One of the most decisive battles of the war in eastern Ukraine came in January and February 2015, when Russia sent hundreds — if not thousands — of soldiers and modern tanks to capture the key railway hub of Debaltseve. Ukraine’s defeat in this battle led to the Minsk II agreements, and no battles over the past three years have approached the level of direct Russian involvement seen in Debaltseve.

Recently, a video emerged that was filmed in the winter of 2014 and 2015, which shows soldiers of the infamous Wagner private military company (PMC) riding towards Debaltseve, where they would take part in the battle. The videos were taken from a flash drive that was recovered by Ukrainian forces as a “trophy,” though the original owner of the footage is unknown.

(Source: Twitter / Integral)

While the role of a number of Russian military units in the Battle of Debaltseve has been extensively documented, less was known about the activities of the Wagner group — until now.

Additional analysis of this footage can be read at Euromaidan Press.

Geolocation of Footage

The newly-posted footage consists of ten short clips from various points in the winter of 2014 and 2015.