Russia Uses Children as Human Shields to Protect Training Camp for African and Cuban Mercenaries in Occupied Crimea

According to the partisan movement ATESH, Russian forces are conducting training for mercenaries from African countries and Cuba at a military training ground in Crimea.

The training site, known as Kozachiy, is located in the Gagarinsky district of Sevastopol, and it is reportedly under the control of the 810th Marine Brigade.

ATESH agents, who have been monitoring the area, observed military trucks regularly arriving at the site. The partisans noted that foreign recruits are receiving military training at this facility, further indicating Russia’s reliance on foreign mercenaries as its domestic resources for the war in Ukraine dwindle.

The training ground is also reportedly used for firing drills involving children from Russia’s Yunarmiya youth military organization. Partisans claim that the Russian military is using these children as human shields, attempting to protect its soldiers and mercenaries from Ukrainian strikes.

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In addition to monitoring this training activity, the ATESH movement has also reported on the Russian military’s increased use of the abandoned command post of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, which has been fortified in preparation for further defensive operations.

As Russia faces significant losses in its own forces, it has increasingly turned to foreign recruits to sustain its military efforts in Ukraine. This includes mercenaries from African countries, Cuba, and North Korea.