ukrainian Defence Intelligence that Russian forces were allegedly using Tuska Lozova to "deliberately" desroy infrastructure and civilian buildings in Kharkiv city. Kraken initially began an attack from the village of Lisove, encountering obstacles such as anti-personnel mines and Russian artillery. A local collaborater provided crucial intelligence, leading to a renewed assault on the town. The village was secured with a small unit covertly moving through the forests at night, holding for three days. Reinforcements by main Ukrainian Ground Forces arrived, leading to a final clearance of the settlement.

Pytomnyk
After the successful liberation of Ruska Lozova by the Kraken unit, it followed with the liberation of the Pytomnyk village located 3 kilometres from Ruska Lozova. Acccording to Kraken fighters, callsign "Vito", Pytomnyk was referred to as "Height 220" - being the highest point on the northern front. The village was used to open fire on Kharkiv with 2S3 self-propelled howitzers and BM-21 Grads.

Battle of Donbas
On 16 July 2022 it became knwon that the Kraken unit conducted an operation in the Luhansk Region, in Bilohorivka. During the operation they clashed with Russian forces, and captured a Russian intelligence officer. Kraken later published an interrogation of the officer in a later video, with material from the phone of the officer being revealed alongside a digital diary with his time in Ukraine.

Kharkiv Counteroffensive
On 6 September 2023, most of the Ukrainian troops, including Kraken, were concentrated on the north of Balakliia. Fighters of the Kraken Special Unit entered Balakliia on 8 September 2022, welcomed by its residents, and raised the Ukrainian flag. The liberation of the city was officially announced later on 8 September 2022 by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stating that the town in Kharkiv Oblast was now under the control by Ukrainian Forces. Balakliia was the first major town during the offensive to be captured by Kraken and the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

On 16 September 2022, it was reported by the Kraken unit that soldiers of the unit liberated the eastern part of Kupiansk, the eastern part of the city being separated from the rest of Kupiansk by the Oskil River. The 92nd Mechanized brigade liberated the western side, while Kraken liberated the east. It was described by the Guardian that Kraken had played an active role in the month's lightning offensive, in which Ukraine retook 300 settlements and an area half the size of Wales.

Leadership
The commander of the unit is Konstantin Nemichev, a military and political figure in Kharkiv. Alongside him is Serhii Velychko, both commanders were veterans of the Azov Regiment.

Units
There are many units within the structure of the Kraken Special Unit, many carrying out various capabilities.

Kraken Special Assault Company
One of the most notable units in Kraken, the Special Assault Company participated in the liberation of Ruska Lozova in April 2022.

Structure
According to all known publications encompassing Kraken, the structure of the unit is as follows:
 * Kraken Special Unit
 * Special Assault Company
 * Armored Company
 * Artillery Group
 * J9 Civil Department

External Reading

 * Blogpost about the Kraken Special Unit by Militaryland.net