The Ukrainian-linked partisan movement ATESH claimed it has been conducting surveillance on a Russian military intelligence (GRU) special forces unit based in the central Russian city of Tambov.
ATESH is a Ukrainian partisan movement operating in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories as well as in Russia, gathering intelligence and sabotaging military targets to weaken the Kremlin’s war effort.
In a statement released Tuesday, the group said its agents carried out reconnaissance of Military Unit 54607, home to the 16th Separate Guards Brigade of GRU Spetsnaz. The base is located on Boris Vasilyev Street in Tambov, a regional capital about 420 kilometers (260 miles) southeast of Moscow.
According to ATESH, its operatives have documented the daily routines of personnel and officers, their routes in and out of the facility, and the security measures in place. The group said the intelligence is fed into a wider network of partisan reconnaissance data aimed at enabling targeted strikes on Russia’s military infrastructure.
“Russia must know: every one of its soldiers is being watched. There will be no rear area where they can feel safe,” ATESH said in its statement, adding that its agents continue to track the movements of the elite GRU unit, often deployed in Moscow’s most brutal combat operations.
The partisan group has claimed responsibility for multiple acts of sabotage and surveillance inside Russia and in occupied Ukrainian territories since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Last month ATESH said they’ve conducted reconnaissance of one of the key enterprises of Russia’s military-industrial complex – the Moscow Radio Engineering Plant, which is under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The enterprise is the main facility within the “Oboronitelniye Systemy” holding and is part of the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern, which specializes in the production of air defense systems, including surface-to-air missile systems and related equipment. The plant’s products are used in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“The enemy’s war machine relies on such plants. The elimination of such facilities is a step towards weakening Putin’s aggression,” the movement said.
According to ATESH, during the operation, they recorded the plant’s activities, the movement of equipment and personnel, the security system, and access routes. All collected information has already been transferred to Ukraine’s Defense Forces and allies for analysis and possible further action.
The partisans urged anyone with information about the operation of defense industry enterprises in their region of Russia to report it.