Serpent Company

Serpent Company, also known as Companhia Serpente in Portuguese, is a unit within the 53rd Mechanized Brigade.

It began forming between January and March 2025, as part of the International Rifle Battalion of the 3rd Assault Brigade, and was led by Anna Hrechishkina, a Ukrainian woman who had travelled to South America before the full-scale invasion. When the war started, she returned to Ukraine and joined a volunteer battalion, later joining a small unit of volunteers.

In April 2026, likely due to spreading the combat effectiveness of the 3rd Assault Brigade across the rest of the corps’ maneuver units, the unit was transferred to the 53rd Mechanized Brigade. Alongside this change, Tuga, an experienced foreigner who served within the 3rd Assault Brigade, became the commander of the company.

Insignia

The insignia depicts a black and grey pointed chevron, usually associated with the Troyka. The central theme of the insignia depicts a fierce-looking serpent with a hissing tongue in white. The body of the snake is divided into three sections, representing the designation of the brigade itself. The insignia is also an echo of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force during the Second World War, which fought alongside Allied soldiers from 1942 to 1945.