“As respected Anatoly has said, I shall read some text first. I did not learn it by heart, pardon me. But be absolutely sure that all these thoughts, these words are mine, entirely, from the beginning to the end. I start.
Today a whole month has passed since the moment when I had to abandon the posts of the Minister of Defence and of the Militia commander of the Donetsk Peoples Republic. I can not say this decision came easy to me. The circumstances of making this decision were uneasy, too. Donetsk and all the DPR forces were in operative encirclement, with great difficulties they were repelling incessant punishers’ attacks from every direction. And only a few persons of the leadership of our republic were aware of the fact that the situation had to change in the next few days and that the enemy would suffer a serious, cruel defeat in a few days. I was one of those few, but I could not even hint to any of my subordinates that in the next few days we would begin to advance and to regain the positions seized by the enemy. It was even harder to me to realize that the liberation of Donbas cities and towns, including those abandoned by my personal order, would be led without me. Morally, it was hard to leave my comrades, so to say, in the hour just before the dawn when the night was the darkest, when the ruin of our cause seemed inevitable to many of us. I will not focus on the circumstances which forced my resignation. I shall just say that the decision made has paid off. It allowed to concentrate the command of the DPR military forces in one hands just before our onset, to avoid many conflicts gnawing the republic like leprosy, and also to provide the reliable supply of our troops with all necessary goods.
In the past few weeks the situation in the fronts of New Russia has changed radically. In the most directions the punishers had been repelled, suffered huge losses and turned to defence. The background has formed for total liberation of Donbas territory from punitive forces and from Kiev government’s troops. Under the blows of the DPR army the enemy backed to west, snapping back, the enemy troops and leadership were seized with panic. But what happened next? Before our eyes, those entities have meddled into the affair which had nearly destroyed the “Russian Spring” earlier and have never given up the attempts to crush the national liberation movement of the Russian people of New Russia ever since. There is no meanness they would refuse to go for, those entities which showed up repeatedly in our homeland’s history in the most sinister way. Indeed, they, under control from abroad, played the central part in the USSR breakdown in 1991. Then, through all 90s, they openly scoffed at USSR peoples, having unleashed the orgy of plundering the great Soviet economical and cultural heritage. They conducted their liberal experiments on the remnants of our homeland with appalling consequences, without any care about the consequences for the country they name until now with the contemptuous term “this”. The orgy of breakdown was going with bloody wars they provoked, with wild raging of criminality, of immorality, with moral degradation, with propaganda of every disgusting vice one can think of, with cancellation of the economical independence and of the foreign policy sovereignity. Even after the failure or their attempts to finish off completely with Russia in the beginning of 2000s, those entities have never disappeared, and they continued their destructive work secretly, hoping that once their time would come again and they would complete what they have begun. However, when the dawn of the “Russian Spring” came over horizon, as soon as our country began to rise from its knees, not in words but for real, began to try to reconceive the outcome of the Gorbachov’s capitulation and to regain the rights and the territories belonging to it from the days of yore, to strive for real independence, the fifth column has promptly mobilized all its forces available. Not only the returning of Crimea to Russia caused their shock and the New Russia rebellion caused a real panic, but all this caused them to show their real face again. All the numerous agents have been alarmed and thrown into the battle, those who wore the attires of patriots and statesmen successfully for years and under this cover penetrated the top authority ranks and even the Russian president’s circle. Virtually acting against the interests of the state and of the nation, these traitors still keep on claiming impudently that they are the president’s friends, and to pose their obviously disruptive and sabotaging acts as the only correct methods of fortifying the Russian statehood. You may ask: what is the origin of such impudence and such belief in their impregnability? The explanation is quite simple. Everything valuable for the members of the fifth column, that is, money and other material resources, as well as families and offsprings, have been passed abroad long ago, and the safety of all these depends entirely on favour of their foreign lords.
