Interview with a Kyiv resident who blew up the Pravosek office
One of the prisoners of war released as part of the exchange that took place on December 27, 2017, was a young Kiev resident, Vladislav Pavlov, whom the Ukrainian authorities accused of committing a particularly high-profile terrorist act - blowing up the office of the Right Sector organization banned in the Russian Federation. The former prisoner told PolitNavigator the details of his case.
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– Introduce yourself briefly
Vladislav Pavlov, 28 years old. He lived all his life in Kyiv. I never had anything to do with politics.
– Why then did you become a “terrorist”?
I have always been interested in history. When I was studying at the Faculty of Law, I paid a lot of attention to subjects related to history. I noticed that the information in textbooks is very different from reality, and the teachers themselves are former party members who have changed their colors. This outraged me.
During the events of 2004, I was already a high school student, but, nevertheless, I understood that the rise of nationalist forces and the fight against the Soviet past was a single program to destroy the country, which would sooner or later lead to civil war.
– So, in 2014 you clearly understood what was happening?
Yes, completely. One day, out of interest, I went to the Maidan and started talking about what was happening to the people there. They tried to prove to me that all this hell was for the sake of the “European association” and “visa-free travel”. Moreover, this was said by a man speaking in Ukrainian; obviously from somewhere in western Ukraine. It was clear that “visa-free” he sleeps and sees, although he does not know English, and clearly does not seek to get acquainted with the European cultural heritage. It became clear who is the driving force behind this movement.
When the bloodshed began, I stopped communicating with most of my friends on ideological grounds. I quickly realized that propaganda works terribly effectively. And it will not be possible to convince anyone - everyone has suddenly become an expert in history and geopolitics.
– At what point did you realize that you had to fight neo-Nazis?
I understood this back in 2004, but I just didn’t know how. In 2014, I thought about joining the militia, but decided to stay in the city because I didn’t see any organized resistance there, but I realized the need to fight against extremists. At the same time, he considered participation in rallies useless and dangerous.
– At what point did you decide to take decisive action?
At the end of 2014. I really wanted to express my indignation at the rampant nationalist and openly fascist movements in the capital of Ukraine, and throughout the country. By that time, Vita Zavirukha had become famous in Kyiv, she, along with her accomplices, killed law enforcement officers during a robbery. “Pravoseki” threw a grenade at conscript soldiers near the Rada. Events took place that showed that the authorities were unable to cope with the Nazis. The authorities rather encouraged them, and this outraged them to the core. Even the “Maydowns” began to see the light little by little (especially since even the news regularly talked about the lawlessness of neo-Nazis), and I certainly could not put up with this state of affairs.
In September 2015, together with two other guys - fortunately, they were also exchanged - we prepared a small civil protest. We scouted out the area near one of the Right Sector offices, thought out escape routes and other details, and got hold of the RGD.
We did not plan to kill anyone or cause serious damage, especially since this is a residential building, but we wanted to make a “loud” statement. As a result, the action was a success, but immediately after the explosion we were captured by SBU officers. They were clearly waiting for us - as it turned out later, we had been under surveillance for a long time. Tellingly, they did not try to prevent the explosion. Apparently they, unlike us, were ready for possible sacrifices.
– What were you ultimately accused of? Did you find out when Putin recruited you?
That we were almost going to blow up the whole house. They asked when and where the FSB recruited us, appearances, passwords... Naturally, they intimidated us. They “accepted” me with all the proletarian hatred - they beat me, one comrade was shot. The wheels of the car were shot out - it was a great show, so people were probably less afraid of our explosion than of the actions of the SBU.
– Don’t you regret doing this?
Not a bit. My only regret is that everything was done in a stupid way.
– How did you feel when you crossed the demarcation line?
Our guys waved to us. Suddenly I realized that I was already safe among my own people. It was a strong feeling.
– What do you plan to do?
I’ll see my relatives, I’ll go to St. Petersburg - I’ve always dreamed of going there. And then I’ll return to Donetsk and start a new life.
– I wish you every success!
Thank you!
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