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Krym Assault Battalion | Redut Corps Part II – ‘Unit Assistants’

19.02.2025

The OsintFlow team continues its investigation into a unit of collaborators and occupiers who have been fighting for years in the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia region under the command of the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff (formerly the GRU).

In the first part, we explored the so-called Voluntary Assault Corps (VAK), its leadership, and the “Redut” recruitment system. We also examined the battalion itself, explained why “Crimea” and “Tavrida” have long been separate formations, and published some of the fighters’ personal data.

In this second part, we dive into the battalion’s links with various organizations, uncovering who runs these structures. Our focus was strictly on organizations directly mentioned by the battalion members in their own publications.

Given the high number of collaborators in the unit, it was natural to find organizations operating in Ukraine’s occupied territories or with connections to these regions. While this was expected, the investigation revealed far more surprising and intriguing connections than anticipated.

Among the organizations supporting the battalion were:

  • ROO “PATRIOTS”, founded and led by Sergey Kanchukov, a Major General and former head of intelligence for the former Siberian Military District and the Russian Ministry of Defense’s forces in Chechnya.

  • Private Security Company “Tavrida”, headed by a former FSB “Vympel” special forces operative who served alongside Krasikov and, according to The Insider, Bellingcat and Der Spiegel, committed the murder of a Karelian businessman in 2007. In 2014, he was implicated in a criminal case under Article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code (murder), and by 2015, he had taken leadership of a private security company in temporarily occupied Crimea, whose clients include GUP RK “Chernomorneftegaz,” GUP RK “Krymgazseti,” PJSC “Rosseti,” and others.

  • Various officials and participants in the Russian-Ukrainian war.


    One segment of the unit is made up of fighters from the TiNAO region, areas recently incorporated into Moscow. The division in charge of TiNAO support, known as the “TiNAO UDV Division,” is led by Petr Lozhkovoy, who plays a central role in delivering aid to the unit.

On the Telegram channel “DOBROVOLETS TiNAO 🇷🇺,” Lozhkovoy regularly appears in posts highlighting the awarding of “Crimea” battalion fighters and coordinating humanitarian aid efforts. According to the channel’s publications, by February 20, 2025, a total of 36 humanitarian convoys had already been dispatched to the front.


Publication dated June 15, 2023


Source: Telegram channel Union of Donbass Volunteers; Lozhkovoy appears on the far left.

Videos expressing gratitude to various organizations were posted on Lozhkovoy’s VK page and on the Telegram channel “DOBROVOLETS TiNAO 🇷🇺,” and were shared by fighters of the “Krym” battalion.

Lozhkovoy and other members of the so-called “Combat Brotherhood” have set up collection points in Moscow, gathering donations not only from private individuals and diaspora communities but also from businesses.

One of the organizations involved is the sanctioned company JOINT-STOCK COMPANY SCIENTIFIC AND PRODUCTION ENTERPRISE “REGION”, a developer and supplier of high-precision naval and airborne weapons. The company is also engaged in producing universal planning and correction modules (UPCM) for aerial bombs.

In the unit’s 2023 publications, this organization is repeatedly mentioned—primarily in connection with “humanitarian cargo”—highlighting the dual nature of support funneled to the front.

In the first part of the investigation, we published an official request from the commander of the “Krym” battalion, Atrokhov, addressed to Lozhkovoy, seeking humanitarian aid. In this request, Lozhkovoy is listed as the First Deputy Chairman of the Central Council of the Regional Public Organization of Combat Veterans and Military Service Veterans “Patriots of Russia.”

The Regional Public Organization “ПАТРИОТЫ” (“PATRIOTS”) was founded and is led by Major General Sergey Alekseevich Kanchukov, a native of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. Kanchukov previously served as head of intelligence for the former Siberian Military District and the Russian Ministry of Defense’s forces in Chechnya, and holds a degree in political science.


