The Terror Battalion (Belarusian: Батальён "Тэрор"; Ukrainian: Батальйон "Терор") was a military formation of Belarusian volunteers (formerly a company) fighting in the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the Ukrainian side until November 2024. The unit was named after a Belarusian soldier who died during the defense of Irpin, and was created in 2022.
History
Zmitser (Dmytro) Apanasovych (in Belarusian: Зьміцер Мар'янавіч Апанасовiч) was a soldier of the Ukrainian volunteer battalion Kastus Kalinovsky who went by the call sign "Terror": he died on March 24, 2022, from a combat wound near the city of Irpin.[3][4] In his honor, a new unit was formed, and its creation was announced in July 2022.[5] In August of that year, the unit was separated from the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment and became independent.
In September 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus recognized the Internet groups of the battalion and other Belarusian military formations in Ukraine as extremist formations;[6] creating and participating in an extremist organization is a criminal offense under Belarusian law.[7]
On November 14, 2022, one of the soldiers of the battalion received an award from Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Kherson.[8]
On December 27, 2022, the battalion announced its entry into the Belarusian Volunteer Corps as one of its main units.[9]
Combat operations
Since April 2022, the battalion participated in military operations in the south of Ukraine, in particular during the liberation of the Kherson region. Among the most significant combat tasks was the capture of the strategically important "McDonalds" hill in the area of Andriivka and Blagodativka settlements, which allowed the units of the Armed Forces to conduct a successful operation on the left bank of the Inhulets river.[citation needed]
As part of the Belarusian Volunteer Corps, the unit carried out a number of combat operations, including a night raid in the Novaya Kakhovka area.[citation needed] During the operation, assault groups crossed the Dnipro river and landed on the temporarily occupied left bank, destroying a Russian base in the area.[citation needed]
