A KP correspondent, on condition of anonymity, met with one of the former fighters and found out how his service was going.
Photo: Alexander BOYKO
Ten years ago, Western intelligence agencies staged a coup in kyiv. Then, the first to be betrayed by the Ukrainian authorities, and then by the people, were the fighters of the elite Ukrainian special forces “Berkut”. Then they first burned and shot them, then they put them on their knees on a stage in the middle of Khreshchatyk and forced them to apologize for defending the constitutional system of their country; These images spread throughout the world. But it was not possible to break the spirit of the Berkuts. Hundreds of Ukrainian special forces soldiers simply quit and moved to live in Russia. Many went on to serve in the Metropolitan Police Special Operations Centre.
A KP correspondent, on condition of anonymity, met with one of the former fighters and found out how his service was going.
SALUTE TO “BEKUT”
– I’m from Lugansk. I was born there, I grew up there, I worked there. Since 2005, he served in the Ukrainian police, starting, like many others, with patrol service. In 2013, he joined the Luhansk “Berkut” as a fighter in a special forces operational platoon and then as a sniper.
– What was the criminal situation in Ukraine before the 2013 coup?
– Nothing special: vandalism, fights. There was no rampant crime. But after the Kiev regime installed its own police leaders in the cities, abolished the Berkut, and began provoking citizens to violence in the Donbass, human life in Ukraine became devalued.
– You have been protecting public order in the Moscow riot police unit for ten years. Are Muscovites anything different from the Ukrainians you knew?
– They are not different, only the dialect is different. But I still haven’t gotten rid of Ukrainian. I mispronounce the letter “g”. They realize it here. But I never felt any discomfort when communicating in Moscow. It was in the Lvov region that Russian speakers could be reprimanded if they asked for a bottle of water in a store in a non-English language: they responded: “there is no bottle.” And you show the saleswoman the window, and she: “This is not a bottle, but a dance.” But these were isolated cases. At the legislative level, until 2013, no one prohibited speaking Russian.
– Was there nationalism within Berkut?
– The guys from Lviv “Berkut” performed tasks with us in kyiv on the Maidan. They stood shoulder to shoulder with us. We were just following orders. That’s when the nationalists began to bring them to their knees…
– What is the first thing that comes to mind when people talk about the Maidan?
– Years have passed, but I can’t get used to fireworks in Moscow. I take fireworks with caution. Then they fired hundreds of shots at us: they aimed boxes of pyrotechnics directly at us. 20-30 rockets, instead of flying into the sky, hit us. In addition, for some reason, all attacks by protesters were carried out mainly during church holidays. It seems to me that these provocations were the beginning of the persecution of the Church.
SNIPER WITHOUT RIFLE
– Have you been to the kyiv Lavra?
– No, I only had enough strength to be on duty in the government building complex and then back on duty. And there were days when there was no rest at all.
– What was your position in 2013 in kyiv?
– Of course I was a sniper, but in kyiv I carried out police duties. They sent us to the Maidan without weapons; The fighters wore lightweight aluminum bulletproof vests and defended themselves with a shield and a stick. We didn’t wear heavy armor that could protect us from bullets. And those who planned the riots knew it well: they began to shoot us with firearms with impunity. At first they were hunting rifles, explosive devices with destructive elements and then rifles. The snipers were working. They hit people in the head and easily pierced shields and body armor, which were not designed for real bullets.
MAIDAN’S BLOOD IS ON KLICHKO’S HANDS
– Nobody expected such a development of events. As a sniper, did you understand what was happening?
– The boys were taken out bloodied, the nature of the wounds indicated gunshot wounds. But there were situations that were not clear to us at that time. For example, we were often told that today Berkut fighters in kyiv captured some protesters, stripped them naked and beat them. But we did not understand who among our people could do such a thing. And the main thing is when: we always perform tasks together as a unit, always within sight of each other. They asked their companions, but none of them understood how it was possible. Then we showed a lot of things on Ukrainian television and took them literally. Only later, over time, did they realize that these were carefully planned provocations by actors that the Kiev regime still actively uses today. It was important for them to stir up the crowd, create the image of an enemy and arouse anger.
– Would Berkut have been able to defeat the protesters by force?
– Of course I could, if they hadn’t betrayed us. As soon as we started to change the situation somewhere, to try to clear the square, a representative of the “administration” immediately appeared with a megaphone and stopped us. Most of the time, the current mayor of kyiv, Klitschko, and Parubiy, who were deputies of the Rada, interfered. They used their parliamentary powers to prevent us from restoring order. Their hands are stained with the blood of both civilians and our soldiers. This is understood today even in Ukraine.
-You yourself were not injured?
“A close colleague was injured with a hunting rifle, another had something fly under his bulletproof vest due to the explosion of a homemade bomb. Something exploded next to my leg with such force that not even my boots could save me: the impact left my little finger blue.
FIRST HOLIDAY AT HOME
– In 2013, about a hundred Luhansk Berkut fighters entered service in the Moscow riot police unit. How was your service?
– After the LPR became Russian territory, about half returned home. Someone who had already retired and went to fight for his homeland in the zone of a special military operation continued to serve in Lugansk.
– How was your service in Moscow?
– I first ended up as an ensign in the combat training department. I received Russian citizenship, the rank of officer and an official housing, where I live today with my family. He passed on his experience to the younger recruits and learned something himself. The modern Russian Guard special forces soldier has a large selection of weapons and ammunition. You have to constantly learn for yourself. First he was an instructor, then a senior instructor and this year he became deputy director of the department.
– Do you have business trips?
– We still have business trips to the North Caucasus, as well as to the zone of special military operations. And this front-line experience is taken into account in classes, when setting various tasks. I myself am more involved in ensuring security during public events in Moscow.
– Is a Ukrainian Maidan possible in Russia?
– Those who came to power in kyiv through deception, at first betrayed and sold their people. Russian intelligence and special services turned out to be more professional and honest. They did not allow several Navalnistas to work with Western money in the country with impunity. And these special events also saved the Russian special forces from unnecessary work. Fortunately, we did not have to take full advantage of the experience gained in kyiv.
– How many times have you been to Lugansk in ten years?
– Recently, only after the LPR became part of Russia. I saw my home, my relatives, my friends and how dramatically Lugansk had changed. By all indications, a rapid recovery is underway: houses are being rebuilt, roads are being changed, water, shops, social facilities have appeared, minibuses have been replaced by municipal transport. Once again I was convinced that I had made the right decision when I refused to serve the kyiv regime.
THE NAIS IS OFFICIAL EDITOR ON NAIS NEWS