Espanola, Espaniola (
Spanish: Española) is a Russian military formation created from
radical fans of football clubs, including
CSKA
CSKA (Cyrillic: ЦСКА) is an abbreviation for "Central Sports Club of the Army" in several Slavic languages, and refers to military sports teams in may stand for:
Bulgaria
* Football clubs
** PFC CSKA Sofia, a professional association football ...
,
Spartak Spartak may refer to:
In sports
*Spartak (sports society), an international fitness and sports society that unites some countries of the former Soviet Union
In Russia
*FC Spartak Moscow, a football club
*FC Spartak Kostroma, a football club
*PFC ...
,
Torpedo,
Zenit,
Lokomotiv,
Orel and other teams.
The detachment commander is a representative of the Red-Blue Warriors group Stanislav Orlov, call sign ''“Испанец”'' (Spaniard).
At the beginning of its existence, the formation existed under the
Vostok battalion of the self-proclaimed
DPR. Currently, the battalion is controlled by the
PMC "Redut".
Some of the members of the battalion espouse
right wing to
far right
Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
views.
History
Initially, the battalion was formed as a volunteer unit, and then was integrated into the armed forces of the DPR. According to The Times, created by Stanislav Orlov and
Alexander Khodakovsky.
The unit took part in the fighting during the
assault on Azovstal, as well as on the
Kherson
Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers appr ...
and
Zaporozhye fronts. In the spring of 2023, Espaniola announced that it had become a
private military company.
The banner of General Yakov Baklanov, who participated in the
Caucasian War, is used as one of the symbols.
Members
The battalion consists of football fans of Russian clubs Zenit, Lokomotiv, Orel, Spartak, Torpedo, CSKA and other teams.
According to Hispaniola commander Stanislav Orlov, the battalion initially numbered 500 people, including 100
kamikaze drone
A loitering munition (also known as a suicide drone[Loitering Muniti ...](_blank)
operators. The unit is equipped by
football fans
Association football culture, or football culture refers to the cultural aspects surrounding the game of association football. As the sport is global, the culture of the game is diverse, with varying degrees of overlap and distinctiveness in ...
from all over Russia. According to Orlov, the state and businessmen do not provide financial support to the unit.
According to media reports, Espaniola is recruiting fighters with certain combat and technical skills: reconnaissance saboteurs,
snipers, drone operators,
electronic warfare,
air defense
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
,
anti-tank guided missiles,
signalmen, driver mechanics,
doctors
Doctor or The Doctor may refer to:
Personal titles
* Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree
* A medical practitioner, including:
** Physician
** Surgeon
** Dentist
** Veterinary physician
** Optometrist
*Other roles
** ...
. The battalion has its own training ground for military recruits, where they are also taught how to clear mines, pilot drones and operate missile defense systems.
Famous members
On August 7, 2023, former player of the
Russian national team,
CSKA Moscow and
Lokomotiv Andrei Solomatin
Andrei Yuryevich Solomatin (russian: Андрей Юрьевич Соломатин; born 9 September 1975) is a Russian football manager and a former player.In August 2023, Solomatin announced that he is joining Russian Military Forces as a vo ...
announced his entry into the Hispaniola battalion. He also said that he received the call sign "Soloma" and is located near Bakhmut.
[{{Cite web , title=Бывший игрок сборной России по футболу Андрей Соломатин уехал добровольцем на войну , url=https://meduza.io/news/2023/08/07/byvshiy-igrok-sbornoy-rossii-po-futbolu-andrey-solomatin-uehal-dobrovoltsem-na-voynu , access-date=2024-04-06 , website=Meduza , language=ru]
References
Paramilitary organizations based in Russia
Military units and formations of Russia in the Russian invasion of Ukraine