| Kherson Rifle Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Ukrainian:Херсонська поліцейська рота | |
 Kherson Rifle Battalion Insignia | |
| Active | 2014–present |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Branch |  Ministry of Internal Affairs |
| Type | Special Tasks Patrol Police |
| Garrison/HQ | Kherson |
| Engagements | Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Storcheus Ruslan Oleksandrovych † |
| Insignia | |
| Former Insignia |  |
| Former Insignia |  |
TheKherson Rifle Battalion[1] is a Rifle Battalion of theSpecial Tasks Patrol Police subordinated toMinistry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The company is based inKherson. It was established in 2014 in the wake of theWar in Donbass and has, since then seen regular combat on the frontlines.
It was established in May 2014 inKherson as a battalion was composed of 300 personnel in 6 platoons of 50 personnel each and Oleksandr Gubarev was appointed as its commander.[2] On 19 August 2014, 50 soldiers of the battalion went to theATO zone.[3] On the morning of 25 August 2014, Vyacheslav Vlasenko, the commander ofDonbas Battalion, summoned the commanders ofMyrotvorets and Kherson battalions to a meeting. The vehicle of Kherson battalion commander, Storcheus Ruslan Oleksandrovych was ambushed on the way resulting in his death[4][5][6][7] and the death of his driver, Oleg Anatoliyovych Peshkov.[8] The Battalion, now without a commander, temporarily came under the command ofSemen Semenchenko.[9] On 26 August 2014, a soldier of the Battalion (Maksym Petrovych Zhekov) was killed as a result of artillery shelling by separatists at the battalion's positions atIlovaisk school.[10] On 29 August 2014, during theBattle of Ilovaisk and the escape from the encirclement, six soldiers of the Battalion (Ruslan Serhiyovych Salivonchyk,[11] Pavlo Valeriyovych Mazur,[12] Kovalev Vladyslav Viktorovych,[13] Sharygin Artem Vitaliyovych,[14] Hrebinsky Oleg Vilyamovich[15] and Oleg Pavlovich Vovchenko[16]) were killed in action and several more were wounded. On 1 September 2014, a part of the battalion returned followed by more personnel, some more personnel of the Battalion were also deployed to partake in theBattle of Pisky.[17] In 2020, it was reformed into a company.[18]
Following theRussian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the unit did not receive an official order to partake in theBattle of Kherson, the company's command retreated from the city leaving its personnel to fight Russian forces by themselves.[19][18] On 19 September 2023, a soldier of the company (Andriy Tarchynskyi) was killed as a result of artillery shelling onKherson which also wounded two civilians.[20] In 2024, it was reformed into a Battalion with the honorary name "Striletski".[21]