Territorial defense forces in hybrid warfare in the light of experience of the conflict in Ukraine

Abstract

One of the experiences of the initial stages of the development of the eastern Ukraine conflict was the decision of the authorities in Kyiv to establish the so-called volunteer battalions (BTRO) and, among them, the territorial defense battalions. This article presents synthetically the tasks set for the above military formations. The authors consider which of the BTRO designed capabilities can be useful and effective against an aggressor using hybrid combat methods. They refer primarily to the course of events taking place during the conflict in Eastern Ukraine and the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The authors discuss the capabilities of territorial defense subunits of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that can effectively defend against hybrid warfare. While looking to answer the question presented, materials and articles on current Russian war preparation and warfare concepts were analyzed. Attention was primarily paid to their practical application during the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea. Subsequently, documents and publications related to the creation and tasks posed to the Territorial Defense Battalions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were examined. Assumptions concerning their organization and functioning were considered in the context of achieving the designed operational capabilities. The summary presents the conclusions of the compilation of the above work. They concern particularly the concept of territorial application of the discussed military formations, the possibility of their establishing cooperation with regular subunits of the Armed Forces to supplement their ability to perform tasks, as well as issues related to cooperation with local authorities and communities.