Who defends Ukraine?

1) Regular army

This is probably most comparable with the armed forces of other countries. It consists of
+ army
+ navy
+ air force
+ airborne troops
+ special forces
+ territorial defence
Border defence is also part of this in times of war, the National Guard is subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_of_Ukraine
https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1403261/umfrage/truppenstaerke-der-streitkraefte-der-ukraine/
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainische_Streitkr%C3%A4fte

At present, the picture is somewhat more complicated:

2) Territorial defence

These are people with basic training who should be deployed in their neighbourhood. Recently, however, they have been sent to the front more and more often.

2.1) International Legion

Theoretically, the IL also belongs to this group, but it is always sent to the front. In addition to individual volunteers/mercenaries, members of private armies such as Blackwater/Academy and NATO soldiers on leave are probably also active there
https://veteranstoday.com/2022/03/04/blackwater-mercenaries-natos-secret-weapon-in-ukraine-war/ (difficult to verify)
https://silentprofessionals.org/jobs/extraction-protective-agents-ukraine/ (permanent display)
https://correctiv.org/faktencheck/hintergrund/2023/06/22/hohe-anzahl-von-nato-soldaten-in-der-ukraine-experten-halten-das-fuer-unwahrscheinlich/

2.2) Foreign military advisors

Officers working in the hinterland are to be distinguished from soldiers
https://eprimefeed.com/latest-news/turkey-is-aware-of-50-french-officers-blocked-in-mariupol/67687/ (difficult to verify)
https://www.europereloaded.com/french-involvement-in-ukraines-azov-battalion-and-macrons-call-to-putin/ (difficult to verify)
https://deutsche-wirtschafts-nachrichten.de/517464/Ukrainischer-Botschafter-Bei-uns-sitzen-seit-Jahren-strategische-Berater-des-Bundesverteidigungsministeriums
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/465125.us-gelder-f%C3%BCr-ukraine-krieg-selenskij-macht-enkeltrick.html (last sentence)


3) National Guard

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Guard_of_Ukraine
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalgarde_(Ukraine)


4.1) Right-wing extremist units

These were to be disbanded following the Minsk Agreements, but have been integrated into both the National Guard and the army while maintaining their structure. They are on the front line, sometimes as barrier units that prevent the territorial defence soldiers in front of them from retreating.

Ideological background
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Sector
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prawyj_Sektor (text not identical)


Organisations
https://www.donbass-insider.com/fr/2023/01/24/dossier-et-enquete-armee-ukrainienne-a-quoi-ressemble-t-elle-vraiment/ (somewhat polemical, but good overview)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azov_Battalion
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regiment_Asow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svoboda_(political_party)
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allukrainische_Vereinigung_%E2%80%9ESwoboda%E2%80%9C
https://www.amnesty.de/informieren/amnesty-journal/ukraine-regierung-hat-rechtsextreme-nicht-unter-kontrolle (old article, but still valid)
https://www.barth-engelbart.de/?p=242952 (polemic)

4.2) Prisoners

Selenski proposed the use of prisoners shortly after the Russian invasion, and the idea was copied on a large scale by the Wagner Private Army in Russia
https://www.20min.ch/story/selenski-bietet-haeftlingen-amnestie-an-wenn-sie-fuer-die-armee-kaempfen-497868650697

5) Special Forces

The network of Special Forces with different categorisations is almost impossible to overlook; they include intact right-wing extremist units
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_forces_of_Ukraine
https://sprotyv.mod.gov.ua/en/who-are-we

5.1) Partisans

They are coordinated by the 'National Resistance Centre', an institution of the Special Forces
https://sprotyv.mod.gov.ua/en/who-are-we/

The Special Forces, which are themselves trained by US and British units and the KSK of the German Armed Forces, train and supply them, but officially have nothing to do with them
https://www.fr.de/politik/ostap-ukraine-partisanen-geheimdienst-russland-krieg-militaer-angriffe-dscharylhatsch-kiew-zr-92492197.html
https://www.zdf.de/politik/frontal/ukrainische-partisanen-kampf-hinter-feindlichen-linien-ukraine-krieg-100.html
https://www.nzz.ch/international/ukraine-krieg-partisanenkrieg-gegen-putins-armee-ld.1685892
https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/organisation/heer/aktuelles/ksk-bildet-ukrainische-spezialkraefte-aus-5713832

