Stakhanov Company

Stakhanov Company was a volunteer unit of the Special Purpose Patrol Police of Ukraine. It was formed during the early stages of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in eastern Ukraine and the outbreak of the war in Donbas. The unit originated from the Luhansk People’s Self-Defense Headquarters, established in March 2014 by Ukrainian volunteers under the leadership of former serviceman Temur Yuldashev.

In April 2014, following the seizure of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) building in Luhansk by pro-Russian forces, local police authorities authorized the formation of volunteer police units, including the Stakhanov Company.

The unit was formed in the city of Stakhanov (now Kadiivka), west of Luhansk. By the end of April 2014, it consisted of only three volunteers.

As pro-Russian forces began seizing administrative buildings in Stakhanov, the local police, assisted by the Stakhanov Company, attempted to repel the attacks while requesting reinforcements from the Ukrainian government. The police received no orders to abandon their positions and were instead instructed to continue defending the police department. They were later ordered by telegram to withdraw to Svatove. Of the approximately 350 police officers serving in Stakhanov, only around 50 complied with the evacuation order, while the remainder defected to the pro-Russian side.

After arriving in Svatove, the personnel of the Stakhanov Company joined the newly formed Luhansk-1 Battalion, whose members had recently arrived from Dnipro. Serhiy Kyslenskyi, who led the group that withdrew from Stakhanov, was appointed deputy commander of the battalion.