Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine (Україна) is a former socialist republic within the Soviet Union, and the largest country on the European continent. Following a failed military coup d'etat that resulted in the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine established its independence on 16 July 1990. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (Збройні сили України - ЗСУ) were formed in August of 1991, when jurisdiction over all formations of the old Soviet Armed Forces stationed in Ukraine were transferred to the new republic.

Many manufacturing facilities were maintained in Ukraine under Soviet control, and these in turn also transferred ownership with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. These included a number of factories for manufacturing textiles and military uniforms, which continued to produce camouflage uniforms not only for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but for many of its neighbors including Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, and Moldova. With a few exceptions, camouflage patterns produced in the Ukraine have always had distinctive color features (as well as unique factory markings) that make them generally easy to distinguish from those produced in neighboring Russia. As such, Ukraine is one of the only former Soviet republics to enjoy a long standing tradition of producing its own camouflage uniforms rather than importing them or copying the designs of its neighbors. In the modern era, however, an increasingly large number of commercial products have been reaching military units of this former Soviet republic, with the result that such distinctions are becoming less and less common.

Although not a member, Ukraine historically enjoyed a distinctive partnership with NATO and has joined in many military exercises with member nations, as well as in peacekeeping efforts under United Nations sanction. This partnership with NATO would eventually become a leading excuse for Russian aggression and eventual annexation of Ukrainian territory in 2014 and again in 2022.

A serious political crisis struck the Ukraine beginning in February 2014, leading to violent clashes between civilians and Ukrainian law enforcement agencies (the Revolution of Dignity), and the subsequent formation of militia-type groups with pro-Russian leanings in certain regions of the nation. The origins of this strife are traced to the failure of former president Viktor Yanukovych to sign an agreement with the European Union that would have provided support for a restructuring of the failing Ukrainian socio-economic system (heretofore plagued by corruption, mismanagement and devalued currency). The former president instead signed a treaty with Russia that resulted in widespread civil dissent, violence in several major cities, and ultimately to the exodus of Yanukovych. Although an interim government was formed that supported an association agreement with the EU, tension remained when Russia refused to recognize the new leadership and accused the USA and the EU of orchestrating a coup d'etat. From the end of February 2014, political and social unrest plagued much of the country, beginning in Crimea, Donatsk, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk (all of whom claim pro-Russian sympathies to one degree or another) and ultimately igniting a full scale conflict in the Donbass region. Responding to what it perceived as calls from ethnic Russians for help, Russia eventually annexed the Crimean Peninsula in March (an action condemned by the UN Security Council), which sparked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Beginning in April 2014, anti-government protests in the Donbas region (Donetsk-Oblast and Luhansk) sparked armed conflict between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian security forces. With the assistance of Russian special forces, the eastern portion of the Donetsk-Oblast region was lost to Ukraine in mid-April, and a separate "Donetsk People's Republic" (allied to Russia) was declared. Ukrainian forces slowly began to retake territory, but in August the region was flooded with with Russian paratroopers, mechanized infantry, armor, and artillery. Following a short ceasefire in September, Russian forces continued to press into the region for several months, eventually wresting control of the Donetsk International Airport from the Ukrainians in January 2015. Despite a second effort to broker a ceasefire, Russia ignored the agreement and instead launched an offensive against Debaltseve. From this point forward, little territory was to exchange hands between the two sides, although hostilities continued for several years, including a major battle in Avdiivka in early January 2017. The election of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as president of Ukraine in May 2019 resulted in some exchange of prisoners of war, as well as a promise to end the war by Zelenskyy. The following year saw only limited casualties.