Kanchukov Sergey Alekseevich

Source:https://www.audit-it.ru/contragent/1207700364959_roo-patrioty

REGIONAL PUBLIC ORGANIZATION OF COMBAT VETERANS AND MILITARY SERVICE VETERANS “PATRIOTS”
Active organization
Taxpayer Identification Number (INN): 7727453415
Primary State Registration Number (OGRN): 1207700364959
OGRN Assigned: 02.10.2020
Age: 4 years (registered 02.10.2020)
Address: Moscow, Sevastopolsky Avenue, Building 15, Block K, Apartment/Room 7
Primary activity: 94.99 — Activities of other public and non-profit organizations, except religious and political organizations

«Sergey Kanchukov is a Major General of military intelligence (retired), a figure whose biography remains classified as “top secret.” His career spans the GDR (German Democratic Republic), Siberia, and the North Caucasus. He only briefly mentions a single operation in the mountains. Under his command in the late 1990s, GRU special forces managed to destroy a convoy of militants equipped with American weapons.» - According to Russian sources in 2016, this is how Sergey Kanchukov was described. (Archived version: https://archive.is/vcBms)

Archived version: https://archive.is/PwZrb

Personal data. Kanchukov Sergey Alekseyevich
Date of birth: 15.11.1957
Passport: 9003476666 Issued by: Department of Internal Affairs of the Iristonsky Municipal District, Vladikavkaz 01.05.2003
INN (TIN): 753611142647
Known addresses:

  • Zabaykalsky Krai, Zabaykalsky Krai, Chita, Ugdanskaya Street, Building 16, Apartment 1
  • Moscow, Ochakovo-Matveyevskoye District, Bolshaya Ochakovskaya Street, Building 12, Apartment 198
  • Borovskoye Shosse, Building 56, Apartment 215, Moscow
  • Moscow, Yantarny Proyezd, Building 31, Apartment 20

Contacts:
Phone numbers: +79262038305 +73022310954 +79262575096 (also listed for the daughter),+73022355180
TG: http://t.me/+79262038305 id: 173997016 @gesak57
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/+79262038305
My [email protected]: Сергей Сергей https://my.mail.ru/mail.ru/gesak57
Email: [email protected], [email protected] (The email address is listed in relation to the daughter, Kanchukova Irina Sergeyevna, born on 07 May 1982, INN 771601234009), [email protected], [email protected]

Phone number tags (ru): Сергей -, Канчуков Сергей Алексеевич, Деда, Канчуков СА, Кончуков Сергей, Наталия, Кончуков Сер Алексеевич Дра Строика, Канчуков Сергей, Сергей Алексеевич Каньчуков., Kanchukov Alekseyevich, Сергей Алексеевич Канчуков, Сергей Канчуков, Сергей Александрович Канчуков, Сергей Алексеевич К.

Vehicles:

  • Н376ВХ799 Ford Ecosport (Also associated with the daughter, as well as with the company LLC MYASOKOMBINAT EKO; previously, it was also associated with the son, Kanchukov Sergey Sergeyevich, born on 20 December 1985)
  • В127НЕ199 HYUNDAITUCSON, Also associated with several individuals in “leaks,” and used as a work pass (movement permit during the COVID pandemic) for AO RTI (JOINT-STOCK COMPANY RADIO TECHNICAL INSTITUTE NAMED AFTER A. L. MINTS)
    Interestingly, in 2012, Kanchukov told Russian journalists that there was a need to establish a “Private Military Company” (PMC):

_Major General Sergey Kanchukov, former Chief of Intelligence in Chechnya and the Siberian Military District, suggested establishing private military companies in Russia. He stated that, 'Today, with the rapid development of globalization in international and military affairs, governments of leading world powers increasingly redistribute national security functions between the state and private business. Part of the responsibilities for implementing state policy in national defense, as well as public and state security, is being transferred to so-called private military companies (PMCs). Moreover, private military companies have become one of the main tools through which leading states and their allies pursue their military security policies abroad. - Source: https://argumentiru.com/army/2012/06/185914_

Archived media mentions:
Vice President of the Interregional Sports Professional Martial Arts Club “Eridan”
https://archive.is/tB8Mw#selection-1001.1-1004.0
https://zavtra.ru/blogs/bespredel-2013-02-27-000000-2
https://shurigin.livejournal.com/323517.html
https://iarex.ru/articles/47621.html
https://izborsk-club.ru/8075
How the GRU Spetsnaz Were Annihilated — by Kanchukov
On the Casualties in Syria That Might Have Been Avoided
Only 2–3 Days’ March to Kyiv

Petr Lozhkov, a public figure widely recognized as a “spotter,” has been credited by numerous Ukrainian sources for his role. Some of our colleagues also shared certain personal details about him and highlighted his contributions.

Deputy of the Council of Municipal Deputies of the Kommunarka District; Chairman of the Board of the Troitsk District Branch of the “Combat Brotherhood”; First Deputy Chairman of the Central Council of the Organization “Regional Public Organization of Combat Veterans and Military Service Veterans ‘Patriots of the Capital.’”

