Fire training, combat tactics, patriotic conversations, and meetings with “veterans” of the war against Ukraine – all this is about the military-patriotic organization “Yevpatoria Paratroopers”, which has been existing in Yevpatoria in temporarily occupied Crimea for eight years. The organization, created by two citizens of Ukraine and three citizens of the Russian Federation, not only promotes Russian narratives, but also provides military training for children from occupied Crimea. The training takes place at the military base of the Russian naval engineer regiment, and children are used as a human shield to protect Russian servicemen from attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Suspilne investigative editorial office decided to look into this in detail. Earlier, we repeatedly told about the militarization of Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories: about the Nakhimov naval schools in Sevastopol and Mariupol, about the military camp of the “Warrior” center in Mariupol, and about the “Vanguard” camp in Volgograd, where Ukrainian children are taken to make them Russian soldiers.
Who launched “Yevpatoria Paratroopers”?
During the 11 years of the occupation of Crimea, the Russians have created at least 14 militaristic organizations that train children to kill and die for Putin’s Russia. According to the analytical report by the NGO “Almenda”, as of November 2024, tens of thousands of children had been recruited into them. These organizations primarily glorify the “feats of the Soviet army” during World War II. This narrative allows for the creation of a moral justification for the invasion of independent countries, in particular Ukraine, allegedly within the framework of a “sacred mission” of liberation or protection. All this is happening under the slogans of “victory”, “great history”, and “common past”.
The “sacred mission” is also promoted by the center of military-patriotic education “Yevpatoria Paratroopers”, the name of which is directly related to the events of 1942. Then, on the night of January 4-5, 1942, as stated in the Electronic Encyclopedia of the History of Ukraine, 700 paratroopers landed in Yevpatoria occupied by Nazi troops. The paratroopers fought for three days on the streets of the city and almost all of them died. Then they became part of Russian propaganda.
In Russian registers, we found information that the Autonomous non-profit organization “Center for military-patriotic education of children and youth “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” was registered on December 22, 2017 in apartment #77 at 11 Eskadronna Street in Yevpatoria. However, the current head of the organization, Kostiantyn Miroshnychenko, told the Russian publication “Yevpatoria Health Resort” that they have been operating since 2016.
The organization has five founders. They are Russians Arina Linkova, Vladimir Melnikov, Sergey Nesterov, and Ukrainians Kostiantyn Miroshnychenko and Vasyl Petukhov.
From its creation and until February 11, 2021, the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” was headed by Arina Linkova from the city of Pechora (Komi Republic, Russia). We assume that she and her husband, Vladimir Melnikov, arrived in Crimea in 2015. There is information in Russian registers that from June 2015 to September 2015, she was registered in the village of Suvorovske, Saki district, as an entrepreneur. Later, the woman brought to Yevpatoria the entire family: her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Now, Linkova coordinates the media department of the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” and organizes “patriotic” trips to “places of Soviet glory”.
Linkova’s husband, Vladimir Melnikov, who is also a co-founder of the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers”, previously served in the troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
On his Russian social media page, Melnikov indicates that he has been an instructor for teenagers at the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” since at least 2016. He teaches children to shoot and overcome obstacle courses. His position and several phone numbers are also listed on the organization’s website and social media page.
Another Russian co-founder is Sergei Nesterov from Moscow. According to Russian registers, until April 15, 2025, he was an entrepreneur whose main activities were real estate rental and construction work.
Nesterov is also a co-founder of the regional branch of the political party “Rodina” in Moscow. As a member of this party, he participated in the elections to the occupied Yevpatoria City Council in 2014.
From Nesterov’s election papers, we learned that he is a retired navy officer, a captain of the first rank in the reserve. He was born in 1959 in Leningrad, graduated from the Nakhimov naval school there, and later from the Naval Political School in Kyiv. He received his higher education at the Russian Academy of Civil Service under the president of the Russian Federation, specializing in “state and municipal administration”.