For five months of struggle, the Russian people of New Russia have fully felt the yield of such sabotage actions. In the moment when the Russian military aid was vital for practically unarmed militia, when it could allow nearly bloodless liberation of all Russian-speaking regions, the agents of influence unitedly howled about impossibility and inadmissibility of direct military aid to the rebels. While the punishers were burning people in Odessa, raking Slavyansk with heavy artillery and urgently forming the battle-worthy army, their accomplices who penetrated in the Russian foreign policy leadership were not only sabotaging any military or political aid to the rebels, but in close interaction with Poroshenko, Turchinov, Akhmetov, Taruta and other representatives of the Ukrainian oligarchy they were bringing dissent in the ranks of the leadership of the militia, hindering the formation of the unite command, and combining their efforts in attempts to direct the Russian president into the traps they had set. The steadfastness and dedication of the militia did not let the punishers suppress the rebellion until the moment when the real aid from Russia has reached its destination. The militia has advanced to the offensive. But even here the traitors have showed themselves to the full extent. They have promptly lent helping hands to the punitive army balancing on the edge of utter rout, settling up the truce and trying to give up in course of negotiations virtually all gains of the rebels, leaving them to the tender mercies of the Kiev junta. One can not think of more disgraceful agreements than those being discussed in Minsk now. And meanwhile, Kiev is urgently reinforcing, rearming and training its army, preparing to go on with the genocide of Russians in New Russia. As the result, we have just the same situation as in the very beginning of our movement, but with far more difficult initial conditions. While back in April and May Kiev had neither battle-worthy army nor people’s support, now the punishers have been mobilized and armed to the teeth, and the Ukrainian population which fell under heavy pressure of propaganda with wide use of the neurolinguistic programming methods, is zombied to a significant extent and unable to tell a truth from a lie and black from white anymore. Also, in these months several packages of economic sanctions have been imposed on Russia, and from top-ranking militaries and diplomats of the Western countries nearly forgotten complaints about Abkhazia and South Ossetia began to sound again. Explicit threats also come from the Islamist militants controlled by America. The preparations are being made for long and serious war against Russia. The West and the fifth column are hardly bothering to hide their plans for overthrowing the president Putin and following total dismantlement of Russia. Their agents of influence are doing their best to convince the leadership of our country that reconciliation is not only possible but solely necessary. The fact that nothing but total capitulation would satisfy the enemies of Russia is being thoroughly concealed from the society, and even from the president, I admit.
Thus, every relatively favourable chance Russia had this spring, has been balked. On the contrary, now we face the war threat continually growing. The merit of the fifth column in this result is incontestable. But why did our liberals stand up so uncompromising, maybe even suicidally against the president and his course? How did they get so brave to challenge him and his policy? In my opinion, there are two basic factors, and the first one is that the fifth column as well has no other way but rebellion, hidden though for now, but only for now. The ‘revolution from the top” began by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin does not leave them any chance for political survival, and barely moving to their foreign estates deserved by their back-breaking toil is not permitted by their foreign lords. The second factor is even more obvious. Holding serious positions in the authorities and considerable financial resources, these traitors really hope to seize power for themselves and to continue in ecstasy a new stage of the process of cutting up the remnants of the country once great and of utilization of the peoples inhabiting it. But to realize this plan they still have to perform a number of preliminary actions. Primarily, they have to deprive the president Putin of the broadest people’s support he has deserved as the result of the internal and foreign policy actions in the past years. What could be more beneficial for this cause than giving up Russians in New Russia with imposing all responsibility for it on the president personally? Because the representatives of the fifth column always carefully keep in his shade, like hyenas, avoiding any publicity.
The route marked by our enemies for us is seen absolutely clear. The longest possible protraction of the war with maximum of victims and privations for Russian population on either side of the border is their task. Depriving the militia of every chance to win, creating at the Russian border a sore bleeding more and more where Russia will have to pour drop by drop its resources and where the policy of “a step forward, two steps back” will not result in any decisive success. Along with it the Russian Federation will be burdened by the growing weight of hundreds of thousand, and later on, of millions refugees, and the Western sanctions will gradually undermine the financial and economical health of our country, especially because our home-bred oligarchs will try to relay all the expenses related on the broad masses of people. And in the end, the traitors hope to lead the situation to the conclusion of the most disgraceful and humiliating peace treaty with betraying the Russian population of Ukraine, to provoke an extra wave of indignation in Russia. And then, in accordance with the technologies approved yet in the beginning of the 20th century, the Moscow Maidan where the right and the left, the patriots and the liberals will unite in ostensibly righteous indignation. The approved scenario of 1905 and 1917 with the plot “a disgraceful defeat – an economical crisis – a discredit for the authorities – a people’s tumult – a coup d’etat” is to be put in action once again. In this regard, the defence of New Russia and the support to its population are crucial for the preservation of the great Russia and for ruining the fifth column plan. If we manage to gain victory there we shall preserve Russia. If we lose it, respectively, we shall lose the rest of our homeland. This struggle allows no more compromise, and whoever contends the contrary, deliberately or not, is pushing forward the enemy’s cause. It’s hit-or-miss. Either Russia will regain its sovereignity in full scale or it will be destroyed by the coalition of internal and foreign oligarch clans.
