They were active just before and during the Russian annexation of Crimea and carried regular weapons and equipment, but were always masked and wore distinctly unmarked green military fatigues.

Between February and March 2014, these unmarked Russian soldiers occupied and blockaded the Simferopol International Airport,[2] most of Ukraine's Crimean military bases,[3] and the Supreme Council of Crimea.

[4][5] Russian media referred to them with the euphemism "polite people" (вежливые люди vezhlivye lyudi)[6][7] due to their well-mannered behaviour, as they kept to themselves and mostly made no effort to interfere with civilian life while also refusing to interact with journalists.

[16] 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".

[24] On 17 April 2014, President Putin admitted publicly for the first time that Russian special forces were involved in the events of Crimea, for the purposes of protecting local people and creating conditions for a referendum.