Meanings
- pluralplural onlyMilitary units that are located in the rear or on the front line to maintain military discipline of the main forces by preventing desertion.
The Russian president has also claimed Ukraine was using its own barrier troops, “shooting their own soldiers in the back”.
2023 March 27, Pjotr Sauer, “Russian soldiers say commanders used ‘barrier troops’ to stop them retreating”, in The Guardian, →ISSNSynonyms: blocking unit, blocking formation, blocking detachment, anti-retreat unit, anti-retreat troops
Synonyms & antonyms
nounMilitary units that are located in the rear or on the front line to maintain military discipline of the main forces by preventing desertion.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 督戰隊 /督战队
- 督戰隊 /督战队 (dūzhàn duì)Translations
Finnish sulkujoukot
- sulkujoukotTranslations
German Sperreinheit, Sperrabteilung
- SperreinheitTranslations
- SperrabteilungTranslations
Russian заградотря́д, загради́тельный отря́д
- заградотря́д (zagradotrjád)Translations
- загради́тельный отря́д (zagradítelʹnyj otrjád)Translations
Swedish spärrtrupper, barriärtrupper
- spärrtrupperTranslations
- barriärtrupperTranslations
- spärravdelningTranslations
Cite this entry
barrier troops. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barrier%20troops
“barrier troops.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barrier%20troops. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “barrier troops,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barrier%20troops.
Source: barrier troops on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.