“Russia is not waging a ground war in Syria.” Why are the official media silent about the death of the Wagner PMC fighters? What is known about Russians killed and wounded in Syria: new data The death of our soldiers in Syria
Last week, the United States attacked military personnel fighting on the side of the Damascus regime and attacking Deir ez-Zor. It became known that among those killed in this attack was a team of Russian mercenaries consisting of 40 people.
The dirty alliance of the Democratic Union Party (PYD)/Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) with the United States is gradually coming to light. Newly emerging events day by day reveal more and more profound details.
Last week, 100-strong Assad regime-affiliated forces were reported to have attacked PYD/PKK-controlled oil fields in Deir ez-Zor. However, today it became known that Russian soldiers were also part of this group.
Russian mercenaries in Syria
It is reported that a group of 40 Russians were among those killed in the US airstrike that came to the aid of the People's Protection Units (YPG).
Although the Russian Ministry of Defense did not comment on this information, which initially appeared as speculation, the Russian leadership made a statement that this information should be verified. The clearest answer on this matter came from the Wagner company, in which the Russian mercenaries who came under fire reportedly served. The company confirmed the death of about 40 Russian mercenaries, while it was noted that the military died as a result of the US attack.
Context
Dozens of Russians died in Syria
The New York Times 02/14/2018Russia is trapped in Syria
Neue Zürcher Zeitung 02/14/2018Russian compass broke in Syria
Al-Arab 02/13/2018The third world war began in Syria
Sabah 02/13/2018Russia will be able to squeeze the US out of Syria
The Washington Post 02/13/2018 Attack on Russians who fought the YPGWhile Russia's move against the PYD/PKK—terrorist structures located in territories that should be under Assad's rule—signaled a Russian operation to clear the oil fields of terrorist groups, the US, not approving of this situation, struck at the Russian military, and this brought the two countries to the threshold of a new crisis in a new region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied
A source in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a conversation with journalists, noted: “The reports disseminated by Bloomberg and other media about the death of dozens and hundreds of Russian citizens in Syria are classic disinformation.”
USA declared: “Self-defense”
The commander of the US Central Command Air Force, Jeffrey Harrigian, without commenting on the Russian military, noted that the return fire on the group that carried out the attack was dictated by the tasks of “self-defense.”
In order to support the YPG, the United States turned a blind eye to the deaths of civilians and turned Turkey, its strongest ally in the region, against itself.
Reader comments:
empathy: Bite each other to pieces, and we'll look at it.
Kahraman: Russia, strike too, quench your thirst for revenge, let your people see courage.
61 : Russia will not swallow this...
Wanli-fb: We need to cooperate with Russia to kick out the US and its offspring - PYD, PKK, ISIS ( prohibited in the Russian Federation - approx. edit.) - from Syria. And, if necessary, conduct a joint operation. Give Deir ez-Zor to the Russians, let northern Syria be under the supervision of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Turkey...
Multimedia
CNN 02/14/2018Strikes the terrorists have never seen before
Daily Mail 12/11/2017Russia creates a “tactical parallel”
ABC News 11/02/2017 Mertcan: Türkiye, Russia, Iran must unite and drive the US out of Syria...s10er: What are they afraid of? Everyone is afraid of this America, except Turkey. Yes, grind it into powder.
Yunus Demir: I don’t even know whether to rejoice or cry.
gerçek: Russia, come over to Turkey's side.
cemal ünsal: Now it will be a shame if Russia does not hit the American military.
Cengiz Turan Han: Oh God, oil again...
hkk: Why are there no coffins with the bodies of American military personnel?
Bizde Vuracağız: The US hit Russian mercenaries because the Russians attacked the YPG. And we are going to carry out an operation to drive the terrorists out of Manbij. The USA is a terrorist state that protects terrorists.
??? : Don’t believe it, it’s all a lie. The US is smartly intimidating us. This is a fictitious fight.
Mehmet: Now it has become clear that Russia is weak. Earlier, the United States, using drones, also openly caused serious material damage to the airport that Putin visited and which was called the Russian fortress.
bzttt: America and Russia are not at war, don’t wait in vain.
hava cıva yapma: Is that all your brain can do? All the wars in the world take place between the USA and Russia, but not on the territory of these two countries. Remember, ignoramus.
yalan dunya: Don't be upset, Russia, we will hit the American military and take revenge.
ali: World War III is on the threshold.
atilla: Russia has not responded at all because its technology lags behind.
oRDuLu: You seem to have seen enough of American films where the president presses a button and saves the world.
yazar: If there are several countries in the world that can make America repent of what it has done, then Russia is the most powerful of them.
DoğrucuMRT: Are Russian technologies lagging behind? Don't think.
cevik: By the end of this year there will definitely be a big war in Syria. And the USA came here and will leave.
Back to top: The US will come to an end in Syria.
tesbit: There are hired Chechens there - Putin’s watchdogs, but there are no Russian military on the battlefield.
SSK EMEKLİSİ: One day the turn will come to the opposite side.
Diger Ajanslari da dinleyin: These are mercenary military personnel, that is, legionnaires who went to Syria on their own, and not under the control of the Russian state. Russia does not claim rights to them. America allegedly confessed and apologized.
