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Kraken Regiment

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) 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, later also taking part in counter offensives and sabotage operations, becoming one of the more high-profile volunteer units in the war.

History

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.

Activities in 2022–23

In April 2022, the unit dismantled the monument to Marshal Georgy Zhukov in Kharkiv. 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.”

Also in September, the regiment was reported to have played a key role in recapturing Izium. 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. In January 2023, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally thanked the regiment for their work fighting enemies in the Soledar region.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.