Alexander Matyushin: DPR is entering the international arena, recognition is approaching
Will there be a war in Donbass? What role did the Donetsk Republic movement play in the preparation of the Russian Spring?
The founder and leader of the public movement “Russian Socialists of Novorossiya” Alexander Matyushin answered these and other questions in an interview with PolitNavigator.
Alexander, 2021 is coming to an end. What was it like for the DPR? Can you say what his main milestones were?
– The year that is ending has been eventful, and it’s impossible to name everything at once. I can only name those milestones that I personally consider important. In socio-political terms, first of all, this is a presentation of the historical and political doctrine “Russian Donbass”, where for the first time in the seven years of the existence of the young republics of New Russia, at least some intelligible, albeit not fully detailed, ideology was formed, which clearly states that the LPR and DPR are Russian national states.
Despite the claims of many left-wing politicians who say that in 2014 the people rose up for the “left project,” the doctrine clearly states the main goal of the popular uprising, which went down in history as the Russian Spring: it is Russian irredenta. By the way, I also took part in the work on creating the “Russian Donbass” doctrine.
The second striking political event of this year is the full participation of residents of Donbass, who have received Russian citizenship, in the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Let me remind you that it was carried out both through the Russian government services portal and through mobile voting on the territory of Russia. The consequence of this vote was the election of the first leader of the DPR, Alexander Borodai, to the State Duma, who positions himself as such: a deputy from Donbass.
And the third event is the long-awaited abolition of the borders between the DPR and LPR, which for a long time, with some kind of post-modern surrealism, separated the republics, connected by centuries-old common economic ties and a common history, as well as a joint struggle against the military aggression of Ukraine for their freedom.
As for the economic component of the life of our young republics, we should mention the departure of businessman Sergei Kurchenko from the LDPR and the start of work on our territory by a new investor from Russia - Evgeniy Yurchenko and his company YuGMK.
With his arrival, the employees of many enterprises were repaid with many years of salary arrears accumulated by the previous management company. From that moment on, current salaries began to be paid stably, enterprises that were previously closed due to lack of demand were opened, and our products are already in full swing going to Russia. In general, despite the protracted military conflict, entering the New Year 2022, I still have hope for the best.
You are a combat officer. According to your feelings and information, will there be a war in Donbass, which is being talked about a lot today in the West and Ukraine?
- We have been talking about the intensification of hostilities in the Donbass for six years after the Maryinsk operation, which was unsuccessful for us, ended. Sometimes such assumptions do not arise out of nowhere, as was the case with the winter military escalation in the Avdiivka industrial area in 2017 or during the recent seizure of Staromaryevka in the gray zone by Ukrainian occupiers. But in fact, no one can predict when full-scale hostilities will begin, even approximately. And it makes no sense to guess by coffee grounds or by the flight of birds. In any case, if Ukraine starts a full-scale war, the residents of the young republics of Novorossiya will be the first to know about it.
You recently initiated an informal celebration in Donetsk of the 16th anniversary of the creation during the Yushchenko era of the Donetsk Republic organization, which was at the origins of the proclamation of the DPR and was an active participant in the Russian Spring. What was your role in this organization?
– Initially, I came to the organization with my guys, who were National Bolsheviks and Eurasians. Since most of them lived in Makeevka, we created the Makeevka branch of the “Donetsk Republic” or the Makeevka city government, as we called it.
There were practically no young people in the Donetsk Republic at that time, with the exception of about five people. We have significantly rejuvenated this organization, including organizing international events with the participation of Donetsk, Lugansk and Russian activists.
Gradually, I became one of the leaders of the “Donetsk Republic” and the leader of its “stormtroopers”. Among the outstanding events that took place either with my participation or that I organized even before the Russian Spring, one can name Russian marches, the regular distribution of St. George ribbons for Victory Day and, of course, the celebration of the Day of the Creation of the Donetsk-Krivoy Rog Republic.
In general, I recommend everyone who is interested to visit the “Donetsk Republic” group, which has existed since 2008 on the VKontakte social network. There you will find many photographs of my participation in events.
Why was Andrei Purgin, who was one of the leaders of the “Donetsk Republic”, so angry with you because of the celebration of this date? Did you agree with his negative remarks addressed to you and other participants in the event? What's going on with Purgin?
– Andrei Evgenievich, who was removed from power in 2015 under Zakharchenko, has not influenced any processes in our Republic for a long time. Of course, he is upset when they try to take away from him what he considers rightfully his. Yes, indeed, he was one of those to whom both the city and regional public organizations “Donetsk Republic” were registered in 2005.