Personal data. Lozhkov Petr Nikolaevich
Call Sign: «Адвокат» (English: “Lawyer”)
Date of birth: 25.05.1977
Passport: 4512812227 Issued by: Department of the Federal Migration Service of Russia for the city of Moscow, Chertanovo Yuzhnoye District, 18 October 2012
Driver’s License: 5003 №232986
INN (TIN): 500900741728
SNILS: 15399570311
Known addresses:

  • Moscow Region, Domodedovo, Vostryakovo Microdistrict, Zabore Street, Building 117
  • Moscow, Rossoshanskaya Street, Building 11, Block 3, Apartment 75

Contacts:
Phone numbers: +79057545974
Telegram: https://t.me/+79057545974
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/+79057545974
VKontakte: https://vk.com/lozhkovoy_petr
Odnoklassniki: https://ok.ru/profile/587634630450
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petrlozhkovoi
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Myrotvorets profile page: https://myrotvorets.center/criminal/lozhkovoj-petr-nikolaevich/

https://asafov.ru/person/lozhkovoj-petr-nikolaevich

Vehicles: Е811ВТ50, Х466ЕЕ777, Р697ЕС90, К480ОТ50, В820УО50, В619НС90

Lozhkov is also associated with the organization “Patrioty Stolitsy” (Patriots of the Capital).

A post in the chat of an assault battalion fighter with the call sign “Mordvin.”

** Interestingly, this news was shared by-Sornakov Vyacheslav Viktorovich,General Director of the regional public organization Patrioty Stolitsy (Patriots of the Capital). He reportedly took part in the annexation of Crimea in the spring of 2014 and later fought in Donbas. A Cossack‑Chernomorets from Moscow affiliated with KhKO “Vityaz”, Sornakov is linked to numerous groups in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. According to open sources, including the occupier’s social media, he also participated in the full‑scale invasion of Ukraine.**

Screenshot from the occupier’s social media on VKontakte (VK)

Source: https://www.audit-it.ru/contragent/1237700368036_roo-patrioty-stolitsy

REGIONAL PUBLIC ORGANIZATION OF COMBAT VETERANS AND MILITARY SERVICE VETERANS “Patrioty Stolitsy”
TIN: 9701250005
OGRN Assignment Date: 24 May 2023
Возраст: 1 год (регистрация 24.05.2023)
Age: 1 year (registered on 24 May 2023)
Address: 5, Room 9, Basmanny Municipal District, Moscow, 101000, Russia
Primary Activity: 94.99 – Activities of other public and non-profit organizations, excluding religious and political organizations
General Director: Sornakov Vyacheslav Viktorovich (TIN: 772814762301)

The organization ROO “Patrioty Stolitsy” cooperates with units via applications that can be submitted on their website, including with the Assault Battalion “Crimea.”

Source: Sornakov’s page on VKontakte

Source: https://patriot-moskow.ru/,https://archive.is/CybU4

It is noteworthy that nearly the entire leadership of the organization, as listed on its official website, has been involved in the conflict in Ukraine.

_Source: https://patriot-moskow.ru/_

A number of organizations are associated with the individual, including in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. According to the official Russian registry (EGRUL) at the time of publication, Sornakov, as the head of active organizations, is associated with:

  • SOYUZ “KURORTNYKH PREDPRIYATIY KRIMA”
    TIN: 7722401999
  • PAO “KRIMSKIE ZDRAVNITSY”
    TIN: 7728890591
  • KRIMSKAYA RESPUBLIKANSKAYA REGIONALNAYA OBSHCHESTVENNAYA ORGANIZATSIYA “TRUDOVAYA DOBLEST’”
    TIN: 9102247162
  • ROO “PATRIOTY STOLITSY”
    TIN: 9701250005

According to his biography, since 9 May 2015, Sornakov has also acted as the authorized representative of Bolgarsky Narodny Front and the Bolgarsky Obshchenarodny Soyuz “Boyevaya Druzhba.”

He has been serving as the General Director of ROO “Patrioty Stolitsy” since 24 May 2023.

