InformNapalm

In the initial phase of the Russian aggression in Donbas, InformNapalm spoke about the deployment of tactical task forces of the 61th Marine Brigade (MB) and 200th Motorized Rifle Brigade (MRB) of the Russian Northern Fleet, InformNapalm reports.

Some progress has been made in the search and identification of war criminals from the 61st Marine Infantry Brigade, as we have identified 25 marines who used to fight in Ukraine in 2014. So far, little has been known about the aggressors of the Russian 200th MRB, but soon Ukrainian volunteers vow to fill this gap soon

The 200th MRB (military unit 08275, Pechenga, Murmansk Oblast) featured for the first time in our investigation on September 10, 2014 when a tactical task force in full combat gear was spotted in the Kamenskiy district of the Rostov Oblast, Russia, bordering Ukraine. A little later, in November 2014, photos were found, which showed the brigade’s battle route in the Rostov Oblast and Ukraine. Read more: The tour of duty for the Russian Northern Fleet’s 200th Special-purpose Motorized Rifle Brigade in Rostov region and Ukraine and The tour of duty for the Russian Northern Fleet’s 200th Special-purpose Motorized Rifle Brigade in Rostov region and Ukraine. Part 2.  By the end of 2015, we published an investigation based on the information about Rostov-Ukraine deployments of the personnel of 200th MRB leaked by an employee of the Saint Petersburg Military Repair Plant, who was preparing the equipment for the invasion of Ukraine.

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A group photo, which was used for the first investigation of the 200th MRB in September 2014, helped InformNapalm to conduct further investigations.

Read alsoOSINT group identifies more Russian war criminals in DonbasOn the picture, there some “Donbas veterans” posing in non-standard uniforms. Two of them also wear white armbands, which were a common form of identification for the Russian military personnel posing as “rebellious miners”. These signs might seem too indirect and unconvincing, but it bears remembering that Russia did not hold any strategic maneuvers in the Rostov Oblast at the time.

In addition, the presence of marines from the Nothern Fleet in full tactical gear in the Kamenskiy district of the Rostov Oblast, bordering on Ukraine, looks a bit strange. Moreover, further investigations confirmed the fact of a Rostov-Ukraine deployment of this unit’s personnel.

Read alsoPutin’s aide Surkov playing central role in supervising Donbas militants - mediaFour of the eight people in the picture have been identified.

The Russian servicemen disclosed by OSINT experts are Evgeniy Belavin, Sergei Shaganov, Andrey Tyulkov, Alexander Yadovin

In Yadovin’s profile we have found a photo album titled Mine. Some of the pictures were uploaded on February 15, 2015. The aggregate of features of these photos, i.e. their story, timing and landscape, non-standard uniforms and gear of the military men captured on them, strongly suggest that they pertain to the Rostov-Ukraine deployment 2014.