Ukraine’s military intelligence carried out a special operation in Russia’s Far East targeting a marine infantry unit accused of atrocities in Ukraine, intelligence sources told Kyiv Post on Tuesday.
The operation struck the 47th Separate Airborne Assault Battalion of Russia’s 155th Guards Marine Brigade, based near the settlement of Shchytova in Primorsky Krai. The region, whose capital is Vladivostok, lies on Russia’s Pacific coast near the borders with China and North Korea — more than 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) from Kyiv.
The brigade fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the war, including near Kyiv, Vuhledar, Mariupol, and most recently along the Kursk and Pokrovsk fronts.
On Sept. 16 at around 9 a.m. local time (2300, Sept. 15, UTC), two powerful explosions rocked a parking lot inside the military compound, the sources said. Russian social media channels reported heavy security presence, with helicopters overhead and the area cordoned off near administrative buildings and parking lots. Roads were partially closed and cars were being checked.
Kyiv Post has not been able to independently verify the explosions.
Moscow outlets initially described the blasts as a possible “gas equipment incident.” But Ukrainian intelligence insisted the explosions were deliberate, resulting in Russian casualties. Eyewitnesses reported multiple ambulances at the site.
“The 155th brigade is notorious for its brutality against civilians and executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war,” one Ukrainian intelligence source said. “We expect obituaries to soon appear in local media and social channels in Vladivostok.”
The source added that Ukrainian intelligence intends to hold accountable “every Russian occupier responsible for war crimes on Ukrainian soil.”
Last week, Kyiv Post reported that explosions struck a Russian National Guard unit near Khabarovsk on Sept. 8, killing and injuring servicemembers from a battalion accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine’s Kyiv region, according to Kyiv Post Ukrainian intelligence sources.
Those blasts occurred around 9 a.m. (0600 UTC) in the parking lot of Military Unit 6912 as troops were arriving for duty, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) said. Two explosive devices detonated in succession, leaving casualties among the personnel.
However, intelligence services are not disclosing any further details or the number of casualties.