Interview with Alexej Mozgovoi, August 21, 2014
Translator: Maria Razdiak
Edited by S. Naylor
“If we were to speak of the operations which my unit
carried out, I must caution: the word “operations” is an exaggeration.
Currently, the war is mainly being fought in the media field: an information
war. The actual military activity is merely an extension. It is of utmost
importance, for Ukraine, to destroy the idea for which we stand and the weapons
merely aid the physical destruction of the people who carry these ideals in
their hearts.
“We used to be, by structure and organization (by
accumulating miners, taxi-drivers, farmers in our ranks), a battalion. Now
we’ve grown into a brigade.
“In actuality, that which we had been engaging in is
difficult to call an “operation” per se. This is despite the fact that we work
with maps, organize reconnaissance, and abide by staff timetables, as required
in a military unit. We locate the whereabouts of the enemy units, of materiel,
and of the movements of the enemy.
“We have altered our original tactics. The main flaw
of the initial design was the fact that we viewed this war as purely a physical
struggle, whereas the Ukraine forces are not only incapable of fighting clean
but also do not desire to. What does it matter to them? They have rocket
launchers; they have Grads, Uragans, Smerches – why not use them? And they do.
Also they call their operation the ATO – ‘Anti–Terrorist Operation’. But where,
in what country, does an entire army fight against terrorism?
“In my understanding, a fight with terrorism is a
localized measure, a special operation. Once you destroy the terrorists, you
are done. But this war has already lasted six months, and is gradually becoming
harsher and bloodier with every passing day.
“Here are the outlines of a few situations in which my
unit has participated. I will start with the failures – the defence of
Lisichansk. To suppress our forces, Ukraine threw eleven thousand men at us.
Our lack of success was characterised by the fact that we were still true to
the original tactics – the tactics of a clean fight: creating a clear front,
setting up checkpoints. That was a mistake. This war, constructed by Ukies, is
built on deceit: from the news to the battlefield; and because we were
expecting a clean fight, we suffered casualties. I feel the loss of my men,
most severely. For me, a loss of even a few individuals is a painful blow.
“Yes, we have won fights; we pushed the enemy and they
have retreated, but they always returned, in greater numbers, with more weaponry.
Here is a shining example of this pattern. They set up a checkpoint at Staraya
Krasnyanka, between Kremennoye and Rybezhnoye. We worked it over ten times. One
day we destroy it; the next morning it is already manned with new people. Today
– destroy, tomorrow morning – new people. Ukies load up Kamaz trucks with
corpses and straight away, bring in new personnel – new men destined to become
corpses the following day.
“One gets the impression that their personnel are not
informed about what is happening. The newcomers do not know what happened to
their predecessors. They arrive uplifted, ignorant of their future. What they
think about at the time of arrival is a mystery. They are surrounded by the
clear signs of a recent struggle: the transport, the checkpoint, everything
stained a dirty crimson. Those fresh forces are blameless people; obligated
into service, and threatened with prison. If you don’t join the military,
you’ll spend 7 years locked-up. They are incapable of putting aside life for 7
years. They go to war, hoping to survive.
“The tactics of the Ukrainian army can be summed up in
this: they have placed the full weight of war upon the artillery and the rocket
launchers. They commence an attack with a purge of territory, which they do
using Grads and self-propelled artillery systems.
“They call it targeted attacks but the outcomes of
such attacks are huge areas, whole squares swept “clean”. Afterwards, the tanks
arrive with means to destroy in case anyone is left alive somewhere. Finally,
their armoured personnel carriers follow, manned with soldiers to finish up. It
seems like their tactics are unbeatable. That is the reason why we’ve changed
our own tactics.
“Even though we have grown in numbers, I refuse to
send men into the open. We prefer to work in saboteur-reconnaissance groups
(“SRG”): they went, they saw, they worked, and they returned. That’s all. We
work on their communications; we work on their distributions and their
ammunition warehouses. If they don’t have ammo, they don’t have the ability to
fire.
