Ukraine Creats "Huntsma Brigade" On Border With Belarus

The large unit of the ground forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is designed to conduct combat operations in woodland and marshland areas.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have a new and quite exotic brigade, the 61st Independent Infantry Huntsma Brigade. This is a large unit of the ground forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which is designed to conduct combat operations in the woodland and marshland areas.

"In accordance with the joint directive of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces of 25 April 2019, the 61st Independent Infantry Brigade of the Reserve Corps was transferred to the combat force as the 61st Independent Infantry Huntsma Brigade with the main purpose of strengthening the defense of Ukraine on the northern border," – the command of the military unit reports on its Facebook page.

The brigade was formed as a military unit in 2015, when it was established as the 61st Independent Motorized Infantry Brigade within the Reserve Corps.

The brigade's command reports that it will be staffed only by contract servicemen with experience in combat operations or civilian activities, related to the brigade's specific features: hunters, gamekeepers, foresters, etc. At the same time, the priority will be given to servicemen of the Special Operations Forces and military intelligence – that is, it’s a kind of forest special forces.

According to the Ukrainian newspaper Delovaya Stolitsa, "the need to create a huntsma brigade is dictated by the requirements of the time.

"It is well known that Ukraine borders Belarus in the north, the total border is 1,084 kilometers of predominantly forests and swamps. Although Belarus itself does not pose any threat to Ukraine, it allows the Russian troops to feel at home on its territory (it does not matter whether voluntarily or under pressure)," – the media notes.

As reported by the Charter97.org website, the construction and modernization of roads that can be used for military purposes are underway at the Almanskiya Baloty reserve, located in Stolin district of Brest region, bordering Ukraine.