Sornakov has held the following positions:

  • President of Soyuz “Kurortnykh Predpriyatiy Krima” since 28 October 2014.
  • Founder of the National Fund for the Support of Cultural and Historical Heritage “Nasledie,” Republic of Crimea.
  • Representative in the Republic of Crimea of the All-Russian Public Organization of Heroes, Recipients of State Awards, and Laureates of State Prizes “Trudovaya Doblest’ Rossii” since 4 May 2018.
  • Chairman of the Crimean Republican Regional Public Organization “Trudovaya Doblest’” since 18 August 2018.
  • Director of the All-Russian Public Organization “Russian Society of Construction Engineers” from 25 April 2019 to 30 October 2019.
  • General Director of PAO “Krimskie Zdravnitsy” from 19 September 2014 to 21 December 2016 (has recommendation).
  • Head of the Supply Department of the Great Don Army from 2015 to 2016.
  • Authorized Representative of the “Association of Crimean Resorts” since 21 March 2014 (has recommendation).
  • Authorized Representative of the “Bolgarsky Narodny Front” since 9 May 2015 (has recommendation).
  • Authorized Representative of the Bolgarsky Obshchenarodny Soyuz “Boyevaya Druzhba” since 9 May 2015 (has recommendation). Archived copy of the biography https://archive.is/CrQSd

Personal data. Sornakov Vyacheslav Viktorovich
Date of birth: 09.08.1968
Passport:

  • 4513266161 Issued by: Department of the Federal Migration Service of Russia for the Konkovo District, Moscow, 17 September 2013;
  • 4519523696 Issued by: Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Konkovo District, Moscow, 26 December 2019
    International Passport:
  • 451326616 Issued by: Department of the Federal Migration Service of Russia for the Konkovo District, Moscow;
  • 451952369 Issued by: Department of the Federal Migration Service of Russia for the Konkovo District, Moscow; 26.12.2019)
    INN (TIN): 772814762301
    SNILS: 00115036867
    Known addresses:
  • Republic of Crimea, Feodosiya, Korobkova Street, Building 14V, Apartment 28
  • Moscow, Vvedenskogo Street, Building 26, Block 2, Apartment 74Driver’s License:

Contacts:
Phone numbers: +79264387424, +74951291321, +79787073247, +74954209185, +74991291321
Telegram: https://t.me/+79264387424
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/+79264387424
VKontakte: https://vk.com/id306664360
Odnoklassniki: https://ok.ru/profile/515066627161
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009739536444
Email: [email protected], [email protected], crimea-
[email protected]
Myrotvorets profile page: https://myrotvorets.center/criminal/sornakov-vyacheslav-viktorovich/

Phone number tags (ru): Вячеслав, Mariya Aleksandrovna Lavrentyeva, Oksana Aleksandrovna Sornakova, Vyacheslav Viktorovich Sornakov, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Ignatyev, Konstantin Vladimirovich Lavrentyev, Сорнаков Вячеслав Викторович, Vichslaf Russia, Вечеслав Викторович Сорняков, Вячеслав аккредитация, Вячеслав Викторович С., Вячеслав Сорнаков, друг Худеков Штаб Вячеслав, Кококо, Сарнаков из Самбо, слава сорнаков, Сорнаков, Сорнаков Вечеслав Викторович, Сорнаков Слава, СорнаковСлава, Сорняков Вячеслав Викторович, أبوسلمان الاهجر, Вячеславмеред

Vehicles: У921МЕ197, Е176ЕХ77

Military Service: 11 December 1987 – 18 November 1989, served in the Soviet Army (Junior Sergeant).
Marital Status: Married
Wife: Sornakova Oksana Aleksandrovna, born 23 January 1980
Children:

  • Sornakov Daniil Vyacheslavovich, born 9 September 2005
  • Sornakov Aleksandr Vyacheslavovich, born 17 August 2015

Awards:

On the unit’s social media, including in the chat of a fighter with the call sign “Mordvin,” there was a message expressing gratitude to the Tavrida Group of Companies.

Curious about what kind of security outfit operates in Crimea, we started digging into the details. According to the company’s website (http://tavridarus.ru), the Tavrida Group of Companies has been active since 2015, offering security services across the entire Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Among the organizations that have entrusted the security of their facilities to the group are:

  • GUP RK “Krymgazseti” (armed and unarmed security)
  • GUP RK “Chernomorneftegaz” (armed security, mobile unit, rapid response team)
  • GUP RK “Voda Kryma” (unarmed security)
  • FGAOU VO “KFU named after V.I. Vernadsky” (unarmed security)
  • GUP RK “Krymavtodor” (unarmed security)
  • PAO “Rosseti” (armed security)
  • FGBU YAMMC FMBA of Russia (unarmed security)
  • GBUZ RK “RKB named after N.A. Semashko” (unarmed security)
  • GBUZ RK “KRKCFIP” (unarmed security)

The core administrative and management team is made up of reserve officers from Russia’s security and military agencies—FSB, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Ministry of Defense—many of whom have combat experience. Several members have been awarded high government honors.

