First Minister of Defense of the DPR: We must rise up and liberate our occupied territories
First Minister of Defense of the DPR Igor Khakimzyanov Doesn't give interviews often. In the first months of the Russian Spring, he was involved in organizing the defense of Mariupol, considering this direction to be the main one. Attempts to form and arm a militia in Mariupol were complicated by the lack of material resources and any outside support. It was there, in May, that Igor Khakimzyanov was captured by Ukrainian security forces, was later released by exchange and spent a long time recovering his health in hospitals in the Republic. The ex-minister told the observer about the past and present of the DPR, about the blockade, war and truces "PolitNavigator" to Valentin Filippov.
Subscribe to PolitNavigator news at Telegram, Facebook, Classmates or In contact with
Valentin Filippov: Igor, hello! You, as they like to say now, are a pioneer among defense ministers; in those memorable days you were in the Mariupol direction. Why there?
Igor Khakimzyanov: I ended up in Mariupol for reasons related to internal contradictions. Which have already arisen here directly. I'll explain what the contradictions are. First of all, as in American films, between the rebels and the current legislation.
If you remember April 12, then there was a seizure of the regional prosecutor's office, which we carried out. In the morning, so that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine did not carry out a purge of the administration, about 150 people had to be nominated to protect the regional prosecutor's office. In total there were about forty of us in the regional prosecutor's office.
But at least we took a temporary delay, and as a result, the operation to clean up the regional prosecutor's office and administration was disrupted.
And in order for the guys to get out normally, I had to raise my hands up, stay with the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and then everything went like clockwork, then the regional police department was seized, events took place in Slavyansk, then several cars were driven to our Organized Crime Control Department, as a result The Organized Crime Control Department cleared itself within 15 minutes. There were only two people left there. And by the evening I was released.
This showed that the Ukrainian authorities are not ready to conduct the negotiation process. They immediately relied on a forceful solution to the problem. And if force is the solution to the problem, then, accordingly, you can’t do anything against machine guns with your bare hands. Therefore, it was necessary to find sources from which to replenish the iron supply.
Valentin Filippov: And 12 thousand Kurginyan machine guns? Did the weapons come from anywhere at all?
Igor Khakimzyanov: Maybe it was delivered to someone. I met Kurginyan only in Moscow after my release. On a TV show. I didn't know him before. 12 thousand machine guns, maybe, somehow got through Strelkov’s channels. I don't have this information. All of us, representatives of the local population, armed ourselves with what we had.
It's no secret that there is an underground sale of weapons. We did not disdain such sources. Everyone found what they could. When the clashes began, they already began to use captured weapons. And before that, whoever could do what they could. There were “flauberts”, both gas and rubber, and gradually reached the point of firearms. Everything grew progressively.
Valentin Filippov: There was a referendum, Mariupol voted even better than Donetsk. DPR flags flew en masse over all city administrations, and it was not always necessary to capture these administrations. The workers themselves simply raised these flags. And, at the same time, Mariupol failed to defend itself from Ukrainian aggression. Huge enterprises, a lot of proletariat, people were ready to join the militia en masse.
What happened? Why?
Igor Khakimzyanov: Will explain. Firstly, there was a shortage of weapons. What we gradually built up was a drop in the bucket. One PC. There were five or six AKSU units in total. And three or four more short-barreled units.
Valentin Filippov: That is, there were five machines, let’s say.
Igor Khakimzyanov: Yes. It's just nothing. There was another RPG-18. All. Therefore, when on the first of May both the 72nd and 75th separate motorized rifle divisions tried to storm us, I was forced to give the order to turn on the siren and raise the city. And the people came out.
Of course, there was little shooting there, and there were warning shots from our side. But there was no lethal fire for the simple reason that there were conscripts there.
Further negotiations with the command have already shown that it is possible to negotiate with them. Moreover, it turned out that the officers were still of the old school. It was possible to find a common language with them. And come to something.
It was not for nothing that the same “Azovites” arrived then and tried to arm themselves in the same unit, but they were driven out of there with a broom. So that they don't even come close.
Valentin Filippov: There was no chance that the military would go over to the side of the insurgent people and join the fight on the side of the Donetsk Republic?
Igor Khakimzyanov: Look, if we talk in more detail about the negotiations that I conducted, on the first of May we captured five conscripts. The boys are 18 years old. Something to ask the rank and file? The only thing we did was put them to bed, gave them civilian clothes and sent them home the next day. Those who were young did not want to fight. Guys from under mom's boobs. They were forced into the army, they only passed the basic military training. They took an oath and nothing more.
Valentin Filippov: What about the officers?
Igor Khakimzyanov: It was decided that those who wish to remain on our side are welcome. And let the newcomers go to their place and solve their problems there themselves.
