Sich Riflemen

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The Sich Riflemen Halych-Bukovyna Kurin (Ukrainian: Галицько-буковинський курінь Січових Стрільців, romanized: Halytsko-bukovynskyi kurin Sichovykh Striltsiv) was one of the first regular military units of the Ukrainian People's Army. The unit operated from 1917 to 1919 and was formed from Ukrainian soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army (Ukrainian Sich Riflemen) and local volunteers. The first kurin was formed in Kyiv on 13 November 1917. Commanded by Col. Yevhen Konovalets with his chief of staff Andriy Melnyk, the Sich Riflemen had up to 25,000 men at their peak, including artillery, cavalry, reconnaissance and machine-gun units and defended the government of UNR against the Bolshevik insurrection in the capital and later against the regular Red Army forces that advanced into Ukraine in 1918. When Kyiv was recaptured in March 1918, the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen guarded government buildings in the capital and maintained order in the city. The unit later expanded to include two infantry detachments, a cavalry unit and an artillery battery. With the establishment of the Hetmanate of Pavlo Skoropadsky, the Sich Riflemen refused to serve him and were disarmed by the German forces that supported the hetman. Soldiers from the unit joined other forces, notably Petro Bolbochan's 2nd Zaporozhian Regiment, and attempted to reestablish themselves under the new command. In August 1918, Skoropadsky finally allowed a partial re-establishment of the Sich Riflemen in Bila Tserkva. The new unit consisted of 1,200 men and was divided into an infantry regiment, an artillery battery and a technical unit. In Bila Tserkva, the Sich Riflemen led the revolt against hetman Skoropadsky, with their ranks expanding to 11,000 by November 1918. Later the Dnipro and Black Sea divisions also joined the unit. In November 1918, with new recruits, the ranks of the Sich Riflemen swelled to 25,000. They played a crucial role in the establishment of...