Based on the results of another OSINT investigation we provide you with new evidence of the Russian military presence in Donbas (you can find out more here). This article contains the information about the ‘Ukrainian assignment’ of the Russian war criminals – servicemen of the 31st separate airborne brigade (military unit No. 73612, Ulyanovsk, Russia). In particular, we have proofs that these soldiers (who have never been in the field of our interest before) fought in Donbas this year.
1. Vasya Zaitsev, real name Pavel Antonov (the second account is temporary unavailable), was born in 1987. Based on the results of the VK social profiles’ investigation (personal data, photo-video, contacts, comments, statuses, etc) we identified the following:
- Military history sheet – served in the 98th airborne division, was trained in the 242nd airborne bootcamp in 2012; next – signed a contract in 2013 and served in the 3rd special operations brigade of GRU (Tolyatti), then moved to the 31st airborne brigade in Ulyanovsk in 2014. He was assigned to one of the illegal armed formations of ‘Novorossiya’ in the beginning of 2015 and was enlisted in the ‘Patriot’ unit together with other servicemen from the 31st brigade and other units. The pre-assignment trainings were held in the Northern Caucasus in 2014 – on the base of the 54th reconnaissance training center – in ‘Daryal’ mountain field camp (North Ossetia, Russia) and in the field camps of the 7th airborne division near Novorossiysk.
- Marital status – married to Kristina Antonova who lives in Samara, Russia. He also has a son from his first marriage – Nikita Antonov (https://archive.is/x1WLG, https://archive.is/5CxMW), his ex-wife Julia Koltsova (https://archive.is/ezh1c, https://archive.is/MY7n5) also lives in Samara, her album has a lot of pictures with Pavel Antonov from 2010-2012. Pavel has a brother Andrei Antonov, who specified St.Petersburg as his residence place.
The Donbas album of the Russian military criminal P. Antonov contains several pictures which demonstrate how he lives and how he brings the ‘Russian world’ to Ukraine (uploaded in February-November of 2015). The most shocking photo is the one with the murderers posing in front of the torn in pieces body of the Ukrainian soldier, uploaded on September 18, 2015. The comments under the photo are as cynical as the picture:
Note: this photo was already posted in the summer of 2014. Some Dmitry Grytsuk was recognized there – a Russian servicemen, paratrooper from St.Petersburg, sent to fight in Donbas, who bemocked the bodies of the Ukrainian soldiers killed in Shakhtarsk. Apparently, P. Antonov decided to make a name stating he took part in the events in the picture.
Aleksandr Shatilov Fucking shit !!! Oct 4, 11:00 am
Vasya Zaitsev hmm! Oct 29, 11:01 am
Vyacheslav Karpunkin Vasya, who is this? yesterday, 04:59 pm
Vasya Zaitsev to Vyacheslav ukrop [Ukrainian]. yesterday, 05:00 pm
Vyacheslav Karpunkin Vasya, hell yeah, but why just one? yesterday, 05:00 pm
Vasya Zaitsev to Vyacheslav the rest are the same. yesterday, 05:00 pm
Vyacheslav Karpunkin Vasya, why did you take this picture with them? yesterday, 05:01 pm
The Donbas photo series has a slide made in the so-called ‘crew quarters’ (the living space of the contract servicemen) uploaded on June 4, 2015. It does not seem that the picture was put here by mistake, since Antonov looked more utter and older than in his previous photos. It might be a photo from his rotation and summer vacation period in Ulyanovsk and Samara.
The photo series of the killed in Donbas comrades-in-arms should be separately highlighted. This includes the newly uploaded picture of some Fedor Mushtranov‘s memorial tablet (killed in February, 2015). Other photos show killed bandits with callsigns ‘Ashan‘ (June, 2015) and ‘Shakhter‘. There is a couple of photos of funeral with military honors in St.Petersburg.
The video album of Antonov stores several clips including the ones from assignments to Donbas. They were downloaded and made available on our web site:
- Pavel Antonov (Vasya Zaitsev), a paratrooper from the 31st brigade, in the ranks of ‘Patriot’ formation in Donbas
There are a lot of proofs that Antonov is a Russian career serviceman among the pictures from 2014. This includes the pictures made near Novorossiysk and ‘Daryal’ mountain field camp (North Ossetia), where the Russian career mercenaries were trained before deployment to Donbas.
These are the pre-assignment pictures from the earlier period of his life. The service in the special forces’ units is justified by a screenshot of Antonov’s face from the clip named ‘3rd special forces brigade‘ and uploaded on his page.
The video clips from the pre-Donbas life of Antonov – compulsory military service and something about the 3rd brigade:
- Pavel Antonov’s nostalgia for the compulsory military service times
A lot of interesting information was found in the profile of Kristina Antonova, Pavel’s wife. This is a comment under a photo:
Vyacheslav Efim First they play the PC, then they kill Ukrainians March 5, 08:29 pm
Kristina Antonova Indeed )))) March 5, 09:01 pm
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2. Semen Semenov, the second figurant of this investigation and a comrade-in-arms of P. Antonov. The real name is Viktor Semenov which is proved with a message in the ’31st airborne brigade (draft I-XI)’ social group on September 4, 2013:
“The warm words are addressed to Viktor Semenov vk.com/id164707698. We wish him strong health, to be cheered up, and to overcome all obstacles in his life. Happy 23rd birthday, Viktor, hoorah!”
The following was found out based on the investigation in VKontakte’s network:
- Military history sheet – served in the 31st airborne brigade in 2012; starting from 2013 he served in the same 31st airborne brigade in Ulyanovsk. He is a ‘veteran’ of the Crimea annexation in 2014. Viktor was assigned to the ‘Novorossiya’ formation in February, 2015. Same as Antonov, Viktor is enlisted in the special forces unit of ‘Patriot’ illegal armed formation.
Both Antonov and Semenov have plenty of mutual photos from Donbas. There is a photo series in Semenov’s album dedicated to the ‘Airborne Day’ (August 2) in Donetsk and taken in a public garden with a monument to Margelov, the founder of this branch of troops. Another series of pictures from the military unit in Ulyanovsk can be found there as well – it presumably was done between the trips to Donbas. The comments under the pictures are provided.
Let us remind you that starting from the beginning of 2015 the Russian military command changed the way of the Russian troops deployment in Donbas. Within the Minsk agreements term, the Russians stopped using the battalion and company tactical groups, since such big regular army formations cannot stay unnoticed in Donbas. Especially if there are two army corps created, which combine the Russian-terrorist forces into the illegal armed formation of new type. Now the contract servicemen from different units are assigned personally or in small groups to different units of ‘Novorossiya’ as instructors or specialists (it has been repeatedly proved by our previous investigations). The servicemen from the following units have been noticed: 291st artillery brigade (unit No. 64670, Troitskaya, Republic of Ingushetia), 7th military base (unit No. 09332, Gudauta, occupied Georgia), 8th brigade (unit No. 16544, Borzoi, Republic of Chechnya), 23rd brigade (unit No. 65349, Samara), 19th brigade (unit No. 20634, Vladikavkaz), 74th brigade (unit No. 21005, Yurga, Kemerovo Oblast), and the 31st brigade.
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Original article by Irakli Komakhidze, translated by Stepan Grishin