Sotnia
Encyclopedia
Sotnia was a traditional division of the Cossack regiments. For example from earliest records of the Zaporizhian Sich
Zaporizhian Sich
Zaporizhian Sich was socio-political, grassroot, military organization of Ukrainian cossacks placed beyond Dnieper rapids. Sich existed between the 16th and 18th centuries in the region around the today's Kakhovka Reservoir...

, and means 'a hundred'. It is equivalent to company (military unit)
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...

.

During the Cossack service in the Imperial Russian Armies
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...

 the typical regiment had five sotnias or squadrons. The term was used in the foot or cavalry Cossack regiments. The unit term was retained until the establishment of Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 in 1922 and termination of the Ukrainian People's Republic
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...

 and Free Don Cossack Oblast.

Ukrainian National Army divisions

Each sotnia contained three or four chotas (singular chot - literally count; platoons), and each chot was assembled from three riys (singular riy (Ukrainian), literally 'a swarm'; Section
Section (military unit)
A section is a small military unit in some armies. In many armies, it is a squad of seven to twelve soldiers. However in France and armies based on the French model, it is the sub-division of a company .-Australian Army:...

 or reinforced squad
Squad
In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...

 of 10 to 12 men). Every riy was usually equipped with one light machine gun, two or three other special weapons, and at least seven assault rifles.

Current usage

In today's Croatian Army there is a unit called satnija (equivalent of company) with about 100- 150 soldiers.
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