Kalmius Brigade
бригада «Кальмиус»
Service sleeve insignia of the Kalmius Battalion
Active	21 June 2014 - Present
Allegiance	Russia Donetsk People's Republic
Branch	Army
Role	Special operations
Size	about 1,000 troops
Part of	Russian people's militias in Ukraine Miner's Division
Garrison/HQ	Donetsk
Nickname(s)	Miner's Battalion
Engagements	War in Donbas Russian invasion of Ukraine
Commanders
Current commander	Konstantin Kuzmin

The Kalmius Brigade,^[1] a military unit of the Donetsk People's Republic, operates within the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya. Media often refer to it as a battalion of special purpose.^[2] As of the end of June 2015^[update] Konstantin Kuzmin commanded the unit. The unit's name comes from the river of the same name, one of the largest rivers in Donbas. On February 16, 2015, the Kalmius battalion was included in the sanctions list of the European Union and of Canada.,^[3][4] and was later sanctioned by the governments of Norway and Switzerland.^[5][6]

History

The Kalmius Battalion was established on June 21, 2014. Former miners constitute the core of the battalion, original strength being about five hundred people. The first commander was Fedor Berezin, who later became deputy of Igor Girkin.
^{[citation needed]}

The baptism of fire for the battalion came on 26–27 June 2014 in Donetsk, when it took part in an assault on the Internal Troops of Ukraine, which occurred without casualties.^{[citation needed]} In July, the battalion was involved in the fighting near Donetsk.^{[citation needed]} In August, the battalion captured 13 Ukrainian officers, including a colonel.^{[citation needed]} In January 2015, the Kalmius battalion participated in battles around Debaltseve.^{[citation needed]}

Organization

The unit's core comprises mainly volunteers; as of fall 2014 the unit had the following structure:

• Base – in Donetsk
• Dog squad
• Artillery group – armed with D-30 howitzers, SAU 2S1, MSTA-B and MLRS "Grad"