Recruitment Directorate

Recruitment Service is a linear unit of the 1st Azov Corps as part of the Ukrainian National Guard.

It was initially formed in May 2014, when the Azov Battalion was formed and established a dedicated Training and Mobilization Center, where it was stationed at the Kozatsky Hotel in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

It was there that the first recruitment process was organized, with volunteers arriving, checking in, and being divided into groups of ten and underwent he registration process; to which they were sent to the base in Urzuf, Donetsk Oblast for training.

In 2015, following the expansion of the Azov Battalion into a Regiment, a training camp known by the name of “ATEC” was established. Subsequently, the selection and processing of recruits began to take place.

In 2016, an official recruitment and selection team was established within the Azov Regiment – marking the beginning of the development of recruitment under a separate unit. It officially launched the website for the Azov Regiment, as well as a fully-fledged call center with operators. Additionally, personnel were assigned to the positions of administrative assistants, and recruiters would now conduct interviews face-to-face.

In April 2022, a recruitment team began operations in Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, with the aim of forming units to relieve the siege of Mariupol, where the Azov Regiment was fighting. The first two companies were formed, which later became the foundation for the reestablishment of the regiment.

In 2023, during the scaling of the unit into a brigade, recruitment was scaled up; first, offline recruitment centers appeared in cities across Ukraine, with the center in Kyiv being the first. Simultaneously, the number of recruiters increased, and the centers themselves began to expand.

Two years later, in 2025, a headquarters with separate departments was formed within the recruitment structure and began to operate at the corps-level, participating in the staffing of the brigades that fell under the jurisdiction of the 1st Azov Corps.

In 2026, the recruitment department officially became part of the corps as the newly established Recruitment Directorate.

Insignia

The chevron features a pointed chevron in a black and yellow color scheme, keeping in theme with its parent unit. At its center is a stylized letter R standing for the word Recruitment, adorned by a stylized axe with a ribbon nestled around the lower handle of the weapon. The peak of the insignia depicts the unit’s designation and jurisdiction.