Polish-Ukrainian military units in the years 1991-2018

The history and traditions of Polish-Ukrainian military contacts are as rich as the relations between the two nations. Intensive military cooperation dates back to the mid-16th century and is connected with the pursuit of the military capabilities of the Cossacks. The next chapter of Polish-Ukrainian military cooperation started just after the end of the First World War. The state authorities, analysing the political and military situation, noticed the importance of Ukraine for the future balance of power in Europe and its impact on Poland’s security in the east. The leader of the Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), ataman Symon Petlura, had a similar approach. The need for joint action in the face of growing threat led both parties to intensify negotiations and to sign a political and military agreement. The findings made on 14 January 1992 during the visit of the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Colonel Konstantin Morozov, to Poland should be regarded as the beginning of contemporary military contacts with Ukraine. In formal terms, the legal basis for cooperation was the agreement on this matter, signed on 3 February 1993 in Kiev. In its framework, both parties agreed to develop, inter alia, training and training-operational cooperation. It was intended to be implemented through contacts between units stationed in the border regions, transferring the main effort to the lower levels of command.