Selim Baba: Russia, you are strong, you will do what needs to be done.
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively from foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.
https://www.site/2018-02-11/desyatkov_boycov_rossiyskih_chvk_vozmozhno_pogibli_v_boyu_s_amerikancami_v_sirii
“They created hell there”
Dozens of Russian PMC mercenaries may have died in battle with the Americans in Syria
Morukc Umnaber/dpa
According to unverified information, several dozen or even hundreds of fighters from Russian private military companies could have died in a clash with American troops in Syria a few days ago, on February 7 or 8. This was reported, in particular, by several telegram channels, including WarGonzo and Directorate 4, which cover in detail the progress of the military operation in Syria. The deaths of Russian citizens have not been officially confirmed.
“Ours had nothing but machine guns”
The WarGonzo channel published several audio recordings in which allegedly fighters of Russian PMCs talk about what happened. There is a lot of swearing in the audio, it is impossible to decipher them word for word, but in general the message is that more than 200 people were killed in a certain clash in Syria.
“There were Pindos (Americans)… First they covered us with artillery (artillery), then they raised four turntables (helicopters) and launched them into the carousel from heavy machine guns… Ours had nothing but machine guns. In general, they created hell there. The Pindos knew specifically and clearly that it was us who were coming, our Russians were coming to squeeze out the plant, and they were sitting at this plant... There are a lot of missing people.”
On the second recording, a voice says: “Brother, look. There were 177 killed - only the fifth company. The deuce was practically not hooked. In short, the whole five were destroyed, they were crushed there by aviation, helicopters, artillery, and the Kurds and the Americans trampled on them, the boys simply had no chance, almost all of the five fell.”
Battle for the oil plant
Directorate 4 channel writes that the death of the Russians may have occurred during the strike on February 8, when “Western aircraft attacked government troops attacking the positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the area of the village of Hisham.” However, this source does not provide specific figures; perhaps the scale of losses is much smaller.
According to the channel, the battle took place over the Koneko field, which became the target of government troops, possibly supported by a Russian PMC. “Despite the fact that it is physically controlled by the SDF, the sheikh of the local tribe promised to give it for use to the Syrian government (and most likely, to one of the Syrian businessmen personally). The result of this agreement was the attack of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).”
“All sides agree that about 100 people were killed as a result of the strike,” Directorate 4 reports. “Among them, both ordinary soldiers and high-ranking officers and Brigadier General Yusuf Aisha Haider... In addition to the SAA soldiers themselves, Iranians took part in the attack Fatimiyun Brigades and representatives of the Russian PMC. The latter sparked fierce debate over exactly how many Russians were killed. Some give numbers (from 15 to 50 killed alone), others measure it using Kamaz trucks.”
Version conflicts
A serious American attack on pro-government troops was officially reported. On February 8, official press services and media published information according to which American forces launched artillery and air strikes on pro-government forces and killed about 100 people. The coalition called these actions "self-defense." According to the Americans, about 500 people took part in the offensive, which were stopped by the joint actions of F-22 and F-15 fighters, as well as MQ-9 drones. The Americans and their allies suffered no losses.
At the same time, according to Politico, the Americans warned the Russian side about the attack. At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense previously reported that on February 7, “Syrian militias who were conducting an operation against a sleeper cell of the Islamic State in the area of the former El-Isba oil refinery were attacked.”
“While carrying out the mission, the militias came under sudden fire from mortars and MLRS, after which they were attacked by helicopters of the US-led international coalition,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. At the same time, the department emphasized that the militias that came under attack from the coalition did not coordinate their operation with the command of the Russian task force.
The Ministry of Defense did not provide data on the deaths of Russians.
Data from Igor Strelkov
Igor Strelkov, who once led the Russian militias in Donbass, made several publications on his VKontakte page about the deaths of Russians in Syria.
“According to data from a reliable source, there really are no “official Russian military” in the zone of strikes carried out by the United States (perhaps “no longer”, or there were few of them), Strelkov wrote. “However, “under the guise of Syrians,” whose losses are estimated at as many as 100 people killed, two tactical units of “Wagner” (the so-called “Wagner PMC.” - Note: Znak.com) were attacked by American aircraft. One was almost completely destroyed, the second was trashed. Losses, in all likelihood, are very close to the indicated figure,”
On February 7, the US-led anti-terrorist coalition launched strikes against pro-government forces in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor. Reports soon began to emerge that Russian mercenaries were among the strike's many casualties. How many of them died? Why are they fighting in Syria? And why this is a blow for Russia in any case - in the material TUT.BY.
Who attacked whom and why?
The collision took place on the banks of the Euphrates River, in the area of gas fields. A few kilometers north of this zone there is a large gas processing plant that receives raw materials from the nearby At-Tabiya field, the largest in all of Syria - before the start of the war, it produced 13 million cubic meters of natural gas per day. At the end of September 2017, the plant was liberated from Islamic State militants by Kurdish forces from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with the support of a US-led military coalition.
The Kurds were attacked not by the Syrian army, but by pro-government tribal formations - allies of Damascus from among the local clans. The purpose of the raid was to seize a gas processing plant in order to bring it under the control of the Syrian government. Russian mercenaries from the private military company (PMC) Wagner also took part in the raid.
