A network that was training children to carry out sabotage operations at sea has been uncovered in Crimea

The Security Service of Ukraine has documented the activities of occupation structures in Crimea that, under the guise of civil society organizations, are engaged in the militarization of Ukrainian children and their training for service in the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

The main figure involved is Oleksandr Dyachenko—head of the so-called “Union of Crimean Border Guards” and the “Varyag Maritime Training Center” in Simferopol, according to the SBU. 

These organizations are used as a cover, while their actual activities are coordinated by Russian special services.

Dyachenko enlisted his subordinates—Daria Gorokhova and Vladimir Graf—to indoctrinate the children. They impose propaganda on the students and justify the war against Ukraine.

At special training bases, teenagers are taught military skills typical of combat units: diving training, underwater navigation, conducting underwater sabotage, as well as firearms training and obstacle course navigation.

Upon completion of training, students are issued “certificates” that grant advantages when applying to military educational institutions in the Russian Federation. Additionally, near Simferopol, the occupiers are building a new complex where they plan to train at least 150 children daily.

Funding for these activities comes from Moscow. Specifically, in early 2023, the organizations received approximately 4.5 million rubles in the form of “presidential grants,” as well as land plots for infrastructure development.

According to the SBU, the instructors are career officers of Russian military intelligence who pass on their experience in combat and sabotage operations to the teenagers.

Based on the evidence gathered, the SBU has notified the suspects in absentia of their charges under articles related to justifying armed aggression and committing war crimes, specifically the involvement of minors in armed conflict.

Measures are currently underway to locate the suspects and bring them to justice.

Previously, the Security Service of Ukraine notified Russian Rear Admiral Vladimir Kuzmin of the charges in absentia; according to the investigation, he ordered a missile strike on the Prydniprovska Thermal Power Plant.

Law enforcement officials have documented yet another crime committed by a Russian judge and formally charged him. The judge in question serves on the 2nd Western District Military Court of the Russian Federation.