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National Guard (Ukraine)

Natsionalna hvardiya Ukrayiny

Zoltan Horvath, 2 Jan 2015

The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; Ukrainian: Національна гвардія України, Natsionalna hvardiya Ukrayiny) — is the reserve component of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that was revived in 2014 based on the Internal Troops of Ukraine. The Guard would then be reestablished on March 13, 2014 amidst rising tensions in Ukraine and its region caused by the military intervention in Crimea by Russia.

The National Guard was originally created on November 4, 1991 right after Ukraine gained its independence under a direct supervision of the Supreme Council of Ukraine. However it was controversially disbanded nine years later on January 11, 2000 as part of a 'cost-saving' exercise by the then President Leonid Kuchma. In 1995 - 2000 there existed both the National Guard of Ukraine and the Internal Troops of Ukraine.

The National Guard was recreated in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On the National Guard of Ukraine" [Law number 4393] dated March 12, 2014, (the draft legislation being originally introduced to the Ukrainian parliament on March 11). A previous attempt by then President Yushchenko to bring back the National Guard during civil unrest in 2008 had been blocked in the Rada. It was finally re-established in March 2014 after the beginning of the Crimean crisis.

The NGU was originally created by the Law of Ukraine "On the National Guard of Ukraine " dated November 4, 1991 № 1775 -XII. Dissolved by the Law of Ukraine "On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine " dated 11 January 2000. During its early existence, the National Guard was indirectly involved in the Transnistrian conflict during the Spring/Summer of 1992, helping to defend the border against a threatened spill-over of the conflict into Ukraine. Formations involved were the 3rd, 4th and 5th divisions NSU (equipment transferred from the 93rd Motorized Rifle Division was also used in this deployment). Afterwards, up until 1998, National Guard units backed up the border guards in anti-smuggling operations conducted on the border with Moldova and Moldova's breakaway Transnistria region.

The flag is the Coat of Arms on a blue horizontal flag, as seen here.
Esteban Rivera, 2 Jan 2015