The head of the US Air Force Central Command, Lieutenant General Jeffrey Harrigan, gave a press conference at the Pentagon on February 13, during which he outlined in detail the American version of what happened that day.
Jeffrey Harrigan. Photo: defense.gov
According to the general, on the evening of February 7, the international coalition led by the United States was defending itself, and American military advisers were helping Syrian rebels fight off “an unprovoked and coordinated attack on their positions from across the Euphrates River.” The general said that before the attack the enemy carried out artillery preparations, which included tanks, mortars, rocket and cannon artillery. Under the cover of this shelling, a force of approximately a battalion moved into position.
The coalition launched a strike against the attackers that included F-15E fighters, MQ-9 drones, B-52 strategic bombers, AC-130 heavy attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
The general described the air strikes as targeted and said that several artillery systems and tanks were destroyed as a result. After this, the attackers retreated.
The command of the US-led international coalition estimates the losses of the attackers at 100 people (with 300-500 participants in the attack). At the same time, Harrigan noted that he did not know who was part of the attacking group and whether there were Russian citizens there.
How many Russian mercenaries died in Syria?
Data on how many Russian mercenaries there were in the clash at Deir ez-Zor vary. The numbers given range from 5 to 644 dead.
5 dead
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that reports “about the death of tens and hundreds of Russian citizens are classic disinformation.”
Maria Zakharova. Photo: Reuters
“According to preliminary data, as a result of the armed clash, the causes of which are now being clarified, we can talk about the death of 5 people, presumably Russian citizens. There are also victims, but all this requires verification, in particular, and first of all, of citizenship - whether they are all citizens of Russia or other countries. Once again I would like to emphasize that we are not talking about Russian military personnel,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
14 dead
This figure was announced to Pravda.Ru by Andrey Troshev, whom the media calls one of the leaders of the Wagner PMC. The publication claims that he is also the chairman of the League of Veterans of Military Conflicts. When asked about the number of Russian volunteers who died in Syria, Troshev replied that in fact their number was 14 people.
“On your forehead, [... human reproductive organ], write to yourself: 14 volunteers died in Syria. [...Tired] of you all chewing snot together and telling fairy tales in your articles, all together you are winding snot into the mill of your enemies... And as for your speculations there, what you write, and [... abnormal] investigations - no one abandoned anyone . If the Motherland had abandoned us, we would have been gone a long time ago, and by the way, you too,” Troshev said in a telephone conversation.
80−100 dead
Such data is provided by Reuters citing sources in the article “Russia lost 300 people killed and wounded in battle in Syria.”
“A Russian military doctor said about 100 people were killed, and a source who knows several fighters said the number of casualties exceeded 80,” the article says.
Agency employees also talked with the ataman of the Khovrino Cossack society, Evgeny Shabaev, who said that on February 14 he visited friends wounded in Syria at the Central Military Hospital of the Ministry of Defense in Khimki. According to him, the wounded told him that the two units of Russian private military specialists who took part in the battle near Deir ez-Zor numbered 550 people. Of this number, about 200 people were not killed or injured.
200 dead
This figure was announced to The New York Times by Russian businessman Alexander Ionov, who works in Syria in the security field. Referring to conversations with colleagues in several private military organizations, he said he could estimate losses at “more than 200 Russians.”
Ionov noted that not all of those killed were Russians: some of the mercenaries came from other countries of the former USSR.
Bloomberg also provides data on 200 deaths, citing “one American official and three Russians familiar with this issue,” including the same businessman Alexander Ionov.
217 dead
The director of another private intelligence company, AIM, Alexey Sobolev, in an interview with the Dozhd TV channel, reported 217 dead Russian mercenaries. He also clarified that another 10-15 people subsequently died in hospitals.
200−250 dead
Radio Liberty received this data on February 16 from one of the Wagner PMC mercenaries, who, according to him, was a participant in the battle on February 7, moreover, commanded one of the units.
“200-250 killed, about the same number wounded,” he said.
600 - 644 dead
Such a number of dead named former Minister of Defense of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Igor Girkin (Strelkov). According to him, he receives different information from Syria about the number of dead - “over 600 (644, to be more precise - and that’s just those killed).”
“I don’t quite understand where such losses come from, because the entire defeated column numbered slightly more than 500 people. But we also cannot exclude the possibility of such losses,” Strelkov doubts the reliability of this data.
About 600 dead tells and “coordinator of volunteers in Donbass” Mikhail Polynkov.
“I went to the hospital (according to media reports, there are wounded mercenaries in at least three Russian military hospitals - TUT.BY note) and visited one of the survivors in that meat grinder near Khishim. What can I say, in short? The numbers about 600 two hundredths are not a myth. There were three assault detachments with an average of 300 people from Russians and Donetsk residents,” he said.
Mercenaries from Wagner PMC: who are they, what are they doing in Syria and how much do they earn?
The Wagner Private Military Company or the Wagner Group (Wagner PMC) is an unofficial military organization that is not part of the regular armed forces of Russia and does not have any legal status: in Russia, as in Belarus, mercenaries are illegal.
The military units of Wagner PMC numbered - at different times and according to various sources - from 1,350 to 2,500 people. People who have military experience join PMCs - leavers and former contract soldiers.
