In USSR times gangs of these clubs were already active:
“Dynamo” (Kyiv) (up to 500 hooligans), “Metalist” (Kharkiv), “Chornomorets” (Odesa), “Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk), “Karpaty” (Lviv), “Shahtar” (Donetsk), FC “Zorya” (Lugansk) (up to 30 lads, now non-existent).

Most dangerous at that times were meetings between:
“Dynamo” (Kyiv) – all clubs from Moscow (Russia) (hostility comes from ideological support of Ukrainian nationalism and independence by Kyiv fans);
“Chornomorets” (Odesa) – “Dynamo” (Minsk, Belarus);
“Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk) – all clubs from Moscow (Russia) (because of solidarity with Kyiv fans against their enemies), “Metalist” (Kharkiv);
“Metalist” (Kharkiv) – “Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk);
“Karpaty” (Lviv) – CSKA (Moscow, Russia).

Ukrainian fans’ scene was suffering a depression in 1990-1998. Regular meetings with powerful Soviet clubs and gangs had been stopped, squads of Ukrainian firms rapidly lost in their numbers and quality. At that times hegemony of FC “Dynamo” (Kyiv) had been set up, and lads from FC “Chornomorets” (Odesa) were their main competitors both on football fields and on the streets. At that period the following rivalries were added to those known since USSR times:
“Dynamo” (Kyiv) – “Chornomorets” (Odesa) (because of their friendship with Moscow clubs), “Metalurg” (Zaporizhya) (has its roots from their support of Moscow clubs and friendship with “Chornomorets”), “Kryvbas” (Kryviy Rig);
“Chornomorets” (Odesa) – “Dynamo” (Kyiv), “Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk) (because of their friendship with “Dynamo”), “Mykolayiv”;
“Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk) – “Chornomorets” (Odesa), “Shahtar” (Donetsk) (competition for the regional leadership), “Metalurg” (Zaporizhya), “Kryvbas” (Kryviy Rig);
“Metalurg” (Zaporizhya) – “Dynamo” (Kyiv), “Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk);
“Shahtar” (Donetsk) – “Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk);
“Kryvbas” (Kryviy Rig) – “Dynamo” (Kyiv), “Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk);
“Crystal” (Kherson) – “Mykolayiv” (competition for the regional leadership);
“Mykolayiv” – “Crystal” (Kherson);
Ukrainian National Team – Russian National Team (historical and political rivalry), Belarussian Team (because of friendship with Russia), Polish Team (historical and political rivalry).

On the other hand, the following gangs are considered to be friends, some of them well since USSR times:
“Dynamo” (Kyiv) – “Zhalgiris” (Vilnius, Lithuania), “Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk), “Karpaty” (Lviv);
“Metalist” (Kharkiv) – “Metalurg” (Zaporizhya);
“Chornomorets” (Odesa) – “Metalurg” (Zaporizhya), “Karpaty” (Lviv), “Crystal” (Kherson), clubs from Moscow (Russia);
“Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk) – “Dynamo” (Kyiv);
“Karpaty” (Lviv) – “Dynamo” (Kyiv), “Chornomorets” (Odesa);
“Metalurg” (Zaporizhya) – “Metalist” (Kharkiv), “Chornomorets” (Odesa);
“Crystal” (Kherson) – “Chornomorets” (Odesa);
Ukrainian National Team – Lithuanian National Team.

Those gangs created in Soviet times usually have about fifth part of their members being around 30 years old, rest of the squad is about 20 years old. Members of younger mobs are about 20 years old on the average. 

To name the most significant troubles in Ukrainian history, they are:

September 1987: fans of “Dynamo” (Kyiv) and “Spartak” (Moscow) met 500 against 300 on a Kyiv railway station, establishing the largest and the most violent battle in the USSR.

August 1999: a fight of 50 “Dynamo” (Kyiv) fans against 30 hooligans of “Chornomorets” (Odesa) at the central street of Kyiv – Khreshchatyk.

February 2001: fights between 70 Kyiv lads and 70 CSKA (Moscow) hooligans before the basketball match of BC “Kyiv” with a Russian club.

March 2001: during civil unrest in Kyiv, “Dynamo” (Kyiv) guys fight militia (Ukrainian police) together with political opposition to the regime of President Kuchma, some of the hooligans are still in prisons.

