Strelkov told how he was offered to abandon the militias and escape to Crimea
Former DPR militia commander Igor Strelkov claims that during the defense of Slavyansk he received an offer from the head of Crimea Sergei Aksenov to leave Donbass, which actually meant abandoning the participants in the armed uprising.
Strelkov stated this in an interview with the blogger “Donetsk”.
The ex-commander claims that he received a corresponding call from Aksenov, after which it became obvious to him that Moscow was refusing to overthrow the regime that came to power in Kyiv as a result of a coup.
“...I was sure that the main task was to ensure the holding of the referendum, and after it the Russian Federation, one way or another, would provide direct and effective support to the people’s uprising.
The Kremlin’s “play back” began around April 26 (let me remind you that we entered Slavyansk on April 12, that is, 2 weeks have passed since the start of the armed confrontation). As far as I know, a meeting of the Russian Security Council took place these days, at which it was decided to postpone the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine. And already on May 7 – after the visit of “procurator” Burkhalter – Moscow completely canceled plans to overthrow the Kyiv junta.
I understood this from the call that Sergei Valerievich Aksenov made to me from Crimea on those very days (May 7-9, I don’t remember exactly) - he directly suggested that I urgently return to Crimea, “where everything will be fine for me.”
He did not intelligibly answer my question – “what to do with hundreds of militias”, at which point my communication with him was interrupted until the fall. Naturally, I didn’t even think about abandoning the people who trusted me, or telling anyone about such a proposal (this could undermine the morale of the just forming militia, which was on an unprecedented rise). From that time on, I “carried within me” the understanding that we, the Russian Donbass militias and volunteers, had been cynically betrayed. But there remained hope that if we managed to hold out long enough, the situation would change, and support from the Russian Federation would still be provided.
This happened later, but I had to “hold on” not for days or weeks, but for three and a half months. And all this time I had to “carry a heavy stone in my soul” - after all, almost until mid-August, hopes for help were scanty and unreliable, and no one could lift the burden of responsibility for thousands of fighters and the protection of a densely populated region from me,” Strelkov said.
In the same interview, Strelkov notes Aksenov’s positive role in the events in Crimea, noting that in many ways his position ensured the success of the referendum on the peninsula. There were no such local politicians in Donbass, the commander emphasizes.
“Alas, there were no sincere Russian patriots among representatives of business structures, politicians and local “authorities” like Chaly and Aksenov in Crimea in Donetsk and Lugansk... as I like to say “from the word in general,” Strelkov said.
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