Mercenaries from this private military company participated in the armed conflict in Donbass.
“What did the Wagner group do in the east of Ukraine: the downing of an Il-76 with Ukrainian paratroopers, when 49 military personnel were killed, the storming of the Luhansk airport and participation in the assaults of Debaltsevo and other populated areas,” said the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasily Gritsak in October 2017 .
According to the Fontanka publication, which pays considerable attention to the Wagner PMC and has conducted many investigations on this topic, since the fall of 2015, mercenaries PMC Wagner are fighting in Syria on the side of forces supporting Assad. The main tasks of mercenaries are the protection and defense of oil-bearing areas, and, if possible, the advancement and seizure of territory. The publication also reported that there is an agreement between Syrian government organizations and the Russian Euro Policy LLC, which is backed by people from the structures of billionaire Yevgeny Prigozhin (he is more often referred to in the media as “Putin’s cook”). Euro Policy LLC undertook to liberate and protect oil fields and factories for reimbursement of the costs of military operations plus a quarter of the oil and gas produced.
It is not known for certain how much mercenaries earn in Syria.
In January 2017, journalists from the Investigation Management Center, citing sources, said that during training in Russia, a newcomer’s salary was 80 thousand Russian rubles per month (about 1.4 thousand dollars - approx. TUT.BY). On a business trip, a private receives 240 thousand ($4.2 thousand) and bonuses for successfully completed tasks. Komvzvoda - up to half a million rubles (8.8 thousand dollars). Komrota - another 200-300 thousand more (more than 12 thousand dollars). For injury, compensation up to two million ($35 thousand). If they kill, the relatives will receive three million (more than 53 thousand dollars).”
The founder of the activist group Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) Ruslan Leviev, in an interview with Kommersant, again citing sources, said that during the training period, training during the initial deployment to Syria the salary is 50-80 thousand Russian rubles (from 880 to 1400 dollars - approx. TUT.BY).
“If you have any special skills, for example, you are a sniper or a tank commander, the average salary is 100-120 thousand (1.7 - 2.1 thousand dollars). For participation in active hostilities, the reward reaches 150-200 thousand rubles (2.6 - 3.5 thousand dollars) or more if it is some kind of major battle, for example, the capture of Palmyra, and up to 300 thousand (5.3 thousand dollars),” Leviev said.
The private military company is led by a reserve lieutenant colonel, who previously served as commander of the 700th separate special forces detachment in the 2nd special forces brigade in the Pskov region, Dmitry Utkin (call sign Wagner). His deputy is a retired police colonel from the SOBR of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the North-West, a former artillery paratrooper, veteran of Afghanistan and Chechnya Andrei Troshev (call sign Sedoy).
From left to right: Andrey Bogatov (Tramp), Andrey Troshev (Sedoy), Vladimir Putin, Alexander Kuznetsov (Ratibor), Dmitry Utkin (Wagner).
In 2016, the leaders of Wagner PMC attended a reception with Vladimir Putin - photo from the meeting
This story, as another episode of the long-term Syrian massacre, passed through the information space last Thursday. The US command reported that it repelled an “unprovoked attack” from Syrian government forces: “Coalition troops were present as advisers, assistants and escorts with partners from the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) during the attack, which took place in the village of Husham, 8 km east of the agreed line of contact in the Euphrates River basin.” .
It was specified that the Kurds and Americans were attacked by up to 500 infantry, artillery and tanks. After the shells began landing 500 meters from the SDF headquarters, the Americans decided to act and used all calibers, including attack drones, helicopters and howitzers. As a result, according to Pentagon representatives, about 100 Syrian soldiers and their allies were killed.
The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged the fact of the clash. According to our defense department, on this day one of the militia detachments of pro-government forces was searching for “sleeping cells” of the Islamic State (a terrorist organization banned in Russia). And was attacked by the US coalition: “As a result of the shelling, 25 Syrian militiamen were injured. The cause of the incident was the actions of Syrian militias that were not coordinated with the command of the Russian operational group.”
And this episode would have remained just another “incident” - everyone had long ago become accustomed to the fact that the Syrians were being attacked either by the Turks, or by the Israelis, or by the Kurds... But a day later, reports began to surface that the “militias” were in fact not only Syrian. And the fighters of the Russian private military company - PMC - came under attack from US aircraft. Military formations that are not part of the official security forces are used by major powers around the world - to solve military problems, protect facilities, train foreign units...
Russian professional volunteers have been fighting in Syria since 2015, participating in the liberation of Palmyra, Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor... They do not obey the Ministry of Defense, formally being “free artists”. Therefore, the defense department is not responsible for them.
These messages were given “credibility” by audio clips in which unknown people reported eerie details of the battle. These recordings were distributed via instant messengers at the speed of horror stories about pedophiles that periodically pop up in school parent chats. And judging by the enthusiasm with which they were replicated by Ukrainian bloggers (coupled with fake photos of the destroyed column and a video of its execution, which turned out to be a computer game), one could assume that this whole story is a big information sabotage. However, there is no smoke without fire.