March 2001: it is the first time in the history that all Ukrainian firms united against hooligans from Belarus at the day of the National Teams’ game, and a fight 120 against 80 was organized.

May 2001: during “Dynamo” (Kyiv) match in Poltava against local “Vorskla” a large battle between Kyiv lads and militia special force occurred right on the stadium. Photos are available at: http://www.oocities.org/wbhools.

August 2001: hooligans from Kyiv and Odesa met 40 against 50 when “Dynamo-2” (Kyiv) played against “Chornomorets” (Odesa) in Koncha-Zaspa (Kyiv suburbian area), thus establishing the first in Ukraine exemplary “fair-play” fight without any kind of weapons. Photos are available at: http://www.oocities.org/wbhools and http://www.kcp.bigmir.net.

March 2002: when “Dynamo” (Kyiv) was playing with “Zakarpattya” (Uzhgorod) at home, “Dynamo” hools went to the “irrelevant” away game in the hostile city of Zaporizhya, where local “Metalurg” was playing with “Arsenal” (Kyiv). Unwelcome guests organized a couple of fights with surprised local hooligans, severely punishing them for carelessness and helplessness.

April 2002: so called “dwarfs” (young fans, usually about 15-16 years old) of “Dynamo” (Kyiv) arranged a massacre at the central synagogue after a football match in Kyiv.  This action produced a tremendous effect at Ukrainian and foreign mass-media, and militia promised to conduct an especially severe court trial for those being caught.

Ukrainian ultras and hooligans did not gain any reputation in Europe yet. Due to financial and visa barriers our fans did not go anywhere further than Russia or Belarus.

Because of high activity of Ukrainian fans, mass-media pays much attention to fans, hooligans, and skinheads in recent times. But journalists’ materials remain to be very incompetent. Government does not react to the hooligans activity at all. However, more “intensive” relations had been established with militia. Since 2001 fans started to respond to militia’s violence, and the quantity of incidents between them increased rapidly. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ukrainian Security Servise (ex-KGB) found special departments for curbing fans. Several court cases were initiated in response to the results of some hooligans actions.

Relations between fans and management of football clubs are quite tense. Policy of clubs does not react to supporters’ requests in any way. Yet, rich clubs sometimes do support the activity of their fans financially, for example, providing them with free buses for travelling to away games. However, most of the clubs do not support their own fans, and some of them even take a distinct anti-fans position.

There are some relations between fans and politics, but this happens solely due to the involvement of many clubs’ managers into Ukrainian politics. Still, majority of fans are quite a-political. However, many of them support the ideas of Ukrainian nationalism (especially among “”Dynamo” (Kyiv), “Metalist” (Kharkiv), and “Karpaty” (Lviv) fans), there are some skinheads (predominantly right – mostly among “Dynamo” (Kyiv) and “Chornomorets” (Odesa) lads, rarely left – like “Metalurg” (Zaporizhya) guys).

Generally speaking, ideology of Ukrainian fans is based on away support of the team, sympathy to alcohol, adventuring, Ukrainian nationalism, ultra-right and ultra-left extremism (Nazi Skinheads, SHARPs). But many lads simply choose hooliganism as their style of life. 

In spite of cool performance of Italians or madness of Polish lads, since Soviet times Ukrainian fans recognise the leadership of English hooligans in the world. However, only recently specific Ukrainian style of support exhibits a turn from Soviet traditions (alcohol abuse, unpretentiousness in clothing, travelling and casual life, inclination towards the Italian style – colours, banners, songs) to English style (fewer colours, less expressive support, more attention to hooligans actions, A.C.A.B. mottoes, casual wear). It is sad to admit that organizational level of all firms is still very weak, which significantly undermines their trouble-making activity.

Till recent times, Ukrainian fans did not care about their clothing style. Then many of them started to wear military stuff. Now most of the fans pay very much (too much, sometimes) attention to their clothes. Since Soviet times Umbro is considered to be the top brand. Nowadays Lonsdale, Pitbull, Fred Perry, Ben Sherman, Lacoste, and Stone Island became very popular as well. Fortunately, most of the fans take casual style critically, even with a bit of irony, and do not blindly follow it.