Throughout 2021, Russia had been building up its military forces on the Ukrainian border with both Russia and Belarus. By the end of the year, intelligence revealed plans for a large scale invasion, which was launched in February 2022 and included Russian missiles and airstrikes against targets deep in Ukraine. Nearly one million refugees were displaced during the first few weeks of the invasion. Beginning in August and continuing into September, Ukrainian forces launched two major counter-offensives, retaking the Kharkiv Oblast and the port city of Kherson. In response, between 2023 and 2024 Russia escalated its attacks using drones and ballistic missiles, and recruited several thousand North Korean military personnel to fight in the Kursk Oblast.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine consist of the Ground Forces (Сухопутні Війська), Air Force (Повітряні Сили), the Naval Forces (Військово-Морські Сили), Air Assault Forces (Десантно-штурмові війська), and the Special Operations Forces (Сили спеціальних операцій,) or CCO, and the Unmanned Systems Forces (Сили безпілотних систем), which is devoted to drone warfare . The Territorial Defense Forces (Війська територіальної оборони) or BTO are a reserve component of the armed forces, with approximately 130,000 volunteers. The National Guard of Ukraine (Националня гвардія України), another reserve force under the directive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs ( Міністерство внутрішніх справ) or MVS, also existed from 1991 to 2000, but was disbanded reputedly as a cost-saving measure. The Guard was then re-established in March 2014, in response to the war with Russia. The MVS also administrate the Internal Troops of Ukraine (Внутрішні війська України) or VV, which function primarily as a gendarmerie-type agency, the Federal Police (мiлiцiя) (including the Special Police or Бе́ркут - Berkut), and The Security Service (Служба Безпеки).

At least fifty paramilitary volunteer units have fought alongside Ukrainian government forces in the Donbas region war, some of which have fallen under the command of the National Guard. Some of the more notable unit names are the Donbas Battalion, Azov Battalion, Kharkiv Battalion, Airdar Battalion, and Oleh Liashko's Militia. Evidence suggests that some of the volunteer battalions are adherents of the Right Sector nationalist movement. Other volunteer units have been bolstered by foreign fighters from around the world, including many NATO countries and some anti-Russian fighters from Chechenya, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Separate units of ethnic Georgian fighters, the Georgian National Legion (ქართული ლეგიონი), and another of Belarussians, Tactical Group "Belarus" (Тактычная група «Беларусь») have fought in the war since its beginning.

A number of separatist forces have operated in the war against Ukraine. These include the Donbass People's Militia (Народное ополчение Донбасса), and the Luhansk People's Republic (Луганская Народная Республика), which merged to form the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya (Объединённые Вооруженные Силы Новороссии) or NAF in September 2014 (although the merger was suspended in May of the following year. The Russian Orthodox Army (Русская православная армия) was formed in May 2014 and are based in Donetsk city. The Vostok Battalion (Батальон Восток) has also been operating since May 2014, and may have originated with former members of a Russian GRU unit of the same name. A number of foreign/outside volunteers have also bolstered the pro-Russian militias, including some Cossack units, fighters from Central Asia and the Caucasus, pro-Russian Chechens, Ossentian and Abkhaz paramilitary units, pro-Russian Serbian volunteers, and a smattering of volunteers from other parts of Europe.

Ukrainian Camouflage Patterns

• The earliest use of camouflage in Ukraine included many carry-overs from the Soviet era that were stockpiled in warehouses, and the earliest camouflage pattern family produced in Ukraine were variants of the Soviet-designed 1984 TTsKO (Trisvetnaia kamuflirovannaia odezhda), or bhutan pattern. Initially, uniforms in the original Soviet-era colorations released in 1984 were the most commonly encountered among Ukrainian military personnel after the country became fully independent. Ukrainian sources refer to the older/original pattern as bytan (butane) or бутан, to distinguish it from the later camouflage patterns produced strictly for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

• Beginning in 1997, the Soviet-era bhutan design was partly modified and local production in Ukrainian factories began. This "new" design was also given a new nickname, dubok (oak) or Дубки. (The term dubok can be confusing to collectors and students of camouflage history as the same term is also used to refer to the Russian VSR-93 design). Dubok became the standard camouflage pattern of all branches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and would be retained for many years to come. Like the TTsKO patterns produced during the late Soviet period, Ukrainian factories have turned out several versions of the dubok pattern that incorporate varied color schemes. Illustrated below are several Ukrainian-made variations of the dubok pattern have been submitted to us. The pattern was in the process of being replaced as the Russo-Ukrainian War began, thus has not been commonly seen on members of the Armed Forces during the war after 2014; however, surplus stocks were widely worn by both pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian paramilitary units in the 2014-2016 period.