As KP sources in the mentioned PMC reported, there really was a battle on the night of February 8th. And you can’t count it among the military victories of the “private traders”. Considering that Kurdish forces had occupied a large oil plant on the left bank of the Euphrates without serious grounds, the command of the PMC decided to try to recapture it. The calculation was that, having seen impressive forces, the Kurds would not resist and would retreat.
However, the American officers in the SDF positions had a different opinion. US representatives (as stated by the headquarters of Operation Inherent Resolve) contacted the Russian side several times. And they confirmed that they are not conducting military operations in this area. After this, the Americans were not shy.
They just rolled us out,” a source told KP. - First artillery, then helicopters... The dead, of course, are not 600 or 200. But American statistics are very close to reality. Surely they saw that we were preparing for an assault on our bridgehead on the left bank (the main forces of government forces and their allies are on the right). It is no coincidence that the crossing of the Euphrates was flooded the other day through the release of water in the locks. Help would not have come to us even hypothetically. As a result, the 5th assault detachment was almost completely destroyed and burned along with its equipment.
Meanwhile, condolences from friends and relatives on the VKontakte pages of the victims have already begun to appear on social networks. Among them are certain Alexey Ladygin, Stas Matveev, Vladimir Loginov... Among the dead there are also citizens of Ukraine. According to KP, a native of Slavyansk, who took part in the battles for Donbass since 2014, has already been buried in Rostov. And in 2016 he signed a contract with PMC.
Obviously, the command of the private military company did not inform Khmeimim about their plans. And when US representatives reached the Russian headquarters via a special channel, our officers did not have the necessary information to prevent the massacre. However, no one will officially comment on this. Just as they would not do this in any other country that has private armies.
Russia is preparing Donbass for its return to Ukraine. The Kremlin is curtailing another project in Donbass. This can be seen in the information field, economically, socially, and even politically. That is, everyone in ORDLO already knows that the “republics” will cease to exist by the beginning of next year and will become part of Ukraine, receiving a different name and status. Not everyone likes this, not everyone supports it, but the point now is not about them, but about the fact that the Kremlin is curtailing the LDNR project. And everything would be fine, and one could be happy if the winding down of one project did not mean the beginning of the next, writes Olena Stepova for Opposed. By studying the Kremlin's narratives, we can predict what awaits all of us. To make it clear to the reader what I'm talking about, I'll start from the very beginning. Since 2014. Anyone who follows the war, does not let it out of his head and heart, certainly does not need such long excursions. But, since my posts are scattered across the information field - which shows that information is still needed, and I still take my place on this part of the front - I have to return the reader to the roots so that he sees the entire system of manipulation and keeps the information on a short leash. The years 2014-2015 passed in ORDLO under the sign of “Novorossiya”. With it, with this narrative, the war began. Donbass “rose up” not only to defend itself from the “Kyiv junta attacking it,” but also to become an independent political unit - the country of “Novorossiya.” On the avatars of many Donbassians there was this “Novorossiya”. They went into battle for her. Its “history” was studied in schools and “universities” of the “L-DPR”. Russians died for “Novorossiya”, and many monuments of ichtamnets scattered throughout the Russian Federation contain exactly this interpretation of the war - “died for the glory of Novorossiya”. This narrative was firmly introduced into everyday life and, most importantly in information wars, it began to be used by the media. The “Novorossiya” project was shown to the residents of Donbass as a project for a historically established ancient territory, the registration of which into a new political territorial unit would be logical. Just as easily, flowing from this simulacrum, others appeared - “the peoples of Donbass”, “the culture of Donbass”. Although, to be logical, the “Novorossiya” project also did not appear out of nowhere, but became a logical continuation of the “Donbass” simulacrum. Well, there is no such country, territory, region, you know, no. There are Lugansk and Donetsk regions. There is the Donetsk coal basin. Regions are administrative units. A coal basin is a geological unit. There is a toponym "Donbass" - an abbreviation short for "Donetsk Coal Basin". No more. However, the long-term use of the toponym “Donbass” to designate the territory gave its residents the right to think that “Donbass” is some kind of administrative unit. Often in the peaceful part of Ukraine, in Central Ukraine, I hear “why did Poroshenko attack the entire Donbass.” That is, in the minds of many generations, the picture “Donbass is an administrative unit, country, territory” has formed, erasing the Lugansk and Donetsk regions from memory. And when you say that “Donbass” is the Lugansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine, people begin to see the light: “This is Ukraine, but Ukraine could have suffered misfortunes on itself by talking nonsense on TV.” It was all there. Donbass was elevated to the rank of a “country”, an administrative unit, a kind of “Crimea”, which had the right to self-determination, a “referendum”. I think that this is one of the mistakes of Russian political strategists who bought into the toponym “Donbass” and confused the Russian Federation, a country consisting of a bunch of independent federal units, with unitary Ukraine. For a long time, Russia did not understand why their “referendum” in Crimea and ORDLO was not recognized in the world, because “everything is according to the law.” There is no law on referendums in Ukraine, and holding any “referendums” without the participation of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine is illegal. For