Ukraine's Executioners

Ukraine's Avengers

World War III

Throughout mid spring and early summer of 2022 and into 2023, reports began to emerge of violent raids, assassination missions and sabotage operations against Russian occupation forces by unidentified masked soldiers and guerilla fighters loyal Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War, wearing both red urban camouflage bomber outfits, unmarked black battle dress uniforms and military-grade body armor of an unknown manufacturer and carrying a mixture of both Western and Russian military gear, leading to speculation that they were Ukraine's answer to Russia's Little Green Men. Known as **Ukraine's Executioners** (Russian: **Украинские палачи**, Ukrainian: **Кати України**) or **Ukraine's Avengers** (Ukrainian: **Українські месники**, Russian: **Украинские Мстители**) by both the Ukrainian locals and Russian POWs, these men and women, depending on who you asked, left people on either side of the conflict with either relief and hope for Ukraine's liberation from Russia, or absolute dread and paranoia. A series of interviews conducted throughout 2022-2023 by British and American journalists revealed that these men and women are a paramilitary group consisting of both Ukrainian resistance fighters, Ukrainian military personnel and, surprisingly, Russian collaborators who sided with Ukraine against President Vladimir Putin and that they are working to sabotage the Russian occupation of Ukraine, though they refused to divulge any more details.

Ukrainian witnesses and the Ukrainian media alike referred to them with the euphemism "**Polite Saviors**" (Ukrainian: **Ввічливі рятівники**)

## Analysis

Following a 2022 interview with these mysterious men and women fighting for Ukraine's liberation, a BBC journalist published an analysis of the weapons and equipment seen on photos of "Ukraine's Executioners". The article revealed that these masked soldiers used a number of different weapons and pieces of equipment that are from a variety of different countries, though the exact name of the manufacturer of their armor could not be determined. These included:

* Jet black and urban red battle dress uniforms and advanced body armor of unknown model and manufacturer.
* A combination of Russian, European and American firearms in their arsenal.
* Black combat helmets, balaclavas, and combat goggles of unknown origin.
* Russian GP5 gas masks.
* Russian PMK gas masks
* 6B-43 tactical vests similar to those used by Russian Army personnel.

The Russian authorities confirmed that the GP5 gas masks were indeed from Russia, but could neither confirm or deny that their advanced body armor and black battle dress uniforms were also Russian in origin. Similarly the Ukrainians were unable to either confirm or deny that their BDUs and body armor belonged to them.

In summer of 2022, speculation arose that these men and women were not Ukrainian citizens, but foreign volunteers from a variety of different countries across Europe and the United States. This theory was seemingly debunked, however, as the 2022 interview appeared to confirm that these mystery fighters were indeed Ukrainian.

### Russian collaborators

In early 2023, a separate investigation conducted by news media from the United States revealed that while these mystery fighters were indeed loyal to Ukraine, they weren't entirely Ukrainian; according to an interview conducted by journalists Theodora R. Stinchcomb of *USA Today* and Charles E. Lawrence of *Philadelphia Weekly*, while Ukraine's Executioners did comprise of Ukrainian resistance fighters and both former and active duty military soldiers, it also consisted of Russian collaborators, including ex-Russian Spetsnaz operatives, who opposed Putin's invasion of Ukraine and instead worked to sabotage the occupation of Ukraine behind Putin's back.

