Volunteers of the international community InformNapalm have identified Russian military equipment and armament with a caliber of over 100 mm at the disposal of DPR militants. The identification was performed using photographs obtained from mailboxes of the “MGB DPR” and documents of the so-called 1st Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the DPR which featured photos of serial numbers of specified equipment and weapons. The 1st Motorized Rifle Brigade of the DPR, military unit #08801, is based in the village of Komsomolsk, Donetsk Oblast, in the territory of the former PMK-106 and the merchant warehouses (ORS) .

Initial Data InformNapalm has received initial data from the website Mirotvorets (“Peacemaker”). On July 27, 2016, Mirotvorets reported about a successful operation “Geisha”, as a result of which more than 50 militants of the so-called 1st Army Corps of the DPR were identified, and a network of informers in the territories controlled by Ukraine was uncovered. The organizer of the network of informants was an employee of the MGB DPR Yelena Geyshtorova who collected information about composition, movements and locations of units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and transferred it to the Russian military command. Thanks to negligence and carelessness of Geyshtorova, activists of Mirotvorets got access to one of the mailboxes of the “MGB DPR”. There they found documents of the “1st Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the DPR”, among which were photos of the serial numbers of equipment and weapons with a caliber of more than 100 mm that were withdrawn in accordance with the Minsk Agreements. The pictures were handed to volunteers of InformNapalm for analysis and publication.

Data Analysis

The withdrawn equipment is in service at the 1st Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade. Major P. Belopashentsev, chief of the brigade artillery, is responsible for the equipment and artillery armament. The exact location of the storage base was established by the geolocation specialist surpher : The base is in the vicinity of the village of Ulyanivs’ke, Donetsk Oblast.

Let us remind you that in November of 2015 the InformNapalm volunteers also spotted 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers of the same brigade in the village of Petrivske, hidden from representatives of the OSCE monitoring mission.

Analysis of the photographs from the “MGB DNR” mailbox revealed the following:

Four BM-21 Grad MLRS on Ural-375D truck chassis combat vehicles, with new tires, paint in excellent condition, equipped with frame and camouflage net, there are covers for the radiator grille:

BM-21, serial number 8056, overhaul done in 1992;

BM-21, serial number 2119, overhaul done in 1992;

BM-21, serial number 5139, overhaul done in 1983;

BM-21, serial number РГ5073И.

Five 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, with rollers and front driving wheels in excellent condition and little soot at the exhaust pipes:

2C1, serial number 979183, made in 1989;

2C1, serial number 971109, made in 1981;

2C1, serial number 975218, made in 1985;

2C1, serial number 8904018, made in 1989;

2C1, serial number 976218, made in 1986.

Two MT-12 Rapira anti-tank guns, with paint in excellent condition, signs of overhaul and traces of preservation:

MT-12, serial number 04165, made in 1974, from hardware and armament storing base, of the second category;

MT-12, serial number 03229, made in 1973, from hardware and armament storing base, of the second category, overhaul done in January of 1994.

Analysis of the Russian report about work of the OSCE SMM

In addition to the geolocation of the base where the withdrawn weaponry is stored, surpher provided us with a link to a video footage of a Russian propaganda channel, filmed at the base in the village of Ulyanivs’ke. The video is showing the arrival of experts of the OSCE SMM to the base and verification of the serial numbers of the weapons. One can see on the video two Ural-4320 trucks with YaMZ-238 diesel engines (their distinguishing features are that an air filter is mounted on the right wing and an extended engine compartment)/ Mass production of this modification began in 1994; it has never been supplied to Ukraine.

A screenshot showing a notebook of the OSCE officer is of special interest. He wrote down serial numbers of the 2A29 anti-tank guns: #04165 and #03229 that coincide with the numbers of guns from the “MGB DPR” mailbox. Also recorded in the notebook is a serial number of a 2S1 Gvozdika howitzer – #978294, which was not seen in the documents before.

Another interesting point is the fact of swapping the 2S1 Gvozdika howitzer with a vehicle number 416 by the Russian terrorist forces.

Similar incidents of the swapping of equipment and discrepancies in the serial numbers were recorded by observers of the OSCE mission more than once (link , link , link).

Excerpts from the OSCE SMM reports “The SMM also revisited four “DPR” heavy weapons holding areas whose locations corresponded with the respective withdrawal lines. In two areas, it found that all previously recorded weapons were present. In the third area, the SMM observed five mortars (120mm PM-38) were missing. In the fourth area, the SMM observed that the serial numbers of three howitzers (122mm D-30) did not match the numbers previously recorded, and one anti-tank gun (100mm MT-12 Rapira) was missing. In a fifth area, the SMM was denied access.” “The SMM revisited four “DPR” permanent weapons storage sites whose locations corresponded with the respective withdrawal lines. At three sites, the SMM observed that all previously-recorded weapons were present. At the fourth site, the quantity of weapons observed matched the inventory but there were discrepancies between the serial numbers of weapons observed and those in the inventory. ” “The SMM revisited three “DPR” permanent weapons storage sites, whose locations corresponded with the respective withdrawal lines. At one site, the SMM found all previously recorded weapons present. At the second site, the SMM found two previously recorded MBTs absent and recorded the serial number of two additional MBTs. At the third site, the SMM found one previously recorded MBT absent and recorded the serial number of one additional MBT.”

Conclusion

In the course of the investigation, using information from different sources, such as photos from the “MGB DPR” mailbox and a video recording of work of the OSCE SMM, the facts of repeated concealment and swapping of weapons with a caliber over 100 mm by combined Russian-terrorist forces and use of the weapons, which could not be obtained as a result of the capture of Ukrainian military units in the east of Ukraine, were presented. The facts once again demonstrate the leading role of the Russian Federation in the supply of weapons to militants, and in violation of the Minsk agreements.

Material prepared for publication by the international community volunteer InformNapalm Mikhail Kuznetsov

Translated by Svitlana Kemblowski