Little green men (GRU)

Little green men (зелёные человечки, зелені чоловічки) is a colloquial expression referring to masked unmarked soldiers in green army uniforms wielding Russian military equipment within Ukraine. It was first used during the 2014 Crimean crisis, when said soldiers have occupied and blockaded most military bases in Crimea. Due to the green colour of their uniforms and modern weaponry local people started to call them martians too.

Russian Minister of Defence Sergey Shoygu dubbed the unknown soldiers polite people (вежливые люди, ввічливі люди).

Weapons and Equipment Analysis
In March 2014 the Finnish magazine Suomen Sotilas (Soldier of Finland) published an analysis of the weapons and equipment seen on photos of "little green men".

The article points to a number of weapons and pieces of equipment that it asserts is issued only to armed forces in the Russian Federation:
 * New EMR camouflage combat uniforms
 * New 6Sh112 tactical vest
 * New 6B27 composite helmet
 * New 7,62 mm PKP machine guns
 * 6B26 composite helmets (used only by airborne troops of the Russian Federation)
 * 6Sh92-5 tactical vest (used only by airborne troops of the Russian Federation)
 * Gorka-3 combat uniform (used only by Russian special forces and mountain troops)
 * Smersh AK/VOG tactical vest (used only by Russian special forces)

The article goes on to conclude that with a very high probability these troops are the 45th Guards Separate Reconnaissance Regiment of VDV, Kubinka, Moscow.

Official Russian reaction
At first President of Russia Vladimir Putin stated that the men in green were not part of Russian Armed Forces, but groups of local militia who had obtained their weapons from Ukrainians. The SACEUR of NATO Allied Command Operations General Philip Breedlove on the other hand asserted that these "green men" were in fact Russian troops.

In March 2014 Putin continued to back the Russian viewpoint, stating "the heavily armed, tightly co–ordinated groups who took over Crimea's airports and ports at the start of the incursion – they were merely spontaneous "self-defence groups" who may have acquired their Russian-looking uniforms from local [military] shops (voyentorg)". According to the Ukrainian Gun Owners Association, Ukrainian law does not allow the selling or carrying of firearms other than for hunting. Former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski has asked Putin to provide him with the address of a shop, in Ukraine or in Russia, where one can purchase "Buk", T-64 tank, or the anti-aircraft missile system known as "Strela".

On 17 April president Putin admitted for the first time publicly that Russian special forces were involved in the events of Crimea, for the purposes of protecting local people and creating conditions for a referendum. Later he admitted that Russian Armed Forces had blocked Ukrainian Armed Forces in Crimea during the events.

Russian Minister of Defence Sergey Shoygu answered on the question about the presence of Russian troops in Crimea that "Regarding the statements about use of Russian special forces in Ukrainian events, I can only say one thing – it's hard to search for a black cat in a dark room, especially if it's not there," and added cryptically that searching for the cat would be "stupid" if the cat is "intelligent, brave, and polite", from where the expression "polite men" came into being too.

Reappearance in Donbass
During the War in Donbass a Reuters correspondent reported from a settlement of Kolosky in Donetsk Oblast on 26 August 2014 that dozens of heavily-armed strangers with Russian accents have appeared at the weekend and set up a road block (about 10 kilometres from the Russian border).

The men had white arm bands, the same identifying mark that was worn by 10 men captured a few kilometers (miles) away by Ukrainian forces and who, in a video released on Tuesday (26 August 2014), said they were Russian paratroopers. A report by the BBC referred to the unmarked Russian forces in the Donbass as a "Ghost Army".

International reactions

 * 🇱🇻 The Minister of Defense of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis promised to shoot the little green men if they won't act peacefully.
 * 🇧🇾 On February 1, 2015, a doctrine came into effect stating "sending of armed groups, irregular forces, or mercenary groups who use arms against Belarus will trigger a declaration of war" and "concentration of foreign forces along the Belarusian border" will result in invoking martial law.