Lessons of war in Ukraine

A dozen men of different ages in camouflage clothing glide stealthily through the courtyard of an old summer camp with intent to assault the abandoned facilities of the pioneers, the organization that brought together and educated the children of the Soviet Union. In a forest, near the Ukrainian Borispol airport, near Kiev,  five days crash courses to seek training in combat techniques are taught at a “training center”. The head of the camp, which is presented as Viacheslav, has agreed to speak, thanks to a veteran of Afghanistan, known for his involvement in the Maidan. The veteran works now as the quartermaster at these facilities.

As a condition to talk Viacheslav calls for no photos or names. The head of the camp says he is 41 years old, come from Nikolayev, south of the country, working as an engineer and lived in Kiev for 13 years. It’s Russian-speaking home and took his face masked in the Maidan. “Two thirds of our cadets come from the East, Central and Southern Ukraine and only a third of the west. The most common myth is that the protagonists of the Maidan are zapadentsi (western people). Half the Maidan spoke Russian. “The line of cleavage in Ukraine, it is not the language but the patriotism, the attitude towards the country,” he says.

Although the cadets fire with plastic bullets, this is not a game. Of the 50 participants in the course of fighting arts, ten marching today (Thursday afternoon) to Lugansk unfinished training in view of the tension in this eastern region. ” If they survive two much longer,” says the veteran of Afghanistan, spreading skepticism about the adequacy of the preparation system.

“The program is very short, because people have families and jobs that you want to preserve, but is motivated willing to take up arms to defend the country from foreign occupation and confront armed bandits in the East,” said Viacheslav. The training center is a joint project of several entities, including the heir to the ancient DOSAF, “patriotic organizations ” and ” private donations “. “The state does not fund us, but Muller us. The heads of the military and security structures know what we do and come to us to help them prepare their people. “

” The deputy defense minister has ordered us to prepare reservists for the Army,” he says and adds: “This morning came the guardians of the Security Service of Ukraine to see how we work.” ” In the old DOSAF we changed the old managers with new, they went to the Baltic republics to study their experience. In our preparation there is a vertical rigid power. If people say they want to go to Slaviansk (the center of separatist protests in Donetsk), we can not forbid it, “he says.

Per person, the cost of the five-day course is 800 UAH, including three meals and ammunition. The support of the sponsors can cover half of those costs. The rest is paid out of pocket cadets. ” ” Instructors have combat experience and some fresh Slaviansk experience at the highest level. Here’s a colonel and a lieutenant colonel working for very little, enough so that their wives are not irritated. This is not a commercial project, “he says, and claims that the camp have spent hundreds of people.

Viacheslav says he knows the military themes of ” practical way “. “In 1995 I was in the Caucasus and travel around a bit. I was in Chechnya and I know what awaits us if the Russian Army coming. “I apply here the information I collected in the Caucasus,” he says, and adds: ” In Chechnya the Russian army behaved as an occupier in their own territory, so if acted well in their own country, what can we expect in Ukraine? “. The head of the camp declined to answer whether he personally fought against Russia in the breakaway Caucasian republic. ” I do not want to discuss that topic but I was there and I know many things by myself,” he says. In partisan struggle methods taught in the camp has taken into account the experience of Chechnya and Yugoslavia, accurate.

Viacheslav expected to model this pioneer camp spread elsewhere, something like a franchise of military training. “We founded this camp because there is a certain amount of motivated people willing to take up arms and resist and must be taught to think. Not enough to run and shoot. Here must learn to survive. The important thing is not reaching them and can cause harm. The only way to stop convoys Russia is producing coffins and that is the task of these guys turn every village, every city in Grozny (the capital of the republic of Chechnya, destroyed during the war) and function as a machine that manufactures bodies of Russian soldiers. ” ” The most important thing is that our people should get to safety after his operation to attack again. If you take the initiative and act properly, they can beat the special intervention units prepared for years. Our mission is to sting and leave, to return to sting. We manufacture a web that should envelop the enemy. ” His words are boastful resonances, considering how the Ukrainian Army was inhibited in Crimea. ” Now a new army is forged ” he says.

Viacheslav complains that the munitions have doubled in price. ” The factory produced Lugansk where bullets have been busy and does not work. If we paid before 5 hryvnias (about 33 cents) per unit, paid 10 now and are difficult to get, ” he says. He also complains about the lack of helmets, vests, visors rifles, and communications systems. “Cheap does not work. A bulletproof vest is UAH 1,000 holes when they shoot. To ensure you do not have to pay 4,000 holes, because good is expensive. “

The presidential election will give greater legitimacy to the authorities in Kiev against the “armed gangs”, he thinks. ” After the election, anyone who goes around with weapons in hand should be exterminated and the first duty of government is to order.” ” One thing is the armed gangs, who are sure of their impunity and know that the authorities are weak and that Russia will help and something else will they know that authorities are legitimate, that Russia will not come and that the State intends going to the end. “

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Posted by Shakira Subhani on May 25 2014. Filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.