## Quotes

### Battle quotes

* Кидаю гранату!-*Kydayu hranatu*!/Throwing grenade!"
* Кидання світлошумової гранати!-"Kydannya svitloshumovoyi hranaty!/Throwing stun grenade!"
* Кидання димової шашки!-"Kydannya dymovoyi shashky!/Throwing smoke grenade!"
* Прикрий мене, поки я перезавантажу!-"Prykryy mene, poky ya perezavantazhu!/Cover me while I reload!"
* Перезавантаження!-"Perezavantazhennya!/Reloading!"
* Отримав його!-"Otrymav yoho!/Got him!"
* Я отримав один, я отримав один!-"YA otrymav odyn, ya otrymav odyn!/I got one, I got one!"
* До побачення, негідник!-"Do pobachennya, nehidnyk!/Goodbye, scumbag!"
* Передай привіт моєму батькові в пеклі!-"Pereday pryvit moyemu batʹkovi v pekli!/Say hi to my father in hell!"
* Ми втратили одного!-"My vtratyly odnoho!/We lost one!"
* Вони намагаються обійти нас з флангу!-"Vony namahayutʹsya obiyty nas z flanhu!/They're trying to flank us!"
* Вбити їх усіх!-"Vbyty yikh usikh!/Kill them all!"
* Медик! Нам потрібен медик!-"Medyk! Nam potriben medyk!/Medic! We need a medic!"
* Спалити їх у їхніх домівках!-"Spalyty yikh u yikhnikh domivkakh!/Burn them in their homes!"
* Нас намагаються спалити!-"Nas namahayutʹsya spalyty!/They are trying to burn us out!"
* Гей, ідіоти, ловіть!-"Hey, idioty, lovitʹ!/Hey, you idiots, catch!"
* Біжи, боягузи!-"Bizhy, boyahuzy!/Run, cowards!"
* У нас забагато поранених! Ми повинні відступити!-"U nas zabahato poranenykh! My povynni vidstupyty!/We have too many wounded men! We have to fall back!"
* Росіяни розумніші, ніж виглядають! Слідкуйте за флангами!-"Rosiyany rozumnishi, nizh vyhlyadayutʹ! Slidkuyte za flanhamy!/Russians are smarter than they look! Watch your flanks!"
* Проклятий! Поранений солдат!-"Proklyatyy! Poranenyy soldat!/Damn! Wounded soldier!"
* Граната! Стережись!-"Hranata! Sterezhysʹ!/Grenade! Watch out!"
* Голову вгору, граната!-"Holovu vhoru, hranata!/Heads up, grenade!"
* Прикрий мене!-"Prykryy mene!/Cover me!"
* Бросаю гранату! - "*Brosaju granatu!* / "Throwing grenade!"
* Бросаю стан гранату! - "*Brosaju stan granatu!* / "Throwing stun grenade!"
* Дымовая граната! - "*Dimovaya granata!* / "Smoke grenade!"
* Прикройте меня! Я должен перезарядиться! - "*Prikrojte menja! Ja dolzhen perezaryazhaditsya!* / "Cover me! I'm reloading!"
* Прикройте меня! - "Prikrojte menja!" / "Cover me!"
* Меняю обойму! - "*Menyayu oboimu!"* / "I am changing my magazine!"
* Чёрт! У меня нет патронов! Перезаряжаюсь! - *"Chyort! U menya net patronov! Perezaryazhayus!" /* "Damn! I have no rounds! Reloading!"
* Враг убит! - "*Vrag ubit!* / Enemy killed!
* Враг уничтожен! - "*Vrag unichtozhen!* / "Enemy eliminated!"
* Цель уничтожена! - "*Tsel' unichtozhena!* / "Target eliminated!"
* Сдохни, гад! - *"Sdohni, gad!"* / "Die, bastard!"
* Граната!!! - *"Granata!!! /* "Grenade!!!"
* Заряжаю взрывчатку - *"Zariajayu vzryvchatku"* / "Arming explosives" (C4)
* Вспышка - *"Vspyshka"* / "Flash!"
* Я ранен - *"Ja ranen!"* / "I'm wounded"
* Бегите, трусы! - *"Begitye, trusy!" /* "Run, cowards!"
* Вот вам граната, гады! - *"Vot vam granata, gady!"* / "Here is a grenade, bastards!"
* Пришил его! - *"Prishil' ego!"* / "I got him!"
* Ха! Уложил его! - *"Ha! Ulozhil ego!"* / "Ha! I killed him!"
* Ха! Кажется, этот идиот не знал, как надо укрываться! - *"Ha! Kazhetsya, etot idiot ne znal, kak nado ukrivatsya!"* / "Ha! It seems that this idiot did not know how to take cover!"
* Это за моего брата! - *"Eto za moyego brata!" /* "That is for my brother!"
* Это за мою сестру! - *"Eto za moyu sestru!"* / "That is for my sister!"
* Поубивайте этих трусов! - *"Poubivayte etih trusov!"* / "Kill those cowards!"
