2nd Special Purpose Battalion

2nd Special Purpose Battalion is a linear unit of the Azov Brigade.

The battalion was formed alongside the 1st Mechanized Battalion during the expansion of the Azov Battalion into the Azov Regiment on November 11, 2014. It was formed on the basis of the 2nd and 4th Companies of the Azov Battalion, helping to form the 2nd Mechanized Battalion. It would participate in the Shyrokyne operation in February 2015, and would fight in many other operations during the War in Donbas.

In 2016, the battalion was reformed as the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Azov Regiment, and saw an additional company added to its structure. The 4th Company was reformed as the battalion’s 3rd Company, becoming three companies in strength.

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it was stationed in Yanukivka, Donetsk Oblast, on the outskirts of Mariupol. It was immediately deployed to the city and later encircled by Russian forces. They eventually surrendered after making a last stand at the Azovstal complex in the city, after the Ukrainian command called for the surrender of the city’s garrison.

After many Azovstal defenders from the Azov Regiment were released in September 2022, the battalion began to slowly rebuild. The Azov Regiment was eventually expanded in January 2023 to the size of a brigade, and the battalion was reformed once again as the 2nd Special Purpose Battalion.

It was deployed to southern Ukraine during the summer offensive by Ukrainian forces to Melitopol in 2023. It was later redeployed to the Serebryansky forest in the Kreminna sector.

It would later be redeployed to the New York and Toretsk sectors in late 2024. The battalion’s reconnaissance platoon is regarded as one of the most competent subunits in the entire battalion.

Insignia

The insignia retains the brigade’s traditional chevron style, featuring a two-pronged, stylized variant of the Ukrainian tryzub symbol, known as the Dvozub. It was historically used by Sviatoslav the Brave, a ruler of the Kyivan Rus, and is a symbol of the revival of the spirit and traditions of that era. Above that is the inscription “Azov”, reflecting the brigade it belongs to.