Neo-Nazi Espanola Brigade Raise Funds For Drones And Other Equipment Through Charitable Foundation Linked To Russian 'Green Alternative' Party

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January 13, 2025

Russia's 88th Reconnaissance and Sabotage Brigade is one of the most famous volunteer units of the Russian Army. The brigade is also one of the best equipped and has developed and deployed its own drones and electronic warfare (EW) systems and software. The brigade even has its own media department. This stands in striking contrast to other units of the Russian Army. Where do the funds for this brigade come from? The brigade solicits and receives donations from civilians, but it also has its own "patrons" and its own eponymous foundation for collecting funds. The fund, curiously, is managed by members of the Green Alternative party, who are possibly connected with the Kremlin.

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On January 1, 2025, a Russian war correspondent posted a video on his Telegram channel featuring a fighter from the 88th Reconnaissance and Sabotage Brigade. In the video, the fighter addresses people who support the unit, calling them "humanitarshik."[1] The servicemen stresses the difficulties the unit is experiencing with supplies and equipment: "Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank all those who help us from the rear ... without you, it would be much harder… simply many times harder."

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A screenshot from a post published on January 1, 2025 on the correspondant's Telegram channel. The caption reads: "We all know how much our brave 'humanitarshiks' do for the front. They are not afraid of distances, bad roads, or enemy drones. They know that the lives of our guys, and sometimes the success of entire operations, depend on whether they can deliver their cargo."

This unit is part of the "Volunteer Corps" of the Russian Defense Ministry. It is primarily comprised of football fans and hooligans. The brigade enjoys favorable media attention and has its own bureau for designing and testing military equipment. It also runs its own media center and charitable foundation. Members of the brigade sometimes express racist or supremacist views.

Discussing the funding of the brigade, the the brigade's Telegram channel noted the assistance provided by the "humanitarian wing" and "hundreds of mecenates" [i.e., sustaining patrons]. In an interview, the head of the brigade explained that the former group apparently consists of people sending equipment or supplies to the front: drones, gear, food products, etc. The latter category of patrons is not discussed the post. However, the Brigade makes a clear distinction between the "humanitarshiks" of which there are "hundreds of thousands," and the patrons, of which there are only "hundreds."

Examining the financial channels through which funds are being collected for the brigade's dedicated foundation, it is possible that the patrons also provide financial assistance through this fund. Several fund-raising campaigns for the brigade can be found on social media. For instance, a Telegram channel conducts such campaigns. It should be noted that when the brigade uses the term "humanitarian aid," it often refers to military equipment, such as FPV drones. One of the posts of the fundraising Telegram channel states this directly: "Friends! Thank you for participating in our charity fundraising campaigns for drones for the [redacted] unit!!! You are saving the lives of the guys, because a drone … helps to avoid approaching enemy lines through minefields, while allowing for surveillance of the enemy, and the organization of effective attacks!" This also indicates that the people who send such "humanitarian aid" have no illusions about the nature of the use of their funds. Civilian goods and food products are also being sent to the regiment.

The political activity of one of the founders of the brigade shows a possible connection to the Kremlin. One founder, before registering the party in 2020, was a member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Natural Resources for several years as well as a member of the Public Chamber of the Moscow Oblast, and a member of ecological movement, "Locals." The Green Alternative party, apart from its activities with famous artists and musicians, has not distinguished itself in any other way, except for receiving two deputy seats in regional parliaments: In 2020, the party overcame the electoral barrier in the Legislative Assembly of the Chelyabinsk Oblast, gaining only 5.36% and the State Council of the Komi Republic (10%), which allowed it to receive the rare right in Russia to participate in the State Duma elections of 2021 without collecting signatures. The lack of the required number of signatures, as well as the presence of invalid ones, are a common argument asserted by Russian election commissions to deny "opposition parties" access to the elections.

A popular writer and politician who managed to register the pro-Kremlin party, "For Truth," in 2020, noted in an interview with RTVI media that he received approval for the creation of the party from presidential administration officials. There is no direct evidence of the administration being involved in the registration or campaign of the party; he later claimed that his words had been taken out of context. Be that as it may, after failing to win a single chair in 2021, the party did not participate in any elections, and seemingly did not engage in any further political activity.

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One of the founders of the brigade's fundraising group.

 

[1] "Humanitarshik" comes from the word, "humanitarian [aid]," i.e., a person who provides humanitarian aid.

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