Assessing my personal place in the fight against the disruptive forces’ plans I’d like to say that I’ve made my choice. The main frontline of the battle for Russia runs here at the moment. I hope it is Russia where I would be of the most benefit. With it, I emphasize again that whoever hoped or still hope to use my name or myself for any destructive purpose has to suffer a bitter disappointment. Critical though I had been to many of president’s former decisions in internal policy, in the face of the war unleashed against us I consider it necessary to stand up to support him unconditionally as the only legitimate commander-in-chief, as the principal guarantor of freedom and independence of our country. In my opinion, for the real defence of New Russia suffering the Nazi genocide it is necessary first of all to unmask and to dismiss those so called well-wishers who had led us to the edge of military defeat. And for those who proceeded to thorough sculpturing the media image of colonel Strelkov as a leader of peoples’ protest, I inform: leave any hope to bribe me by false praises and promises. The essence of my officer’s duty is to serve my country and my people. Exchanging my loyal though often ungratifying service for false fame and transient popularity for the sake of my fatherland’s enemies would be the acme of disgrace for me. Try to comprehend, after all, that there are still such people in Russia (I am speaking not of myself only) who rank their duty and honesty above their own profit and vanity. And such people are still very numerous in Russia, as the events in New Russia have shown. And we shall not allow tearing up and destroying Russia in the same way as the Russian Empire had been destroyed in 1917 and the USSR in 1991.”
(In response to applause) “Don’t.”
- Well, now, to avoid the mess, I would ask you, raise your hands, please. And we gradually, I think, we shall let everyone to come out. One question from each one, please, if possible, without specifications, and such things as “I have got two questions…” – let’s go without it today! Let’s start with you.
- Andrey Afanasiev, Tsar-Grad channel. What is your message to Russian people in Ukraine, in New Russia, in Russia? What do we have to do now to preserve our state, each one of us?
“This is a very difficult question. Basically, I think that some time later, I will together with my comrades propose certain decisions, certain actions, in which people and some society organizations would be able to participate, and which would aim for help to New Russia, to help in the defence of Russia. For now, I just can say that anyway it is necessary to keep away strictly from any oppositional activity, from destructive oppositional activity, and to understand that the war is being waged against us and during the war any revolt in the hinterland is only for the sake of the enemy.”
- Alexander Grishin, “Komsomolskaya Pravda”. By saying that your place is here in Russia, do you mean, did I get you right, that you will not return to any command post in New Russia, in Donbas, in Luhansk, maybe, in other regions?
“If it would be demanded of me, if I would be mobilized and sent to any region, I will be ready to obey any order. But at the moment, I am not considering such an option.”
- Alexander Logunov, “Novorossia” information agency. Are you going to engage in any political activity here in Russia, for example, to take part in any elections?
“No, I am not. I do not believe in election at all. Look who has been elected in Ukraine.”
- Maxim Solohov, RBC. You spoke of the radical turn in the course of combat actions. Please confirm or contradict the information from the Ukrainian side that the turn has been provided by the intervention of a battalion tactic group of the Russian army.
“In the middle of August when I was leaving from New Russia there were no Russian troops in its territory. I will not deny that there are some volunteers fighting who are servicemen of the Russian army. I had several officers serving in my brigade, for example, who came on the leave, absolutely voluntary, not on assignment at all, to defend New Russia, to fight in our troops. That’s all I can say. I certainly have more or less idea of what is going on there now, but I have not any information about direct participation of the Russian troops.
- Natalia, NTV, “Profession Is Reporter”. Now the truce is announced. What do you think, why for the so called “party of the war”, for Timoshenko, for Lyashko, for Kolomoysky the truce is unfavourable, why do they want the war to go on?
“Well, frankly, it’s very difficult to call it a truce, because by my information, artillery duels occur in the front in every two or three hours averagely, being initiated more often by the Ukrainian side. Moreover, on the sly of the truce the enemy has occupied a number of settlements they had left earlier, and is fortifying there. They have returned their troops in a number of so-called pockets, they are fortifying in Debaltsevo, and by my information, there are being prepared three or four shock groups intended for an offensive. So, the truce is considered by the Ukrainian side solely for reinforcing their troops, for replacing vehicles, for pulling their reserves and preparing for an attack. So, reckoning on anything in this situation, reckoning on the chance that the truce would result in any positive consequences is just naïve.”
- REN-TV. About the Boeing. Why the Boeing brought down is often being connected to the militia? Who has brought down the Boeing?