* Эй, идиоты, ловите! - *"Ey, idioty, lovite!"* / "Hey, you idiots, catch!"
* Лучше ты, чем я! - *"Luchshe ty, chem ya!"* / "Better you than me!"
* Сшибите им головы! - *"Shibite im golovy!"* / "Shoot their heads off!"
* Напугайте этих трусов мощным огнём! - *"Napugaite etih trusov moschnym ognyom!"* / "Scare these cowards with heavy fire!"
* Пошли! - ""Pashli!"" / "Go!"
* Он не жилец! - *"On ne zhilets!"* / "He is dead man!"
* Он мой! - "On moy!" / *"He's mine!"*
* Держись, товарищ! - *"Derzhisʹ, tovarishch!"* / "Hold on, comrade!"
* Чёрт! Бойца ранило! - *"Chyort! Boitsa ranilo!"* / "Damn! Wounded soldier!"
* Вспышка сзади! - *"Vspyshka szadi!"* / "Flash from behind!"
* Чёрт! Не отрывается! - "*Chyort! Ne otryvaetsya!"* / "Damn! Doesn't come off!" - When stuck by a semtex or a Crossbow
* Я трачу обойму за обоймой! - *"Ya trachu oboymu za oboymoi!"* / "I spend a holder for the clip!"
* Одну секунду! - *"Odnu sekundu!"* / "One second!"
* Граната, берегись! -*"Granata, beregisʹ!"* / "Grenade, watch out!"
* В яблочко! - *"V yablochko!"* / "Bullseye!
* Головы! Граната к бою! - *"Golovy! Granata k boyu!"* / "Head's up! Frag out!"
* Мне нужны патроны! - *"Mne nuzhny patrony!"* / "I need ammo!"
* Санитар, сюда! - *"Sanitar, syuda!"* / "Medic, over here!"
* Не высовывайся, мы сейчас! - *"Ne vysovyvaisya, my syeichas!"* / "Don't move, we are on our way!"
* Головы, граната!!! - *"Golovy, granata!"* / "Heads up, grenade!"
* Как по маслу! - *"Kak po maslu!"* / "Clear shot!"
* Блядь, граната!! - *"Blyadʹ, granata!"* / "Fuck, grenade!"
* "Накрой их!" - *"Nakroy ih!"* / "Don't let them pop out!"
* "Скоро его не будет!" - *"Scoro yego ne budyet!"* / "He'll die soon!"
* "Прикрываю!" - *"Prikryivayu!"* / "I cover you!"
* "Я пустой! Перезаряжаюсь!" - *"Ya pustoy! Perezaryazhayus!"* / "I'm empty! Reloading!"
* "Вниз!!!" - *"Vneez!"* / "Get down!!!"
* "Огонь в их направлении!" - *"Ogonʹ v ih napravlenii!"* / "Fire in their direction!"
* "Он у меня на мушке!" - *"On u menya na mushke!"* / "He's in my sights!"
* "Подавись!" - *"Podavis'!"* / "Choke on this!"
* "Удерживай их огнем!" - *"Uderzhivay ih ognyom!"* / "Don't let them get close!"
* "Меняю позицию!" - *"Menyayu pozitsiyu!"*/ "Changing position!"
* "Противник слева!" - *"Protivnik slieva!"* / Hostiles on left!"
* "Противник справа!" - *"Protivnik sprava!"* / "Hostiles on right!"
* "Прикройте меня!" - *"Prikroite menya!"* / "Cover me!"
* "Цель уничтожена!" - *"Tsel’ Unechtozhena!"* / "Target destroyed!"

### Casual dialogue

* Хтось бачив, як тут бігають дикі собаки? Я чув, що минулої ночі росіяни втратили пару своїх людей біля басейну./"Did anyone see wild dogs running around here? I heard the Russians lost a couple of their men by the swimming pool last night."
* Радіація робить цих собак божевільними і сильними. Ви їх недооцінюєте, товаришу./"Radiation makes these dogs crazy and strong. You are underestimating them, comrade."
* Я читав, що американські добровольці допомагають українському опору. Я думаю, що настав час повернути послугу./"I read that American volunteers are aiding the Ukrainian resistance. I think it is time we returned the favor."
* Президент России сошел с ума. Я говорю, что пришло время убрать его./"The Russian President has gone mad. I say it's time we removed him."

## Gallery

Ukraine's Executioner member engaging Russian forces with an ACR, 2023Two of Ukraine's Avengers engaging Russian forces in Kyiv, Ukraine, 2023Russian member of Ukraine's Executioners wearing urban colorsRussian member Ukraine's Executioners member with urban camouflage and gas mask