Source: https://www.audit-it.ru/contragent/1159102130736_ooo-choo-tavrida-shchit

When we began investigating the leadership of the organization, one name immediately stood out: Fomenko, already mentioned in a 2019 investigation by The Insider, Bellingcat, and Der Spiegel — [“The Killer on a Bicycle II: Berlin Murderer Krasikov Served in FSB Spetsnaz ‘Vympel’.”]

Vadim Krasikov, a Russian security officer, was sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany for the 2019 assassination of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili on German soil. He was later exchanged in 2024. According to investigative materials, Krasikov served in the FSB Spetsnaz unit “Vympel” and, together with two other operatives from the same unit, took part in contract killings. One of these operatives is Fomenko.

Journalists noted that by 2019, information on this criminal case had been removed from the IBD-R (Integrated Regional Database). All that is publicly known is that it was a case under Article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code (murder). On 20 November 2014, two suspects were detained in connection with the case. The victim’s brother, Alexander Kozlov, has shared his account of the events.

Source: https://theins.ru/politika/191470

Fomenko keeps a low profile online, with little public information available about him. His photo rarely appears tagged on social media, and his wife—a lawyer who also serves as founder and head of several organizations—has not shared images either. Still, their appearances at public award ceremonies and a shared love of motorcycles have occasionally revealed his identity in photographs.

Fomenko at the center, receiving the awards

Personal data. Fomenko Vladimir Viktorovich

Date of birth: 23.06.1976
Passport: 2005650642; 3921597878
INN (TIN): 366503658989
SNILS: 03509083134
Known addresses:

  • Moscow, Akademika Anokhina Street, Building 34, Apartment 72
  • Crimea, Chistenkoye, Nizhny Quarter, Apartment 119

Contacts:
Phone numbers: +79789109488; +79672145232
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/+79789109488
Telegram: https://t.me/+79789109488 ID: 1761735295
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] SIP- [email protected], [email protected]

Phone number tags (ru): Фоменко Владислав Викторович, Фоменко Владимир Викторович, Фомичев Владимир, Kovrikall.Ru, Раковец Юрий, Фоменко В

Motorcycle: Yamaha FJR1300A, 2012 (appeared in sales listings)
Registration Number: 4833AT77
VIN: JYARP13D000000484

Indeed, Fomenko is a motorcycle enthusiast and has appeared in photos with the Harley-Davidson Club Russia.

Source: Harley-Davidson Club Russia | Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Owners Club. Founded in 2001

Here, Fomenko poses with Anton Sirotkin, the so-called Ataman of the Chernomorskoye Cossack Host and commander of the Cossack assault battalion “Tavrida,” in 2023. The photo, dated 20 April 2024, was taken during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of private security operations in Crimea.

Fomenko is associated with a number of organizations:

Source: https://www.audit-it.ru/contragent/fl/366503658989_fomenko-vladimir-viktorovich

As of the time of our publication, Fomenko Vladimir Viktorovich has a registered sole proprietorship (FOP) and is associated with several active organizations.

Head of Organizations:

  • LLC “LIDER” — TIN: 9102273420
  • LLC “PTB TAVRIDA” — TIN: 9102283700

Founder of Organizations:

  • LLC “CHOO TAVRIDA-SHCHIT” — TIN: 9102201129
  • LLC “LIDER” — TIN: 9102273420
  • LLC “PTB TAVRIDA” — TIN: 9102283700

Previously listed as a founder:
ANO DPO “TAVRIDA-CENTER”
Full Name: Autonomous Non-Profit Organization of Additional Professional Education “TAVRIDA-CENTER”
Address: 295011, Republic of Crimea, Simferopol, Kozlova Street, Building 30
Activity: Additional professional education

Now turning to his wife, who previously worked as a lawyer and is currently an interior designer, she is the founder of numerous organizations, not only in Crimea but also in Melitopol.

Personal data. Fomenko Natalia Gennadyevna

Date of birth: 03.07.1981
Passport: 4508100733 Issued by: OVD Troparyovo-Nikulino, UVD ZAO, Moscow, 24 October 2005
INN (TIN): 772903509710
Driver’s License: 9900458493
Known addresses:


From Natalia Fomenko’s VK page

https://www.audit-it.ru/contragent/1219200000370_ooo-choo-skala

Traditionally, men like Fomenko tend to have very “successful” wives—women who are founders and heads of multiple organizations. Therefore, we will list both active and dissolved organizations.

Source: List-org catalog; all information matches the Russian registries, so a screenshot from the catalog was used for convenience.