Kyivan Rus: druzhyna and people's levy (9th to 13th century)
In the early state of Kyivan Rus, the prince had a druzhyna: a group of full-time warriors who lived and fought with him. They were paid with a share of tribute and spoils and gave him advice.
For a big war the prince also called the levy (opolchennia), ordinary townspeople and farmers. So there were two parts: a small professional core and a large people's force.
Idea to remember: the army belonged to the prince personally.
The Cossack Host (15th to 18th century)
Cossacks were free people on the southern frontier. Their centre was the Zaporozhian Sich, a fortified settlement beyond the river rapids of the Dnipro.
- Leaders such as the kosh otaman and, in the Hetmanate, the hetman were elected by a council.
- They used light river boats (chaikas) and mobile fighting.
- The Cossack army stood alongside the state in the Hetmanate of the 17th century.
Idea to remember: choice of leaders by the community.
The national army of 1917 to 1921
After the collapse of the old empires in 1917, Ukrainian national governments tried to build a regular army with ranks, uniforms, units and a national flag. Conditions were very hard: wars on several fronts, changing governments and few resources.
The effort ended by 1921, but it left an example of a national army that later generations remembered.
Idea to remember: the first modern, state-style national army.
The Armed Forces are founded (1991)
After independence was declared in 1991, Ukraine took command of the military units on its territory and passed a law on the Armed Forces on 6 December 1991. That date is celebrated each year as Armed Forces Day.
Key words: sovereignty (the state decides for itself) and civilian control (elected leaders, not generals alone, direct the army).
Idea to remember: a new state needs its own army under its own law.
Constitution, laws and reform (1996 to today)
The Constitution of 1996 sets the legal basis. Article 17 says protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity is a most important function of the state and the business of the whole people. The Armed Forces serve this aim, and other laws (on defence, on the Armed Forces, on military duty) give the details.
After 2014 the army went through deep reform and growth: better training, equipment and organisation, and strong support from volunteers and society.
Idea to remember: the army is under the law and defence is a duty of the whole society.
Try it
In the 3D: in step 5, move the slider to each pillar. For each era write one line: who served, who led. Then check with the captions.
At home: draw a timeline on paper with five dots and the years 9th-13th c., 15th-18th c., 1917-21, 1991, 1996 and later. Put one small symbol on each dot (shield, boat, flag, book, tablet).
Key formulas and definitions
- Five eras: Rus druzhyna → Cossack Host → National army 1917-21 → Armed Forces 1991 → Constitution 1996 and reform
- Armed Forces Day: 6 December (law of 1991)
- Constitution, Article 17: defence of sovereignty is a task of the state and of the whole people
Worked examples
1. Put these in time order: Cossack Host, Armed Forces founded, Kyivan Rus druzhyna.
Kyivan Rus druzhyna (9th to 13th c.), Cossack Host (15th to 18th c.), Armed Forces founded (1991).
2. Who chose the leaders in the Cossack Host, and how is this different from the druzhyna?
A community council elected leaders such as the hetman. In the druzhyna the warriors followed the prince, who was not elected by them.
3. Why did the 1991 law matter for a newly independent state?
It created the state's own army under its own law, so decisions on defence were made by the Ukrainian state itself (sovereignty) and under civilian control.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the eras: the Cossack Host came long after Kyivan Rus and long before 1991.
- Thinking the 1917 to 1921 army is the same thing as the Armed Forces of 1991. They are different, with a gap of 70 years.
- Forgetting that the army serves under law and civilian leaders, not only under commanders.
- Thinking Armed Forces Day is on the day of independence. It marks the law of 6 December 1991.