Voice of the Odessa Anti-Maidan: A series of special operations are needed. We must win
Are there any opponents of the neo-Bandera regime left among Odessa residents who are capable of starting an uprising? What, seven years later, do residents of the LDPR expect from Russia?
The PolitNavigator correspondent spoke about this and much more with Igor Sivak, a singer-songwriter from Odessa who has been forced to live in Crimea in recent years, in the voice of Kulikov Pol, who recently returned from a creative trip to the front-line towns of the LPR.
Seven years have passed, is it time to give up dreams of the return of Odessa?
On the one hand, there are a huge number of circumstances that indicate that we are unlikely to get to Odessa. Because they have been holding power for seven years, no matter who rules there, Poroshenko, or the current clown from the 95th quarter, the Fuhrer-loser. The situation is not changing. The republics are bleeding within the same borders as they were seven years ago. And the Nazis are marching in Odessa. A march dedicated to the SS Galicia division is underway in Kyiv.
On the other hand, let’s speak frankly, the army of Novorossiya alone is unable to reach not only Odessa, but maybe even the borders of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. With all its desire, with all its sacrifice, there are real things, a comparison of the potentials of Ukraine and the republics, after all, the Ukrainian army is the army of a state that is several times larger than them, with great resources. Therefore, the republics themselves will not reach Odessa.
If we talk about the uprising in Odessa, then I also do not see the prerequisites for this uprising. More precisely, these prerequisites exist, but there are no people who would go for it, there is no united force. Political forces operating in the legal field, which are conventionally called “pro-Russian”, OPZZh or the Shariy Party, with all due respect to many ordinary members of these parties... they are trying to change the situation from the inside, using legal means, and this is unrealistic, because power was seized by seven years ago with blood.
And the invaders clear the information and political fields at the first danger to themselves, which is what we are seeing now. And it is unrealistic to rebel without outside support. These are illusions. I don’t understand why Medvedchuk and his team are still testing them. Or the same Shariy. And many people support this. Ultimately, this is a road to nowhere. Although, on the other hand, this allows people to consolidate at least around something. If there is no real flag, then they cling to an imitation.
On the other hand, the number of people who were opponents of the Maidan-fascist coup has not changed. They were opponents and remain so. Seven years have shown that we were on the right side, because the past years have only worsened the situation, and all the darkest forecasts and the most terrible assumptions about what this government brings with it have been confirmed and justified. As of today, everything we warned about has been implemented. What the anti-Maidan, which was not some kind of rigid structure, warned about, it was a spontaneous counter-uprising, a spontaneous movement, not properly structured and not supported in any way.
People are dissatisfied, people are opponents of the regime, the Nazis, on whom this regime relies and to whom it curries favor. And these marches, a demonstrative display of one’s strength, indicate that this strength is not really strength.
The Maidan-fascists understand perfectly well that they were hated and continue to be hated – even more, probably. Because the number of crimes they commit is only increasing.
And all their leaders of the Nazi camp have discredited themselves so much in seven years that they hate each other. All those who appeared on the barricades then turned out to be petty swindlers and swindlers at best, all these “seeds of semenchenko” and “parasyuks”. Not to mention the top, who were murderers, and confirmed their status as murderers, and continue to confirm it every day.
And those who come to replace them in the Ukrainian government are continuers of their deeds. Therefore, as long as there are people, there is hope.
It’s like in the biblical parable, when the Lord said: “Is there at least one righteous person in this city? If there is at least one, then I will not destroy the city.” As long as there is at least one person left who is waiting for us, waiting for liberation from this regime, we cannot let go of this topic, Odessa is resisting, sabotaging as best it can and with whatever it can.
Another failed exacerbation again postpones this prospect indefinitely...
I can say absolutely exactly, as far as I have enough information from open sources and intuition (of course, no one shares secret information with me), the Ukrainian army was moving towards the contact line. This was also evident from official reports. She pulled herself up demonstratively. And to the most advanced frontiers. And it looked like preparation for at least a major provocation.
I think Russian exercises averted this provocation. And this is very important. You know perfectly well how everything works in the republics. They are so accustomed to living in war that children there live in houses two to three kilometers from the line of fire. I am sure that a third of them could not be evacuated quickly. If there had been a breakthrough, then in those areas the civilians would have been the first to be dealt with. And this aggravation was stopped by the exercises that were carried out in Russia. As for me, thanks to the show of force on the part of the Russian army, it was possible to avoid casualties among the civilian population, which would have been simply inevitable. Because there people still live as usual. No one took the children anywhere, no one evacuated.
