Articles with a tag: occupation of Crimea

Crimean «Center of Journalist Investigations» presents its special project «Putin’s schutzmanns». It is about illegal para-military units created on the eve of the Russian occupation of Crimea. They served as human shield and propagandist «screen» of the Russian hybrid military operation. Putin and his troops hid behind members of «self-defense» of Crimea and Sevastopol. They performed dirtiest tasks and keep playing the role of auxiliary police of Russian occupants now.

During the Second World War Nazi regime recruited residents of occupied territories and created its para-military units in each seized country. In Ukraine, they were called Schutzmannschaft. Russian ideologists and authors of the Crimean annexation have apparenty used this Nazi experience.

Special project includes three series of «Putin’s schutzmanns» and a number of investigations of separate units and persons who played significant role during Russian occupation of Crimea.

The first part of trilogy is about illegal military units of Sevastopol. They were set up in January 2014. When Russian troops seized Sevastopol on February 23, 2014, these units were already well trained, armed, subordinated to single headquarters and coordinated by Russian intelligence services and commanders of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.

The second part is about «self-defense of Crimea». It has been formally directed by Mykhailo Sheremet and Sergii Aksyonov but it has been in fact subordinated to commanders of Russian military and intelligence services, including Igor Girkin (Strelkov). Underpinned by «Head of Crimea» Aksyonov and budgetary resources, «self-defense of Crimea» still functions today.

The third part is about Russian Cossack units transferred from Russia to Crimea on the eve of Russian seizure of Verkhovna Rada and government of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea of Ukraine. Heads of Kuban Cossack Troops decided to «protect» Crimean people on February 25. Russian troops were also transported to Crimea as Cossacks.