3rd Assault Brigade’s International Battalion Revealed

Back in March 2025, MilitaryLand reported that Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade was forming two international units. It is one of the first brigades to create a dedicated international battalion alongside the Azov and Khartia in the Ukrainian National Guard, both of which were also reported by MilitaryLand.

We also reported on the creation of Tempest Group, another group of foreigners inside the 3rd Assault Brigade under its Reconnaissance Battalion, which was formed by former Chosen Company fighters.

Details about the battalion

At the time, the first known unit was Spanish Storm, which was initially referred to as a battalion by the unit itself. The unit seeks to recruit Spanish-speaking volunteers primarily from Colombia and other Latin American countries. The International Legion has since confirmed through their official Instagram page that Spanish Storm is, in fact, the size of a company, stating that the International Rifle Battalion consists of English, Spanish, and Portuguese fighters. The unit is presumably the 3rd Rifle Company of the battalion, given the fact that the International Legion first announced the creation of an English and Portuguese company.

It was also reported that the brigade had formed another international unit, commonly referred to as the International Rifle Battalion, now known as the 1st Rifleman International Battalion. It was first announced that it would include English and Portuguese-speaking volunteers by the International Legion. The Portuguese contingent, reported earlier by MilitaryLand, became known as Serpent Company, and presumably the 2nd Rifle Company. It is one of the few Portuguese-speaking formations, and is led by Anna Hrechishkina, a Ukrainian with long-standing ties to Brazil due to her personal adventures before the full-scale invasion; many of its members were recruited from Latin America.

Recent information has emerged, revealing more about the battalion’s structure, performance, and its commanders. The English-speaking element was identified as the 1st Rifle Company, which was confirmed in a fundraiser video to fund pickup trucks. Verified accounts from foreign volunteers inside the battalion on the UkraineForeignLegion subreddit have also confirmed that in recent months, the battalion has already been deployed. The battalion is also known to have an Anti-Aircraft Missile Platoon, confirmed by a fundraiser on Facebook by soldiers of the battalion. Additionally, the battalion has finally launched social media channels on Instagram and Facebook, which reveal that it has its own Unmanned Systems Strike Company – known as Valhalla Group and is commanded by an ethnic Ukrainian known as “Maks” who previously served in the 1st Mechanized Battalion of the brigade.

The battalion is commanded by Major Bohdan Korzhenko, a veteran prior to the full-scale invasion and a former lawyer. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he answered the call by Andriy Biletskyi for Ukrainians in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to help form the Azov Territorial Defense. He fought alongside the Azov Special Operations Regiment “Kyiv” and has since been a long-serving member of the 3rd Assault Brigade, rising to the rank of Major, and was revealed to be the commander of the battalion since at least mid-July 2025. Known by the call sign “Adik”, he is a strong advocate for long-term national defense and vows to prepare for future conflicts in Ukraine and Europe alike. It is unknown when he was assigned to the battalion, but anonymous sources indicate he was only recently appointed, with the previous commander being replaced.

The battalion has also received its own unique insignia, which was redrawn by myself, Davomme, in high resolution.

The insignia retains the traditional Azov style pointed chevron, presented in a subdued color palette. It features the recognizable blue of the standard brigade emblem and the color grey, which is commonly associated with the brigade’s linear battalions. At its center, the patch features an arrow symbolizing the unit’s role as an assault formation, representing forward momentum and offensive action. Overlaying this is a reticle with a central dot, signifying precision and marksmanship, attributes typically associated with a dedicated rifle battalion.

Restructuring within the brigade

Before the fall of Avdiivka, a fourth company began appearing in some of the brigade’s linear battalions, and the two linear rifle battalions slowly became more inactive during and after the fall of the city. It can be presumed that the brigade deactivated these battalions and integrated the manpower across the rest of the brigade’s battalions. Since then, it has been known that the 1st Rifle Battalion, which is now defunct, was repurposed as the 1st Rifleman International Battalion, part of an effort to address manpower shortages by integrating foreign volunteers into its ranks, which many brigades have begun doing.

Source: posts by verified users on the UkraineForeignLegion subreddit, social channels of the 1st Rifle International Battalion fo 3rd Assault Brigade, social channels of the International Legion, and public fundraisers.