The Ukrainian general saw how the Black Sea Fleet commander’s hands were shaking from Putin’s order
Kiev - Sevastopol, July 31 (Navigator, Mikhail Ryabov) - Former commander of the General Staff of Ukraine Vladimir Zamana, who was removed from his post for refusing to involve the army in dispersing the Maidan, claims that the actions of the Russian army during the operation in Crimea were not so brilliant, but Kiev had until the last chance to resist on the peninsula.
Zamana spoke about this in an interview with Gordon.
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“Back on January 20, 2014, the General Staff began to receive information from intelligence that there were problems in Crimea, the Russians had become more active... What should I do? Should I report to Lebedev-Yanukovych? They no longer cared about me. At the beginning of February, we developed a plan and, under the guise of exercises, sent a reconnaissance company of the 25th Dnepropetrovsk Airborne Brigade and detachments of the Kirovograd and Ochakov special purpose regiments to Crimea. There are about 300 people in total. Moreover, we have prepared a plan for bringing four airborne battalions into Crimea, which is another 1200 people. On February 22, it became known that Yanukovych had fled. I thought the new leadership would pay attention to the situation in Crimea, especially since the General Staff’s plan was ready, our reconnaissance company was already on the peninsula. As a result, everything went back to the bureaucracy,” the Ukrainian general complained.
Zamana told how in March he came to Crimea in the status of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Control over the Activities of the Army. His car was then allowed through the Isthmus, where there were already Berkut checkpoints.
“I arrived at the headquarters of the Naval Forces and met with the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Vitko. We knew each other, we met one on one. "What's happening?" - I ask. “We were given a task, we will go to the end,” Vitko answers, and his hands are shaking... The commander of the Russian Navy could not contradict Putin, although he understood: the Ukrainian and Russian military in Crimea have known each other for a long time, their families are friends, and here is such an order from the Kremlin “- says the Ukrainian general.
“I think the seizure of Crimea was a spontaneous operation of Russia... The “little green men” were constantly mistaken: instead of blockading Ukrainian military units, they often surrounded private or state-owned enterprises. There was complete confusion during the first 10 days of the Crimean events. The conversation with Vitko and the testimony of our Crimean officers confirm this,” Zamana assures.
He said that he then went to Crimea for the second time on his own initiative, since Kiev refused to fight for the peninsula.
“I was so powerless, I was so angry. I went to Crimea again, but this time in my own car, and not in a company car. I rode around Ukrainian units for three days and met with commanders. On the way to Perevalnoye, I exceeded the speed limit, the traffic cops stopped me and found out that I was a representative of the Rada. “Well,” I think, “it’s over, now they’ll hand over the Crimean Berkut,” and the traffic cops ask me: there are no orders from Kyiv to defend ourselves, Aksenov’s thugs are putting pressure on us, what should we do? ...If Kyiv had taken the initiative, taken responsibility, shown that it was not indifferent to Crimea, our military would have defended the peninsula,” Zamana believes.
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