| Bohdan Khmelnytsky Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Батальон Богдана Хмельницкого | |
 Unit insignia | |
| Founded | February 2023 |
| Allegiance |  Russia |
| Type | Militia |
| Size | Unknown |
| Engagements | |
The Bohdan Khmelnytsky Battalion, or Bogdan Khmelnitsky Battalion (Russian: Батальон Богдана Хмельницкого) is a Russian "volunteer battalion" formed in February 2023, allegedly from Ukrainian POWs that have defected to the Russian Army.[1]The battalion is named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky, a Ruthenian nobleman and Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host, which was under the suzerainty of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time of his rule.
The battalion was created in February 2023 in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk Oblast.[2] The formation's alleged commander, Andrii Tyshchenko, told RIA Novosti, that they recruited around 70 Ukrainian POWs in February alone. Some sources state that up to 200 Ukrainian POWs have joined.[3] RIA Novosti calls the battalion "volunteer," claiming that its members joined the formation "voluntarily, having accepted Russian citizenship if they joined the battalion." Coercion of POWs into combat would violate the Article 23 of the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War, which says that "no prisoner of war may at any time be sent to or detained in areas where he may be exposed to the fire of the combat zone." Acting head of the Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin claimed on February 27 that some of the Ukrainian POWs kept in the region were beginning to quote: "realize their guilt and believed they must make up for it by siding with Russia".[4] It was reported that after taking an oath, the battalion was deployed to an unspecified part of the frontline.[5][6]
