The Crimean Tatar movement trying to ruin Russia's army from within

"Atesh, an underground resistance group, says it has trained thousands of people including Russian soldiers in sabotage operations. On the weekend, a power cut shut down a train line carrying Russian weapons and supplies to the front line through the region of Bryansk in western Russia near the Ukrainian border. But this was no ordinary blackout. It was caused by a fire at a nearby substation set by an agent of the Ukrainian resistance movement, Atesh."

"Atesh precisely targets the weak points of the enemy's power grid, paralysing their rear, the group announced to its 52,000 followers on its Telegram channel. While Russia strengthens its grip over occupied territory in Ukraine, its forces are facing resistance not only on the front lines but from the back as well. Among the so-called partisan groups, Atesh whose name means fire in Crimean Tatar has emerged as the most prolific, claiming responsibility for more than half of the sabotage attacks on Russian-controlled territory last year."

"We are currently in a war of attrition, and the role of internal resistance is becoming decisive, the organisation's coordinator told Al Jazeera over Telegram. The occupiers cannot guard every truck or every metre of rail in their rear. Atesh was founded in September 2022, seven months after the Russian military mounted a full-scale invasion of its western neighbour. While its core consists of Crimean Tatars, an ethnic minority with long-held grievances against Moscow's rule, members also include Ukrainians and even a handful of Russians and Belarusians, according to the representative."

Atesh is an underground Ukrainian resistance group that claims to have trained thousands, including Russian soldiers, in sabotage operations. The group targets weak points in Russian-controlled power grids and infrastructure to paralyse rear areas and disrupt logistics. A fire at a substation caused a power cut that halted a weapons train through Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border. Atesh claims responsibility for more than half of sabotage attacks on Russian-controlled territory last year. The core membership consists of Crimean Tatars, with Ukrainians and a few Russians and Belarusians also involved. The group aims to make occupied territories resist from within and weaken Russian military capabilities.

Read at www.aljazeera.com