420th Unmanned Systems Battalion (Ukraine)

420th Unmanned Systems "Khort" Battalion
Ukrainian: 420 Окремий Батальйон Безпілотних Систем “Хорт”
Insignia
ActiveMarch 2014–present
Country Ukraine
Allegiance Ukraine
Branch Ukrainian Ground Forces
TypeUnmanned Systems Forces
RoleAerial Reconnaissance, Drone Warfare, FPV drone strikes, Ground Drone Warfare, Cargo Transport
SizeBattalion
Garrison/HQKyiv
Nickname(s)Greyhound
Engagements
Commanders
Current
commander		Pavlo Pataretskyi
Insignia
Former Insignia
Former Insignia

The 420th Unmanned Systems "Khort" Battalion (MUN A5042) is a battalion level military unit of the Ground Forces of Ukraine, concerned with drone warfare using aerial and ground unmanned vehicles. It was established in March of 2014 and has taken part in combat during the War in Donbass and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

History

It was conceived in 2012-2013 as a public organization "Coordination Center of Public Security of Ukraine" with the aim of "introducing military discipline" into the education of youth.[1]

In March 2014, on the basis of the public organization "Coordination Center of Public Security of Ukraine", the Association of Veterans of Ukrainian Special Forces and the Organization of Public Security of Ukraine, the Special Unit "Khort" was established[2] following the Russian invasion of Crimea, numbering about 700 personnel in the first days, assisting State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and other law enforcement agencies in the Kherson, Zaporizhia, and Mykolaiv Oblasts.[3] In May 2014, "Khort" established volunteer battalions, with it's personnel joining the 32nd Batkivshchyna Battalion and the 42nd Motorized Infantry Battalion, which in 2014 fought in the Battle of Horlivka and of Toretsk. In 2016, it's engineers developed a flame arrester silencer for the DShK heavy machine gun, which was later widely adopted by other units as well.[4]

In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it's personnel participated in combat operations as part of the 29th Volunteer Community Territorial Defense Unit of Kyiv, and then as part of the 57th separate motorized infantry brigade. It saw combat as part of the Northern Ukraine campaign specifically during the Battle of Hostomel and later fought during the Battle of Lysychansk.[5][6] It was later deployed to take part in the Southern and Eastern Ukraine campaign, while about half a thousand personnel were involved in patrolling the streets of Kyiv during curfew hours as part of maintaining law and order and catching saboteurs.[7] [8] It's forces were also involved in demining of about 4 thousand hectares of liberated land in Ivankiv Raion.[5] In June 2022, it's personnel developed a system for automatically dropping ammunition from drones and successfully tested their invention in combat.[9] As of October 2022, it has suffered 11 KIAs since the Russian invasion of Ukraine,[1] including multiple fatalities during the Battle of Lysychansk.[10][11]

It was expanded to the 420th Unmanned Systems Battalion on 23 April 2024.[12][13] It saw further combat during the Battle of Avdiivka, Battle of Kupiansk and in Serebryanske forest.[14] It has been part of the "Dronefall" project aimed at shooting down Russian UAVs.[15] On 5 July 2024, a soldier of the battalion (Kobets Dmytro Anatoliovych) was killed in combat in Sumy Oblast.[16][17] On 28 September 2024, a soldier of the battalion (Solanyk Roman Mykhailovych) was killed in action near Kurakhove during the Pokrovsk offensive.[18][19][20] On 24 October 2024, the commander of the battalion, Colonel Serhiy Oleksiyovych Lipsky was killed in action, due to health problems while performing his duties.[21][22] On 15 January 2025, a soldier of the battalion (Polishchuk Eduard) was killed in action in Sumy Oblast.[23] On 21 January 2025, it tested Ukraine Fiber-Optic controlled "Queen Hornet" FPV drones armed with RPG-75s in combat against Russian forces.[24][25] On 16 March 2025, a soldier of the regiment (Khimenko Vyacheslav Borisovich) was killed while fighting as part of the Kursk campaign.[26] On 23 April 2025, it celebrated the first anniversary of it's establishment, claiming to have destroyed 3,170 Russian targets in the year.[12]

Commanders

  • Serhiy Oleksiyovych Lipsky (2024 †)[22]
  • Pavlo Pataretskyi (2024-)[27]

Equipment

References

  1. ^ a b "Павло Патарецький: «Лисичанськ візьмемо обов'язково. Пообіцяли там бабусі полагодити дім, а обіцянки слід виконувати» // Центр Політичного Консалтингу, 10 жовтня 2022". Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Силовики-ветерани створюють спецпідрозділ «Хорт» // Укрінформ, 25 березня 2014". Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Українські силовики-ветерани створили спецпідрозділ "Хорт" // Обозреватель, 25 березня 2014". Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Спецпідрозділ «Хорт» розробив глушитель-полум'ягасник для кулемета // Радіо Свобода, 3 лютого 2016". Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Павло Патарецький: "Лисичанськ візьмемо обов'язково. Пообіцяли там бабусі полагодити дім, а обіцянки слід виконувати" // Телеграф, 11 жовтня 2022". Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Інтервʼю з передової: боєць спецпідрозділу "Хорт" розповів про оборону Лисичанська // Подробиці, 22 червня 2022". Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Диверсанти на прогулянці. Як живе Київ у комендантську годину // Громадське, 6 серпня 2022". Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Нічний Рейд Як Спецпідрозділ Хорт Людей Виховує - КОНСТАНТИН ГРУБИЧ // YouTube, 27 липня 2022". Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Українські військові модернізували дрон і поцілили ним в окупантів // ШОТАМ, 5 червня 2022". Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Амелькін Степан Вікторович - "Хорт" // Facebook, 25 травня 2022". Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  11. ^ "НАШ ПОБРАТИМ НА НЕБЕСАХ - "Хорт" // Facebook, 31 травня 2022". Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  12. ^ a b Вітаємо з Днем створення 420-го ОББпС “ХОРТ”!
  13. ^ Нещадно нищать ворога: 420-й Окремий Батальйон Безпілотних Систем запрошує до своїх лав
  14. ^ "Я не зможу пробачити, але можу влучити": як боєць із позивним Джонсон громить ворога у складі 420 батальйону
  15. ^ Dronefall
  16. ^ На Сумщині трагічно загинув активіст, учасник Євромайдану, воїн з Чернігівщини
  17. ^ На Чернігівщині попрощалися з захисником Дмитром Кобцем
  18. ^ На фронті загинув доброволець родом з Тростянця Роман Соляник
  19. ^ Соляник Роман Михайлович ("Солік")
  20. ^ Тростянецька громада втратила ще одного героя
  21. ^ Відклав термінову операцію: помер комбат "Чорномор"
  22. ^ a b В пам’ять про Сергія Ліпського – командира, патріота, друга!
  23. ^ Сьогодні ми провели в останню путь нашого побратима
  24. ^ Ukraine Tests FPV Drone With Fiber-Optic Control and RPG-75 Grenade Launcher, Video
  25. ^ Ukraine Tests Fiber-Optic FPV Drone With Grenade Launcher
  26. ^ [1]
  27. ^ Командир 420-го Окремого Батальйону Безпілотних Систем «Хорт» Павло Патарецький на “Єдиних Новинах” телеканалу “Рада”!
  28. ^ Transfer of a vehicle to the 420th Battalion of Unmanned Systems
  29. ^ Wild Hornets
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