HISTORY
As with every coat of arms, the Dark Angels patch carries hidden messages and symbols.
Breaking down our patch we see multiple elements:
Shield
Shields represent protection. In our case we, the Dark Angels of Ukraine, provide the protectionof the Ukrainian people.
Star on hilt
The star on the hilt of the sword is representative of the International Brigades (Brigadas Internacionales), a military unit made up of volunteers from around the world, active from 1936 until 1938 on the Republican side of the Spanish Civil War. The three-pointed star is meant to symbolize internationalism, as our team is made up of a diverse and multinational coalition of volunteers, just as the International Brigades were before us.
Wings
Wings remind us of angels, angels symbolize purity, courage, love, harmony and protection. They provide happiness, hope, and faith, which we aim to bring to the people of Ukraine.
Sword
The sword symbolizes strength, authority, courage and power. Our sword specifically is meant to be the historical sword of Bohdan Khmelnytsky—the Hetman of the Zaporizhian Host, a part of the Cossack Hetmanate, a state in central Ukraine—who led the rebellion against Polish magnates in 1648, claiming freedom and a territory of their own for the Cossacks. You will find a monument to Khmelnytsky today on the Sophia Square in Kyiv as well as on every Ukrainian 5 Hryvna bill. The Dark Angels carry Khmelnytsky’s sword on their patch as a reminder of the fight they must endure for the freedom of Ukraine.
З Н З
These are the letters SNS in Cyrillic, the acronym of Загін Народного Захисту (Sagin Narodnogo Sachistu), which translates to English as People’s Protection Units.
Background
The background color of our patch functions as an indicator for either humanitarian missions (cerulean blue and aureolin yellow) or military missions (hemlock dark green and sage green).