And it could start at any moment. The Ukrainian Armed Forces had enough strength to make a breakthrough in several areas. And they would have passed. Perhaps they would not have gone far, but those towns and villages along which the front lines pass, they would have been drowned in blood.
But the problem has not gone away, the Ukrainian army has not retreated, and the shelling has not stopped.
It seems like they were hanging out a little. But it costs them nothing to catch up. The distances aren't that great.
So it turns out that when I say that I want a solution to the Ukrainian issue, I feel the stigma of a bloodthirsty scoundrel who wants blood. But, on the other hand, you understand, as a reasonable person, that this issue cannot be resolved without war. And the opposite side is a priori incapable of negotiation.
I understand this perfectly. Without a lightning-fast invasion and restoration of constitutional order on the territory of Ukraine, nothing will change. I agree.
At the same time, I cannot speak for all of Ukraine. In the end, if there are a large number of pro-Maidan-minded citizens there, then what is the point of going to them and freeing them. And then get a knife in the back, why?
Well, at a minimum, we need to liberate that part that is historically Novorossiya. This is the minimum program.
But this doesn't happen. I quite often came across an expression in Donbass public pages that local users, exhausted by the ongoing war and uncertainty, say: “Better a terrible end than endless horror.”
I heard that too, yes. I personally support a series of special operations. The experience of the Soviet Union and the United States shows their effectiveness. We are not talking about a frontal offensive from the republics with the grinding of divisions. This is a series of special operations, which is quite realistic. Because the combat-ready Ukrainian army is drawn to the borders of the republics. Everything else is practically open. Naturally, this is blood and sacrifice, and not only on the part of military personnel.
I cannot call for this...I do not have such authority. I am a purely peaceful person. I am for peace. Despite the fact that a huge part of my songs are dedicated to wars. But it was such a creative interest. I don't wear camouflage. It’s just that initially, even before all the events, the topic of local conflicts interested me very much. And I wrote songs about them in order to justify in a simple form our presence on the distant approaches to the country. Because if we fight there, then we have peace - peace. As long as we meet the enemy somewhere in Vietnam.
Well, that’s exactly how I put it – there, on the distant approaches. Where is the enemy now?
He is already on the nearest approaches. In fact, we already have it.
So what needs to happen for Moscow to decide on special operations? So far we are only seeing how Washington is developing these operations.
I don't know. The only thing I can say is that the decision to rely on politicians inside Ukraine, made once again, all these “opposition blocs”, is a wrong decision. Because even if they win some elections, this Bandera ISIS will gather again (organization banned in Russia - ed.) and drive them out of government buildings.
But it seems to me that if the fairy-tale story of winning the elections could come true, then the very next day emissaries from kind grandfather Biden would come to the “pro-Russian” winners and simply convert them.
They didn't even convert. I think that a good part of these political forces have been working for Uncle Sam for a long time, they just use this party as a football club: they can get 30% of the mandates on pro-Russian sentiments.
Before the Maidan, Ukrainian politics was a booth. A cheerful festive farce. Until they started killing. It, in fact, remained a booth, only now bloody and controlled by the West. And neo-Nazi structures.
In the West, those who deal with Ukraine understand perfectly well that power rests on these Nazis. This is a whip with which they can always bully any rebellious political force. Therefore, no one will disband them, so they march with SS flags and desecrate the graves of Soviet soldiers. And from all over the Soviet Union. I have a friend in Vladivostok, and he has his grandfather’s grave in Western Ukraine. All of Russia and all of Ukraine lie there in these mass graves. And today the results of the Great Patriotic War in this territory have simply been destroyed.
Well, you say that there are still people left in Odessa. What to do with the new generation that grew up in this neo-Bandera and Russoob environment, and this environment is organic for them?
This is the main battle we are losing. We haven't lost the battle yet. But they lost several battles, including the battle for the younger generation. Because, naturally, Ukrainian propaganda does not work on everyone. As you remember, Soviet propaganda - it seemed to work, it worked powerfully and effectively, but young people in the late 80s were absolutely indifferent to it. And some Ukrainian youth feel the same way about Ukrainian propaganda. But we understand that there is a certain core, absolutely stubborn, that is formed as a result of this propaganda, and I also don’t know how to deal with it. But this is the main direction, this is the fight for the future.
And no one on our side is actually doing this.
