Valentyna Samar

Bloody aggressor war of Russia against Ukraine is in full swing. The world is afraid that next Russian aggression will be against Baltic states. Meanwhile, port of one Baltic country contracted dredging works from company related to the business of retired FSB General, former head of the 5^th Service of FSB, active in countries of former USSR.

No, it is not the plot for the new version of «Occupied». The Center for Journalist Investigations investigated networks of companies of EHT Group founded in dozens countries, and GDP Group with headquarters in Moscow. We call European governments and intelligence services to focus on potential security risks…

Since the beginning of Russian full scale war against Ukraine, Russian propaganda has regularly tried to persuade that captured Ukrainian soldiers moved to fight on the side of Russia. It is a classical trick of propaganda: Russians would like Ukrainians to kill each other for the benefit of Moscow. In 2022, Russian propagandists launched a myth about participation of a separate battalion recruited from Ukrainian military captives in the Russian invasion into Ukraine. This myth did not come true.

On the other hand, a number of deserters from the Ukrainian Armed Forces and former Ukrainian policemen-traitors did join Russian occupation troops to fight Ukraine. The Center for Journalistic Investigations identified collaborators, presented by Russian propagandists as soldiers of so-called «battalion named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky», Russian propagandist project.

Dmitrii Rogozin, ex-head of «Roskosmos» and so-called «senator» from occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, creates new voluntary unit of robotized systems and complexes. It will test new Russian weapons at the frontline. The recruitment still goes on. In October 2024, remnants of brigade «Tsar Wolves», PMC «Bears» (previously provided security services in Burkina Faso), network of drone centers «Archangel» and soldiers of former PMC «Wagner» joined the unit. The Center for Journalist Investigations covered some of them in our investigative materials.

The name of Medvedev’s fund «Our truth» is a reference to Medvedev’s article «Our people, our land, our truth», published at the end of 2022 to justify Russian aggression against Ukraine.

«Our truth» is a joint project of two other Medvedev’s funds, used to launder his money and register his secret assets in 2000s. Now these funds sponsor Russian aggression and serve as a PR tool for Putin’s political party «United Russia», headed by Dmitrii Medvedev.

Medvedev’s funds accumulate Russian dirty money – bribes and kickbacks of leading Russian oligarchs to Russian political elite.

The Center of Journalist Investigations will name Russian companies and persons who administer these funds and help Medvedev and «United Russia» to invade Ukraine.

Ukrainian online media «Цензор.нет» published the list of staff members of the 9^th Department of operational information of the 5^th Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) during the first week of Russian invasion into Ukraine. Staff members provided «information support of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and managed a network of saboteurs».

Russian Andrei Aleksandrovich Shkrabo is under number 17 in the list. He has been «supervisor of humanitarian sub-group of Tripartite Contact Group and directly communicated with Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk».

The Center of Journalist Investigations decided to find out more about activity of «FSB supervisor of Medvedchuk» before and after the Russian full scale invasion into Ukraine.

In June 2024, Russian occupation authorities of Crimea conducted «nationalization» of Ukrainian property. Four star park hotel «Porto Mare» in Alushta has been among the most expensive assets. This story has clear signs of Russian war crime. It also demonstrates collaborative activity of Ukrainian founders of «Porto Mare» in Russian jurisdiction. They openly support Russian «special military operation», deliver financial and material assistance to the Russian Armed Forces whereas real owners of business – members of the family of brothers Vadym Vaispapir and Mykhailo Yevstratov – refuse to evaluate their activity (watch video version of investigation here).

Ukrainian traitor Vitalii Buluk is the “First Deputy Head” of Russian occupation “government” of the occupied territory of Kherson oblast. Together with his wife and sons, he has expanded his family business empire. Older son Viktor Buluk, de jure owner of the majority of family businesses, is the head of oblast association “People’s Farmer”. It is part of Putin’s movement “All-Russian People’s Front”. Igor Buluk-junior has been employed in the occupation “government”. The family is going to launch new businesses. 

The first Russian drone brigade «GROM «Kaskad» has been created in October 2023 and subordinated to the Russian Aerospace Forces. It has been initiated by Dmitrii Sablin, member of the Russian State Duma. He joined Russian Army on the first day of Russian invasion into Ukraine. He is reported as the commander of the brigade.

According to Sablin, today his brigade includes 54 drone crews, fighting along the whole Russian-Ukrainian frontline, with 10 types of reconnaissance and attack drones (Zala, Lancet, Orlan, supercams etc.). «Kaskad» is filled with Russian parliamentarians and senior public officials. It pretends that it hit several thousand units of Ukrainian armored vehicles.

The Center of Journalist Investigations identitied commanders of the brigade as well as volunteers from «youth wings» of «Combat brotherhood» and «United Russia» who participated in the deportation of Mariupol residents to Russian and then joined «Kaskad».

The Center looked for and verified results of the work of «Kaskad», including its strikes on Ukrainian civilian objects. 

Article below is the first part of investigation about Russian para-military organizations, companies and people fighting Ukraine within Russian Armed Forces. Our investigation focuses on the first Russian drone brigade called «GROM Kaskad».

Dmitrii Sablin, member of Russian State Dume and First Deputy Head of Russian organization of war veterans «Combat brotherhood», is the initiator and commander of drone brigade.

His long time «right hand» is Pavlo Burlakov, former First Prime-Minister of Crimea within governments of Vasyl Dzharty and Anatolii Mogylyov, and two terms member of Ukrainian parliament from Party of regions.

Russian project «Archangel» manufactures FPV-drones and trains Russian soldiers, «volunteers» from BARS squads and civilians willing to sign contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. As Russian mass media reported, the network of «Archangel» includes training centers in 20 Russian cities and on occupied territories of Ukraine. Over one thousand drone operators have been trained for Russian «special military operation» by the middle of last year. Hundreds of drones have been manufactured per day.

The Center of Journalist Investigations discloses names of Russian citizens and Ukrainian collaborators who manage the project and contribute to the Russian war against Ukraine.