Who we are:

We are the Fifth Separate Battalion of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, which has been protecting our country starting from 2014. More than 60 % of our battalion’s staff are experienced, highly motivated, and professional soldiers who have been gaining real military experience in the east of Ukraine during the last eight years. At the same time we keep functioning as a volunteers unit, i.e. we participate in military actions for free.

What we do:

We are here to fulfill our constitutional duty as the principal law of our country says, that protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is a matter of concern for all the Ukrainian people. Being subordinated to Special Operations Forces (SSO), the most up-to-date unit of the Ukrainian army, which united the military elite of the state, our unit acting together with other divisions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, defends Ukraine and the whole world from Russian invasion, by fulfilling the most complicated tasks directly in the trenches.

What we long for:

Our aim is to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. However, it is not only our own country we protect today, it is also the whole civilized world. Certainly, we believe in our victory, however, we clearly understand that it will not be a fast and easy way.

Our history:

For us, the war started yet in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and launched attacks on the eastern regions of Ukraine. That was the day we took weapons to protect our land. Acting together with other defensive forces we managed to stop the Russian invasion for nearly eight years, which enabled Ukraine to establish a strong army that is capable of giving a worthy response to the enemy today.

Assault company “Black floats” (Штурмова рота «Чорні поплавки») which is a part of the Fifth Separate Battalion of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army got its name in 2014. The soldiers of our division had to retain their combat position for several weeks. When we were lack of ammunition we used alternate shots tactics. One of us stood up from the trench, made several shots, and went back to shelter, then the other soldier stood up to do his shots. We were black because of dirt and dust. From a distance, it looked like black fishing floats are going under the water when a fish is on a hook, and then surfing up again.