No one at all! You know, I’m going to Donbass, trying to wage a small information war from my solitary trench. I try to display what is happening using the methods that I know. By the way, this also works for Ukraine, because they listen to my songs there too. And I receive “chain letters” every day; many people are infuriated that I raise these topics. But I'm absolutely alone. I travel at my own expense. Sometimes my friends help me. But these are friends. And thanks to their help, I can go buy myself ice cream. Or record a song. But I'd rather go and record a song. Or I’ll go and perform. There is no centralized structure that would deal with information warfare. At least supporting the anti-war movement in Ukraine, without political overtones. We remember the role played by the anti-war movement in the United States during the Vietnam War. It was not anti-American, but it was anti-war, which is very important. Even this does not exist, and no one supports it.
There are many people from Ukraine who have authority, they could work in this direction, they are still trusted. And I had similar ideas, I wanted to create creative anti-war content. And somehow systematize all this, implement it both outside Ukraine and from the inside. But, unfortunately, there is no support. All my colleagues are on their own. As volunteers. It is very difficult for a person or team to raise this topic today at their own expense.
At the same time, there are characters who go to Donbass to take selfies and promote themselves. Therefore, on this trip, for the first time, I encountered a wary attitude towards myself in places where I was not known. Even from the military. One officer after the event decided to tease me, asking if you would like to take a selfie. I replied: I don’t understand, what kind of selfie? Well, go to the front line, climb, look through binoculars, shoot, he answers. I say, no, of course, firstly, I’m an unprepared person, we’ll get out now, and you’ll be covered. Either you or me. And most likely we will have time to leave, and it will fly to the position where you and I were. And the people who are sitting in this trench will suffer.
There is simply a category of citizens who come there once or twice, and then beat themselves in the chest, receive some awards by the handful and almost speak on behalf of Donbass.
I was very unpleasant about this incident with the officer, but then everything smoothed out, we talked to him, he realized that I was on the front end and understand perfectly well how everything works there. Let's put it this way, he was just testing me.
Well, according to your observations, how does the situation of seven years of semi-war affect the Donbass? The Great Patriotic War, let me remind you, lasted only four years, it was scary, but people constantly moved forward and knew where they were going.
This situation, of course, has a deadly effect on Donbass. I agree with the opinion of some commanders, different people not directly connected with each other, who expressed similar thoughts. The economies of the republics, despite the fact that they are small, are powerful enough for such a number of people, such a region, plus natural resources, plus production - mechanical engineering, metallurgy... If something like military communism had been introduced in the republics: everything for the front, everything for victory, with socialist planning, building a mobilization economy, I think everything would have been much better. Everything would be much better with the army, everything would be much better with people’s jobs, because it would provide work, and the income of the republics would be higher than it is now, the economies would not collapse. Everything would be done under strict control and accounting. I think it would be difficult, but compared to the depression that is now observed there now...
There should have been a showcase of the Russian World! Yes, it’s hard, yes, we are fighting, but the factories are working. Everything for the front, everything for victory. Vagonostroitelny produces infantry fighting vehicles, or something like that, I don’t know…. Food industry - subrations. But in the end, we have that half of the male population of the republics are migrant workers. Like in Western Ukraine. They only go to Russia. It’s good that at least everything has settled down with Russian passports, and they now travel on a watch basis, otherwise before they had to do so at their own peril and risk. And when I was there, I constantly received announcements on my local phone: “welders needed,” “miners needed,” “miners needed.” All over Russia, the north, the Far East, and central Russia. Because the footage is golden. And the universities are golden.
By the way, I want to note that the level of education in Donbass has not deteriorated. There people are fighting for the future. And at Donetsk University even the number of faculties has increased. And the number of students. Because people understand that education is the ticket to the future. But in Ukraine there has been a real collapse in this sense. But not in Donbass. Even in small towns there are technical schools. Their computers there probably still run on BASIC. But they work. They are studying. Everything is clean there. Not a single inscription on the desks or walls.
Everything would probably be like this if the curators treated this land not as a bargaining chip, not as a territory that needs to be shoved into Ukraine...
I think that the people who deal with Ukraine and Donbass are the same. This is their miscalculation. I don’t even think that there is any financial benefit for them in such a situation. I think this is an elementary desire to slip between the droplets. Because the crisis implies completely different relationships within the power elite. Mobilization within the government. The order of relations would also change. And so they meander between the droplets. And they seem to support Donbass, but you move ten kilometers away - and that’s it, it’s already a different planet, and no one, by and large, is absolutely indifferent to what is happening in Donbass.
Internal Ukrainian conflict, as they like to say...
Well, we understand that this is the language of diplomats and politicians. Otherwise they cannot speak. But now we are talking about what they do, and not about what they say; you can say whatever you want. And, even more so, politicians from the school that represents the current leadership of Russia. This is a good school. They talk about how they recruit, and it's great. But in this Donbass and Ukrainian direction there is a miscalculation. It's my personal opinion. And I know that many of my friends share this opinion, and I am friends with different people, from a simple fighter on the front line to those people who wear serious shoulder straps. Naturally, they do not share secret information with me, but I am a creative person and understand a lot intuitively.