“Bringing down the Boeing is being connected to the militia by the only reason that it has fallen on the territory controlled, partly controlled, I stress, by the militia at that moment. And who has brought down the Boeing, frankly speaking, I don’t know, because I was leading the combat actions at that time, and I merely had no time to conduct investigation. As for my own conception, the Boeing has been brought down by the Ukrainian side, and it was that side who arranged it all in advance as a large scale provocation. Because all the facts indicate that the Boeing had been directed there intentionally, and the Ukrainian side created every condition for bringing it down, and likely, after having ascertained that something had gone wrong, they have brought it down themselves. Otherwise, all world media would have tormented us already at full scale.”
- Sergey Davydenko, Life News. Don’t you regret that you had left Slavyansk now when you found yourself here in Russia? How can you assess what is going on now in the Donetsk People’s Republic, I mean, in the regard of the command?
“In the regard of the command, I want to say that in the conditions where the militia has to fight, the command operates rather adequately. Besides, we must not forget that the militiamen are still in the minority compared to the Ukrainian forces. Though the number of the militia and its armaments, naturally, have grown, the enemy’s advantage in manpower as well as in weapons still remains great enough. I am not going to criticize the actions of the militia in any way, especially after the successes achieved.”
- Interfax. The phrase was heard from you, that “one can not think of more disgraceful agreements” than those of Minsk. In your opinion, is there any sense in continuing these negotiations? All the more that Litvinov claimed in the briefing yesterday that now there is no possibility to fulfill every item of the protocol signed in Minsk.
“I emphasize that the agreements achieved in Minsk are the ceasefire and the temporary truce. I called disgraceful those conditions for further peaceful settlement which have been put forward by the Ukrainian side and which, by some weird reason, proved to be suitable for discussion. I believe that these conditions may not be discussed in principle, because they would lead to the disgraceful defeat and to the utter rout for New Russia, and respectively, to all those consequences I mentioned in my declaration, that is, to the colossal damage for Russia and to the internal political crisis in Russia itself.”
- And do further negotiations make sense or not?
“I do not undertake the right to debate if it makes sense to conduct it or not. In this case, I act as a military man. Conducting negotiations is diplomat’s work, and making the decision about the negotiations is the prerogative of the president of Russia and of the highest authorities of Russia. But to agree with the conditions proposed by Ukraine means practically to capitulate.”
- Gorchakov’s fund. Did you get a benediction for the activity you do in Moscow now? And what do you think, is it important for Russians abroad to be inchurched, not only to believe, but to be in church?
“I did not start any active work in Moscow yet, and respectively, I have not got a benediction for it. As for all the rest, I can say that I always sought for benediction for my every decisive action from priests, including my confessor and those priests who were found beside me wherever I had been. As for the rest, I assume, the matter is too broad to be discussed here.”
- “Arguments and Facts”, Georgy Alexandrov. You said that Ukrainian side using the truce is pulling its military forces to the locations where some further military development is possible. Could you make some forecast, assess the military potential of the militia? And what further development is possible if they fail to agree?
“Being away from the theater of war for a month already, it is difficult enough to make any forecast. But briefly, I can say that the enemy is preparing for the offensive. The entire configuration of their shock groups being created is aimed exactly for the offensive actions. But in the same time in their rear they are arranging fortified positions where they obviously plan to shelter in case of defeat. And this entire configuration is aimed not against the militia but against Russia, I mean, the defensive configuration. That is, preparing to rout the militia the enemy at the same time is preparing for possible war against Russia, a large-scale war.”
- And what about the potential? Do the militiamen have forces…
“Certainly, the militiamen have forces to fight, to fight and to hold the enemy. But I repeat: without large-scale support from Russia, which I asked repeatedly, the militiamen are unable to gain a decisive victory over Ukraine supported by all the so called Western community. A decisive victory, I repeat. And this sore at our border which is bleeding now, is necessary to eliminate anyway.
- “Vechernyaya Moskva”. In one word, how would you call the idea of building the wall between Russia and Ukraine?
“The point is that walls could never defend anyone, in fact. As the Berlin wall used to be the symbol of separation of the Western and the Eastern blocs, so the so-called Ukrainian wall which they are going to build will be just a material symbol of separation of Ukraine from the Russian world, of the unnatural separation. Ukraine used to be, it is now and it will remain a part of the Russian world, I am sure, no matter how the want to, no matter how they dupe its population. They can build any wall they like, but I think they will fail to divide the nation, after all.”
- Well, I guess we’ve made one full round... Yes, the last question. Who’s got the last question?
- When the war in Ukraine will end and what it will end with?
“If I were the Lord God I would happily answer this question.”
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