“Only yesterday I was informed about the destruction
of a column of 10 Urals trucks that were delivering the missiles for the Grads,
which were headed toward Donetsk. What can be more effective? Even if they have
the launchers, without the shells those are simply piles of scrap metal,
ballast. We hit them with RPGs and “Shmels” grenade launchers.
“My original profession was in the creative field. I
was a conductor of a wind (brass) orchestra but, even before the war, I didn’t
work in that field. I worked as a builder, as a brigadier. Now, I’m in charge
of a mortar battery – also a wind “instrument”. That’s life.
“From early childhood I dreamed of being a military
man. Back then, we had a Defence Minister called Kuzmuk; he was part of
Kuchma’s government. The levels of corruption in the army had reached
head-spinning hights and I failed to get into the Academy.
“The main thing now is to allow for the maximum
survival of our troops. Because it is these men, spread among the units, who
carry the Will of the People. Because it is these men who can become the basis,
the pillars, of everything we fight for, that is the reason why these men are
targets: they can create a government, an administration of the People, a collaborative
force, They are absolutely essential to our future and because of that I am
desperate to protect them.
“I think that Novorossiya will be a Republic – an
autonomous part of Russia. I stand for the creation of the exemplary governance
that is required, within the sovereign Republic of Novorossiya. Taking that as
a foundation for future regulation and direction, correction and distribution
among the other regions; for currently it is not only Ukraine and Russia that
are suffering from a political crisis, but the whole world.
“It is one thing to wish for an ideal government,
while sitting in a café and modelling such from reading books, but it is
another thing when —in order to win it in battle and to conquer destroyed
territory— the ideal government model must take a step back, delayed into the
future, to allow room for the necessary, super-centralised, military present.
“The commanders act in unison. There is a coordinating
centre, Headquarters. At this moment in time, all the puzzle pieces have come
together: there is a single control centre, a Council of War, and good, secure,
communications among the commanders. The same picture is held true for both
regions, Lugansk and Donetsk; and it has united the military. Occasionally, the
unit commanders meet up, but combining all the units in one place might have
dire consequences. Currently, our people are dotted throughout different
garrisons. The more complex and confusing are our actions, the more spread out
we are, the greater are the chances of our survival, which is presently the
main objective.
“There are now ranks in a brigade. We have Brigade
Commanders, Deputy Brigade Commanders, Heads of Units and Battalion Commanders;
we have Squad Leaders, a Logistics Deputy, Head of Medical, Head of Communications.
The whole staff structure is filled with real people. The majority of them were
yesterday’s labourers who truly want to fight. If all we are left with is one
single unit, we will still have a lot to show.
“The dominating figure is Igor Strelkov. He must be
not only dominating, but unique. I came to him when it all started and stood
under his command. His ideal is identical to mine and he honestly fights for
it.
“How can I formulate that idea? Conscience. That is
what a human must have, a conscience. Honour and dignity; virtue.
Righteousness. All else is just chatter. The main thing is to have a
conscience; preferably, a spotless one. It is that conscience, which is
constantly tested and tempted by war – it is a constant trial of conscience, of
virtue. War is a litmus paper. Every person is clearly seen for what they are,
be it a private or a general.
“Certain shocks to our society are necessary, healthy
even. But war is bad.
“The events of the Maidan have prompted talks: the
western Ukrainians are passionate people. The South-Eastern people are sluggish
and sleepy Russians – their fire extinguished. But, it is in the South-East,
where we are suddenly flaming – the fire is scorching and blinding.
“Maidan chanted against Oligopoly and against the
corrupt officials,; a Great notion. While they danced for the truth, we went to
work, earning a living. The result of their “dance” was pain. They went from
the frying pan into the fire. The government didn’t just change, it went from
bad to worse: the same Oligarchs, the same corrupt ministers and officials, the
same stale faces, selling power, influence and people, which they were obliged
to guide and protect. What changed? Suddenly the same people were marching to
protect the government! That is absurd, strikingly so. I cannot put away the
amazement at my own nation. They should be fighting against the people who have
pushed them into this war but, instead, they are dying for them.
