“The boaster can stay along

Just sing a little bit his song…”

We identify another group of Putin’s scouts who fought in the east of Ukraine.

In the OSINT-investigations of international intelligence community InformNapalm (IN), focused on the collection and publication of the facts of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, scouts often appear along with motorized infantry, gunners, tank crews, and anti-aircraft gunners. These are units, groups, or individual servicemen of the brigades of special operations of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the Russian General Staff: 22^nd Spetsnaz Brigade (military unit 11659, Stepnoy, Rostov Oblast), 10^th Special Purpose Brigade (military unit 51532, Molkino, Krasnodar Krai), 3^rd Spetsnaz Brigade (military unit 21208, Tolyatti), 346^th Brigade (military unit 31681, Prokhladnyi, Kabardino-Balkaria) 24^th Special Purpose Brigade (military unit 55433, Berdsk, Novosibirsk Oblast), 14^th Special Purpose Brigade (military unit 74854, Khabarovsk), as well as army scouts from the units of motorized rifle brigades and other detachments of the Russian ground forces: 17^th Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 65384, Shali, Chechnya), 18^th Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 27777, Khankala and Kalynovskaya, Chechnya), 7^th Armored Brigade (military unit 89547, Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk Oblast), 7^th military base (military unit 09332, Gudauta in occupied Abkhazia, Georgia), etc. Moreover, according to our observations, the Russian scouts are more prone to foolishness than other troops: they readily pose for cameras and upload incriminating photos from their so called Ukrainian business trips to social networks, often with intriguing comments.

In February, IN publicized the names of three Russian military intelligence officers from Chechnya, who went on the “Rostov-Ukraine business trip of 2014”, see “Identification of the scouts of the 17th Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, who fought in the Donbas“. Further research on the group photos from the album of that investigation’s main subject, R. Ragimov (1, 2, 3), helped identify two more of his comrades-in-arms: N. Novikov and A. Malykhin, who fought in the east of Ukraine in the summer and fall of 2014.

1. Nikolai Novikov 

 Born 01/15/1989 in Viluysk, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

He served in 2009-2010 in the guard company of the military unit 14058 of Russian Aerospace Defense Forces in Krasnoyarsk Kray. Since 2011 he has been a contract serviceman of the 17^th Brigade stationed in Shali, Chechen Republic.

In social networks: VK (archives of the profile, album, contacts)

For his participation in the fighting in the Donbas he was awarded the medal of Suvorov №41822 by the presidential decree of December 25, 2014.

Medal of Suvorov – a state award of the Russian Federation. Medal of Suvorov is awarded to soldiers for bravery and courage shown in the defense of the Motherland and state interests of Russia in ground operations, during combat service and combat alert operations, in exercises and maneuvers, while serving for the Russian Federation’s state border protection, as well as for excellent performance in combat and field training.

We remind you that all InformNapalm’s previously published OSINT investigations that used as evidence medal and order awards to Russian Army servicemen for their participation in military operations outside Russia (in Ukraine, Georgia, Syria) have been structured into a single database and presented as info- and video graphics, see Award stigma of war criminals from the Russian Army, database and video overview.

The photo, loaded by Novikov at the end of July 2014, confirms once again that the state award was issued to him in December 2014 for his participation in the war against Ukraine. Also noteworthy are the comments to it – and there is no need to know the Yakut language to understand them. Apparently, the photo shows the advance of a battalion tactical group of the 17^th Brigade from the base camp of the Russian invading forces in Rostov Oblast towards Ukraine.

2. Alexandr Malykhin 

Born 12/05/1985 in the city of Rostov-on-Don.

Contract serviceman of the 17^th Brigade, Shali, Chechen Republic.

In social networks: VK (archives of the profile, album, contacts)

We identified A. Malykhin in a group photo in the R. Ragimov’s album, also picturing other soldiers of the 17^th Brigade, N. Novikov and V. Mezin.

The structure and armament of the 17^th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, military unit 65384 (Shali, Chechen Republic) 

 Structure: C&C, three motorized rifle battalions, battalion of special operations (Spetsnaz), rifle company (snipers), tank battalion, two self-propelled howitzer battalions, rocket artillery battalion, anti-tank artillery battalion, anti-aircraft missile battalion, anti-aircraft missile and artillery battalion, reconnaissance battalion, UAV company, engineer battalion, NBC company, operations battalion (communication), EW company, artillery commander’s operations and artillery reconnaissance battery, air defense commander’s operations and radar reconnaissance platoon, intelligence officer’s operations platoon, maintenance and repair battalion, logistics battalion, commandant company, medical company, instructors platoon, simulators platoon, training range, orchestra. 

Armament: 40 T-72B3 tanks, one T-72BK tank, 159 MT LME 6MB and MT-LB ICH, six GAZ-233014 Tigr ITS, 18 BM-21 and 2B26 Grad multiple rocket launchers, 36 152mm self-propelled howitzers 2S19 MSTA-S, 18 120mm caliber 2S12 Sani mortars, 12 100mm caliber MT-12 Rapira guns, 12 9P149 Shturm-S self-propelled ATMS, four BTR-80 armored personnel carriers, four BRDM-2 armored patrol cars, 12 BM 9A33BM2(3) Igla, six 9A34(35) Strela-10 surface-to-air missile systems on armored vehicle mounts, six 2S6M Tunguska surface-to-air gun and missile systems,, 27 9K38 MANPADS Igla.

Source milkavkaz.net

The 17^th Brigade appears in 14 investigations of InformNapalm, mainly associated with the invasion and involvement in the fighting in the Donbas in the summer-fall of 2014. But there is also evidence of later participation of contract servicemen from this brigade in the war in the Donbas:

• The 17^th Motorized Brigade of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation is in Ukraine, 09.09.2014
• “Tankman”: Russian Officer of the 17th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade Who Participated in Armed Hostilities in Donbas, 10.13.2014
• “Inglourious Bastards”: Memorial to Servicemen of the 17^th Motor Rifle Brigade at Shali, Chechen Republic, 02.06.2015
• Officer of the Russian 17^th Motorized Rifle Brigade Awarded Order of Courage for the Donbas War, 08.12.2015
• The 17^th Brigade in Donbas in Summer, 2014. Photo proofs, 04/27/2015
• Another ‘Hybrid Miner’ from the Russian 17^th Brigade, 02.10.2016
• Veterans of Donbas from the 17^th Mechanized Infantry Brigade and their Orders of Courage, 07.15.2016
• The Officer, Who Lost His Order of Courage, Found. 09/14/2016
• “F#cked-up brigade” – former contract soldier about 17^th MRB of the Russian Army (Video), 07.10.2016
• Motorized Infantry, Who Participated in Armed Hostilities in Donbas, Identified, 02.12.2016
• Tankman of the Russian 17^th Motor Rifle Brigade, Awarded Medal “For Courage” for the Fighting in the Donbas, identified, 01.04.2017
• Russian tankman gave away colleagues from the 17^th Motorized Rifle Brigade in Donbas, 01.09.2017
• Scouts of the Russian 17^th Brigade, Fought in the Donbas, identified, 02.12.2017

The database of Russian military personnel and the evidence of their involvement in the fighting in Ukraine on the side of the joint Russian-terrorist forces are available on a permanent link: https://informnapalm.org/database.

This publication was prepared on the basis of an OSINT-investigation by InformNapalm volunteer intelligence community. Prepared by Irakli Komaxidze. 

Translated by Andrii Gryganskyi, edited by Max Alginin

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