Russian Airborne Officer Defects to Help Atesh Partisans Target Russian Drone Operators

A Russian Airborne (VDV) officer has provided the Ukrainian partisan movement “Atesh” with intelligence regarding the positions of Russian drone operators and other units in the Kherson region direction, Atesh reported on April 22.

The officer serves in the 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces. He reportedly contacted the partisan group several months ago, expressing a desire to protect the residents of Kherson.

The officer stated he could no longer stand by and watch his fellow servicemen “hunt” civilians in the city and make their lives unbearable without reason.

Over several months, he consistently transmitted the exact coordinates of neighboring Russian units, specifically targeting the UAV operators responsible for launching drone attacks on Kherson city.

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Atesh confirmed that all gathered intelligence was handed over to the Ukrainian Defense Forces for strikes.

The partisan movement noted that the Russian officer is currently “in a safe place” and continues to cooperate with them. Atesh urged other Russian military personnel to follow his example and share information about troop movements and positions.

The Atesh partisan movement, operating across occupied Ukrainian territories and within Russia itself, has increasingly relied on dissatisfied Russian military personnel to gather critical intelligence.

By recruiting informants from within the Russian ranks and coordinating resistance, Atesh aims to degrade Russian strike capabilities against Ukrainian civilians and soldiers by providing exact coordinates to the Ukrainian military for targeted counter-battery and anti-drone operations.

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