There are no more cheerful entries on a VK page of the Russian paratrooper Sanya Veselyi [a nickname meaning “Merry” or “Cheerful” in Russian] of the 137th Airborne Regiment 106th Airborne Division of the Russian Federation, Ryazan military unit  #41450. His last entry, dated January 20, said “May the guys never be forgotten”.

A little earlier, in a video dated December 9, 2014, Ryazan paratroopers looked more arrogant while going on assignment to Ukraine. It is hard to say whom Sanya ‘Cheerful’ commemorations concern: either paratroopers of the 11th Paratroops Brigade (Ulan-Ude) and the 76th Air Assault Division (Pskov), as we described their recent losses in Donbas earlier, or his colleagues from the Battalion Tactic Group of the 106th Airborne Division, who apparently also participated in the January assignment to Donbass.

Another ‘Rostov trip’ or the deployment of the 106th Airborne Division was recorded in late November — early December 2014. Upon arrival, the combined unit of the 106th Airborne Division was placed to a field camp of invasion forces in Neklinovsky area, where they were reinforced by tanks and artillery battalion tactical groups.

Recently we discovered more information on the manpower of the BTG of the 106th Airborne Division. The battalion is manned with contract servicemen from several units of this military unit. The 2nd Combat Company is manned with contract servicemen of the 137th Airborne Regiment (Ryazan military unit #41450), the 3rd Combat Company — with contract serviceman of the 51st Airborne Regiment (Tula military unit #33842), and the 1st Combat Company is manned with the servicemen from intelligence units of the above Division. It looks like those were the scouts from the 1st Combat Company, who suffered casualties in Donbass, while the other BTG companies were kept in reserve.

Original article by Irakli Komaxidze, translated by Svetlana Kviatkivska.