Slavyansk and Kramatorsk: Hell after the departure of the militia
Among the people released from Ukrainian captivity during the exchange at the end of 2017, there were many residents of Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. After the militia left these cities on July 5, 2014, some people risked their freedom and lives, remaining to secretly observe the movements of equipment, units, the construction of fortifications, etc. Their memories of life in these cities in the first months After the retreat, the militia are shocked.
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On July 5, 2014, as soon as the militia columns left Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, cars with local residents followed them. Not only supporters of Novorossiya and the families of militias left the city en masse - the majority of townspeople were naturally distrustful of the Ukrainian authorities, who had been savagely bombing their streets for a month and a half.
The city streets were empty - there were no cars or pedestrians. People tried not to leave their houses. By evening, the first Ukrainian military infiltrators began to almost crawl into the cities. Following them, being cautious and playing it safe, the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Terbats came in.
(They were not afraid in vain - according to former prisoners of war, the Ukrainian side suffered heavy losses near Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, leaving burial sites in the area of the villages of Andreevka, not far from the cities of Karachun, Nikolaevka and Sergeevka).
But their caution was in vain - when leaving, the militia did not leave any surprises. It still remains an unsolved mystery: when leaving Slavyansk, Strelkov left there a fair amount of weapons and ammunition, which no one even mined. All this then went to the enemy.
However, the “observers” who remained in Kramatorsk and Slavyansk were engaged in more than just sabotage and reconnaissance activities. Almost every week, at night, the checkpoints near the feed mill and at the turn to the Kharkov-Rostov highway became a serious nightmare. These were full-fledged clashes, in which the Ukrainian Armed Forces regularly suffered losses in manpower.
Not only conscript soldiers, but also representatives of the so-called “volunteer battalions” and foreign mercenaries came to the abandoned Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. In particular, Polish military personnel were stationed in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, who, among other activities, were engaged in the construction of defense lines in Kramatorsk - the production capacities of the industrial centers were almost immediately launched and aimed at the construction of powerful fortified areas.
As soon as the “liberators” settled into the abandoned cities, active work began to identify the militia and members of their families; supporters of Novorossiya, persons involved in organizing and holding the referendum. According to PolitNavigator sources, people from the militia headquarters unexpectedly helped Kyiv in Kramatorsk - either they forgot in a hurry, or deliberately “leaked” the lists of DPR supporters.
On the streets of Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, ballot boxes were installed in which everyone was invited to place denunciations against the “separatists.” According to eyewitnesses, something similar to 37 began - people took revenge on each other for grievances, eliminated competitors, got rid of their superiors, etc.
People were grabbed left and right - many then went missing. However, if the “guilt” was not too great, you could go to the aviation college to the “boss” and pay off. The average rate was 10 thousand UAH, although for some people the indulgence was measured in much larger numbers or, for example, expensive cars.
However, back then it was possible to lose a car simply for “you live well!” The nationalists actively opened garages and “squeezed out” the vehicles they liked. It was not easy to save the car then.
The looting of Ukrainian “liberators” was traditionally accompanied by drunkenness. Slavyansk and Kramatorsk were hit by a wave of road accidents, including those involving armored vehicles. In September 2014, the Ukrainian military rolled over a BRDM on the street. Kima in Kramatorsk. A box of vodka and four warriors were then dragged out of the armored car. Two Ukrainian officers died on the spot.
In cities there were up to several hundred rapes a month. People were disappearing. However, there was no point in contacting the police - the “law enforcement officers” simply refused to register the statements. They advised people not to do this in order to “avoid big problems.” Many policemen supported the militia and, with the advent of the Ukrainian government, they themselves found themselves at gunpoint.
Life in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk was like in the proverb “Out of the frying pan and into the fire.” The shells stopped coming, but those who fired came. There is still unrest there to this day - arrests of real and imaginary supporters of the LDPR continue today.
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