Among the thugs

The story of a Russian who volunteered to Donbass and discovered that he was not in the army, but in the gang

Russian entrepreneur Bondo Dorovsky, who was engaged in oil business, and then worked in a Moscow construction company, decided to volunteered to the east of Ukraine. He was convinced that he was going to fight with fascism.

The Dorovskys were accepted into the "Ghost" brigade Alexei Mozgovoy, who was operating in the Lugansk region, then he fought in the territory of the DPR. But, being in the Donbass, Bondo of the Dorovsky discovered that it was not at all what he dreamed about, and there is no “Russian idea” there. ” Realizing that propaganda deceived him, Bondo of the Dorovsky returned to Russia. “Everything turned so in his head that I want to join the ranks of the National Battalions of Ukraine to defend their independence,” the former militia writes.

The fact that he saw in the east of Ukraine, Bondo Podrovsky told Radio Liberty:

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Bondo Dorovsky in the program "Results"

- Many go to fight for money. You are a businessman, a secured person. What prompted you to go to war?

- I really thought that Russia is in danger, mercenaries are fighting there, seeking our country, thought that the Donbass is the outpost of Russia, where we should stand and defend our interests.

- That is, exclusively ideological considerations without a material appendage?

Only we crossed the border, the first thing we saw literally after 5 minutes was a fight between the militias

- There could be no material question, because I bought all the ammunition on my own, body armor. I cost about a hundred thousand to go there and gather myself. Therefore, there was no talk of money. Yes, they don’t pay special money there, there are now $ 360, and not everyone gets it. There people go there for adventure, some for combat experience ... Everyone has their own reasons. Of course, some kind of disorder for the most part in these people. How to ISIS, why do people go there? They think that they will be needed there, they will be in demand. The same thing here. When you get there, literally from the first minutes you understand that this is not a military unit - this is a real gang.

- Wow, what was the last straw when you finally decided to go? Some kind of program on TV or did you read something on the Internet?

-In my head, the Russia-24 channel was constantly in my head, where they showed the latest history of Ukraine. And then I even said to myself: I won’t go there, I don’t need it. Every morning he said this to himself. But it was worth turning on the TV, where from morning to evening they only talked about this ... Of course, the media influenced.

- And before you have been to Ukraine, do you know this country?

- No, never was - it was my first visit.

- Where did you turn to become a volunteer?

Ordinary thugs, it makes no difference to whom to fight, they have such a gangster lifestyle

- There are several opportunities on the Internet. There is an interbrigade from the Limonov Party “Another Russia”, a small questionnaire is sent to the email address, they report that we need to come, for example, to the mines, and from the mines they are already transported to the militia area. I wrote to everyone, wrote in the interbriga, the DPR military registration and enlistment office was opened in Moscow, I wrote there, they gave me contacts, approved my questionnaire. There they approve of the questionnaire for everyone. Then give a phone number. When you come to Rostov-on-Don, you call this number, they tell you where to drive up, where is the transshipment point.

- That is, there is no verification, they are not interested in your military experience, they do not check if you are a provocateur?

- In general, there are no checks. Moreover, there were cases when someone with a photocopy crossed the border, someone had no documents at all. When we arrived at the militia, we just asked the last name, name, patronymic and all. You take pictures, you give you a personality certificate to you.

- And they give out weapons?

- The fastest, weapons are given to you right away. In general, I was a sniper, I had a machine gun, I had a rifle. There was a grenade launcher and a machine gun, in principle, small arms were everything. When we arrived at the position in Nikishino , at the front line, there were local militias, they had one horn for each and the machine gun, they were not really dressed, and we had everything, we were completely equipped - grenades, machine guns, RPGs, and charges for them, all absolutely. We even had two of our cars on which we could move.

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"I have no problems with weapons." Video Bondo Dorovsky

- All this was given to you in the Rostov region in a training camp?

- No, in the Rostov region they do not give out anything, they all issued this in the territory of Donbass. In the Rostov region, militias, who used to be tankers in the army, were sent to the training ground, there they were trained at this training ground, and crews were formed. There they were given a weapon. I saw it myself. On the traila, these tanks were brought to the border of Russia and Ukraine, they already crossed their own moves and went directly to the war zone. And I was given the weapon in the Donbass.

- How did you cross the border?

