“We were kissing new equipment!” – former Ukrainian marines told how they serve in the Russian Federation
Moscow - Simferopol, December 18 (PolitNavigator, Mikhail Stamm) - Special correspondent KP Dmitry Steshin visited the 126th separate coastal defense brigade of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Perevalny, where the Ukrainian marines were stationed in the spring, and talked with the military. 80% of former Ukrainian marines went to serve in the Russian fleet, and told how their lives changed
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The transition of the brigade to other banners, or, as they delicately say in Crimea, “integration,” happened instantly, writes Steshin. Outwardly, the brigade has hardly changed since the spring, but now everyone in the unit wears the new-fashioned “digital”, the old “oak” camouflage has disappeared from circulation.
The military received the first Russian passports earlier than members of the Crimean government, writes Steshin. In the very first days, two FMS commissions appeared here. The haste was justified: a massive initiation of criminal cases under the article “treason to the Motherland” began in Ukraine.
Deputy commander for educational work Valery Boyko says that the Russian and Ukrainian regulations are almost no different. All the differences from the past begin right after the checkpoint - construction is in full swing in the area.
“For as long as I can remember, the roof has been leaking here, and they couldn’t do anything about it. Roofing specialists were needed, but where could they get them when no funds were allocated? Now a canteen for a thousand people is being built on the territory of the unit. Six dormitories and two barracks are being rebuilt. In the future, there will be a residential complex of eight houses for officers, their families and contract soldiers. The school is designed for 400 children, the kindergarten for 250,” Boyko shows.
According to him, 131 people from the entire brigade transferred to Ukraine, which is 20% of the personnel. “Some people had all their relatives left on the mainland, people were afraid that there would be difficulties crossing the border, and that’s what happened. The circumstances were different, but we parted with dignity - we ordered buses, escorts, and agreed with customs so that people would not be tortured at the border,” the officer recalls.
By the summer, KP reports, the brigade received a salary that was on average five times higher than in the Ukrainian army. “Trainings on paper,” for which 20 years of independence were famous, turned into real ones in the field. By December, all officers of the unit managed to undergo retraining in training centers in Russia. We attended maneuvers near Rostov, tankers went to the training center near Vladimir.
“You won’t believe that in order to conduct shooting at the firing range, we bought gasoline at our own expense,” recalls another brigade officer. – I remember going to Zhitomir to the plant to buy repair kits for armored vehicles. There is vodka and money in the suitcase. At night, Uncle Vasya would pass me a box of spare parts through the fence, and I would go to the unit and fix it. And this summer we received new KamAZ trucks - 2013, their mechanics almost kissed them! Then came the T-72s on platforms. We climb into them, and they start immediately! We didn't know this could happen."
In personal conversations, contract soldiers and officers who remained to serve in the Russian army repeated several times that they rejoiced at the opportunity “not to shoot at their own people,” unlike Ukrainian military personnel.
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