Pirates Group

Pirates Reconnaissance Group is a unit of the Reconnaissance Detachment of the Azov Brigade.

The unit was formed presumably between September 2022 to January 2023, following the release of many Ukrainian servicemen who had participated in the defense of Mariupol in early 2022. This included the commander Mykola Kushch, callsign “Frost”, who was meant to be sentenced to death by pro-Russian and Russian authorities. The core of the unit is composed predominantly of former Azov Regiment veterans with a high sense of nationalism and patriotism, committed to defending Ukraine.

It is one of the most competent reconnaissance units within the Azov Brigade, excelling in many operations that have been published by the brigade itself. The group, since its formation and the rebuilding of the Azov Regiment, has participated in many of the brigade’s recent deployments since 2023. They have carried out operations in the Kreminna direction in the Serebryansky Forest, and the Toretsk Sector, where they have fought in the vicinity of Shcherbynivka.

Insignia

The insignia commits to the brigade’s pointed chevron, with an “Idea of the Nation” symbol rotated and sitting at the bottom of the inner chevron. In the center is a stylized pirate’s skull and cap with two crossed swords, and the inscription of Pirates at the top of the insignia. The name of the group alludes to the Azov Sea, south of Ukraine.