Sotnia

A sotnia or sotnya (Ukrainian and Russian: Cотня; Serbo-Croatian: satnija) is a military term of Slavic origin, which was also a territorial subdivision used in Ukraine in the times of the Cossack Hetmanate. The word, which literally means "hundred", in this context refers to a military unit of about 100-150 persons.

The military unit analog and most meaningful translation for the English-speaking world would be: a company.^[1]

A smaller unit, the half-sotnia, is also known.

In Russian history, sotnya was also a unit of some other (civil) organizations, see Сотня.

Cossacks[]

As a unit of the Cossack regiments, it is known from the earliest records of the Zaporizhian Sich,

During the Cossack service in the Imperial Russian Armies the typical regiment had five sotnias or squadrons. The term was used in the context of Cossack foot or cavalry regiments. The unit term was retained until the establishment of Soviet Union in 1922 and termination of the Ukrainian People's Republic and .

Ukrainian National Army[]

In the Ukrainian National Army (fighting as part of the armed forces of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II), each sotnia contained three or four chotas (singular chotа, lit. transl. count – transl. platoons)^[2] and each chota comprised three riys (singular riy [Ukrainian], literally "a swarm"; a section or reinforced squad of 10 to 12 men). Every riy usually had one light machine gun, two or three other special weapons, and at least seven assault rifles.

Croatia[]

In today's Croatian Army, there is a unit called the satnija (equivalent to a company) with about 100–150 soldiers.

References[]

^ Company (<< sotnia>> ). Encyclopedia of Ukraine.
^ Compare the account of the subdivisions of the Ukrainian National Army units in internment in Italy: Братство українських вояків 1-ої української дивізії Української національної армії (1979). Revutskyj, Valeriyan (ed.). Rimini 1945-1947 РІМІНІ 1945–1947. Перша українська дивізія Української національної армії у британському полоні в Італії: матеріали до історії дивізії [Rimini 1945-1947: Ukrainian National Army, First Ukrainian Division: in British internment in Italy] (PDF) (in Ukrainian). Vol. 2. Kyiv: Смолоскип (published 2005). p. 8. ISBN 966-8499-29-8. Retrieved 2014-10-30.