Some young Russian men have been doing everything they can to prevent being sent to fight in the Ukraine war for the past three decades. However, some Russians are eager to join a helicopter regiment and participate in what President Vladimir Putin has characterized as the struggle for his country’s survival. Russian bloggers who pro-war have referred to the system, Kaskad, as a” cushy for officials.” According to Kremlin monitors and military researchers, Kaskad has been called a “VIP unit” because it is based in an unknown area in a region of Russia that offers a career boost to politically-minded volunteers. However, Kaskad’s visits are frequently short-lived. And given that it is a drone system away from the front lines, experts claim that the chances of being in danger are comparatively low. Volunteers have documented their operations, and records pieced together by experts, and typically keep three to eight weeks, get plenty of photo ops with automatic rifles, and returning to their jobs with a character’s pleasant, according to numerous social media posts. Britain’s defense ministry stated last year that “enlisting with Kaskad allows aristocracy figures to bypass legal military support requirements with certain safety and possibly curry favor with the Kremlin.” According to president of the party, more than 270 pro-Kremlin local politicians and 200 junior members of the ruling United Russia group have served in Ukraine. At least six members of the parliament, lots of pro-Kremlin children activists, and even one spacecraft have done this in Kaskad. Twelve top St. Petersburg children wing users of United Russia joined Kaskad on the same day in November. Aleksandr Malikov was one of them when he immediately updated his account photo on social media, which shows a clean-shaven man holding an automatic rifle in front of a creating with broken windows and dust everywhere. Just a few weeks prior, Malikov was keeping a log of his activities on the local government. Malikov described his enlistment as a nationalist work, but he declined to discuss his position at Kaskad. Since 2022, Dmitri V. Sablin, a veteran member of parliament, has been in charge of Kaskad.” Ok, I keep doing the same thing I’ve been doing for countless centuries. I support my land and take an active role where I’m needed.” A camouflage-clad Sablin presented a Kaskad staff to reporters in 2023. Two soldiers were captured on video starting a fight helicopter from a field, and others were observing drone flights from a vault on a computer. According to Sablin, Kaskad has at least 54 personnel operating 10 different types of surveillance and combat drones along the front series. Kaskad has provided valuable assistance to the profession of some of its veterans. For example, Yevgeny Pervyshov was a low-ranking member of parliament when he joined Kaskad in November 2022. He was spotted by Putin at a televised conference and offered a job after his time with the regiment. Pervyshov became the first senior of the Ukrainian war to be elected government in November.