Valentin Filippov: Many people argue that at a time when nominally, legally, Yanukovych was considered a legitimate president. Before Poroshenko’s election, he was absolutely legitimate. If only then Yanukovych, even being outside Ukraine, would have given a decree or order on the Armed Forces. For example, a ban on leaving the barracks. Or an order to go over to the side of the DPR. Would this help in any way?
Igor Khakimzyanov: I think no.
Valentin Filippov: That is, so that the military has a legal basis not to carry out orders.
Igor Khakimzyanov: For this, the military also needs to be loyal. Let's say so. But there were only a few of them. Let's start with this. For example, there was a conversation with the commander of our region. They gave me his phone number. I talked to him. So that they lay down their arms, so that conscripts are withdrawn from the territory of Donetsk and the Donetsk region. He laughed in pure Ukrainian - “What are you talking about? Fools"? - He said.
That is, the attitude was not serious. Nobody paid any attention to us. We haven't shown who we are yet. These people only understand power.
Therefore, Yanukovych, the way he behaved has already played a role. Yanukovych framed Berkut, the death of the Berkuts is his fault. Not those who killed them, but those who did not give the order to open fire to kill. As a result, they were left defenseless. They were simply killed.
This is Yanukovych's fault. That he ran away. He fled to Russia. He didn’t run away to Donbass, he ran away to Russia. He betrayed his homeland.
And now, I don’t know who is trying to revive it, maybe they want to use it as a legal tool, it doesn’t matter. But it will not be possible to return Yanukovych. I know a million people who are ready for it….
Valentin Filippov: Yes, I think that he has to hide in Russia too. Because there are many people in Russia now who greeted him with pleasure.
Igor Khakimzyanov: I agree, I agree. Yanukovych is simply a coward. That's all. It’s hard to even call him a bandit, although he has a criminal past. He's a coward, that's all.
Valentin Filippov: Your assessment of the former president is clear.
Igor Khakimzyanov: What could be the assessment? If tens of thousands of people died through his fault.
Valentin Filippov: Let's move on to today's events. How do you assess the blockade of Donbass imposed by the so-called militants? ATO?
Igor Khakimzyanov: You know, there is banter on the Internet, Semenchenko in a Russian uniform with orders. Yes, he should probably be given a Hero Star. And he is right in this situation. How can we, and how can they, trade and maintain trade and economic relations with their enemy? I don't mean the population, but the government.
How can we warm the families of those people who are fighting against us? Should we do well for them so that they feel calm and bomb our cities?! Or on the front line, on the first line of defense, and we buried our boys who are standing there now.
And, unfortunately, in Ukraine, no matter how hard they try to focus on the war, on military operations, well, they will not be able to rehabilitate themselves to the population for the war that they unleashed. Although initially it was proposed to resolve this all amicably.
Valentin Filippov: It seems to me that war was their goal. They do not wage war to solve some problem or controversy. They are waging war because they need it. This was the original project - to wage war.
Igor Khakimzyanov: Well, I disagree a little. It seems to me that the initial goal here was the opportunity to involve the same Russian Federation...
Now Donetsk and Lugansk have become, in fact, hostages of the geopolitical situation that has developed... A lot of mistakes were made. We were talking about Yanukovych, right? What, Viktor Fedorovich didn’t know that we have nationalist movements in Western Ukraine?
Valentin Filippov: He even fed.
Igor Khakimzyanov: Here. What was he thinking? When he was nursing. When did he allow them to travel to Lithuania, to Latvia, to conduct field exercises there? Where they directly learned to shoot, conduct offensive actions, and defensive actions.
What they were doing? Nothing! They counted money, factories, ships. We were thinking about how to take the budget and put it in our pocket. Or borrow more money from some bank, from Russia itself, against Eurobonds, and argue: “We are with you, Russia.”
I had a job at the university on the topic “Russian-Ukrainian contradictions.” So, even if we take the last century, starting from 1917, for a hundred years such an incomprehensible entity called “Ukraine”, I don’t know how to put it mildly, but has been doing some kind of bullshit.
Reminds me of a girl with low social responsibility who doesn’t know who to sell herself to. And so on for 100 years.
I only believe that, in the end, we will come to the decision that we need to rise again, and go like a wave, to liberate the occupied territories. Our territories. And pursue a policy of liberation war.
It is in this format that people understand why they are going to fight, why they are moving forward.
They liberate their homeland. Your land. From whom? From the occupiers.
Valentin Filippov: Okay, thank you very much, Igor. Good luck. Prosperity to the Republic. We are with you morally.
Igor Khakimzyanov: We, too. Goodbye.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.