Russians are training foreign mercenaries in Crimea to use children as human shields, partisans say

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

The training ground is run by Russia’s 810th Marine Infantry Brigade, where military trucks regularly arrive carrying people who do not look like locals, the partisans say.

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

“Rashists use children as human shields and try to protect their soldiers and mercenaries from attacks by the Ukrainian army,” says the Atesh partisansand added: “Our officers continue to monitor such incidents closely and stand ready to provide all necessary information to hold the occupiers to account.”

Earlier, Kyiv Post reported that Russian troops from the 810th Marine Brigade, stationed in Russian-occupied Crimea, reportedly pay 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 reportedly demanding bribes to grant temporary reprieve from deployment,” the Atesh report said.

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

“They are busy setting up camouflage barriers and moving equipment from one place to another, deeply afraid of an impending surprise from the Ukrainian armed forces,” the report said.

In mid-October, Atesh partisans conducted surveillance near the Sevastopol guardhouse at the Russian Black Sea Fleet vehicle depot. Here “refusals” – soldiers, mainly from the 810th Brigade, who ignored the order to fight in the Kursk region – are reportedly being held under restrictive conditions for the purpose of “re-education”.