The events of March through June of the past year were the result of the Kremlin’s plan, prepared a long time ago. There are many lessons we have to learn from this.

[Back in March of 2014] people rose to organize meetings and to seize government offices under a slogan of lustration of the criminal state and local authorities. Representatives of the local authorities, Russian FSB and GRU, and local organized crime were among the first at these meetings or somewhere very close (as instigators).  90% of the locals stepped aside and were making their mind whom to join. The other 10% included members of local gangs, local authorities, well informed and prepared ahead of time, and Russian FSB and  GRU officers, relocated in advance (I am still curious what were the SBU, the GPU, the Interior Ministry and other Ukrainian special services doing at that time?!).

As for the Russian troops, there is no need to discuss this subject – they WERE here, they ARE here and they are definitely RUSSIAN troops and equipment.

National and ethnic policies (especially personnel policy) in the Donbas have always been like this: the Russians were everywhere, the Ukrainians were at the bottom, and the Armenians provided combat support and protection for the local criminal elite.

The events of May 14-17 made things clear to many of us, but it was too late. The power was seized by yesterday’s criminals and pseudo Ukrainian citizens who had come from the great and mighty Russia. The first provided the initial seizure of power, destabilization of the situation in the region, and initial monitoring of the locals’ and the Kyiv government’s reaction to the events. The latter sought and recruited their “loyal people” among the crowd of local “sheep”. Back in April-May, there were Russian officers and Chechen fighters in the city. Many of my countrymen saw them but stubbornly turned their gaze away hoping that this horror would disappear by itself. It didn’t.

Today, the Russian media, unlike the Ukrainian, works promptly and professionally. They follow excellently the law of initial information. The order and presentation of information (“sheep” preparation), as well as Russian weapons, are much better than ours. Our media certainly knows better, but only from within, everyone can see that every time its attempts look more and more awkward and incomplete. Many, many citizens of Horlivka want to believe our authorities, want to live in a peaceful Ukraine and watch Ukrainian news. They want to, but they can’t. Previously, there were attempts to restore broadcasting of the Ukrainian TV channels in the city and now they have stopped. Why are our people betrayed so much?

The DNR’s insurgents (saying “DNR” we mean “Russia”) don’t let anyone down. After shelling the city by themselves (numerous times hundreds of citizens of Horlivka have witnessed this!!!), the Russian troops, with support of “the most honest media”, begin “justifiable” shootings back at positions of the Ukrainian armed forces.

We believe in the truce and hope for it even more then anybody else (though it’s hard to understand from the outside), but experience shows that the Russians and local gangs will definitely break it to justify the shelling of the city and its outskirts (also, as a form of the Russian “economic sanctions” against Ukraine by destroying the infrastructure and residential neighborhoods, by looting and demolishing industrial plants). Covered with blood, local criminals are not happy about a withdrawal of Russian troops from the city, because it means death for them and, believe me, not from the hands of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Soon, a lot of blood will be shed without help from the OSCE representatives. Many do not want to leave this place empty-handed. Despite the fact that the city has been heavily shelled, there is still a lot of targets for local and Russian marauders.

People live here, but this hardly can be called a life. They sleep at night, but their sleep is short and worrisome. They go to work, but cannot fully understand why, and what’s more important, whom they work for. They protect their children, but cannot even predict what will happen the next day, and this is the heaviest burden for every parent.

It’s hard to describe everything at once! There is so much inside of us that seeks its way out: resentment, anger, worries about the loved ones who managed to escape the city and those who have stayed. Here, reality got mixed up with a terrible nightmare. The only thing that really remains indestructible is hope and faith in our country. It is not the first time we are on the brink of tragedy, and it’s not the last time; we will leave this hopelessness as winners with our heads up high!!!

 

A resident of Horlivka Arthur Kornik wrote this article specially for INFORMNAPALM.ORG. While reprinting, the link to our site and references to the author are essential.

Original article translated by Private, edited by Sveta Kemblowski