• Many units of the Ukrainian armed forces continued to wear old Soviet-era KLMK uniforms, called береза (bereza) or "birch," in Ukrainian, long after the country ceased to be part of the USSR. Most recently, the pattern was observed on some Ukrainian units operating in the Crimea, although over time the supply of these uniforms dried up and its use discontinued.

• The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs (Міністерство внутрішніх справ України) or MVS has issued a number of blue or purple-based "urban" pattern camouflage uniforms, most of which are based on the 1988 TTsKO drawings. These patterns were largely worn by special units of the MVS, such as Berkut, Kobra, etc.

• The MVS have also worn urban patterns that utilize different sets of drawings, including m81 woodland style and others. Seen below is one such pattern, also worn by Berkut and other special units.

• Some early Ukrainian Police units adopted a copy of the Russian MVD Тень (Ten) or "shadow" pattern, a derivative of tiger stripe with a blue/grey colorway. This was still being worn by Berkut before the unit was dissolved in February 2014.

• Ground and Airbase Defense Units of the Ukrainian Air Force have worn an interesting variation of the US m81 woodland design with black, brown & olive green woodland shapes on a lichen green background, although the design appears to have been relatively short-lived.

• Beginning in the late 1990s, the Ukrainian Federal Border Guards (GSSU) adopted a locally-made copy of the US m81 woodland pattern. This pattern differs considerably from that worn by Ukrainian Air Force Ground units. The Border Guard pattern incorporates black, brown & forest green woodland shapes on a tan background.

• Seen primarily in use with Ukrainian peacekeepers of the 3rd Engineering Regiment when they deployed as peacekeepers to Lebanon as part of the UNIFIL mission in 2000-2001, this arid variation of TTsKO pattern may have been in production as far back as the Soviet era. Indeed, it it worth noting that the coloration does bear a resemblance to the pinkish TTsKO version primarily issued to Soviet airborne forces (VDV), although the Ukrainian pattern appears to have a more orange coloration in photographs. After 2001, it would seem production stopped, with Ukraine developing a dedicated desert camouflage design just two years later.

• Introduced in 2003, Ukrainian military personnel deployed to arid or desert regions have been issued a two-colour desert version of the standard Ukrainian TTsKO camouflage pattern, unofficially referred to as dubok P or simply Камуфляж Пустыня (desert camouflage). Several colour variations have been documented. The brown parts of this pattern corresponds to the brown parts of the original bhutan or TTSKO pattern.

• The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (Державна прикордонна служба України) adopted the pixelated camouflage pattern seen here in 2013. It has been established that some color or shade differences exist, probably a result of different manufacturing sources. Due to its widespread availability commercially, the pattern also saw use with some members of the Armed Forces as well as volunteer units and militias.

• Introduced in 2014, the MM-14 arid/desert pixelated camouflage design was adopted for use by the entire Ukrainian Armed Forces, including elite units such as the Airborne Forces. This design blends areas of brown, khaki, and light olive on a sand-colored background, although there has been some degree of variability in coloration depending on the factory that printed the fabric. This design was worn throughout most of the Russo-Ukrainian War until it was announced in August 2025 that the pattern would be retired in favor of MM-25, a design heavily influenced by Multicam.

• In addition to the yellow/tan-based variations of the MM-14 camouflage design, some personnel were issued jackets having a pattern with more reddish tones to the brown. It appears this particular version was only printed on jackets, and the fabric may have been water- or weatherproofed material.