- We were transported through the field. The first time we arrived at the checkpoint officially, but I had a restriction on traveling abroad, I was not missed there. Then the border guard said to me: there are no problems, the guys will spend you. They really drove us, formed a larger group, 15 people, and during the day we went around the field simply, there are no borders as such.

- Have you had a long -legged restriction?

- There is a small debt of bailiffs, so I had a closed exit abroad, I did not know about it.

- Was the unit formed back in Russia or already in the territory of Donbass?

- You join the unit already in the territory of Donbass. In the Rostov region, several transshipment points, they gather and expect shipments there. Someone wants to in the DPR, someone wants to be in the LPR, someone wants to go to the "Ghost" brigade - this is taken into account, you will be sent there. They arrived at the ghost brigade at night, come from various mouths in the morning, they offer: you want to go to Vygulevka, where there was contact, you want intelligence, you want tankers, you want a counterintelligence - please, wherever you want, you go there.

“But some skills are needed?”

-Theoretically , yes, there should be some skills. But what are the skills in counterintelligence? What are the counterintelligence? They just have power, they are engaged in open lawlessness. Skills are needed if you say, tanker. And shoot or stand in the trench, what skills are there? Stop and stand, there is an artillery war. And then all this herd begins to move, tanks are in one direction, and in these tanks there are no elementarily tank negotiation device, they do not have a walkie -talkie, the infantry cannot shout to the tankers, the tankers go in the direction, the infantry is in the other direction, and there is neither coherence, nor training, nothing. Do you think this herd could win the war? The war in the summer, you know how you won? The "drying" flew from Russia. One of the militias who was at the anti -aircraft installation said: the order was received, now they will fly “drying”, they can’t open fire on them. In the summer there were Russian troops, most likely. That the planes were, I heard from the militias. I myself have not seen Russian troops. Officers, yes, I saw a lot of officers, the "vacationers" who were there. There are several Russian personnel officers at the headquarters of the same Ghost.

- Have you talked or just saw by accident?

- I knew them very well, I very often visited the headquarters. I knew the chief of intelligence of the headquarters of the brigade, the chief of staff, the chief of staff of the smaller, in contact when the volunteers arrived. I very often talked with the head of intelligence, we live nearby, both Russians. I strove for intelligence more, so they talked more.

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Help of sappry near Alchevsk. Video Bondo Dorovsky

- What did the ghost team do during your stay there?

Russians collect money, walkie -talkies, send an ammunition, body armor - this was all sold, drank

- When I was in the Ghost, in fact, the brigade was completely controlled by the city of Alchevsk. Our combat units were on the contact line in Vergulevka, in the commissation and still in a couple of settlements. A 100-150 person in Vergolevka are in the commissioning of small units, and everyone else was in Alchevsk. In principle, the DPR, the LPR did not recognize the ghost brigade. They had an internal confrontation, they made restrictions on the supply of weapons. There was a time when weapons did not go very from Russia, neither artillery, nor tanks, but somehow they managed to resolve these issues in the “ghost”. Several hostels: volunteers constantly arrived from Russia, from other countries too. The only thing who trained was the Spaniards, they had an international company: the Spaniards, Italians, and the French. Everyone else has the schedule: in the morning the company got up, carried out a roll call, construction, the same roll call in the evening. The rest of the time, the militias walk around Alchevsk, remove scrap metal, remove the iron gate somewhere, engage in looting, hand over it so that the money is for a drink, smoke. They are left for themselves. Somewhere they get drunk, shoot each other. There was even this: one got drunk, he wanted to throw a grenade into the room, twisted in time. Such a peaceful life. Who is bored, go to the front line.

- That is, they did not pay salaries at all, had to earn money by collecting scrap metal?

- In fact, yes. Who sold the weapon. Russians collect money, walkie -talkies, send ammunition, body armor - this was all sold, drank. Such was life.

Militias in the "Imperial Legion". Bondo Dorovsky - on a motorcycle

- What is about the ratio between local people in the ghost brigade and visitors from Russia and other countries?

-Somewhere , I think, 10 percent, a maximum of 30 visitors, everything else is local.

- How did the local population treat you?