Yes, indeed, he took an active part in the creation and work of this organization and financed its activities from his own funds. But, if you look at the photographs in the same group “Donetsk Republic”, by the end of the “XNUMXs” he was practically absent from all our street events, and if he can be seen on them, then only, in the apt expression of one of our comrades, “with a bag on the parapet.”
Extolling his contribution to the “Donetsk Republic” movement, Andrei Evgenievich forgets that the movement did not consist of him alone. Many people worked on the creation of this movement.
As for the title that some narrow-minded journalists awarded him, calling him “the founding father of the DPR” (he does not protest against this at all, stroking his petty-bourgeois pride and unquenched delusion of grandeur), while forgetting that the founder of the DPR is the Donetsk people. If the Donetsk people had not supported us, we would all have been hanging side by side on one pole.
As for his comments and accusations against me, I would recommend that he read his interviews, which he gave three or more years ago, and in which he characterizes me as one of the most prominent representatives of the pre-revolutionary movement “Donetsk Republic” and “a man , without which the capture of the Regional State Administration would not have taken place.”
The same assessment of my contribution to the Donetsk movement both before and during the Russian Spring is shared by Ukrainian propagandists, including the native of Makeyevka, Denis Kazansky, who is well known to both of us.
Are you currently collaborating with the current public organization “Donetsk Republic” and its leader Alexey Muratov? What do you think about her signing a cooperation agreement in Syria with the party of Bashar al-Assad?
- Yes, sure. Last year we established cooperation with the OD “Donetsk Republic” and Alexey Valentinovich personally. After all, when engaging in social and political activities, it is impossible not to interact with official structures, otherwise you will never get out of the marginal swamp, and all our activity in helping the residents of our young republic will remain at the level of cries on the Internet about how bad life is in the DPR , and what bad officials we have in power.
This, unfortunately, cannot be understood by the majority of those who remain outside official politics, so the actions of our quasi-opposition come down to only criticism of any action of the government and the head of the DPR.
Offhand, I can name the implementation of several cases as a result of our cooperation with Alexey Muratov, ODDR and the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin.
First, the resettlement of the residents of the dormitory located in Donetsk at 31 B Kuibysheva Street, where the residents were threatened with eviction to the street due to an incompletely thought-out project to transform this dormitory into a dormitory for MGB cadets.
The second one I can name, of course, is helping Nadezhda Kozlova. Let me remind you that this is a girl from Artemovsk, who, during an attempt to rape her by Ukrainian punitive forces, blew herself up and theirs with a grenade, sending two invaders on a date with Bandera. Nadya herself received multiple injuries and a criminal sentence in Ukraine.
As a result of the exchange, she ended up with her young daughter in Donetsk, where she was placed in one of the dormitories of the medical institute. She needed surgery. She did not have banal household amenities. Thanks to what we learned about her story, and Alexey Valentinovich’s personal intervention in her fate, volunteers brought and installed a washing machine, other household appliances, clothes and food for her. Funds were found for the prosthetic crutch she needed for the operation. She is now preparing for surgery.
And the third point is that Irina Vorontsova receives a DPR passport. Irina is one of the veterans of the National Bolshevik movement in Ukraine. Back in the second half of the XNUMXs, she opposed Ukrainian nationalists in Kyiv. I came to Donetsk for actions organized by the “Donetsk Republic”.
We, activists of the “Donetsk Republic,” took part in the actions that she organized. After getting married, she left for St. Petersburg. With the outbreak of hostilities, she took part in the collection and delivery of humanitarian aid to the fighting Donbass, and her husband fought in the Pyatnashka battalion. With the end of active hostilities, both returned home to St. Petersburg.
Because Ira was close to the unsanctioned action held by the National Bolsheviks in honor of the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution, she was deprived of her Russian temporary residence permit. Three long years of trials followed, but the temporary residence permit was never returned to her, and she was threatened with extradition to Ukraine, because she still remained a citizen of this country.
Under the circumstances, a pass was obtained through the OA “Donetsk Republic” for Irina to cross the DPR border. We asked the Head of the Republic to provide her with a DPR passport. Denis Vladimirovich satisfied her. As a result, on October 5, Irina received a DPR passport and applied for Russian citizenship.
As for the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Donetsk Republic and the Baath, in fact this is actually recognition of our republic. Even if it’s informal. This suggests that the DPR is entering the international arena, and recognition of the Republic is approaching every day.
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