As a result of the new investigation, we disclose a name of a serviceman from the 7th Military Base who has not been previously included in the list of identified artillerymen, who served in the Battalion Tactical Group (BTG) of this Military Base. Even more, the new character helped us to identify other “Donbas veterans” from of this Military Base, who received military awards, including quite rare one – the second class Medal of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” with swords, which is awarded only for participation in military operations.

One of the main objectives of InformNapalm international intelligence community is discovering and recording facts that prove participation of the Russian Armed Forces in the undeclared war against Ukraine. Besides identification of equipment and weaponry, deployed from Russia to Donbas, we identify Russian war criminals and military units of the Russian Armed Forces they serve in. We work on identification of Russian servicemen recently deployed to Ukraine and blended into illegal armed groups of Novorossia, as well as “veterans” of the active combat phase of the war in eastern of Ukraine in summer – autumn 2014 and later. OSINT investigators’ efforts are focused on a group identification of entire military units, including composing and publication of the evidence base and personal data of Russian servicemen, who executed Kremlin’s illegal orders. For example, 27 (!) our investigations were about servicemen from the 7th Military Base of occupation forces (military unit 09332, Gudauta, occupied Abkhazia, Georgia), which is a part of the 49th Army from the Southern Military District of Russia. We disclosed names of more than 50 Russian artillerymen, scouts, and communications men, including 7 officers and 10 recipients of different military awards from this military unit.

After the investigation conducted in November of last year, we identified 21 artillery men from the combined rocket and gun artillery battalion from the battalion tactical group (BTG) of the 7th Military Base. These servicemen were involved in shellfire of the Ukrainian territory in 2014. However, many war criminals have not been identified yet, and we continue our investigations. The results are published on a regular basis; this is one of them.

Subjects of investigation

1. Nikolay Pestov

He was born on July 23, 1994, is native of the town of Serdobsk, Penza Oblast, Russia. Since the beginning of 2014, he has been a contract serviceman of the artillery unit of the 7th Military Base.

He has accounts on Russian social media websites VK (archived profile, photo album, contacts), and OK (profile, photo album,  contacts).

Based upon his photo album, he made a way, typical for military personnel of a BTG from the military unit 09332: in spring-summer of 2014 he was in Ashuluk training area and in summer-fall of 2014 in Rostov Oblast, from where the Ukrainian territory was shelled.

Nikolay Pestov’s album contains photos from the “Rostov-Ukraine mission of 2014” period, including:

• the field photo, uploaded in September 2014, where he is pictured unshaved, wearing a non-statutory uniform with a white identification armband of the Russian-terrorist troops;

• the photo with artillery forces flag, uploaded in December 2014, where Pestov (marked blue) is posing together with the already known from our previous investigations comrades-in-arms Lyovin, Efremov and Layevsky (marked red).

• the photo of rest stop, uploaded on September, 11, 2014, where Pestov (marked blue) is pictured with already known colleagues Layevsky and Kiselev (marked red).

Studying Pestov’s contacts, we found his colleagues from the 7th Military Base who received military awards during a peace period which proves their participation in the undeclared war against Ukraine.

2. Aleksandr Motrichev

He is a contract serviceman of the 7^th Military Base. Allegedly, earlier he served in the 34th Motorized Rifle Brigade (military unit 01485, Stanitsa Storozhevaya-2, Karachay-Cherkessia) of the 49th  Army from the Sothern Military District.

Here is his account on VK (archived profile, subscribers).

Though Aleksandr Motrichev has cleaned out his page and tried to hide his photo album, we have saved a link to his complete photo album and to its archive.

In addition to the pictures, reflecting his service on the 7th Military Base, including shots from Abkhazia training areas Nagvalou and Tsebelda, where Russian occupiers have expanded their base taking and destroying an old cemetery and church, there is a noteworthy photo that shows a certificate of award and the second class Medal of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” with swords. This photo was uploaded in January 2016. This is the first time when such award appears in InformNapalm investigations.

Note. The statute of this award states: “The Medal of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” with swords of the first and second class is awarded to servicemen for distinguished conduct during combat” (details are available here 1,2,3).

