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Military operation in Ukraine

Ukrainian militants trained in special camps since 2005 — former SBU officer

Students from technical schools and institutes attended these covert camps, which were also overseen by Western intelligence agencies, Aleksandr Mazur noted

DONETSK, November 18. /TASS/. Members of Ukrainian militant groups have been receiving specialized training in Western Ukraine since 2005, Aleksandr Mazur, a former senior official of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), told TASS.

"Training camps for militants were established in the western regions of Ukraine in 2005. Disguised as sports camps for youth, these sites were actually used as training grounds for militants. At that time, they operated as covert cells posing as sports organizations. Subsequently, groups like S14, Right Sector (recognized as a terrorist organization, banned in Russia), and others were formed from these camps. Their foundations were former supporters of various sports clubs," Mazur explained.

Students from technical schools and institutes attended these covert camps, which were also overseen by Western intelligence agencies, Mazur added. "This elite group went on to carry out the takeover of power in Ukraine in 2014," Mazur concluded.

Aleksander Mazur is a native of Donetsk. Until October 2013, he held senior positions within the SBU. In recent years, he worked in the agency’s central office located in Kiev. In 2017-2018, he offered confidential assistance to the SBU. His responsibilities included preparing analytical reports on the sociopolitical situation and the activities of authorities and law enforcement bodies of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). He was later detained by officers of the Russian Federal Security Service’s office for the republic. In October, Mazur was sentenced to prison under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code (Espionage).

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Military operation in Ukraine

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