Russians, who plan everything according to their country, this was a revelation. They realized that they had dispersed and let Donbass and Crimea run on unfinished rails. Therefore, now it is important for them to close that erroneous simulacrum and create a new one, to launch new narratives that will not run counter to Ukrainian legislation. This is what we are seeing now. In order to understand these transitions and see these simulacra narratives, I write such informative articles, realizing that my readers belong to the thinking minority of Ukraine. Therefore, let's return to Novorossiya. Her start was deafening. All the media were filled with it. Teachers and scientists, university professors, journalists and actors, writers and officials who remained in the “republics” and betrayed Ukraine, immediately, without regard to rank or knowledge, rushed into battle “for Novorossiya.” They gave "historical" lectures and presented "historical" arguments not only in favor of or for the necessity of creating such a "state", but also rejected all doubts that it existed. “Novorossiya” turned out to be older than Atlantis, Rome and dinosaurs. If you read all the information puzzles of the Novorossiya project, you will see a competent, psychologically controlled creation of a simulacrum. In the minds and space of people, a country grew, a state that was more beautiful, more developed, wiser, richer than all the countries in the world. They believed in him like God and the Bible. All doubts about the existence of “Novorossiya” led to an inevitable scandal between relatives, even denunciations to the “MGB L-DPR”. This, my dear readers, is how information simulacra are created. The basics of psychology, NLP, imprinting, multiplied by sociology and strung on the information space, give amazing results. More than 4 million residents of Donbass clearly knew that they were “Novorossians” and the country “Novorossiya” existed before Ukraine. This is not a phenomenon, no. It's just smart use of knowledge. By the way, the “Novorossiya” project is very similar to the “white brotherhood” project, which once poisoned both Russia and Ukraine, which, by the way, also originates from the offices of the FSB. Only modern projects are more refined, and it is almost impossible for a person to escape from such simulacra. The stringed bead programs of the project forever settle on a person’s consciousness, psyche and memory and can flare up with renewed vigor at any time. One of the programs for constructing simulacra, similar in structure and strength, that have been used recently was the “Teacher” project. Millions of Ukrainians believed that a teacher, having become president, can remain a teacher and change their lives, making it like a fairy tale. The stimulator film has created a simulacrum of the “holobordko”, in which they believe and will see this image outside of what will actually happen. The simulacrum, occupying consciousness, does not allow information that could harm or distort it. For example, here, carefully, is a very clear example of consciousness control. For example, during the Revolution of Dignity (Maidan), the Komi-Regs launched Anti-Maidan so that this simulacrum would knock the Maidan out of people’s consciousness. And many, indeed, were confused between “Maidans” and “their own”. “I stood on the Maidan,” the Apache Navaras will tell you, who really was there, but on the other side, on the Anti-Maidan. Copying the actions, words, movements of an opponent is a seizure of initiative, attention and behavioral control. Psychology, nothing more! But how beautifully it was used in politics. And by whom? Regionals! That is, the Kremlin! Try to repeat all his movements after your interlocutor, without intrusiveness, without attracting attention, as if naturally, leg over leg in sync, rub your eyebrow or nose in sync, and now he has relaxed and trusts you, you have captured his attention and entered into his personal space. He sees you as himself. He listens to you as he listens to himself. Tell him what you need and he will do it with 100% accuracy. Any psychologist and NLPist knows this trick. This is a very good psychological trick. As well as the fact that in the Donbass, and in the media, they began to disperse “on the Maidan they stand only for money, they pay there, the State Department, dollars, the unemployed stand.” This gave an anti-message from Donbass - “we work - they gallop.” But this simulacrum has become so entrenched in people’s heads that now even the most active participant in the Revolution of Dignity, from personal communication, will say to any opponent: “They are there for the money.” This is how the Kremlin managed to cultivate “who are for Zelensky - patriots of Ukraine”, “who are for Poroshenko - everyone is paying money.” Then it is even easier to control the masses: any protest is declared paid for and for “cookies”, only those “paying” are changed. And it works. People's democratic perception of the world “everyone has the right to their opinion and political views” has been completely erased. Its place has been firmly replaced by the simulacrum “whoever is against the new government is a paid national traitor.” And Ukrainians will actually kill Ukrainians, since there are no longer the dispositions “it’s your choice,” there is the disposition “if you are against us, you are an enemy.” Against us, it is against the majority. Here Ukraine is leaving the battlefield beautifully. If before our enemy was Putin and the Kremlin, then by leading people through the Overton window, the enemy was replaced with an internal one. And now those who are “for” will easily kill their opponents, even if both of them are wearing embroidered shirts and are patriots of Ukraine. It’s just mono - “for” excludes the word “Ukraine”. Mono - “for” will kill only because he was told “the opponent was paid, anyone who thinks differently from you is an enemy.” The fashion for mono-party system, mono-government, mono-leader has brought to Ukraine. We have 70% of all the prerequisites for a turnaround in the USSR and the creation of a cult of personality. Did you see the beads from which all this was built? Go ahead. Someday they will make thrillers and science fiction films about this. Today it is just the brink of war. And hybrid wars are the use of any type of weapon, bacteriological, chemical, firearms, psychological. When a simulacrum-program is not needed, its action is stopped