3. Mikhail Gubarevich

He was born on April 24, 1988, is native of the city of Saratov, Russia. Since the beginning of 2013 he has been a  contract serviceman of the 7th Military Base.

His phone numbers are: 89407136650 and 89878066403.

He has an active account on VK 1 (archived profile and contacts) and abandoned accounts on VK 2, VK 3, and on OK.

In one of the abandoned accounts we found a picture of The Medal of Zhukov uploaded in December 2015 (earlier InformNapalm identified 4 recipients of this award). There were some other pictures capturing his service.

4. Nikolay Siskovich

He was born on February 20, 1991, native either of the town Kolpashevo, Tomsk Oblast, Russia, or Nadym. He served in the Russian Army as a conscript in 2011. Since the beginning of 2013, he has been a contract serviceman of the anti-aircraft unit of the  7th Military Base.

He has an account on VK (archived profile, photo album, and contacts) and on OK (archived profile, photo album, and contacts).

According to his photo album, he also served in the Ashuluk training area, Rostov Oblast and Donbas, as it appears from the following pictures:

• his picture with the Medal of Zhukov uploaded in April, 2016;

• the shot from the “2014 Rostov-Ukrainian mission” period, uploaded in September 2014, where he is pictured unshaved in a cabin of a KAMAZ truck wearing a  non-statutory uniform;

• the photo with his colleagues, posing against a Russian flag, uploaded in August 2014;

• the series of pictures (1, 2) of the military training at the Ashuluk training area in summer 2014, before the deployment to Rostov and then to Donbas.

Let us remind you that all previously published InformNapalm investigations, based on the evidence of awarding Russian servicemen with medals and orders for military operations outside the Russian Federation, have been compiled in a database and presented in the form of video and infographics.

The structure and weaponry of the 7th Military Base of Russian occupation forces.

The 7th Krasnodar Red Banner Order of Kutuzov and the Red Star Military Base, military unit 09332 (Gudauta, occupied Abkhazia, Georgia), includes:

Structure

– Command,

– Four mechanized infantry battalions;

– Sniper company;

– Tank battalion;

– Two self-propelled artillery battalions and one battery of towed howitzers;

– Rocket artillery battalion;

– Antitank artillery battalion;

– Antiaircraft missile battalion and an antiaircraft artillery missile battalion (parts of the so-called Anti-aircraft battalion group of the 7th Military Base);

– Reconnaissance battalion;

– UAV company;

– Engineer battalion;

– NBC protection company;

– Control (communications) battalion;

– Electronic warfare company;

– Control and artillery reconnaissance battery (of the artillery commander);

– Control and radar reconnaissance platoon (of air defense commander);

– Control Platoon (of the reconnaissance commander);

– Maintenance battalion;

– Logistics battalion;

– Headquarters company;

– Medical company;

– Military instructors platoon;

– Training simulator platoon;

– Training range;

– Brass band.

The military base also includes a so-called aviation command office providing ground support for periodic flights of the Russian Airforce planes to the airfield in Gudauta.

An anti-aircraft missile regiment (formerly the 100th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, military unit 90100), consisting of 2 SAM battalions in Agudzera and Primorskoye, which have 8 units of S-300 SAM’s on combat alert, is a part of the so-called anti-aircraft battalion group of the 7th Military Base.

The base also has an electronic technical unit with alert facilities deployed on the airfield of Sukhumi Babushara Airport.

Armament:

– T-90A and T-72B3 MBTs – 41 pc. (according to other sources 51 pc.);

– BTR-82AM and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers (APC) – 156 pcs.;

– MT-LB light multi-purpose armored towing vehicles – 15 pcs.;

– BM-21 Grad MLRS – 18 pcs.;

– 2S3M Akatsiya 152-mm self-propelled howitzers – 36 pcs.;

– D-30 122 mm howitzers – 6 pcs.;

– 2S12 Sani 120 mm heavy mortar systems – 18 pcs.;

– MT-12 Rapira 100mm anti-tank guns – 12 pcs.;

– Shturm-S self-propelled anti-tank missile systems – 12 pcs.;

– BRDM-2 armored reconnaissance vehicles – 4 pcs.;

– 9A33BM2(3) Osa SAM’s – 12 pcs.;

– 9A34(35) Strela-10 SAM’s on armored vehicle mounts – 6 pcs.;

– 2S6M Tunguska self-propelled anti-aircraft guns – 6 pcs.;

–  9K38 Igla man portable surface-to-air missiles – 27 pcs.

