Chervona Kalyna Brigade

Chervona Kalyna Brigade is a unit of the Ukrainian National Guard.

It was established on June 1, 1994, alongside several other units which are now known as the Bureviy and Kara-Dah Brigades, and placed under the command of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was known as the 8th Special Purpose Regiment “Yahuar”.

From the very beginning, the unit was built on a foundation of rigorous training and multifaceted development and growth. The soldiers of the regiment carried out important and high-stakes security missions.

After the Revolution of Dignity and the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War, including the War in Donbas, the fighters helped to participate in combat operations against what would be pro-Russian militants. The city of Kharkiv became an epicentre of Russian destabilization efforts, and on the night of April 7 and April 8, 2014, the unit carried out an operation to clear the Kharkiv Regional State Administrative building, and the Russian efforts to create a self-proclaimed Kharkiv People’s Republic, a similar model to that of Donetsk and Luhansk, were thwarted.

The unit throughout the Anti-Terrorist Operation saw fierce fighting in Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Semenivka, and in the Debaltseve direction. It also partook in combat missions near the villages of Krymske and Sokilnyky, and later, the defense of Yasynuvata and Donetsk Airport.

In November 2014, the unit was reformed under the designation of the 8th Operational Regiment “Yahuar”. Later on, it would be named after “Ivan Bohun”.

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the unit was stationed in Kyiv and helped to defend the Ukrainian capital, as well as Kyiv Oblast. They defeated a Russian armored column near the village of Buzova. Overall, they destroyed more than 80 units of Russian equipment, and together with the rest of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, liberated 20 settlements in Kyiv Oblast. Additionally, they helped to defend the towns of Motyzhin along the Kyiv-Chop highway.

Following the liberation of Kyiv Oblast, the unit was redeployed to Luhansk Oblast to defend the city of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, which saw heavy fighting against a superior enemy force. The unit fought intensely around the industrial complex of Severodonetsk, fighting in and around the Azot Plant where it would be fighting Chechen volunteers.

Later, the regiment helped to liberate the village of Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast, alongside the Kraken Special Unit, becoming the first settlement in the region to be liberated by Ukrainian Forces. From that point on, it continued fighting in the Verkhniokamyanske and Spirne areas.

In January 2023, as part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Offensive Guard program, the unit was reorganized as the 14th Operational Brigade and received the nickname Chervona Kalyna. It received new weapons, a Western command structure, and control standards began to be implemented within the brigade.

Since the spring of 2023, the unit had been carrying out missions in the Zaporizhzhia direction, and also participated in the summer counteroffensive that same year. It continuously carried out assault operations despite fighting in heavily mined areas and overwhelming odds, including against Russian Airborne and Assault units. The main battles took place around Orikhiv as well as near the towns of Verbobe and Robotyne.

As of Summer 2024, the brigade fought in the defense of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, preventing Russian assaults in Hrodivka, wiping out more than one elite Russian unit attempting to capture the western flank of the region.

In April 2025, the unit was placed under the command of the 1st Azov Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard.

In December 2025, the brigade received a new insignia. On June 3, 2026, the commander of the brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Oleh Myronenko, was appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian National Guard.

Insignia

The insignia features a pointed chevron in black on a red background. The central element is a stylised red virnibrium in the form of flames, reflecting the name of the unit. The unit’s nickname is displayed at the peak of the insignia, similarly to that of the Azov Brigade.