They also kill civilians, e.g. bloggers and journalists they don't like
https://armedforcesconnect.org/2022/07/18/ukrainian-partisans-target-russian-sympathizers-as-the-war-enters-a-bloody-new-stage/
https://www.blick.ch/ausland/mit-kabelbindern-gefesselt-und-zur-schau-ausgestellt-das-droht-den-ukrainischen-kollaborateuren-in-cherson-id18052786.html
or simply disliked residents,
https://t.me/donbassinsider/42647
without this bothering the EU or the German federal government
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/465377.belohnter-terror.html

Partisans actually have little protection under international law
https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2022-03/humanitaeres-voelkerrecht-ukraine-krieg-zivilisten-schutz/komplettansicht
while according to other sources they are treated as members of the army under pension law
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/06/ukrainian-partisan-attacks-surge-russia

5.2) Brotherhood

The position of this battalion is not entirely clear. It is supported by a civilian organisation, operates in Ukraine and Russia and appears to have links to the army and special forces.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNuTY3uz6Oc
https://www.facebook.com/BrotherhoodOfUkraine/
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/more-ukrainian-units-claim-raids-russian-soil-kyiv-disavows-them-2023-03-07/


6) Civil resistance

The portal of the 'National Resistance Centre'
https://sprotyv.mod.gov.ua/en
mixes instructions for armed and unarmed resistance https://sprotyv.mod.gov.ua/en/support-2/

But there have also been real actions of non-violent social defence
https://www.soziale-verteidigung.de/artikel/ziviler-widerstand-gegen-krieg-ukraine



7) Geheimdienste

7) Secret services

There is the domestic intelligence service SBU, the military HUR and the foreign intelligence service FISU
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicherheitsdienst_der_Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Directorate_of_Intelligence_(Ukraine) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Intelligence_Service_of_Ukraine

They also have military units and a killing programme
https://www.watson.ch/international/ukraine/686423483-das-ist-die-gefaehrlichste-elite-spezialeinheit-der-ukraine
https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/09/05/inside-ukraines-assassination-programme

There is a conspicuous division of labour with a portal that has long been denouncing all kinds of 'enemies of Ukraine' such as politicians and journalists and publishing the data necessary for their assassination
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrotvorets
https://www.bpb.de/themen/europa/ukraine-analysen/230418/dokumentation-stellungnahmen-zum-skandal-um-die-webseite-mirotworez-friedensstifter/
https://www.state.gov/reports/2016-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ukraine/ (Sect. 2 A)
https://www.donbass-insider.com/fr/2023/12/06/mirotvorets-la-liste-ukrainienne-de-la-honte/
https://fondfbr.ru/fr/articles_fr/myrotvorets-kids-politicians-fr/ (difficult to verify)

This list should not be confused with a second one, which was run by the Ministry of the Interior's 'Centre against Disinformation' and was deleted after the German SPD parliamentary group leader Mützenich protested against its mention. It was more of a 'pillory' than a death list
https://www.swr3.de/aktuell/fake-news-check/terrorliste-ukraine-muetzenich-faktencheck-100.html https://cpd.gov.ua/en/golovna-storinka-czentr-protydiyi-dezinformacziyi-pry-rnbo-english/
CIA complicity is not proven
https://www.globalresearch.ca/cia-helps-ukraine-compile-death-list-website/5792906
Recently, such murders have also been officially approved
https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1178349.russland-getoeteter-ueberlaeufer-die-dritte-front-im-ukraine-krieg.html

Summary:

We have before us a conglomerate of armed forces, 'special forces', partisans and secret services attacking military targets and killing civilians (when they are not fighting each other
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/11480 ).

Targeted attacks on civilians violate the international law of war.
https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/war-and-law/protected-persons/civilians/overview-civilians-protected.htm
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/aussenpolitik/regelbasierte-internationale-ordnung/voelkerrecht-internationales-recht/humanitaeres-voelkerrecht/213012

The chain is therefore particularly worrying:

Western special forces train Ukrainian special forces

Ukrainian special forces train partisans →

Partisans and special forces kill civilians.

Russian contract killings are fortunately prosecuted in Germany https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordfall_Selimchan_Changoschwili

How little the 'investigations' of German 'law enforcement authorities' would achieve in a similar case with Ukrainian perpetrators can be seen in the example of the Nord Stream II blast
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Nord_Stream_pipeline_sabotage
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anschlag_auf_die_Nord-Stream-Pipelines

What would the German justice system do if Ukrainian special forces went from word to deed and killed German politicians whom they regarded as 'enemies of Ukraine'?
Or 'repatriate' people who evade military service?

Do we really want to have (another) 'the end justifies the means' state in the EU? Or in NATO?