- When we arrived in Alchevsk, the next day we went to the market to exchange rubles, we met a grandmother who says: are you against us? Then literally half an hour later we went to church, the woman came up to me, says: soon there will be elections with us, for whom should we vote? I say: vote what the soul tells about. Can someone tell you who to vote for? "We do not need Putin, we do not want to go to Russia. We want us to have an independent Ukraine." This is the first thing I began to meet, and immediately upon arrival. Then in Nikishino he approached one woman, specially asked. I say: when was Nikishino under the Armed Forces of Ukraine, how were they here, unlimited? She says: no, everything was very good, there were no questions to them. But, he says, the “stronghold” when he came in - Zakharchenko headed the “stronghold”, this is his unit - they simply led us out of the houses and simply drove cars, raked all the little things there, took us out along the little things, simply robbed. Russians, save us, we say that the Nazikov is not afraid, we are afraid of the "stronghold", we are afraid of the militias. This is what I have met. There were also various statements from people who, in principle, consider us invaders. They have a question: why did you come here?

- The local people who served with you in the brigade were ultrapatriots of Donbass, or did they have mercantile interests, or are they simply indifferent to politics?

The search for former police officers. Listen from the hut of militias, photographed by Bondo of the Dorovsky

“ It seems to me that they don’t give a damn about politics.” For the most part, these are previously convicted, and repeatedly convicted. I have photos that hung in our barracks, I photographed them. The comic one is that these previously convicted are looking for former police officers. No, they are all far from politics. They paid money to the DPR, they went there exclusively to disagree the war to pay at least some salary. All the others are just scumbags that were given weapons. Moreover, he, like a militia, has some power. After all, there are no laws, and when transport travels, militias always pass to the red light. If the local population sees that armed people are traveling, of course, they always miss militias, because the militias are armed. The militias say: we are respected, we can go to the red light, we should not stop.

- You are an intelligent person, it was probably difficult for you to find a common language with them. How did you get a relationship?

- They didn’t get particularly. I had a comrade, he lived in Germany for 10 years, we talked with him. There were several Russians. From Russia, several other people go, not all, but there are people with whom you can chat. Then the Spaniards, one guy from Madrid was young. It was with whom to talk with, but there are not many such people. Therefore, I probably left. I wanted to leave Alchevsk right away, but I also wanted to get to the front line, see what was happening there. There I began to sympathize with the opposing side. Because it was a truce, and they were winged with heavy receiver, reactive artillery, and “hails” were simply ash. When you hear by the radio when our guys burned two “Urals” with manpower near Nikishino, when you hear how people scream there, of course, you understand that everything happens exactly the opposite, what you thought. A sense of pity for the side that is simply destroyed there. And they destroy their ordinary thugs, it makes no difference to whom to fight, they have such a gangster lifestyle.

- Was it immediately after the signing of the first Minsk agreements?

- Yes. I have been to Nikishino since November, November-December. There was absolutely the same thing in Vergulevka. Bombed the opposite part on our part.

- And the Ukrainians observed a truce and did not answer?

There is a real aggression. Moreover, you just get into the gang

- No, they, of course, also happened tightly for us. But I watched what losses, ours constantly made sorties there. Two "Urals" were burned with me, then the tank was knocked out, then the armored personnel carrier was knocked out. As they get drunk, they will go around the checkpoint. From the other side, sorties were not made to us. Although I really really understood that we were just killing us, there were 80 people in this Nikishino, we just have to kill us from the heater where a huge number of enemy was ... they just had no desire.

- Were there many dead in your unit?

- No, on our side in Nikishino in a month, one person just died, a fragment of the shell wounded him in the head. On another flank, where there was a company, the call sign of his "biker", I did not hear from them either to die.

- You said that the ghost team had conflict relations with the DPR. What was this conflict expressed and what are its reasons?

-The DPR and LPR did not want to admit the Ghost brigade, some kind of political question. They invited Mozgovo to join the LPR not with the entire brigade, but in parts to disband so that he does not have any power. Of course, he did not go to this, he wanted to remain an independent figure.

“Have you talked with him directly?”

- Greet to say hello, but did not communicate. I talked with Strelkov, but this is back in Moscow. I accidentally met Strelkov, and we talked about the brain. He said that this is the only commander to whom he still trusts.

Bondo of the Dorovsky (right) and a militia from Russia

-And when you first felt disappointment-when you realized that what you were saying in Russia-24, does not correspond to reality at all? Was it a slow process of awareness or did you feel it from the very beginning?

- From the very beginning. Only we crossed the border, the first thing we saw literally after 5 minutes was a fight between the militias. Then the column came about two hours later, the mosquito Brumer Nikolaich went with a gun, wanted to shoot two drivers. I immediately realized where I got, here the army did not smell. I was disappointed immediately, in the future it was only confirmed.