He was also a member of the Moscow regional branch of the all-Russian “DON” movement, which was liquidated in 2016. The founder and unofficial leader of the “Rodina” party and the “DON” movement was Dmitry Rogozin, who headed Roscosmos until July 2022. In September 2023, Rogozin became a senator of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, where he represents Zaporizhzhia region occupied by the Russians. In 2023, the Suspilne investigative journalists received part of Rogozin’s correspondence, which was about the Russian policy and the war in Ukraine.
36-year-old citizen of Ukraine Kostiantyn Miroshnychenko has been the director of “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” since February 2021. In 2017-2018, Miroshnychenko was an entrepreneur in Yevpatoria. His main activity was retail trade.
We found photos in Russian media that indicate that Miroshnychenko may have served in the airborne troops in the past. He actively participates in events dedicated to the airborne forces. Miroshnychenko joined the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” as an instructor in February 2017.
Another founder of the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” is 54-year-old Vasyl Petukhov from the village of Uyutne, Yevpatoria district. He is a graduate of the Simferopol Higher Military-Political Construction School, the Kharkiv Institute of Internal Affairs, and the Kharkiv Institute of Economics, Market Relations, and Management.
Before the Russian occupation of Crimea, Petukhov was a co-founder of LLC “Technical Center “Planar”, registered in Uyutne. The main type of activity was the sale of computers, equipment, and software. In 2019, Petukhov ran as a self-nominated candidate for the occupation village council of Uyutne and became a deputy. He currently heads the Yevpatoria branch of the “Union of Paratroopers of Crimea”. This organization is the “patron” of the children’s “Yevpatoria Paratroopers”. Judging by posts on social networks, Petukhov is also involved in another organization that militarizes Ukrainian teenagers, “Patriot”.
A traitor to Ukraine teaches patriotism
The members of the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” are boys and girls aged 7 – 17.
In July 2024, an interview with the head of the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers”, Kostiantyn Miroshnychenko, appeared on the website of the “Yevpatoria Health Resort” publication. In it, he said that the main vector of the organization’s work was “referring students to enter military and departmental universities of the Russian Federation”. The training program includes physical, pre-conscription military and fire training, the basics of army combat, “patriotic” development, and participation in the “Youth army” movement.
Children are also invited to “have a fun” during summer holidays and to “experience team spirit, undergo physical training, and gain skills from combat tactics to first aid”.
According to Miroshnychenko, among the graduates of the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers”, there are students and graduates of military universities, and even unit commanders.
Classes with teenagers are held at the Yevpatoria driving school, which operates under the “Volunteer community for assistance to the army, aviation and navy” (DOSAAF) in the territory of military unit No. 86863, the 68th Separate marine engineer regiment of the coastal troops of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.
The deputy commander of this regiment is a traitor to Ukraine, 51-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Dokuchaiev. Before the annexation of Crimea in 2014, he was the deputy head of the center for work with personnel of the Center for operational (combat) support of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (military unit A3835). Dokuchaiev refused to carry out orders from his command to relocate the military unit from Bakhchisaray to Odesa region and joined the enemy. In 2024, Dokuchaiev was declared suspect of desertion and high treason.
On its social media pages, the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” systematically thanks Dokuchaiev for “organizing events aimed at fostering patriotism”.
In the territory of the military unit, children are taught shooting, tactical medicine, overcoming obstacle courses, mining and demining the territory, mastering military equipment, and meetings with representatives of law enforcement agencies are held.
The military unit’s website states that, in addition to children from the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers”, the 68th regiment is the patron of another military-patriotic club, the “Bagheera” young marines club. In addition, the regiment opened the “Young sapper school”, which is also attended by the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” members.
In addition to military training, children are systematically visited by Russian military personnel fighting against Ukraine and students from military universities.
The “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” members are also involved in various festivals, military-patriotic relay races, and thematic events connected to Russian propaganda.
For example, in 2024, on Youth Day in Yevpatoria, children demonstrated “assault rifles, grenades, cartridges, and Russian military equipment”.
Children also systematically attend “courage lessons”. One such event, called “We do not leave our people alone”, held in October 2022, was attended by children registered with social services. They were told about “the courage and feats of Russian soldiers, and poems were read in support of the Russian army”.
