Russian forces have turned Mariupol and nearby areas into a network of military bases and training ranges. The main site is a range on the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions near the settlements of Urzuf and Kulikovske.
As Petro Andryushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, said in an interview with 24 Kanal, the range was previously used by Ukraine’s military - specifically the Azov Regiment trained there.
According to him, the range starts at Urzuf and stretches to an airfield near Berdyansk. In peacetime it was part of tourist infrastructure.
Andryushchenko said Russia’s army has two additional ranges: one northwest of Mariupol and another northeast.
One range is in Yurivka, which also hosted a military base that, according to Andryushchenko, was destroyed several years ago by precise Ukrainian missile strikes. Urzuf, previously mentioned, now serves as a base for Russian army officers.
Bases for Russian units are concentrated mainly in the Novoazovsk district, about 45 kilometers from Mariupol. Andryushchenko noted that a GRU special forces headquarters in Berdyanske, Novoazovsk district, was recently destroyed.
“There are several more Russian locations - Sopyne, Vynohradne, Bezymenne,” the former official said.
Near Bezymenne, he added, an open area has been set up for training Russian intelligence operatives and senior officers.
“In addition, in 2024 the occupiers built a large tank training ground north of Novoazovsk, where drills involving armored vehicles are held,” Andryushchenko said.
