Special Police Forces (Ukraine)
| Special Police Forces Патрульна служба поліції особливого призначення України | |
|---|---|
Ministry of Internal Affairs emblem | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | July 2, 2015 – Today |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Ukraine |
| Operational structure | |
| Minister responsible | |
| Parent agency | Ministry of Internal Affairs |
The Special Police Forces (Ukrainian: Спеціальні поліцейські сили, romanized: Spetsialni politseiski syly) is a Ukrainian volunteer corps of law enforcement units, part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. They were formed during the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine to strengthen the state’s capacity to maintain public order and security, and were later deployed to Eastern Ukraine as a paramilitary force to fight against Pro-Russian separatists.
The units were primarily composed of volunteers, including former police officers, reservists, and civilians. Similar to the Territorial Defence Battalions, which were under the Ministry of Defence, the Special Police Forces were volunteer formations but fell under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In addition, many of the units also had links with far-right and nationalist groups. In the first months of the War in Donbas, these volunteer forces took brunt of the fighting.
In 2023, as part of the Offensive Guard initiative, most of the former Special Police Forces battalion were reformed into the Liut Brigade.