Translated material
The enemy retreated, but left mines
Back on Friday morning, it seemed that the war in eastern Ukraine enters the new phase, but suddenly a message was received about the success achieved in negotiations in Minsk. For several days, the leaders of the DPR have openly said that they are preparing an attack on Mariupol. On September 5, it began, it was repelled, and then the Minsk truce arrived.
About what is happening in Mariupol, in the program "Results" was told by Konstantin Batozsky - adviser to the governor of the Donetsk region Sergey Taruta.
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Konstantin Batozsky about Mariupol after a truce
- How did you perceive the news of the Minsk truce, do you think that this is seriously and for a long time or is it a short -term respite? And is a truce respected?
- We welcome all peaceful initiatives. Of course, we cannot do otherwise than to end this war. A truce in our territory in the Donetsk region is still preserved, no case violation of fire is currently not known about any cases. However, we do not believe that the military threat disappeared, the enemy still did not retreat from Novoazovsk. Therefore, the city is still at a respite, but is still ready for defense on the principle of "you want peace-get ready for war."
- On Friday, the attack on Mariupol actually began. How did this day go to the announcement of agreements in Minsk?
Terrorists are fighting with us with the support of the Russian army
- We know for sure that the city of Mariupol stormed two brigades. We know for sure that among these people were personnel Russian military. The offensive choked on those fortifications that we erected in the early approaches to the city. These are quite complex engineering systems, thanks to which the enemy could not destroy our forces, since they were reliably protected in bunkers. Therefore, he conducted artillery fire in the hope of dispersing our forces. After that, our soldiers went out, gave a fight, and the enemy managed to push off. Only thanks to such engineering ingenuity and military cunning did we manage to defend the city. Despite the fact that the offensive was carried out from several directions. Mariupol is very vulnerable, because it stands at sea, vulnerable from the sea and vulnerable from the north and west, that is, where Donetsk is located. The enemy tried to develop a direction from the side of Donetsk, but in the Volnovakha region was stopped, and today the city has been protected.
- Serious battles were in the area of the village of Shirokino, and it was reported that now it was mined . This is true?
- There were serious battles in the Shirokino area. We fixed shooting from mortar guns, found cassette bombs. Now we are doing a huge work to cleanse the terrain. But this is already a touch to the portrait of how terrorists are fighting with us with the support of the Russian army . They always, retreating, minute. In Slavyansk, after them we cleared and neutralized more than 7 thousand landmines, mines and explosive materials. Therefore, there was no surprise for us. Now we are turning to civilians, including in Shirokino, since he is conquered, to be extremely careful, vigilant, because work on cleansing is being prepared. We carry out explanatory work, tell people how mines look and how to behave with them.
Ukrainian fighter on the outskirts of Mariupol
- Are there any victims of Friday clashes?
- I have no statistics on the victims among the enemy, I can say about our statistics of losses: we lost four civilians killed on the first day, of which two combines who were engaged in harvesting work. On the second day, we lost three killed, among them there were two children. One soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was killed. 23 people were injured.
- You said that you know exactly that there were personnel Russian military. On your Facebook, you even wrote that "only the idiot will refute the presence of the regular troops of Russia here." In Russia itself, there are still many people convinced that this rebel people support the DPR and go to the militia. What do you say to those who believe the news of Russian television channels?
This is no longer a civil war - this is a war between Russia and Ukraine, the war is absolutely cynical, the war is prohibitively cruel
- I can simply urge these people to hear the opposite side, another point of view, not to believe Russian propaganda, which absolutely does not know any moral and professional standards. We recorded Russian troops on direct signs and indirect. Direct signs are the shooting of drones, shooting satellites, in the end, these are personnel that were shot by leading front -line media, which are now in Mariupol, including Reuters. According to indirect signs, these are recognizable grocery sets with the symbols of Voentorg that we found. In particular, the correspondent of the Russian Forbes magazine Orhan Jemal filmed in large numbers of these abandoned grocery sets. We also have evidence of our soldiers who left the encirclement near Ilovaisky, there are also evidence in the material of Orhan Jemal that among the bulged equipment that he saw were military infantry of Russian origin. Unfortunately, it is now difficult for us to talk with the Russians, because it is difficult to reach them, they belligerently refute any point of view that is contrary to the official position - this is very difficult. But I'm sure that time will put everything in its place. And most importantly, we provided information, visual evidence to those who are ready to hear and are ready to understand - this is the whole world community.