with a very hard jerk. They simply transfer attention to another program. The worst thing is when the next program is the same simulacrum, then the person has no chance to come out alive and survive. In the absence of programs, it will simply burn out like a match, of course, not in the literal sense. Your heart will just stop. Sudden death syndrome, which since 2016 has occupied the top ranking of causes of death in ORDLO, has not been studied or taken into account by anyone. This is when a person, even if he doesn’t drink, even seems to be an intellectual, a hard worker, a family man and not a homeless person, dies just going to work, going out to buy bread, talking, watching TV. On the streets of ORDLO, from 3 to 5 people a day are found, for whom, after an autopsy, pathologists assign the reason for their departure to another world as “sudden death syndrome.” The end of programs or their restructuring is always associated with the death of a large number of people, degradation of society, and suicides. Although, I would say that in ORDLO there was no sharp push and departure from the simulacrum narrative of “Novorossiya” to the simulacrum narrative of “independent republics”. They gently overlapped each other, and many residents of ORDLO say “the republic is the same as Novorossiya, they just didn’t let us finish it,” and, you know, there is some truth in this. Starting with the loud and intrusive “Novorossiya”, Russia achieved positive results on one of the fronts (in ORDLO), people readily picked up the narrative and joyfully began to build an illusionary country. They got into arguments, cursed, killed for any doubt or non-recognition of Novorossiya. And when I asked “why did you vote in the referendum not for the creation of Novorossiya, but some republics,” anti-Ukrainian residents of ORDLO immediately retorted: “The republics are part of Novorossiya, we will build it later when we free all of Ukraine from dill.” . This is the ultimate goal of the chain of Kremlin narratives and simulacra. Re-read the story of Maidan and Anti-Maidan again. The story of “Donbass” and “Novorossiya”, “we work and jump”, “to the rally only for money”, “whoever is against our party and leader is against us”, “our enemy is not in the Kremlin, but in Kyiv”. Narratives are beads of simulacra. If you go through them like a rosary, studying bead by bead, you can see... the end of your country. That is, the ultimate goal. Bottom line. Future! Now the Kremlin is removing narratives from the information space that were actively used in the media 2 years ago: civil war, republics, Novorossiya. They were replaced by: incident, conflict, Donbass-Ukraine, special status, autonomy. Why? Well, the “civil war” began to attract more and more attention from the Russians themselves. Finally, in the 5th year of the war with Ukraine, it became interesting and incomprehensible how this is “a civil war in Ukraine, and thousands of graves of those killed in this war are located throughout Russia.” The “Novorossiya” narrative began to harm Russia itself. After all, the pathetic “died for the glory of Novorossiya” on Russian memorial plaques and monuments began to push these same Russians to the question - “where is this and why is this.” The “Novorossiya” narrative, with which the Kremlin pathetically began the procession across Ukraine, because it was this narrative that united the Ukrainians. As we remember, the “Novorossiya” project is the creation of a “country” subordinate to the Kremlin from the Lugansk, Donetsk, Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Odessa and Kherson regions. “Novorossiya” also included the Dnepropetrovsk region on the maps of 2014, but then there were rumors that they agreed to divide Ukraine “along the Dnieper” - many thought that along the river, in fact to the borders of the Dnieper, the Dnepropetrovsk region - since it Kolomoisky bought it. Then it was beautifully wrapped in a package of patriotism, which brought the borders of Novorossiya and the project itself beyond the scope of attention. Ukrainians reacted to the word “Novorossiya” like a bull to a red rag. And this resistance united even in some cases the incompatible: the Soviet man, the patriot man, the man in the white coat, the anarchist man, the nationalist man. That is, in ORDLO the Novorossiya project acted as both a unifying factor for pro-Russian citizens of Ukraine and a unifying factor for pro-Ukrainian residents of Ukraine. If one side saw liberation in this name, then the second saw occupation. Everything, thank God, reaches the Russian pioneer leaders from the FSB with a delay of 2-3 years, as we say in Sverdlovsk, Lugansk region “like a duck, on the second day” and holding the “Novorossiya” brand for two years, they managed to create Ukraine has a high level of resistance to this. But in ORDLO the word “Novorossiya” did not create an emotional movement. People accustomed to the artificial world of Donbass took the artificial creation “Novorossiya” for granted, and assigned all the emoji requirements to the creator (oh, this is so wonderful from the position of the aggressive Orthodoxy cultivated here), that is, to Russia and Putin. You created Novorossiya, you pay! Therefore, the “Novorossiya” narrative has been removed from the information space, but, again, I draw your attention, this does not mean that the Kremlin’s ultimate goal has changed, the narrative has been removed, it will be replaced by another, and the “Novorossiya” project will remain in execution mode. Do the words “special status” and “autonomy of Donbass” irritate Ukrainians? No! The critical majority, which includes volunteers, and participants in the Revolution of Dignity, and ATO soldiers, and Armed Forces of Ukraine, and participants from volunteer battalions, and nationalists, and anarchists, do not see in these words a threat, an enemy, an occupation, and even consider this an improvement in Ukraine’s position, a step to the world. Therefore, everything that could irritate or unite Ukrainians is removed from the information space. Special status or autonomy for Donbass will unite only a thinking minority. The majority has already swallowed the bait of the “peace at any cost” narrative, and, believe me, those who, since 2014, have had an enemy not in the Kremlin, but in Kyiv, will not stand in one line to protect Ukraine from a new threat. The “patriotism and unity” program has already failed. And the simulacrum has