The armament of the base also includes S-300PM SAM launchers – 16 pcs.

In addition, in accordance with the agreement on joint armed forces between the Russian Federation and the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia signed in Moscow on November 21, 2015, two mechanized infantry battalions, artillery and aviation groups, as well as a separate special operations group have been attached by Abkhazia to the 7th Military Base.

Except for a few of our additions, this note is based on the data from milkavkaz.net.

This is the 28^th publication of InformNapalm investigating servicemen of the 7th Military Base.

• The 7th Military Base in InformNapalm publications

Combat Crews of 2S3 “Akatsiya” of the 7th Military Base Identified along the Border with Ukraine 10/05/2014

‘Donetsk Express’ – identification of Russian military equipment and weaponry, transferred to Donbas 10/6/2014

Medical Detachment of the 7th Military Base from Abkhazia Identified near the Border with Ukraine 10/13/2014

Rocket artillery of the 7th Military Base of the Russian occupation forces from Abkhazia on the border with Donbas 12/18/2014

From the mandarin paradise toward the Ukrainian hell’: Russian contract soldiers pressed to fight in Ukraine 2/4/2015

Servicemen of the 7th Russian Military Base from Abkhazia receive medals for fighting in Donbas 3/2/2015

Conscripts of the 7th Russian Military Base massively recruited to become contract soldiers for the “Ukrainian missions”. 3/6/2015

“Courageous Mihos” – ​​a scout of the 7th Military Base, holder of medal For Courage 3/18/2015

More soldiers from 7th Military Base received Combat Medals after temporary duties in Ukraine 05/27/2015

‘Cinderellas’ with Self-propelled Artillery Systems or How Russian Contract Servicemen are Posing as ‘Self-defence’ 07/02/2015

The Сover Story of the ‘Former’ Soldier of the 7th Russian Base Does not Hold Water 07/02/2015

Massive Deployment of the Russian Troops And Equipment from the Occupied Abkhazia Is Registered 9/23/2015

Russia Deploys the Military Equipment of the 7th Base to Rostov Oblast 09/24/2015

Russian Contract Soldier from the 7th Base Fights as ‘DPR’ Militant 09/25/2015

‘Bored silly’: the Russian Invaders’ Games in Donbas 01/10/2016

‘Double Strike’ to the Russian Officers from the Southern Military District 02/10/2016

Journey of Russian Occupant: Gudauta – Rostov – Donbas – Khmeimim 04/03/2016

The Dynasty of Russian War Criminals: Biographic Narrative of the Invader  08/15/2016

Emperor’s new clothes – or Putin exposed 11/30/2016

Daily routine of the Rostov reserve of “Novorossia army” 12/15/2016

Documents revealing personnel of another Russian BTG on a “Rostov-Ukrainian mission” 10/27/2016

21 of 35: Russian artillerymen of the 7th Military Base involved in shelling of Ukraine. Identified. Infographics 11/15/20016

Love story 3: love triangle of a Russian occupant 01/05/2017

Russian scout from 7th Military Base given away a Bull Terrier from Horlivka 11/28/2016

Identification of Russian 7th military base scouts who fought in Ukraine 12/30/2016

Russian Kalmyk soldiers “got lost ” in the steppes of Ukraine 12/25/2016

From ‘hybrid’ soldier to cadet: Russian Military Intervention  in Ukraine 06/01/2017

We would like to remind you that a database of InformNapalm investigations, proving participation of Russian servicemen in the fighting in Ukraine on the Russian-terrorists’ side, is permanently available at: https://informnapalm.org/database.

This publication was prepared on the basis of an OSINT-investigation by InformNapalm volunteer intelligence community. Author Irakli Komaxidze,  translated by Evgeniy Kalashnik, edited by Svitlana Kemblowski

(CC BY) Information specially prepared for InformNapalm.org site, an active link to the authors and our project is obligatory for any reprint or further use of the material.