Children who are convinced that Russia has always been in Crimea are a human shield for the Russian military facilities
“This is not just military training; it is the education of professional soldiers. To educate such professional soldiers, an example is needed. The “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” is about heroization of war, about the artificial creation of a feat that is worth repeating,” says Kateryna Rashevska, Doctor of Philosophy in International Law, expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights on Legal Analysis and International Justice.
She adds that the fact that children are training in the territory of a military base has the characteristics of a war crime, “the use of human shields”. In particular, this is a violation of the Rome Statute. Article 8 states that the use of the presence of a civilian or other protected person to protect certain points, areas or armed forces from military operations is a war crime. It is also mentioned in Geneva Protocol I (Article 51(7), which makes this act clearly prohibited and punishable both at the level of international law and in the Ukrainian legislation, says Rashevska.
“That is, the military servicemen are hiding behind civilians. In this case, children from the military-patriotic movement are used to make it impossible or significantly complicate attacks against a military target, which is a military unit. Since the beginning of the armed conflict in 2014, children must not be allowed at such a base at all, without any exceptions, because this facility became a legitimate target for military strikes by Ukraine,” the expert says.
The Regional Center for Human Rights has recorded a significant number of children’s camps in Yevpatoria next to military facilities.
“That is, these children’s camps actually cover military facilities to make it more difficult for Ukraine to plan its operations. Ukrainian children from the occupied territories are sometimes even settled in dormitories where military personnel live on other floors. That is, this is already a trend, this is a pattern of behavior,” Rashevska claims.
“We must admit that brainwashing is more effective in the territory of a real military unit. Training there increases the effectiveness of militarization, makes it faster and more lasting in effect. Children from the newly occupied territories may fight ideologically because they are told that “Ukraine abandoned them”, but children from the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” will fight “for their homeland” because they have grown up in the Russian paradigm and are sure that Russia has always been in Crimea. For them, Crimea is Russia, and they are Russians. After all, most of these children did not live in independent Ukraine. This is the feeling of blind patriotism that Putin so badly wants to instill. In fact, by their own example, the military demonstrate to children what awaits them, that it is not scary, and that there are the advantages. And children will probably want to join the armed forces of the Russian Federation,” she adds.
The expert also names other international crimes committed by the organizers of the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers”: propaganda of service in the armed forces of the enemy country, a crime against humanity, inhuman treatment, and signs of the crime of genocide.
“Since the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” organization prepares children for military training, this is another crime – propaganda for service in the armed forces of an opposing country”, says the expert. “The violation of human dignity, the improper treatment to which children are subjected, militarization and aggressive orientation when children train together with military personnel in a military unit – all this should be recognized as inhumane treatment. And such inhumane treatment is a separate war crime. Even if these children are not conscripted later, even if they do not join the Russian armed forces, what will happen to them next? Their consciousness has been completely changed, they have normalized war, and they have these Soviet feats romanticized. They consider the Russian Federation to be their homeland; Russian values have been imposed on them, including self-sacrifice in the interests of the Russian Federation. And when representatives of one nation are forced to fight against each other, it is genocidal in nature.”
However, in 2025, the international human rights community is somewhat “removing itself” from issues of the militarization of children and from introduction of sanctions against such organizations, says the human rights activist.
“As an example, a small number of new EU sanctions for militarization and their actual absence in the last two packages of sanctions. There are loud statements at the PACE level, but there is not a single word about it in the report by Virginia Gamba (the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict). That is, the response of the international community is actually limited to “deep concern” with limited use of available mechanisms, in particular sanctions or criminal liability. And this further encourages the Russians and their henchmen, the Belarusians,” says Rashevska.
The Suspilne investigative editorial office addressed the Prosecutor’s office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol regarding the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers”. They replied that there is a criminal case under Article 438 (war crimes) and Article 169 (illegal actions regarding adoption) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which, in particular, documents the facts of military-patriotic education of children in Crimea. If such facts are established, the information is included into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations; the guilty persons are identified and brought to justice.
However, according to the response to the information request, the founders of the “Yevpatoria Paratroopers” have not yet been declared suspects.
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