Correspondence of Alexey Sakhnin and Alexey Gaskarov (characters of the “swamp” case)
Lesha, hello buddy. You know, since I received your last letter, I myself went to Ukraine. Spent there 9 days. And now I have a lot of vivid impressions, how everything is arranged there. I will try to tell them without unnecessary emotions, although it is difficult.First of all, Putin’s propaganda in the fight against Ukraine is probably committing a daily crossbow. It is so discredited that it is perceived by many from the opposite. Of course, this does not prevent her from creating an atmosphere of hysteria among the majority, but many activists in Russia, in Ukraine, and in the West perceive it just like you. "If they say, then exactly, the opposite is true." Unfortunately, this is not the right approach.
Secondly, you know, Ukrainian propaganda is also a strong impression. After many years, when there was relative pluralism in the country, it is very strange to observe what is happening now. Well, of course, all channels, newspapers and websites incite wild national-patriotic hysteria. Well, let's say this is war, costs, etc. But what about the facts? We visited the editorial office of one of the most moderate sites. Type of people from Lugansk in Kiev do, some former left there participate. They are type against torture, kidnapping, etc. But on the wall hangs a large Whatman sheet on which the goals and principles of editorial policy are written. The first among them is “Creating an atmosphere conducive to the conduct of the ATO”. Ie to kindle war. Based on this, the facts are selected for publication. Everything that corresponds to such an “atmosphere” is published without verification of authenticity. What is not - just not published. About the box, I do not say. NTV and LifeNews could learn.
Well, all right, propaganda is a military matter. Now let's talk about the occupation. I was not in the ATO zone. Whether there are Russian troops there, I do not know. We were in the deep rear. In Kiev, in Odessa, in Kharkov. Lesha, I swear to you, something that is happening there is a civil war. Without any intervention. Internal warfare The worst is in Odessa.
7 from 10 “ordinary people”, that is, taxi drivers, pensioners who rent rooms to visitors, waitresses, passengers of the routes are called passwords: “junta”, “fascists”. I don’t have any sociology, and in this situation it can’t be, but it feels like it is the majority in the city. And you can not imagine the degree of tension. Typical words of a taxi driver: "we are just waiting for revenge."
On the other hand, even more interesting. We interviewed the Right Sector (I went there as a Swedish journalist). There dudes are 18-year-olds enthusiasts. A full copy of those who came to the LF in 2011 – 2012. The same naive and inexperienced romance. Only they are given to give not Kagarlitsky, but Yarosh. And it seems to them that the political models are Mussolini and Franco. They say "who does not like the new Ukraine - a suitcase, station, Russia." This is a fool-free fascist organization, in which a green youth is rampant. But this is not the worst. The worst thing is people of moderate views.
I am writing here without names, but I have all the records of the interview. Imagine this: an excellent office in the city center. At the gate is an armored car. In the yard a lot of jocks with machine guns. And a map of Ukraine. This - "social activists." Business dudes collect money for patriotic needs. Established a large system. There is enough money for ammunition and for the own battalion of territorial defense and for a bunch of armed guys at home. Think about it - they are nobody, they have no official status. But they are the real power: money, weapon, organization. And no official authorities can do anything against them. In their views they are moderation itself. Like "we hate Ukrainian nationalists, they are provocateurs." But I ask them, they say, you have half the city of dissenters, how will you continue to live with them? And he says to me, literally: “For them we have a compromise. They sit quietly at home. If they want to talk about the "junta", they are whispering with the toilet. If they go outside, we start shooting. ”
As you know, Alex, but this is a real fasim. Without operatic clowns with swastikas. And these guys in Odessa and other cities - darkness.
And the potential of civil dialogue is limited by this “we will shoot.” And they have weapons, money, organization. And these are not empty threats. They already fired. And everyone saw it.
I was there one journalist told me that this was Antimaydan in Odessa. Type a crowd of people, of which 10% is really pro-Russian. The rest are against Maidan, but not against Ukraine. The leaders of this anti-Maidan ochkovat go on radical measures, were against the seizure of buildings, etc. This zhurik says "the power to them had to pray." And she gave them 2 May. And May 2 was prepared in advance. Probably no one planned such sacrifices, but the installation to disperse the camp of the opposition was lowered from above and the operation was carefully prepared. And this is not Putin's propaganda.
