"We were all used in a monotonous game"

The author of the book "Everything will be Ukraine, or steppe stories from the ATO zone" Olena Stepov talks about the Donbass and its inhabitants

In the past, the author of the television program on the embezzlement of state budget funds, and today is the author of the book “Everything will be Ukraine, or steppe stories from the Zone of the Olena Stepov zone before the start of hostilities in the Donbass lived in the border territory, which was underflected by Russia . Because of this, she was forced to leave their native places and over the past few months she managed to live in anthracite and Krasnodon-cities that until recently were under the control of the Cossack formations of the chieftain Nikolai Kozitsin.

She recorded everything she managed to see and hear during this time. But her book is not about the main battles that took place in the Lugansk region during the hottest summer phase of hostilities. These are the stories of people faced with the war: about how they manage to survive in difficult conditions of lack of food and medicines, about their errors and belated insights, as well as the disappointments of those who first supported the separatist movement, but died or imposed their hands because of a sad result. Stepov laid out all these stories on the Facebook page , where they are available today, but now they are also collected in a book that allows you to re -restore the life of Donbass saturated with events from the moment people with weapons came there. Olena Stepov calls these events the occupation:

The author of the book "Everything will be Ukraine, or steppe stories from the ATO zone" Olena Stepov talks about the Donbass and its inhabitants

- Our war began long before the outbreak of this war. All our cities were divided into two camps. One part of the population, whose hierarchy was built by the Party of Regions and officials, wanted to leave feudalism and not to develop. Another part of the population wanted changes in their small cities, so such people were persecuted by decree of the city authorities. The prisoners who were released before the war in an amnesty pursued. During this period, there were many prisoners at all, who at first became the so -called " titles ", and then joined the LPR troops. The police were also divided into two camps: those who wanted changes in the system and fought corruption inside the police, and those who simply wanted to take bribes, do nothing, engage in roofing, drug business, smuggling. Some saved us, others pursued us. Later, when Russian Cossacks and Russian troops entered, then all this turned into a persecution for the pro -Ukrainian position. Then the arrests of public activists standing on the Lugansk Maidan began, then the arrests of the Rivnens began, who went to the Avtomaydan . We had very large automatic reins in roves, anthracite, Krasnodon.

- In other words, do you think that the soil was prepared and who came from Russia, for example, Cossacks, just took advantage of the situation?

- Everything was prepared in advance. We are now looking for background. At first, all events were evaluated from the position of the ATO, that is, that we are talking about a short -term anti -terrorist operation. Residents of the Luhansk region had to accept this imposed game, which is why many mistakes were made. In fact, it was a planned war. And when we began to understand this to all, even to ourselves, in our internal beliefs, then a monotonous prepared picture began to take shape. Military operations are associated with the Maidan, but, I think, they cannot be associated with the Maidan. I think that another scarecrow would be found, other levers of psychological management were found. Donbass was planned. When they ask if the inhabitants of Donbass are to blame for what happened? You can ask the same question differently: are the inhabitants of Ukraine to blame for what happened? We were all used in some monotonous game. And now it becomes clear.

Here they believed that Russia and Putin would bring each a jeep, an apartment, a crazy salary

At first, local authorities brought people to rallies. Rallies were collected exclusively from old women, from the elderly. There was no mass support of miners. There was no mass support of the inhabitants. By the way, rallies in different cities were also different, depending on the situation. In anthracite, they were large -scale, people played for Russia, welcomed the Russian Cossacks, called them. In those cities where there were very big social problems, people wished some other king, richer. And Russia was defined by them as a Benzokolonka state, which will give everything to everyone. Now in these cities the strongest psychological breakdown is taking place, because here they believed that Russia and Putin would bring each of them a jeep, an apartment, by crazy salary, tomorrow they will be almost all millionaires. And they remained hungry and poor. In each city, processing went according to a different scheme. Most likely, some good psychologists or FSB worked. The city swinged on the problem that clung people to the living. For example, where the cities were richer, they said: you have excellent jobs, you have a wonderful job, but people will come here who will all take it away and you need to protect the workplace. It was not said that it was necessary to join Russia. Local internal patriotism rose. The first self -defense units - these were units of compliance with order. People walked without weapons, searched for some virtual VUEK, "righteous" who arrived in order to allegedly capture our cities, checked the residence permit of citizens.

