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| Russian Orthodox Army | |
|---|---|
| Русская православная армия | |
 Emblem of the Russian Orthodox Army | |
| Leader | Pavel Gubarev |
| Dates of operation | 2014[1] |
| Headquarters | Donetsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine |
| Active regions | Donbas, Ukraine |
| Ideology | [7] |
| Size | 4,000[4] |
| Allies | |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Flag |  |
| Website | https://web.archive.org/web/20140714131831/http://rusarmy.su/ |
TheRussian Orthodox Army, ROA (Russian:Русская православная армия,Russkaya pravoslavnaya armiya) was aRussian separatist paramilitary group in Ukraine that has been fighting Ukrainian forces in theDonbas war. It was founded in 2014.[2] The ROA was later absorbed into the Oplot Fifth Separate Infantry Brigade.[1]
The Russian Orthodox Army was one of the number of pro-Russian separatist militia units in theDonbas region described as "pro-Tsarist", "extremist"Eastern Orthodox Christian.[8][9]
Starting with the onset of insurgency in Ukraine in early 2014, many central figures in Donetsk were referred to be directly or indirectly related to the neo-Nazi paramilitaryRussian National Unity (RNU), led byAlexander Barkashov. Most notable are the leaderDmitri Boitsov who is said to have been taken orders directly from Barkashov, which Barkashov later confirmed during an interview,[10][11][12] andPavel Gubarev, a prominent spokesman with held multiple titles (leader of the Donbas militia, governor of theDonetsk People’s Republic, its foreign affairs minister, and the founder of theNew Russia Party), who besides stating ROA was organised by RNU under his control also declared himself leader of the RNU section inDonetsk.[13][14][15] Exactly when the RNE affiliates were created in Ukraine has not been possible to establish. HistorianMarlène Laruelle states that while there are suspicions of former RNU-leader Barkashov being close to commander Verin, no reliable sources in Ukraine can verify that, and ROA's own Facebook page displayed no direct connection with RNE.[16]
ROA reportedly had 100 members at the time of its founding, including locals and Russian volunteers. As fighting between separatists and theUkrainian government worsened inDonbas, their membership rose to 350.[4] Later on, the ROA reportedly had 4,000 members according to Russian journalists, while eyewitnesses estimated their membership to be at 500.[1]
Notable engagements of the ROA include the June 2014 skirmishes inMariupol andAmvrosiivka Raion.[17] The headquarters of the ROA is located in an occupiedSecurity Service of Ukraine (SBU) building inDonetsk city.[18] Members had no special training apart from the usual conscription service in the army[19] and swore allegiance toIgor Girkin ("Strelkov"), insurgent and Minister of Defence of the self-declaredDonetsk People's Republic, as of January, 2017.
Along with other separatist groups in the region, theROA has been accused of "kidnapp[ing], beat[ing], and threaten[ing]Protestants,Catholics, and members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church… as well as participat[ing] inanti-Semitic acts."[5]
The organisation was also involved in the2014 massacre of Protestants in Sloviansk, which was apparently also motivated by religious hatred of Protestants, whom the members themselves associate with ‘US agents’.[20] Church officials believe that it was an act of religious persecution.
In late November 2014, the group gained attention after abducting prominentUkrainian Greek Catholic priest, Sergeii Kulbaka, and Roman Catholic priest, Father Pawel Witek.[6] According to theDefence Ministry of Ukraine, the ROA was also in conflict with another pro-Russian militia, theVostok Battalion, which accused the ROA of looting and avoiding combat.[21][22]
In September 2014, the ROA changed its format and joined the new Oplot Fifth Separate Infantry Brigade.[1]
the Russian Orthodox Army, one of a number of separatist units fighting for the "Orthodox faith," revival of the Tsarist Empire, and the Russkii Mir. Igor Girkin (Strelkov [Shooter]), who led the Russian capture of Slovyansk in April 2014, was an example of the Russian nationalists who have sympathies to pro-Tsarist and extremist Orthodox groups in Russia. ... the Russian Imperial Movement ... has recruited thousands of volunteers to fight with the separatists. ... separatists received support from Russian neo-Nazis such as the Russian Party of National Unity who use a modified swastika as their party symbol and Dugin's Eurasianist movement. The paramilitaries of both of these ... are fighting alongside separatists.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)In the Donbass region, the RNE organized the small but highly effective group Russkaia pravoslavnaia armiia (Russian Orthodox army), which was de facto under the control of RNE member Pavel Gubarev, by Gubarev's own account.
