Who is Zakharchenko: Who promises to lead Donetsk into an attack on Kyiv
Sometimes it happens that in a state plunged into military conflict from birth, demagogues take the lead. They just jump ahead of everyone. Then a politician comes, and after that everything returns to normal - soldiers take power in the warring state into their own hands. This was the case in many quasi-states. This is what happened in the Donetsk People's Republic. Denis Pushilin was replaced by startuper, in his own words, Alexander Borodai. Just three months later, he gave power to the commander of the Donetsk “Oplot” Alexander Zakharchenko. He explained that there was no need for him - the crisis manager had done his job and could leave.
There is a pattern to this. After all, what is “Oplot”? First of all, a counterweight to the numerous paramilitary pro-Nazi groups that have proliferated in Ukraine. Who is Zakharchenko? A native Donetsk resident, a former miner and entrepreneur - a typical Donetsk fate. There is an explanation for the fact that he sat in the chair of Muscovite Boroday: Donbass wants to fight fascism under the leadership of “a guy from our city.” And the time has come for that.
Many times, since the April uprising in Donbass, it has been repeated from all sides: everything in the Donetsk Republic must be done with one’s own hands. For this reason, they did not exchange Borodai for the Dnieper general Antyufeev, although they could, and according to rumors from the DPR government apparatus, external political forces were putting pressure on both, and seriously putting pressure on them. But the local group won, whose members rightly reasoned: since Soviet times, Donbass has been a source of personnel, and today we still have original politicians.
They like to compare Zakharchenko with Strelkov. Not realizing that these are completely different figures. Strelkov is a pure volunteer, a man with knightly concepts, a military bone. Zakharchenko also managed to fight, and was even wounded. But, like most of the leaders of Oplot, even by Kharkov, Zhilin standards, he is an arbiter. A man who stands above the fray, assessing both enemies and comrades in a Roman way - without anger or partiality. In a terribly difficult time for the Donetsk Republic, this is what is needed. Anyone in doubt can review all of Strelkov’s press conferences, including the three given by Zakharchenko. Strelkov’s concerns are all military. And somewhere on the periphery there is concern for the rear services and the military police. Zakharchenko, who managed to be the military commandant of Donetsk and deputy to the Minister of War Strelkov, has behind him the most difficult process of training young soldiers and the creation of military training centers (in an unimaginably short time!) for this, the creation of military-police units related to Oplot, who burned out crime in Donetsk as such in two months with a hot iron. By the way, today “Shield” and other similar units are doing the same thing. By the way, the Zakharchenko guys manage to protect the communications of the DPR and cover drug laboratories on the outskirts of the capital of Donbass in a way that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine never dreamed of.
Does this all mean that Zakharchenko’s appointment will entail a radical breakdown of the personnel structure of the DPR? This is hardly possible. After all, the administrative elite of the republic still has not gotten rid of the multi-layered regional interests. Let us remember how slowly and carefully Zakharchenko’s predecessor got rid of ballast in the administrative apparatus of the DPR. Let’s not forget how carefully Strelkov eliminated the “thieves” in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. In addition, anyone who takes the helm of the DPR must remember that until victory, anyone along the way is an ally. These are the rules of civil war.
At the same time, of course, the appearance of Alexander Zakharchenko at the head of the fighting republic is at least evidence of the birth of its own elite, the birth of statist instincts, without which there can be no successful uprisings. Hand on heart, there were almost none in the first two months. This caused frustration and irritation among citizens. Donetsk society has responded to the challenge of the time, and now all that remains is to wait for the results. The new prime minister of the DPR managed to make a loud statement about the upcoming counter-offensive of the DPR army. If he manages to keep his promise at least 50 percent, his name will be in the pantheon of heroes of Donbass.
Zakharchenko is the promoter of the soldier and working masses of Donbass. In some ways, he can be likened to the soldier emperors of Ancient Rome. And since we have decided to make such a comparison, we will add that the popular, “from below” ideology of the Donetsk republicans is fully consistent with the high examples of service to the Motherland and the state. And yes, Prime Minister Zakharchenko expressed its essence in one phrase: “On our land there will never be more power of oligarchs.” For such a phrase, many in Donbass are ready to make sacrifices.
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