- When did the self -defense members pick up the weapon? When did the moment of transition from, let’s say, peaceful protection to armed defense?

- We brought the weapon. At first this happened in anthracite. We were shocked when we learned that weapons were massively imported by Russian uralels. It was necessary to submit a copy of the passport and leave the phone number, and you were immediately given an automatic machine and shape - right in the building of the city administration. By May 11, the cities were completely armed. Then we still did not have a military conflict. There was Slavyansk, there was Lugansk, where buildings in the city center were occupied, but there was no armed conflict on the border with Russia. The customs service, border services, courts, police, and the prosecutor's office worked. Everything worked for us. But KamAZ, loaded with weapons, freely crossed the border, freely entered the territory of Ukraine, bypassing all customs posts. Yes, our border is virtual. We have villages that have a house in Ukraine, and the end of the garden in Russia. The goat grazes in Ukraine or in Russia. There are uncontrolled steppes. Nevertheless, these armed vehicles went openly and did not hide from anyone.

Cossacks raid. They came, robbed and left. And they drove like that from place to place. They were afraid of like fire. They killed just like that

- And when did the Cossacks appear? Or did it happen at the same time?

- The Cossacks came to the borderland later. Anthracite and Rovenks then, as if separated from the rest of Ukraine, because the chieftains arrived there. Due to the fact that certain connections were maintained with the roves that are located in Russia. And the Cossacks raided us. They were very afraid of them, because they could take half a ceremony in a day. They came, robbed and left. And they drove like that from place to place. They were afraid of like fire. They killed just like that. They took everything just like that. When there were fighting, they looked at our cities exclusively as what to steal: we took all the cattle, stole cows, rams, sheep, geese. All! It's like some kind of locust! They took everything. The militias still had some kind of binding to the terrain: someone returned from prison, but he, for example, from Stakhanov, Luhansk region, someone has relatives here, someone studied together, someone served together. At first they said: the Cossacks are our combat comrades, they came to save us, Russia sent us the Cossacks to help. Then the "subperseman" looked like this: the Cossacks came - they defeated the supermarket, the Cossacks came - they defeated the store. The flags changed several times a day. For example, on the ATO map it does not indicate that there are Ukrainian military, but there is a terrible battle, Grads work, heavy artillery. We even thought that they were going to free us. And after the battle, the villagers crawl out of the basements and begin to understand: who came? The flag hangs. Which flag? We had Nikolaevites: it is a green flag, it has a golden eagle and it is written "in the name of Nicholas II." There was a black flag of anarchists, with a skull and bones, where it was written "anarchy will save everyone." We had a crossing red banner of some metallurgical plant. These were some parts of the communist militia. We had a Don army of Cossack, Kuban Cossacks. We had the national guard of the Cossack, that is, on the flag it was written in large letters of the National Guard, and below - the Don army of the Cossack. Ataman Kozitsyn and Ataman Reznikov in Stakhanov performed under the flags of the National Guard of the Don Cossack Army.

- You wrote that there were miners among those who took the weapon ... Why did it happen?

- The director of the mine performed and said: guys, we are well done, we got so much coal. We have a salary. Everything is fine, but in Kyiv they do not love us. Kyiv takes all the money. We cannot buy a combine, because Kyiv took the money. We want federalization for us to dispose of money. Do you think it will be good? All: Yes, well, how, we will dispose of ourselves, the combine shaft needs! The director continues that all unemployed in Western Ukraine, and they are standing on the Maidan, because they do not have a job. And we are attacked to take the mines and get a job in your places. And the miners believed, because here the information about the Maidan was distorted. But when they realized that their ideas did not coincide with reality, June came, we had “grades”, we were watered with fire. At our border - a glow, at night you could go freely into the garden and embroider a cross. We began to blow mine buses, constant shelling, Cossack raids began. And to this - a lot of weapons! Well, how to say, just occupation.

Then, in the views of people, many layers appeared. One and the same person can be against Putin, but for the militia. He may be against the Cossacks, but for Ukraine. That is, no one understands anything, and in addition to this, the information vacuum is first, and then the information escape of the situation, because besides Russian television, there is nothing now. People do not receive any information. When they began to print out comments from social networks that Ukraine loves us when people went to the other side of issuing pensions, some seemed to wake up, they seemed to be gutted ... They say: everything is not so, something is wrong. There, in Ukraine, everything is wrong!