Russian occupiers have established a new military base in Novocherkassk, Rostov region, approximately 200 km from the front line in Ukraine.
Russian In May 2024, the military built a new base in the city of Novocherkassk near Rostov-on-Don, 200 km from the front line.
This is evidenced by satellite images from Planet Labs, writes Radio Liberty.
According to satellite images, the Russian army deployed a new military base between a penal colony and two unfinished general education institutions, on the site of another abandoned military facility – cook school No. 195 of the Russian Civil Defense Forces, which was closed in 2011 year.
However, last summer, after twelve years of calm, changes began on the abandoned territory of the former military school.
According to satellite images from Planet Labs, the first military equipment appeared here at the end of August 2023: about fifty military trucks were parked on the territory of the facility and a dozen tents were deployed. Since then, in almost a year, the base has tripled.
After analyzing satellite images, military expert Mikhail Zhirokhov determined the type of military facility. In his opinion, this is probably a logistics base for the Russian armed forces, because only cargo and auxiliary equipment are located there.
“We see a large number of trucks in the colors of military equipment. The satellite does not detect any tanks or armored personnel carriers, so with a high probability this is one of the military logistics units,” says Zhirokhov.
This base in Novocherkassk may belong to the 100th military logistics regiment of the Russian Armed Forces. It was created in 2014, when the Russian Ministry of Defense was headed by Sergei Shoigu.
The regiment's tasks include delivering military cargo to the combat zone and eliminating man-made disasters, fires and floods.
According to reports from Russian propaganda broadcasters, in particular the TV channel of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation “Zvezda”, in the Russian Army this regiment is called the “army special unit of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.” He's the only one of his kind.
Until recently, the 100th regiment was based in the village of Kalininets, Moscow region, but from the beginning of August 2023, some of its units could begin to be transferred to Rostov, to Novocherkassk.
A possible partial redeployment of the 100th military regiment from the Moscow region to the Rostov region, closer to the front line, may be indicated by a change in the geolocation of the phones of several of its servicemen.
Journalists from Schemes (Radio Liberty project) managed to record the mobile phone of Andrei Polukhin, one of the officers of the 100th regiment, on the territory of a new military base in Novocherkassk. In leaks from Russian databases, Polukhin is listed as “deputy head of the unit” and “commander”.
Another officer of the 100th regiment, whose phone number was spotted by Schemes at the site of a new military base in Novocherkassk – Dmitry Dubovik. According to leaks from Russian databases, he holds the rank of captain.
Matvey Shokurov’s phone also appeared in Novocherkassk. According to Russian databases, he is registered in the area where this regiment is permanently located near Moscow, just like Polukhin and Dubovik. However, since the beginning of July, Shokurov's phone has been transmitting a signal at the site of a new military base near Rostov.
Shokurov, according to the GetContact service, is signed in the phones of other subscribers, in particular, as “Matvey Refueler”. Refueling military equipment is the responsibility of logistics support units.
“Schemes” reached these servicemen. Shokurov confirmed that his unit was transferred to Novocherkassk. Dubovik neither confirmed nor objected to this information. Polukhin told Schemes that he is not in Novocherkassk.
Back in the summer of 2014, Novocherkassk became a rear base for Russian military units that fought in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, says Ukrainian military expert Mikhail Zhirokhov. Since the summer of 2015, according to him, the command of the first and second corps of the Russian Army has been stationed in the city.
In particular, “Storm Z” is deployed in Novocherkassk. This is a de facto penal battalion, which, according to the regulations of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation “on assault companies Z”, is mainly formed from criminals who are recruited in Russian penal colonies.
Zhirokhov says that over time, the role of Novocherkassk as a logistics destination for the Russian Army has only strengthened.
“After February 2022, the Russians simply scaled up all logistics in this region. Moreover, temporary bases, for example in Lugansk, after receiving long-range weapons (by Ukraine – ed.) ended up in the reach of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Therefore against the backdrop of the ban on strikes by Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation, this process has acquired even greater proportions, which we can see in this example, when a support regiment is transferred not closer to the combat zone, but to a zone where it will be difficult to reach without long-range weapons,” – Zhirokhov explained.
According to DeepStateMap information, from the combat zone on the territory of Ukraine to the new deployment of the 100th MTZ regiment of the Russian Federation near Rostov is approximately 200 km. The ability of the Ukrainian military to attack at such a distance without the use of Western weapons is limited.
Recall that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are looking for information about enemy fuel depots, tankers of the Russian invaders and the routes along which they move in the occupied territories. Therefore, Ukrainians are asked to report Russian fuel depots in the occupied territories to the chatbot “єVoroh”.
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