“What was the point of Maidan? What was it? Why
orchestrate this bloody spectacle, which only worsened the situation, as an
alternative to some sort of constructive action? This behaviour is the result
of totalitarian propaganda.
“The rank of Political Commander (“Politruk”) was made
obsolete sometime ago. In the Ukrainian army ‘politruks’ became educators. In
the most basic of terms: no political questions were raised, no political
direction was given; only the psychological state of the enlisted was kept at a
certain level. Even in the army, it turns out, blocked the path of patriotism although
it is the only authority on which patriotism should stand .
“Regrettably, my brigade lacks Politorgans ( Political
Organisation?). It’s hard to create a conventional military unit from a farmer
and a builder. But –even with a desperate lack of specialists– to create the
exact system as it should be, has turned into my task. We have a brigade
information centre, which collects and distributes information to and from the
“great land”, so to say.
“We get the information from the internet but the
Ukies are constantly attempting to cut us off. Both mobile and satellite
communications disappear for days at a time. We are constantly changing our
location. Our area of responsibility is in the front line on the flanks of the
Pervomajsk, Artemovsk and Debaltsevo, the precise track that the Ukies follow
down, and Veselaja – Tarasovka-Lutugino.
“We have problems with our provisions. The market
stalls may be empty, but we’ve located warehouses within the city, filled with
meat, fish, and poultry which, for some strange reason, failed to make it into
the shops. It turns out, the warehouses belong to the same owner. We
confiscated the contents. All of it has been given away, to kindergartens,
orphanages and the needy. For us, food is what unites our people: our Russian
populations, and by separate individuals who give but ask that they not be
mentioned. We are thankful for everything we get.
“The struggle will most definitely continue. The main
thing now is to keep our spirit – the spirit of committment, the aspiration and
the hope for truth and victory. If our people keep all three, we will be
victorious. Yes, we have Lugansk and Donetsk, but the territory of Novorossia
is not just these two cities. The territory of Novorossia is huge; I believe,
it will aid us greatly.
“There is war weariness among civilians. After the
first couple of weeks of war, they were already screaming “we are tired of it!”
I ask the question “How would you have reacted if this were the Second World
War? Your grandfathers fought, spending years in the trenches. Were they not
tired? You just heard shots fired, watched the news of someone’s death, and you
are already tired.” Today, it is virtually the same war, fighting the same
Fascism.
“The men that are in combat, they are not tired.
Sometimes, I even struggle to hold them back, hoping to avoid needless deaths
and casualties. The men, who stand in the line of fire, are ready to fight to
the last.
“The miners have been slow to join the resistance.
There is talk, that if the miners would rise, Kiev would disappear… But, for
the time being, most of them still go down into the mines. Back when we stood
near Lisichansk, the Ukies fired upon one of the mines – Krivoljanskaja. It was
night and the night-shift was down there. All of them almost died. But the next
day, they all came back, to work!!!
“Another story… Another area south of Sverdlovsk. A
bus full of miners, men and women, was shot at from a Ukrainian block-post.
Just shot at! The Ukies didn’t know who was aboard, they just shot at those
people who were going to work. I have a question for those people: “What do you
think about, driving past the war and the shooting?” Do they think about work,
about a slice of bacon? About what? There is a war on; they are killing you!
Civilians, going to work like sheep into a slaughter house, not even resisting!
“Is it the fear of losing a job? “How will I feed the
family?” But, what do the families of the resistance eat? What do the children
of the men that protect you, eat? Yes, it’s difficult now, very difficult, but
they understand that it’s time to forget about an excellent borsht, a well-laid
table. If there is something on the table – that’s enough. The main thing is to
endure and to win, to prove that we are not a herd, not a biomass (as
Timoshenko stated), but that we are people, individuals. We are people; we are
ready to hold the government true to their promises.