such an effect as repression and replacement. Let me explain, the “Novorossiya” narrative was annoying, it carried a threat of occupation, and fear. Long-term use of it in the media caused fatigue from fear and anticipation of threat. Replacing the “Novorossiya” narrative with “special status” displaces fear and gives a feeling of peace (well, thank God, we won’t be captured, we can relax). Let me give you another striking example. Remember, for a long time, through omnivores, indiscriminate in information, and not inclined to information hygiene, seemingly patriotic Ukrainians dependent on the information mess, volunteers, ATOshniks, waves of “zrada” rushed into the network. I especially paid attention to “Mariupol is being drained.” After the shelling of Mariupol by the Russians, the words “Mariupol is being drained” were the same as “Novorossiya”. They forced us to unite in the face of a threat; fear forced us to act, think, and react to tricolor stimuli. There was so much of this “Mariupol is being drained” that it was a matter of technique not to see the organization in the presentation of information. Over time, “Mariupol is being drained” began to irritate. Then they stopped paying attention to it. And now if you say “Mariupol is being drained”, this will cause irritation to the speaker, and not only irritation, but also distrust (as in the story with the boy and the wolves). Try to say “Mariupol, on the basis of the law on the special status of Donbass, will become part of the autonomy” - a critical majority of people will not be inflamed with righteous anger, which could unite them against such a decision. The thinking minority will shudder. They will sluggishly tell you “it can’t be”, “oh, the second version of Mariupol is being leaked” and go about their business. There is no more danger. Fool boy, the wolves didn't attack. This is understandable, but have the wolves left the village and stopped dragging sheep? History is silent about this, the main thing is that it was not the majority (the village) that was left in the cold, but the boy personally. Ask the residents of Mariupol, Zaporozhye, and Nikolaev residents their attitude to the phrase “our troops will retreat, demilitarizing the zone to the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, but this is not capitulation, this is demilitarization.” The majority will say, “this is right,” we need peace.” Mariupol-Novorossiya, this is still annoying, but no longer frightening. But Mariupol has a special status for Donbass, and this even causes pride. Ask people if the seizure of Ukraine according to the Novorossiya plan scares them, well, the pro-Ukrainian ones will answer that yes, it does. And ask the same interlocutors whether the special status of Donbass scares them. And opinions will be divided. Most will say that this is the best way out of the situation and the only thing that will stop the war. Smile! Stop your breath! Count to five! Ask what Donbass is. And you will be surprised how people will tell you, “well, this is where the war is, in Donbass, in ORDLO.” Do the residents of Pavlograd know that they are “Donbass”? No! What about the residents of Zaporozhye and Mariupol? And yet, don’t look at the map and look for the geological boundaries of the toponym. In this case, I will tell you another secret. It is we, the children of a civilized country, who are looking for the boundaries of countries, administrative units and even toponyms. Putin has “Donbass” wherever he points his finger. And this fact applies to residents of Kharkov, Kherson, Zaporozhye, Nikolaev and Odessa regions. I think there's a lot of text for today. And I can talk about the psychological side of war for hours. I really love this topic. It has been forgotten, not studied, and there is not even such a direction on our frontline, so at least I will tell you how to see all the worlds in our world. Let me just remind you of something important: in the formulas, agreements, laws and other smart and peace-loving documents that guarantee us peace somewhere in the middle of our country, there is an amazing phrase “the entire territory of Donbass.” The demilitarization of Donbass today means the withdrawal of our troops from the administrative borders of the Lugansk and Donetsk regions. Demilitarization for local elections throughout Ukraine is the withdrawal of our troops from the administrative borders of those regions that are already included in the framework of “special status”: Lugansk, Donetsk, Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Kherson, Odessa. I won’t shout “we’re being drained” and “wolves”, I’m not a boy. I just know that well-executed village security includes reconnaissance, wolf population records, and a security alarm. Because shout or scream, believe it or not, the wolves, sensing prey, will not go far from the village. Although they can lull the vigilance of shepherds with false attacks and shifting attention from sheep to, for example, ducks. ORDLO is preparing for a “return” to Ukraine. Russia is closing financing projects, leveling out the pricing policy in the housing and communal services sector; in June of this year, ORDLO was reconnected from the Russian Pobeda station to Ukrainian power supply lines; Ukrainian medicines, vaccination material, and humanitarian missions began to be allowed into ORDLO. In cities, propaganda for local elections has intensified (synchronously with Ukraine) and propaganda for the return of old pre-war officials - mayors, judges, prosecutors who previously left ORDLO due to the occupation (they are ours, they can do it), as a rule, these are regional-Komi-socialist cadres . Simultaneously, officials from the peaceful parts of Ukraine, loyal to the Ukrainian government, began to talk about the need to return to the occupied cities and talk together about how to stop the conflict “started by the previous government of Ukraine.” As proof of the closure (or rather reformatting) of the “republic” project to the “status” project, I bring news from the zone: in ORDLO, an increase in tariffs for housing and communal services, electricity and gas began, the motive is “increasing costs”. The pricing policy for housing and communal services in ORDLO should catch up with Ukrainian prices within six months, so that the old narrative “everything here is cheaper than dill” is not used. Olena Stepova Writer, blogger, lawyer
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