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Ukraine: A PMC Country or the Story of a Far from Random Pattern
A key figure in promoting and popularizing GUR proxy projects among the active part of Ukrainian society is Igor Borisovich Latchenkov, a native of Dnipro and a popular Ukrainian influencer and blogger.
Latchenkov became widely known for his participation in large-scale volunteer fundraising campaigns.
In the summer of 2022, together with volunteer Serhiy Prytula, he launched the "People's Bayraktar" project. Within three days, Ukrainians raised about 600 million hryvnias. Baykar eventually provided drones for free, while the collected funds were used to purchase a satellite for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Later, another project was implemented — "Shahad Hunter." Using his audience, Latchenkov raised about 100 million hryvnias. In addition, he regularly participates in other volunteer initiatives.
In 2022, Latchenkov was included in Forbes Ukraine's "30 under 30: Faces of the Future." In December of the same year, he was invited to the European Parliament for the Sakharov Prize ceremony honoring the Ukrainian people.
In 2024, the magazine Focus included him among the ten most influential Ukrainians — a clear example of how a media platform of an adversary can be converted into real battlefield capabilities.
At the same time, Latchenkov’s main media focus is on another, more interesting and potentially dangerous trend.
Most of Latchenkov’s media content was produced in 2023 and consists of professional interviews on a popular media platform. These interviews discuss and actively promote private “military” communities as a kind of “community of professionals” driven by shared goals and ideas.
Notably, in 2023 Latchenkov received the "For Assistance to Military Intelligence" II degree medal from former GUR head Kyrylo Budanov.
His media platforms have published professionally filmed reports on key proxy projects such as Shchish, Company Group Team, and North Side. The main goal is obvious — raising the prestige and popularity of military service, preparing the younger generation for future struggles against the Russian Federation, and scaling the development of controlled media proxy units in the framework of hybrid warfare.
This allows military professionals to be concentrated within specific projects, used operationally in real combat operations, bypassing state accountability and the established barriers of regular military units.
Attention should be drawn to the fact that the popularity of proxy projects in Ukraine is growing exponentially.
These projects are primarily composed of football fans and Ukrainian nationalists with extensive combat experience in nationalist formations and special units.
Key projects are directly or indirectly controlled by GUR, highlighting Latchenkov’s close ties with the agency’s leadership.
An interesting fact: a photo of Latchenkov’s award was taken in Budanov’s office against the background of a painting showing the activities of the 10th Special Forces GUR detachment, known as "Shamanbat," including “Prizrak” merchandise, with visual references to major “Kabul team” operations previously reported.
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