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Bellingcat-RechercheThese “remote control killers” direct rocket terror against Ukraine
After months of work, the research platform Bellingcat found out who directs the Russian precision weapons against civilian targets: It is a group of around 30 engineers who operate from Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The commander of the unit is Lieutenant Colonel Igor Bagnyuk.
Anonymous/ GVC
Bellingcat lists all members of the hitherto secret unit.
Anonymous/ GVC
Russia repeatedly bombards civilian infrastructure in Ukraine with precision weapons.
Now the research platform Bellingcat has found out who directs the precision cruise missiles and rockets to their targets.
She calls the young engineers by name and has also contacted them.
“Have you ever wondered how Russian cruise missiles find their way onto playgrounds, power plants and apartment blocks in Ukraine?” writes Eliot Higgins, founder of the research platform bellingcat, on twitter. And provides the answer right away: “It’s time to get to know the team that directs Russian missiles to civilian infrastructure.”
Higgins also posted a photograph of 15 mostly young people in uniform shirts smiling at the camera. But the friendly facade is deceptive: It is part of the “Remote Control Killers” (remote control killers), as Bellingcat calls them. They are members of the main computing center of the Russian General Staff, often abbreviated as GVC, who all had experience in missile programming, but also in the IT and computer games industries and naval engineering. In this role, they control the missiles and cruise missiles that have claimed hundreds of lives in Ukraine Infrastructure such as paralyzing electricity or water supplies, in their goals.
For example, during massive attacks on October 10, several large cities, including Kyiv, were hit by rockets and Cruise Missiles hit hard – at least 20 people died and over 100 were injured. The concentrated aerial attacks continued the following day – according to Russia on the command centers of the Ukrainian army, but in fact often on waterworks, kindergartens, playgrounds and residential buildings. The “Remote Control Killers” are behind the programming of the Kalibr cruise missiles, which are launched from the sea, from the air and from the ground.
The youngest “killers” are only 24
Unlike their military counterparts, most of whom face at least some personal risk near the front lines, these youngsters work from secure command centers in Moscow and St. Petersburg and seem to live their lives almost unperturbed by war in which they play a central role,” writes Bellingcat. In several months of research, platform employees were able to identify a total of 33 people. They are mostly men and women in their late 20s, the youngest of whom are only 24 years old. Its commander is said to be Lieutenant Colonel Igor Bagnyuk.
Bellingcat contacted unit members by phone. Most quickly hung up the phone or didn’t respond at all, while others denied belonging. Only one member of the group agreed to provide background information and photographs to Bellingcat while maintaining anonymity. These also show that some of the unit were already deployed in the Syrian war – and were awarded medals by Vladimir Putin.
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