- You are waiting for help from NATO and are you satisfied with the results of the summit in Wales?
- I represent regional authorities, it is very difficult for me to give great political assessments. My personal position is that without military-technical assistance from Ukraine it will be difficult to maintain the situation and win in this conflict. Because it is obvious to me that this is no longer a civil war - this is a war between Russia and Ukraine, the war is absolutely cynical, the war is prohibitively cruel. And this is the evil that must be stopped and not let him go to the stage of a frozen, smoldering conflict that will not allow Russia or Ukraine to develop.
Ukrainian military in Mariupol
- You urge you not to believe in Russian television channels. Do they still work in Mariupol or did they manage to disable them?
- Russian channels do not broadcast in Mariupol. In Ukraine, there is a court decision that prohibits the broadcasting of Russian channels. When there is a fact of broadcasting the Russian channel by a certain operator of cable television, the bailiffs leave for it and bring the court decision to it. As a rule, after that, broadcasting stops. However, this in no case limits the right of citizens to receive information, people can put their satellite plates and continue to watch the channels, which is done by those who need it. Not to mention the fact that the Internet works absolutely freely, information from the opposite side can be obtained from there.
- Imagine the most gloomy scenario: a truce is torn off, Russian tanks enter the city. Will it happen that from nowhere will the enthusiastic crowds appear with flowers and portraits of Putin? Or is this excluded in Mariupol?
- Mariupol from Donetsk is only one hundred kilometers, but this is enough to evaluate the advantages of peaceful life in contrast. People do not want to live in the war - this is quite obvious. People call back with their Donetsk friends, acquaintances, relatives, receive visual information from there. If you ask any person if he wants to live under the constant threat of artillery shelling, he will say that he does not want this, of course. This is the first circumstance. Second: in Mariupol, moods have radically changed, which is a confirmation of a rally, which a record number of people came to. In Mariupol, I recall, 400 thousand people live, most of them work in metallurgical plants strictly shiftly, that is, they have a little free time, they cannot leave somewhere. Despite this, on a weekday we managed to gather 7 thousand people under Ukrainian banners for an anti -war rally. For Mariupol, this is a breakthrough.
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Thousands in Mariupol against the war
The city, of course, cannot resist the invasion of an armored column. Of course, the city cannot put itself with a target for the enemy and provoke on fire, because we cannot destroy our cities - this is wrong, it is sinful and immoral. If there is a massive invasion of aviation, with tanks, with artillery, then for the sake of salvation of both people and the city, of course, no one will provoke fighting. But the level of defense that is today allows us to retain the city from the level of threats that we have now, that is, irregular raids in the absolutely medieval spirit of all sorts of nonsense citizens.
Konstantin Batozsky
- Konstantin, you graduated from Moscow University. Now, when calls are seriously sounding to fence off from Russia by the border wall, what feelings do you experience?
- Quite difficult, because in Moscow I lived for more than 10 years, and this is the stage of my life, which will always be with me. These are my friends, with most of whom, unfortunately, we quarreled in the field of these events. I very clearly share the Russian people, ordinary Russian people and the political regime that rules Russia today. I consider this regime criminal, fascist and threatening the entire world community. But at the same time I consider Russian people to be close, brothers and have absolutely no prejudice against them.
On the evening of September 6, after this interview was recorded, there were reports of violation of the ceasefire near Mariupol. Chronicle on the city website :
23.04 As just informed on his Facebook page, the battalion of Azov, Gradi shoot in the vicinity of Mariupol.
23.39. According to 0629, an eyewitness, who is located at the scene, now from heavy guns with direct fire is hit at a block depot at the "eastern". The field is burning near the block. There is no destruction in residential buildings.
23.43 Buildings are burning near the gas station "TNC" on "Vostochny". Automatic shooting is heard.
00.01 Suppulation "TNC" exploded. The ambulance station and ATP are burning.
00.30 According to the press service of the Azov battalion in Facebook, Mariupol is sheated from Grad and howitzers from the village of Shirokino. According to preliminary information, there are victims among the civilian population.