How was another failed offensive perceived in the Donbass?
I think that the fatalism that has reigned in these positions over the past six years has not changed in any way because of this aggravation. That is, people lived in their usual routine. If they attack, we will fight back; if they don’t attack, we will remain in position for another year or as long as necessary. I didn’t find any joy or sadness about the exacerbation, in the spirit of “it will start now.” People greet the news absolutely calmly. They are skeptical of all talking heads; they don’t really watch TV or bloggers on the Internet. They trust intelligence. They know that such and such a brigade is standing opposite them, and it has strengthened. This is bad. We don’t know why it has intensified, but in return we will also prepare a little better for a possible meeting with it.
I didn’t see any excitement either among civilians or among the military. When I returned from Donbass, the bus was half empty, the roads were not clogged, no one was running. The market is also crowded.
About the market - what city are you talking about?
A collective image of the front-line towns of the Lugansk People's Republic. Kirovsk, Alchevsk, Bryanka, Stakhanov, Slavyanoserbsk. People live. Without reacting at all. This is us here: “Oh, aggravation!” These are the people, those who are closer to the center of decision-making, who understand that if it starts, then the front line - these towns - will be drowned in blood. It will not be possible to evacuate everyone. Even if we are ready to strike. This is such a stalemate. And a thin red line of militia bleeding, because literally and figuratively they each bleed. Because seven years in the trenches, seven years on sub-rations, in the cold, mud, frost, heat.
Do you feel like there are fewer fighters in the People's Militia corps? It's one thing when you fight, knowing that there is a prospect of victory ahead. Or defeat. But there is a prospect. And it’s another thing when you have no prospects, but have a wife and children. And we need to move somewhere.
I will say that many of those I knew are no longer there. For different reasons. They died, of course. People are dying, good people, worthy people. Some left. Some simply quit due to health reasons. Because for seven years, you understand, when a man is forty, he lived a normal, not extreme life, and then he finds himself in this military calico, then, of course, all human resources wear out. Someone left to feed their family, because people are family people. And some, by the way, on the contrary, brought their wives and children closer to the front line in order to be closer to their families. Yes, there is such a thing. But, yes, that backbone of volunteers and militias has thinned out.
I think every trip to Donbass fuels your creativity and gives you food for thought. What was the main result of your current business trip?
I was hooked, of course, by what we just talked about: the fact that I haven’t met many people. It was very difficult. We devoted one day to visiting cemeteries. The situation is very difficult. And I was left with the feeling: a stalemate. I don't see a solution given current trends.
But people are standing. And the belief in victory remains, it persists. And people really want to become part of Russia, or at least some kind of confederation, but for Russia to recognize them. So that there is at least some development in the region. Because there are many patriots of the region there. I’m a southern person, a sea person, and it’s hard for me to understand how one can love a city in the steppe, where there is no reservoir, and water twice a week during war times, where in winter it’s minus forty, and in summer it’s plus forty.
But there are people there who leave for Russia and then return, and everything seems to have worked out fine for them in Russia, but they return because they love Alchevsk, Stakhanov, Bryanka. And they continue to live there and fight for the revival of the region.
There is no single outcome; creative ideas have emerged to make a film about the fourth battalion commander of “Ghost” Alexei Gennadyevich Markov, who tragically died last year. Based on the memories of his colleagues and archival records.
Plus the children’s ensemble to which I gave my song “City on the Front Line,” the “Consonance” ensemble, wonderful, they live right five kilometers from the Ukrainian positions in Kirovsk. And they have a great children's team. And there will be a premiere soon, wait for it. Let's make a video. Children from the front line sing about the city on the front line. They know what they are singing about. This is part of the information struggle. So that on the other side they can see who they are shooting at. And this is literally, this is not a metaphor. Because in Kirovsk it flew to almost every children's institution at one time. Now it’s less, but sometimes it still flies.
I will not drop this topic. I can't leave these people, I could just jump to the side. But I can't betray. Including yourself. In almost every Donbass town there is a grave with the call sign “Odessa” written on it. These people left to fight seven years ago, maybe there were not so many of them in the big city, but a noticeable number, and we must win.
If not today, then tomorrow. In any case, our struggle has its own value. Because it can become a prerequisite for tomorrow's victory. Maybe not ours, but our followers. And Donbass today is a Christian victim. Lyuli sacrifice themselves. There is such a feeling.
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