- Why did you last six months?

I'm like cannon fodder there. And there is nothing to fight for

- It was like this: I came in July, stayed for a week, went out of there, returned to the Russian Federation. In Moscow, I met Rifleov, just by chance we met on Rublevskoye Shosse in a shopping center. And somehow I thought that maybe I didn’t see everything to the end, maybe somewhere everything is different. Initially, I wanted to go to Strelkov, I thought that perhaps something depended on the commander. Then I went again, just arrived in October. I stayed in the "Ghost" and made sure that everything is the way I think. Then I went to the DPR, to Nikishino, and saw the same thing absolutely. Moreover, I talked there with other people, how are things in the “dawn” in the LPR, everywhere the same thing.

- Do you think the self -proclaimed republics will last a long time?

- If Russia had not helped, this would not have happened. Russia is tuned to maintain this movement, so the militias will hold on for a long time.

- What would you like to tell the audience in Russia who are thinking, do you help them with the self -proclaimed republics?

From the first moment I realized that one of the militias can just be drunk to shoot me

- I would like to advise not to go to the Donbass - this is false patriotism. There is no Russia there, there is a real aggression. Moreover, you just get into the gang. When I recently saw the information that the policeman from Moscow, the investigator left his job and went there, I just had hair on end. He just went to the lair the real. I do not know how he will live there among such people. I would like to advise people not to go there, because it has nothing to do with the protection of their homeland. Нам показывают по телевизору так, как будто это уже Великая отечественная война, на самом деле это не Великая отечественная война, а это самая настоящая агрессия. Мы зашли на эту территорию, и российские власти поддерживают террор. Если бы мы туда не ездили, если бы Россия не помогала ополчению, не было бы тысяч убитых, там вообще ничего бы не было. Началось с чего? Приехал Стрелков туда со своей группой, Стрелков человек военный, дай возможность – он всю жизнь будет воевать. Я был настолько ярым сторонником этого движения, я агитировал людей ехать туда, но когда назад я выезжал, меня эфэсбэшники на границе остановили, мы долго с ними беседовали. Я им так же откровенно, как вам сейчас, все рассказал. Более того, они мне сказали: до тебя сейчас 180 россиян вышло неделю назад оттуда. Они об одном только просили: ты только об этом не говори. Я им сказал: я вернусь, я буду в соцсетях везде рассказывать, чтобы люди туда не ездили, потому что все совершенно не так, как нам показывают. Там есть и убийства, есть и грабежи. Более того, с первого момента я понял то, что меня если здесь кто-то может убить, то скорее всего это не вооруженные силы Украины, не противник, а тебя просто кто-нибудь из ополченцев может по пьяни застрелить.

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Nikishino, December 2014. Video Bondo Podorovsky

– Легко покинуть отряд? Вы просто бросаете автомат на стол и говорите: все, я возвращаюсь в Россию? Или это приходится тайно делать?

Мы зашли на эту территорию, и российские власти поддерживают террор

​ – Ты доброволец, говоришь: все, достаточно, я желаю уехать. В Никишино, правда, меня просили остаться, потому что говорили: здесь вас не так много, останься, куда ты уедешь? Я говорю: хорошо, останусь еще на неделю. Через неделю опять. Про местных я вообще молчу, у меня создалось впечатление, что они подневольные. Где-то через две недели я просто пришел, сдал свою винтовку, потому что она была на меня записана, была возможность на следующий день уехать, машина уезжала, я сдал винтовку и сказал: я уезжаю в Россию. У меня перед ними абсолютно никаких обязательств не было. Командир твой ротный туда два раза в неделю приезжает на полчаса и быстро оттуда удирает, там ни командиров, никого нет. Я там как пушечное мясо. И воевать не за что. Главное, там не за что воевать! Я бы и рад был бы чем-то пригодиться, но там не та война, когда стоит рисковать самым дорогим, что у тебя есть.

– Ваши политические взгляды за это время поменялись на прямо противоположные?

- Yes. Более того, я и раньше отрицательно относился к нашей действующей власти, потому что когда-то у меня был бизнес достаточно успешный, нефтебаза, я занимался крупным оптом. Потом я потерял, благодаря нашим властям. Но год назад я переменил свое мнение о Путине, о действующей власти, думал: какой молодец. А сейчас эта пелена спала.