Russian Pro-War Pop Star SHAMAN Accidentally Revealed Military Positions in Occupied Ukraine

A video of Russian pro-war singer SHAMAN, whose real name is Yaroslav Dronov, performing for troops in occupied Ukraine has led to the identification of a Russian military position, according to a new investigation by the Molfar Intelligence Institute.

Using open-source tools and satellite imagery, analysts traced the footage to a military site near the settlement of Rykove, not far from the occupied city of Henichesk in the Kherson region.

In February 2023, SHAMAN published a video on VKontakte  titled “SHAMAN Visited Mobilized Soldiers in the Kherson Region”. The singer was filmed performing for Russian troops at what appeared to be a military base.

Using visual details from the footage, analysts identified the precise location of the site on the left bank of the Dnipro River.

According to Molfar Intelligence Institute, the investigation relied on open-source imagery from Google Earth and Google Maps, as well as multiple videos shared across Russian social media channels.

Analysts cross-referenced several visual clues, including a wooden building with a distinct sloped roof, an electrical transformer beside a power pole, a camouflaged structure across the road, portable toilets and UAZ vehicles, and traffic and direction signs marking a nearby road junction.

By matching these features with satellite imagery, investigators identified the site as a former auto service station near the intersection of two highways close to the settlement of Rykove in the occupied Kherson region. The location is about a 20-minute drive from Henichesk, where SHAMAN had performed a concert earlier the same day.

Additional footage from early February 2023, published by Russian media affiliated with the United Russia  party and the Smolensk branch of SKVRiZ , showed the same site being used to host Russian troops from the Voronezh region.

In both videos, the same wooden structure and transformer pole are visible—confirming that the location served as a long-term base for mobilized soldiers.

Molfar’s analysts note that satellite images from 2024 and 2025 indicate continued military activity at the site, with new structures appearing after the original videos were filmed.

Earlier, Shaman and Yekaterina Mizulina, head of the Kremlin-linked “Safe Internet League,” held their wedding in occupied Donetsk—an event seen as a symbolic display of loyalty to Moscow.

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