Odessa Brigade

Militants at the pro-Russian camp, referred to as "Odesskaya Druzhina", during the 2014 Odesa clashes. The Odessa Brigade originated as one of these militant factions.

The important port city of Odesa (also spelled "Odessa") in Ukraine was one of the locations where pro-Euromaidan and anti-Maidan groups clashed during the Revolution of Dignity of 2014 and the following period of pro-Russian unrest. Radical pro-Russian demonstrators in Odesa mobilized into a militant movement, referred to as "Odesskaya Druzhina".[4][5] There were other militant groups besides "Odesskaya Druzhina" such as the similarly named "People's Druzhina of Odessa";[5] the militants generally shared extremist right- or left-wing viewpoints,[6][7] with "Odesskaya Druzhina" being identified by openDemocracy as being antisemite.[7]

Russian ultranationalist and Black Hundreds member Anton Rayevsky used the opportunity to travel to Ukraine. On 19 March, he arrived at Odesa, set up base at the pro-Russian tent camp outside the city, and began to recruit "Odesskaya Druzhina" members[4][5] into an even more radical militant group. He dubbed his force the "Odessa Brigade", and trained its fighters in close combat. Posing as a local, Rayevsky and his followers subsequently took part in pro-Russian demonstrations in the city, clashing with Ukrainian unionists and security forces.[8] At one point, Rayevsky proposed that he should murder the local pro-Ukrainian Right Sector leader. The leadership of "Odesskaya Druzhina" refused to condone this plan.[5] The Ukrainian Security Service eventually arrested Rayevsky for trying to incite ethnic unrest and deported him to Russia. From Saint Petersburg, he called for open rebellion against the pro-Euromaidan Ukrainian government.[8] Despite Rayevsky's removal, the violence in Odesa continued to escalate. Another Russian citizen, Alexei "Foma" Fominov, had also risen to prominence in the local anti-Maidan movement. He later claimed that he had served as "commandant of Kulikovo Field", referencing the tent camp outside the city where pro-Russian forces gathered. On 2 May, riots in Odesa resulted in the deadly Trade Unions House fire; many Russian nationalists such as Fominov subsequently left the city.[9]

A number of these pro-Russian nationalists from Odesa ultimately relocated to Luhansk where Fominov reorganized them into a proper militia.[9] The unit became known for including a large number of volunteers from Russia. Many of these had previously belonged to the "Yakut" militia.[10] The Odessa Brigade fought at Peremozhnoye and Luhansk International Airport.[10] Ukrainian officials also claimed that the group was responsible for a number of bombings in Odesa from 2014 to 2015.[9] Though the unit fought for the separatist Luhansk People's Republic, it did not fully integrate itself into the Luhansk People's Republic Armed Forces. In January 2015, the Odessa Brigade was dissolved by the LPR. Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the LPR surrounded the militia's base, disarmed its fighters, and requested that the militants instead sign up for other units in the LPR Armed Forces. Though a large number of native Odessa Brigade members accepted this offer, most of the foreign volunteers refused and opted to return to Russia.[10][3] Fominov was arrested on charges of criminal activity by LPR officials,[10] though Ukrainian officials believed that his imprisonment and the Odesa Brigade's dissolution were more likely the result of power struggles within the LPR.[9]

The formation of a new "Odessa Brigade" was announced on social media in July 2022, accompanied by claims that Russian forces were still planning to conquer Odesa and Mykolaiv as part of the Southern Ukraine campaign.[11][12] This unit was led by Igor Markov, an Odesa native and the former leader of a local pro-Russian party.[11] The Frontier Post characterized the foundation of the new Odessa Brigade alongside other declarations at the time as an attempt by Russian propaganda to distract the public from successful Ukrainian counter-attacks in the region.[12]