Ukrainian volunteer battalions (Ukrainian: Добровольчі батальйони, romanized: Dobrovolchi bataliony, more formally Добровольчі військові формування України, Dobrovolchi viiskovi formuvannia Ukrainy, 'Volunteer military formations of Ukraine', or abbreviated Добробати, Dobrobaty) mobilized as a response to the perceived state of weakness and unwillingness to counter rising separatism in spring 2014.[1] The earliest of these volunteer units were later formalized into military, special police and paramilitary formations in a response to Russian military intervention in Ukraine.[2][3] Most of the formations were formed by the government agencies of Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Internal Affairs; the minority are independent.