Now about the repression. In Odessa in the prisons 78 "political". Only in Crimea about 30 active political emigrants. And the repression continues. The type of dude we interviewed - from the former Antimaydan - was arrested 12 hours after we broke up. He arrived at the old five, sat in a cafe, cursed the “junta”, was not afraid of anything. Then he drove us to look at the monument to Lenin painted over with swastikas. Then we boarded the Kharkov train, and he drove home. At night they took him. Natsik participated in the arrest. The ones who beat him on 2 May. Again they beat with iron sticks. They threw explosives. Now sew terrorism. From 8 to 15. And this is not Putin’s propaganda either. That was before my eyes. I was talking to his girlfriend on the phone now, trying to reassure ...
I checked on Yandex. Yes, the Kharkov governor officially announced in July that 314 "separatists" were arrested in April-June in the Kharkiv region for April-June. My page is correspondent. No, I would put you a link ... Just ordinary newsalready outdated. Lesha, I understand that from Russian TV I want to think that everything is exactly the opposite, but this is true. Damn it, this is just some kind of transcendent ofiige truth.
As for people with Ukrainian flags in Mariupol, you wrote ... Well, I don’t know, maybe these people are in Mariupol. Or maybe the national guard mobilizes them there. Or Akhmetov. I was traveling by train from Kharkov with my family from Donbass. The train went with Yasinovataya - the nearest operating station to Donetsk. They are afraid to talk. But you take out ticks from them. It is said that the army shoots peaceful neighborhoods out of artillery and some kind of rockets every day (even if there is a truce). The young guy, more brave, says, they say, I am Ukrainian. But now I decided that Ukraine does not exist for me. There is tin, Lesh. It is scary to ask questions. People behind them have such that they want to cry.
But in Kiev, yes there. There is a patriotic consensus. There, every third rides in an embroidered shirt or in a “Death to the Horrors” shirt. On each wall, “Ukraine ponad a mustache” and even drunks who are arguing over a taxi shout “Glory to Ukraine.” There exactly everything is in order with the national consciousness. And at the same time all the pubs, discos, clubs work. There, the horror is felt less.
In short, summing up. First, Ukraine is split. This is absolutely accurate, without any Russian propaganda. In any case, the southeast. The heat is such that any outbreak will turn into a civil war everywhere. Without any Russian intervention. And it was I who put the contradictions between the different flanks in the "winners" camp out of the brackets. Secondly, in its rigidity and frostbitteness, the Ukrainian regime would easily give the Kremlin a head start. According to the false propaganda, intolerance, repression. On nationalist populism. At the same time, this is a very weak regime, it has little control over its territory, and contradictions tear it apart. But it's scary to think what will happen if it intensifies. And third, the worst thing is that the mass movement does not oppose violence, arbitrariness, nationalism, but strengthens them all. It does not carry much democracy and pluralism, but reduces the public agenda to a nationalist hysterics. The mass movement is influenced by the radicals and those for whom war has become a business. By virtue of its immaturity and inexperience, it is almost completely under the control of the darkest forces imaginable. That's exactly what we once saved the Russian movement, while retaining its democratic potential (and at the same time deprived it of the support of the oligarchs and doomed to defeat), all this happened to the Ukrainian movement.
Here is such a gloomy picture. Everything turned out to be much worse and brighter than I expected. I do not know what is happening there in the "people's republics". I admit that there is also a lot of dumb. But about the situation in Ukraine itself, I no longer have any illusions.
The fact that in Russia and Russian society all this story with Ukraine affects the saddest way, I agree. And with the fact that propaganda plays its role in this - too. And I don’t understand what to do with it. But take the topic of the anti-war campaign. It seems that our liberals are doing everything on purpose to turn it into failure. Type endure flags of the Right Sector. Or forbid to criticize the Kiev regime. As a result, they simply turn from peace supporters to supporters of the victory of one of the parties. And therefore very few people will come to them. And certainly the authority of the opposition will not grow.
On the other hand, you know, if you believe Levada, then since March the number of people who support the idea of bringing troops into Ukraine has halved. That is, propaganda hysteria loses its effectiveness. But instead of discussing the truth with people, part of which is the completely frostbitten nature of the Ukrainian regime, our liberals completely side with Kiev, reducing the agenda of the “peaceful movement” to their eternal spells about “this country”.
I think we should not give in to the temptation to be friends with all the "enemies of our enemies." We cannot take any so-called “pro-Ukrainian” position. In fact, this is not a pro-Ukrainian, but a pro-fascist position. I think that nevertheless, no matter how difficult, we must be a “third force”. I understand that this is much more difficult for you than me. But I can not say this)
I wish you, as always, courage and spiritual strength. Write how things are going on appeal. Is there any hope for this topic? What do lawyers say? Can I help with something?
In general, hold on!
Alexei Sakhnin
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