Storm-Z is a series of penal military units established by Russia by April 6, 2023, at the latest. On June 24, 2023 Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law disbanding Storm-Z and replacing it with new Storm-V units. However, on 12 February 2024, Dmytro Riumshyn, the commander of Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade, claimed that Russian forces were deploying regular troops, sabotage groups, as well as both "Storm-Z" and "Storm-V" penal units in Avdiivka. Later, on 27 February 2024, Illia Yevlash, the spokesman for the Khortytsia operational-strategic group, claimed that Russian commanders were using human wave tactics involving Storm-Z and Storm-V.