Russians Train Foreign Mercenaries in Crimea to Use Children as Human Shields, Say Partisans

At the Kozachyi training ground in the occupied city of Sevastopol  on the Crimean Peninsula, Russian military personnel are training mercenaries from Africa and Cuba, Atesh partisan movement agents reported on Sunday, Nov 10.

The training ground is operated by Russia’s 810th Marine Infantry Brigade, where military trucks periodically arrive with people who don’t resemble the local population, say the partisans.

In addition, shooting exercises for teenagers from the Yunarmiya (a Russian youth military-nationalistic organization that includes schoolchildren aged 8 and above) are occasionally held on the same training grounds.

"Rashists are using children as human shields, trying to protect their soldiers and mercenaries from strikes by the Ukrainian Defense Forces," say the Atesh partisans, adding, "Our agents continue to closely monitor such incidents and are ready to provide all necessary information to hold the occupiers accountable."

Earlier, Kyiv Post reported that Russian troops from the 810th Marine Brigade, stationed in Russian-occupied Crimea, are allegedly paying bribes to avoid deployment to the Kursk region. Partisans claim that low morale among Russian personnel has led some to offer bribes to their superiors to remain in Crimea.

“Due to this situation, certain commanders are allegedly demanding bribes to grant temporary reprieves from deployment,” the Atesh report said.

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The guerrillas added that those who managed to stay at the base by paying these bribes are now attempting to appear active.

“They are busy setting up camouflage barriers and moving equipment from one place to another, deeply fearful of an imminent surprise from the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” the report read.

In mid-October, Atesh partisans conducted surveillance near the Sevastopol guardhouse by the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s vehicle depot. Here, “refusals” – servicemen, primarily from the 810th Brigade, who disobeyed orders to fight in the Kursk region – are reportedly being held in restrictive conditions for the purpose of “re-education”.