• Also appearing in the 2013-2014 time frame was a new pixelated camouflage pattern worn by the Ukrainian Interior Troops (Внутрішні війська України). This appears to be a re-colouration of the same design worn by the Border Guards, but having a primarily grey tone. The pattern was not long-lived at all, as the VV were dissolved in March 2014 and replaced with the reformed Ukrainian National Guard.

• Local and foreign-sourced copies of Multicam have been utilized by Ukrainian units of the Armed Forces and Police since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War. One of the primary early users was Special Unit Alpha of the SBU; however, its use has seen increasing frequency with each year by conventional personnel as well as other elite units.

• Seen here are two, locally-produced Multicam clones which are reputedly worn by Ministry of the Interior units.

• Two additional camouflage designs emerged during the 2014 period, produced by the private company жаба (zhaba or "toad"), and worn by Ukrainian troops deployed to the region of conflict. The designs are obviously related, one having a bright green colorway intended for heavily vegetated regions, and the other a sandy-tan colorway for arid and desert areas. Both colorations were widely worn by special units of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) as well as some naval infantry units, and were purchased privately by volunteers fighting for Ukraine.

• In July 2015, it was announced that the Army's 79th Airmobile Brigade would adopt its own distinctive camouflage design, the ВАРАН ВСУ (Varan VSU, or Varan pattern of the Ukrainian Military Forces). Originally designed by P1G Tac in 2012 as a commercial pattern, the design has multiple implied textures and combines shades of brown, olive green, and than. In addition to the standard two-dimensional version of this design, a three-dimensional or "textured" version was also been produced, but saw limited usage with the military. The Varan pattern has been issued to various units with elite status within the armed forces, including Airborne (VV), Air Assault, and some Naval Infantry units.

• A Special Rapid Reaction Unit unit of the Ukrainian Police known as КОРД (KORD or "Cordoba") was formed in March 2016 and has replaced the former special police units such as "Falcon," "Griffin" "Golden Eagle", and "Titan." Members of this unit are equipped in a locally-made copy of the A-TACS AU camouflage seen here.

• Another camouflage design in use by the Ukrainian Police KORD unit (as well as Army special forces personnel) is the MaWka pattern, produced by the Velmet company. According to the company's own website, "the main feature of MaWka camouflage is the zonal blurring of the silhouette due to the presence of several layers with reflection shadows that create the tearing effect of the plane."

• Circa 2014, members of the Ukraianian Miliitsiya (міліція) or Police Forces began wearing a locally-produced camouflage design that is heavily influenced by the German-designed flecktarn pattern. The Ukrainian-made version incorporates more shades of brown than the German version, and in this regard bears some resemblance to the old TTsKO design of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

• The Ukrainian Navy (Військово-Морські Сили України) has adopted a blue-dominant pixelated camouflage design for conventional personnel. The pattern is essentially a re-coloration of the standard Ukrainian Army design and was first observed in 2017.

• In early 2022, Ukraianian National Guard personnel were shown wearing a winter/snow version of the classic berezhka (birch) camouflage design of the Soviet era. It is presumed the pattern will be issued to any Ukrainian personnel serving in appropriate environments where snow camouflage is advantageous.

• A new partially-pixelated camouflage design was adopted by the Ukrainian National Guard in 2023, having an arid colorway of moss green, light brown, and sand, similar to the commercially-produced Predator camouflage that it replaced.

Experimental Ukrainian Camouflage Patterns

• During the 2012 Perspektiva military exercise, soldiers of the 95th Air Assault Brigade wore a pattern very similar to the commercially available A-TACS Arid camouflage design, and videos from 2014 illustrate the same uniforms being worn. Reputedly produced by P1Gtac, Ukrainian sources suggest the pattern was being considered for adoption by the armed forces, but was rejected due to the high cost of licensings the design.

• A new temperate pixelated camouflage design for the Ukrainian Armed Forces was introduced/tested in 2012 or 2013, bearing a color palette similar to German flecktarn. the design made it past the test stages and was issued to the 30th Mechanized Brigade and other elements of the 8th Army Corps, but was never adopted by the entire armed forces as was initially announced.