“In the brigade are heroes; there are the heroically
fallen. Heroism is most evident among the generation which caught all those old
movies, books, and tales of grandfathers and grandmothers. It’s in their blood:
if not me, then who? I must, and that’s all.
“Right now, the Commander of the first platoon of
Vladimir lies in hospital. He’s a heroic individual, awarded with a medal “For
Military Merit”. Thanks to his dedication and utter disregard of self, his
troop survived. Another unit also survived following Vladimir’s orders to
retreat from approaching tanks while he remained. Alone. We had a hand-made
personnel carrier that we nicknamed “Combat”. We sewed it up with armaments,
armoured it with a gun. Vladimir remained inside, fighting – alone! – holding
back the enemy; covering his troops until they retreated to safety.
“Eventually a shell hit “Combat” and ripped his arm
from his body. He passed out. At the time of impact, the wound was burned.
Thus, the wound was cauterized: there was hardly any bleeding. After some
time, Vladimir regained consciousness and noticed that his arm was torn off,
hanging by a thread of skin. He took the arm and put it into his coat, buttoned
up and started walking. 24 hours, he walked. Alone! He managed to escape from
the surrounding forces – avoided all enemy posts! From all the weapons, he had
a Makarov with a single bullet, just in case. The right arm was tucked into the
coat; the left held a gun. The severed limb was not saved.
“Another episode of courage: One of the first battles
in Lisichansk back when we had block-posts. We had a guy, Dima, who was killed
right at the beginning of the military action. Thanks to his acuteness,
proficiency and self-sacrifice, many survived. He took the whole Ukie fire –
all the guns turned on him. All of them. Once the unit had arrived from the
march, it was necessary to start helping to hold the Jandovskij block-post.
While everyone was still getting into position, at that moment Dima hit the
target causing the enemy to fire upon himself and he was the first to be
killed. Because of his actions, the others survived. Not only did they continue
the fight but they managed to push the Ukies back, destroying the block-post
they had occupied. All due to the sacrifice of one man.
“This is who we must be – heroes, knights. Because we
are Russian, we are Slavs, we cannot be anything else. We do not have the right
to be anything else.
“From the weapons we hold – MANPADS and paired ZAUs
(automatic anti-aircraft guns) – we work the planes. But the Ukies, once they
figured out that we can get them, changed tactics; they don’t descend to the
height where we can hit them, but drop bombs from far above, of a massive size.
They
drop two or three, and disappear.
“The Ukies claim to be fighting terrorism, while
bombarding peaceful, innocent civilians, destroying whole city blocks and
infrastructure. All of it! How is that?! If you are at war with us, fight us.
But instead, they bombard cities and blame it on us… How? We have proof of the
bombings: the weapons used and the directions from which the fire came. The
flight trajectory can be calculated from the remaining crater. But, there is no
arguing their impudent allegations; the unfounded, falsified fault.
“Before, it was commonly believed that such a war with
field commanders, a civil war, is a disaster. It is difficult to organise, to
create a common structure. Uncontrollable elementary forces, liberties. are
impossible to control. Yes, sometimes you have to shout, punish, and send men
into lock-up, once a certain line is crossed. Every military establishment has
its own breaches but we are bound together by the same idea, united by a common
belief. If we want to accomplish anything, we must be disciplined and
structured. That stayed with us from the beginning – from that very first unit
we formed. Even before the military attacks commenced, I began to organize a
resistence of the People because I could see that it was necessary to be ready.
Even then, we agreed that we must reach our final aim – we must be victorious.
The rest, as to who was right and who was to blame, we’ll let time decide. A
clear structure has formed, and all are true to it.
“The fight began when such categories as Novorossia,
did not exist. This concept arose in the course of battles and gradually grows
more and more, and gains more meanings. Now Novorossia is not just a territory,
it is primarily an idea. Liberty and Conscience is and will be the new Russia
“.
Source:
Slavyangrad.org 30-08-2014
