Yevgenii Leshan

It is well known that Russian retired officers, including officers of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, played an important role in Russian occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. They were used to discipline and were well aware about location of troops of the Ukrainian Navy. They readily participated in taking «the city of Russian sailors» and the Crimean peninsula under Russian control.

The Center of Journalist Investigations has already covered the activity of Mikhail Chaly, reserve Captain of the second rank, who headed so-called «Coordination Council of Sevastopol», Russian body, managing Sevastopol since February 23, 2014, after overthrow of Ukrainian authorities.  Oleg Roslyakov, retired Colonel, has been his direct subordinate. He has headed «Headquarters of self-defense of Sevastopol» in February-March 2014 and coordinated pro-Russian illegal military units. Our new issue of special project «Putin’s schutzmanns» explores his activity.

Assistant of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Gennadii Chastiakov, who died from the explosion of grenade near Kyiv on November 6, has been the supplier of fuel for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense from 2014. He had joint business with citizens of Belarus and Russia and has been a subject of journalist anticorruption investigations. We will present only facts as the Ukrainian society should be informed about them.

Absence of Russian military successes and hype over various drones laid down favorable conditions for Russian startups to develop and manufacture drones.

Russian design bureau «OKO» with its drone «Privet-82» [Hello-82] has been among these startups. Its prospects are vague but there is noisy Russian media hype over its «cheapest and most effective» kamikaze drone. For example, Russian federal information agency TASS has published six news about «Privet-82» since March 2023. Though, the drone has been tested only in June 2023.

This material focuses mostly on new faces of «friends of Crimean occupation». Our previous article «Old friends of Crimean occupation during the war» highlighted those who have participated in Russian propagandist events since annexation of Crimea in 2014.

In 2022, there were three large events of «International Association of friends of Crimea»: online conference on June 22; international conference «Crimea in the current international environment» on November 9 in Simferopol and Forum «Friends of Crimea – friends of Russia» on November 15 in Moscow. Some «friends of Crimean occupation» attended other less important events whereas some «friends» limited their activity to their own countries.

Activity of Russian propagandist «International Association of friends of Crimea» depends upon Kremlin financial and managerial resources as well as participation of foreign members. The Center for Journalist Investigations highlighted Kremlin resources in our previous material «Friends of Crimean occupation during Great War: Muradov & Co». Now we focus on foreign members of the Association. Our readers are familiar with some of them from our initial special project «Friends of Crimean occupation». This material will tell about their activity during last year.

In 2022, there were three large events of «International Association of friends of Crimea»: online conference on June 22; international conference «Crimea in the current international environment» on November 9 in Simferopol and Forum «Friends of Crimea – friends of Russia» on November 15 in Moscow. Some «friends of Crimean occupation» attended other less important events whereas some «friends» limited their activity to their own countries.

Russian propagandist «International Association of friends of Crimea» continues its destructive work even under the Russian full scale invasion into Ukraine. Members of the Association from various countries complain about persecution, accuse Kyiv of initiating the war, urge to cancel sanctions against Russia and to stop international assistance to Ukraine, and to recognize Crimea as the legitimate part of Russia.

We monitor their activity as we did in our previous special project «Friends of occupation of Crimea».

While owner of «Wagner» PMC enjoys media popularity, his mercenaries are commanded by people with far less media visibility. The Center for Journalist Investigations will uncover secrets of some Wagner commanders.

Military objects of the southern shore of Sevastopol City protect the base of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation from the south. There are radar stations, warehouses of armament, and various special purpose units. That is to say there are more military targets for Ukrainian high precision weapons than in the northern side of Sevastopol (see our previous material). 

We address our series of materials about Russian military objects in Crimea, legitimate targets for Ukraine, to our citizens in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. They need this information, in order to stay away from these objects and secure their personal safety.

The territory of Sevastopol is full of Russian military objects. Sevastopol City and neighboring villages can be called the giant naval base. Several hundred thousand civilians live among military units, warehouses, bases, anti-aircraft regiments and berths for military ships. This overview is published to inform them about safety hazards. 

Unlike previous materials, the overview of Russian military targets in Sevastopol is divided into three parts. Current article focuses on the Northern Side – the right bank of Sevastopol Harbor and all military objects located to the north. 

We address our series of materials about Russian military objects in Crimea, legitimate targets for Ukraine, to our citizens in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. They need this information, in order to stay away from these objects and secure their personal safety.

Since Soviet times the Kerch Peninsula has been used as the military training ground. Under Ukrainian independence Russia trained its troops there – until its occupation  in 2014. The need to control the Kerch Strait and security of the Kerch Bridge determined the profile of Russian military objects in Kerch City. Besides that, radar and anti-aircraft missile units are also located on the peninsula as it has been reported in the earlier materials.

We address our series of materials about Russian military objects in Crimea, legitimate targets for Ukraine, to our citizens in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. They need this information, in order to stay away from these objects and secure their personal safety.