Other Camouflage Patterns in Use by Ukrainian Forces and pro-Ukraine Militias

• The unique commercial camouflage design seen below was first observed during the civil strife of 2014, worn by special internal security personnel of the MVS (Міністерство внутрішніх справ). The pattern is known as Хищник or "Predator." By 2019, the pattern would also be seen in use by some units of the National Guard of Ukraine, or NGU (Національна гвардія України), particularly the Omega Special Purpose Unit. It was produced officially, in limited numbers.

• During the internal conflict of early 2014, widespread use of surplus camouflage clothing articles was observed on many of the civilian protesters. Included in this mix were German flecktarn, British DPM, and copies of US-designed MARPAT, UCP and Multicam. Various commercial hunting designs have also been observed. When Ukrainian units were mobilized and deployed to the Crimean region to counter a potential takeover by Russian forces and later to eastern Ukraine to fight seperatists troops, many military personnel were also observed wearing surplus British Army DPM uniforms in both standard woodland/jungle as well as desert pattern and the other patterns described above. Ukrainian Airborne Troops, Special Operations/Reconnaissance units, and some Air Force personnel have all been documented wearing German Army flecktarn pattern, including ex-Bundeswehr uniforms and some commercially sold items. As the country stabilized, use of such foreign uniforms has essentially come to an end. Widespread use of foreign camouflage has also been made by paramilitary and militia units fighting for both sides.

• Formed in 2016, the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion (Батальйон імені Номана Челебіджіхана) is a volunteer unit comprised mostly of ethnic Ukrainian Tatars based in the Kherson region bordering the Crimea. The unit reputedly received considerable assistance during its formation from sources in Turkey (which hosts a Tatar diaspora), and circa 2017 was documented wearing Turkish "nano" pattern camouflage uniforms and field gear. Use of this equipment appears to have been short-lived and on small scale.

• Circa 2017, Ukraianian Navy special operations personnel were photographs wearing uniforms in the A-TACS FG (foliage green) design. Whether this was a one-time event or specific to the unit is unknown.

• Some Ukrainian infantry personnel circa 2017-18 were observed wearing what appear to be surplus German Army issue schneetarn or "snow camouflage" pattern oversuits. Although Russia has produced its own copy of the pattern, there is no indication (so far) that the Ukrainian uniforms are also locally made. Given the past use of BW flecktarn by Ukrainian personnel, the likelihood is that large quantities of surplus German gear were obtained on the European market and have made their way into Ukrainian military stores.

• Obtained from a variety of international sources, Ukrainian military and paramilitary forces began utilizing US Operational Camouflage Pattern uniforms and equipment, as well as commercially produced Multicam pattern items, shortly after the Russian invasion in February 2022. Use of American military-issued uniforms also has included large quantities of the licensed Multicam pattern produced for American personnel serving in Operation Enduring Freedom, and often called "OEF pattern."

Camouflage Worn by Pro-Russian Militias

• Limited use of Russian Flora pattern was made by some militias, such as the Vostok Brigade.

• Many units sympathetic to Russia have been supplied with EMR or tsifra pattern camouflage uniforms, including units sent from other countries, such as North Korea.

• Although nearly impossible to document the full-spectrum of camouflage designs worn by various armed groups operating in Southeast Ukraine, several camouflage designs (mostly of Russian origin) have appeared in significant numbers to warrant documentation. These include the pixelated design called Spectre-S Skvo, among others.

• The Russian firm Magellan (Магеллан) produces commercial combat uniforms in a number of camouflage patterns, including a five-color design called Песок (Sand). The design incorporates beige, olive green, tan and black shapes on a light grey background, and has been documented in use by Russian militia (ополчение) operating in the Crimean region of Ukraine.

• A copy of the Chinese Army's PLA Tibet Region fleck pattern, made by the Russian firm Splav, has seen some use by militias loyal to Russia. The pattern is also known in Russian as Tibet.