| 80th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Battalion "Sparta" named after A. S. Pavlov | |
|---|---|
| 80-й отдельный гвардейский разведывательный батальон «Спарта» имени А. С. Павлова | |
.svg) Service sleeve insignia of the Sparta Battalion | |
| Active | 2014 – present |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch |  DPR People's Militia (2014–2022) Russian Ground Forces (2022–present) |
| Role | Special Forces |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of |  51st Combined Arms Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Donetsk |
| Nickname(s) | Motorola's Division |
| Patron | Arsen Pavlov |
| Engagements | |
| Battle honours |  Guards |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Denis Shundikov |
| Notable commanders | Arsen Pavlov † Vladimir Zhoga † Artem Zhoga |
| Insignia | |
| Alternate sleeve insignia |  |
| Flag of the Sparta Battalion | .svg) |
| Former flag of the Sparta Battalion |  |
The Sparta Battalion (Russian: батальон «Спарта») or 80th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Battalion "Sparta" named after A. S. Pavlov (Russian: 80-й отдельный гвардейский разведывательный батальон «Спарта» имени А. С. Павлова; MUN 08806) is a special purpose unit of the Russian Armed Forces. Until 2023, unit was part of Russian people's militia military unit of the Russian republic of Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine. The unit has been fighting against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbas war and the 2022 Russian invasion. Formed in 2014, it was initially led by the Russian-born Arsen Pavlov (callsign "Motorola") until his death in October 2016, and then by Vladimir Zhoga (callsign "Vokha"), from Sloviansk,[2] until his death in March 2022.[3]
The battalion took part in the Battle of Ilovaisk and Second Battle of Donetsk Airport and several others.[4][5] According to Foreign Policy, the Sparta Battalion has "a reputation for ruthlessness".[6] It has committed war crimes in the Donbas. The battalion has been described as Russian ultranationalist,[7] and the European Eye on Radicalization notes that it uses a combination of Russian imperial symbols and "symbols of the Spartan military culture, well-known drivers of the far-right".[8]
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War".
- ^ "Separatist known as Vokha will become new commander of the Sparta Battalion". UA Wire. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ Batchelor, Tom (2022-03-24). "Russian commanders killed in Putin's war as Ukraine invasion 'not going to plan'". The Independent. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ^ "The Battle of Ilovaisk: Details of a Massacre Inside Rebel-Held Eastern Ukraine". Newsweek. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ^ "Ukraine Live Day 335: The Battle for Donetsk". The Interpreter. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ^ Losh, Jack (2016-10-25). "Is Russia Killing Off Eastern Ukraine's Warlords?". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2016-10-25. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Ukrainian Veterans Recall Pivotal Tank Battle In Volnovakha". Forbes. 9 November 2022.
- ^ Borgonovo, Federico (2022-04-07). "Putin's Hybrid Army". European Eye on Radicalization.