The Romanian Battlegroup Getica (Romanian: Grupul Român de Luptă "Getica") is a pro-Ukraine volunteer unit fighting in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is made up of citizens from Romania and Moldova.[5] The unit is named after Getica, a legendary Roman account of the Getae, the indigenous people of Romania.[citation needed]
| Romanian Battlegroup Getica | |
|---|---|
| Grupul Român de Luptă "Getica" | |
 Unit insignia | |
| Active | September 2023 – present |
| Allegiance |  Ukraine |
| Type | Foreign volunteer Battlegroup |
| Role | Urban Warfare Mine Clearance Patrolling Irregular warfare Reconnaissance Special operations |
| Part of | International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine |
| Patron | Getica |
| Engagements | Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Website | https://rolegiongetica.info |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | "Getotac" |
History
editThe Romanian Battlegroup Getica was created in September 2023 as part of the International Legion.[6] Battlegroup Getica claims to have originated as a unit of Romanian Ukrainians that has since expanded to accept citizens from Romania and Moldova who are motivated "to keep Russia as far away from Romania and Moldova's borders as possible". Each member of the unit has a monthly salary of 3,000 Euros.[7] The unit claimed that they were engaged in a disinformation campaign against Russian intelligence, reporting that they were spending the war as an auxiliary force in Mykolaiv "giving the impression that we weren't doing much for the war effort" when in reality they were planning for incursions into Russia for months.[8]
The battlegroup is led by a Romanian man who goes by the callsign "Getotac". The unit was involved in an incursion into Russian territory from Ukraine in the woods to the northwest of the town of Grayvoron.[9] On March 20, Getica reported to Romanian media that they were aware that Russian authorities have a warrant out to find them, as the Russian ministry of the interior "arrested" 700 foreign volunteers in abstenia for being "mercenaries," Getica joked that they went to police stations in Russia but found no one to turn themselves in to.[8][10] They also reported that one of their members, "Rabbit" engaged in "several hours" of combat alone to protect wounded members of the battlegroup.[10] The Russian embassy in Bucharest claims that 784 Romanians have volunteered to fight in Ukraine, and that 349 have been killed.[10] The Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs denied the report, claiming it is a Russian disinformation campaign.[10]
Radu Hossu, a Romanian milblogger who earned the Ukrainian Order of Merit III Class for his efforts mobilizing Romanian support and fundraisers for Ukraine, claims to be a member of the Battlegroup.[11][12][13] He also reported that the unit is fighting in the woods in Belgorod to disable Russian military equipment, and not to occupy the Oblast.[11] Hossu also reported that the battlegroup specializes in reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and drone operations, and has yet to take any fatalities as of March 21.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Campanii de luptă". rolegiongetica.info (in Romanian). Retrieved 31 October 2024.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "Luptătorii români din Ucraina au pătruns pe teritoriu rus: "Rusia nu e în stare să-și protejeze frontierele"". 22 March 2024.
- ^ Vlădescu, Iuliu (17 August 2024). "Voluntari români și moldoveni, în prima linie a frontului din Rusia". Evenimentul Zilei (in Romanian).
- ^ Stratulat, Cristina (17 August 2024). "(VIDEO) Voluntari din România și Moldova în prima linie a frontului ucrainean: Ofensiva din regiunea rusă Kursk". NewsMaker (in Romanian).
- ^ Diac, Mihai (3 December 2023). "Românii care apără Ucraina au înființat grupul de luptă "Getica". Unitatea face parte din "Legiunea Internațională" a Ucrainei". România liberă (in Romanian). Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Anton, Cristian (21 November 2023). "Românii au propriul grup de luptă pe frontul din Ucraina: "Nu există zile bune. Dar există zile foarte rele" FOTO". Știrile Pro TV (in Romanian). Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Negrea, Lucian (1 March 2024). "Cine sunt 'Romanian Battle Group Getica', soldații români care luptă în Ucraina". Știri pe surse (in Romanian). Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Luptătorii români din Ucraina au pătruns pe teritoriu rus: "Rusia nu e în stare să-și protejeze frontierele"". Digi24. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ Gava, Ioan-Radu (19 March 2024). "Românii din grupul de luptă "Getica" au intrat pe teritoriul Rusiei: Dormim în frig, dar simțim căldura voastră, a românilor liberi / video viral". DCNews (in Romanian). Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d Stăniloiu, Cosmin (20 March 2024). "Voluntarii români care luptă în Ucraina s-au filmat când intră în Rusia: "Incomodăm inamicul. Am făcut incursiuni în satele lor de frontieră"". Libertatea. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ a b c Isailă, Emilian (21 March 2024). "Cine sunt lupii din pădurile lumii libere, voluntarii români care luptă în Rusia?". spotmedia.ro. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Radu Hossu, Romanian friend of Ukraine, volunteer". Ukrinform. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ Dumitrescu, Radu (29 September 2023). "Romanian activist decorated by Zelensky for assisting the Ukrainian people". romania insider. Retrieved 26 March 2024.