Alcatraz Battalion
{{Short description|Ukrainian military unit}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = Special Rifle "Alcatraz" Battalion
| native_name = {{lang|uk|Батальйон Алькатрас 93 бригади}}
| image = 93Mech Shkval.png
| caption = Battalion insignia
| dates = July 2024{{Cite web |date= February 26, 2025 |title=How Former Prisoners Prepare for the Frontline |url=https://frontliner.ua/en/how-former-prisoners-prepare-for-the-frontline/ |access-date= April 15, 2025 |website=frontliner.ua/ |language=en}} – present
| country = {{Flag|Ukraine}}
| allegiance =
| size = 250
| branch = {{army|Ukraine}}
| type = Shkval Battalion
| garrison = Cherkaske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
| march =
| battles = Russian Invasion of Ukraine
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| nickname = 'Alcatraz' (Official)
| current_commander = Commander "Validol"{{Cite web |date= February 6, 2025 |title=Komandir Bataljonu Alkatras Rozpoviv ak u Doneckij Oblasti Vouut Kolisni Uvazneni |url=https://112.ua/en/komandir-bataljonu-alkatras-rozpoviv-ak-u-doneckij-oblasti-vouut-kolisni-uvazneni-54112 |access-date= April 15, 2025 |website=112.ua/ |language=en}}
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The Special Rifles Alcatraz Battalion is a penal battalion currently operating as part of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar" on the eastern front of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Fighting in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhove and Chasiv Yar{{Cite web |date= March 25, 2025 |title=Prisoners swap cells for battlefield to bolster Ukraine's army|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-03-25/prisoners-swap-cells-for-battlefield-to-bolster-ukraines-army.html |access-date= April 16, 2025 |website=elpais.com/ |language=en}} areas of the Donetsk regions under Commander Validol, the battalion consists of prison inmates who have volunteered to serve militarily, prematurely ending their sentences. Selection for recruits began in July 2024, by August the battalion was engaging in missions.
Since December 2024, Canadian volunteer April Huggett has been serving as a combat medic and PR officer for the Alcatraz Battalion.{{Cite web |date= March 28, 2025 |title=A Canadian combat medic in Ukraine: ‘I looked at my children and thought I had to do something’|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-03-29/a-canadian-combat-medic-in-ukraine-i-looked-at-my-children-and-thought-i-had-to-do-something.html |access-date= April 15, 2025 |website=elpais.com/ |language=en}}