White tape of a soldier Dambaeva

The American journalist found a Russian tankman who participated in the storm of Debaltsev

“Russian soldiers in Ukraine are not fighting,” says Vladimir Putin. “Our troops were not there and there are no,” the ministers and generals repeat it. With this statement, the film "Selfie Soldates" of the American reporter and documentary director Simon Ostrovsky , shot for the Vice News channel, also begins.

Ostrovsky found on the VKontakte social network the profile of the tanker Bato Dambaeva (now this page is deleted ), posting numerous photos taken in different regions of Russia (for example, at the training ground in the Rostov region), and then abroad: at the destroyed checkpoint in the city of the city of Uglegorsk, Donetsk region of Ukraine. The white bandage with which Dambaev poses is an identification sign of the Russian military and separatists. The Ukrainian army and the National Guard use yellow bandages.

For the film "Selfie Soldates", Simon Ostrovsky found the very places on which Bato Dambaev was photographed, including checkpoint in Uglegorsk, took the same photos, posted them on a similar page on the VKontakte network, came to Ulan-Ude, called Bato Dambaev and suggested looking at these pictures.

To view with Russian subtitles, click SS

Simon Ostrovsky told Radio Liberty about working on the film and how the Russian special services reacted to his investigation:

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Simon Ostrovsky in the program "Results"

- Simon, when you worked on this film, did you notice surveillance, were there any attempts to interfere with your investigation?

They called themselves interns, but I think that they were actually FSB officers

- I secretly made my investigation quite secretly because I thought that such problems could take place. Therefore, only at the very end of my investigation, I announced the object of the investigation that I would spend it because I did not want to frighten him off. This is a soldier-tankist Bato Dambaev, whose photos I tracked, which he posted VKontakte. But as soon as I contacted him at the very end of the investigation, a few hours later the migration service employees arrived at my hotel for no reason, it was I who asked me. There were two trainees with them, they called themselves interns, but I think that they were, in fact, the FSB officers. I grazed me literally before my departure from the country.

- Was it in Buryatia?

- Both in Buryatia and in Moscow. At first I flew out of Buryatia, then I flew to Moscow, there I was also met by a group of greetings, consisting of border guards, although I did not cross the border, arriving from Buryatia. Until I flew away, I have not been behind me.

- It seems that Bato Dambaev himself announced your call?

- Yes, of course, it was. When I called Dambaev, I told him who I am, and told him that I was conducting such an investigation. All that had to be done was to look for my last name in the database to find me in the hotel where I was registered.

- Simon, why did you choose Bato Dambaeva? How did you find it on the VKontakte website?

Simon Ostrovsky

- With great difficulty. First of all, I had information that was published in March in Novaya Gazeta about another Buryat soldier in March. And there was information about what parts of the soldiers who went from Buryatia to Debaltseve. These are two parts, there was a consolidated battalion made from the 37th motorized rifle brigade on the border with Mongolia, and there is still one base in the city of Ulan-Ude, which seems to be called a "division". The combined battalion of these two parts was sent to Ukraine. I just began to look for a soldier who serve in these two parts on the VKontakte network, began to view a bunch of profiles, view their photos until I found a suitable soldier. I needed to find not just a soldier who was in Ukraine, but a soldier who posted his photographs in Ukraine. Therefore, it was very difficult to do. There were many soldiers, whose profiles could be understood that they were in Ukraine, but there were no direct evidence of this on their page. For example, they put all sorts of links related to Ukraine, the materials that described the information. The interview that was in the Novaya Gazeta, many of them were repostated. It was evident that these soldiers had a clear interest in this battle of Debaltseve. But when I found the profile Bato (we conducted this investigation with the Atlantic Council , we shared information during its development), I was aiming at it.

- Agree, this is an absurd situation: the state, including the president, denies the participation of Russian troops in this war, and the evidence is in a selfie of ordinary soldiers who lay them out on social networks. The state secret is revealed by self -love of soldiers.

We all shoot selfies, post them on the Internet, but, unlike this soldier, we do not engage in a secret mission

-This is a completely absurd situation, which suggests that in modern times it is difficult to hide any kind of information. It seems to me that the popularity of this material (he has already gained half a million views in two days), just comes from the fact that we can all see ourselves in this soldier, we all take off their selfies, we all shoot each other, we will post them on the Internet, Facebook, Instagram. But, unlike this soldier, we are not engaged in a secret mission in the territory of another state. Therefore, here such stupidity is also visible.

- Why did you decide to take up this investigation?

- For a very long time I suspected that Russia is participating in this conflict, but I had no direct evidence that would allow me to openly talk about it in my materials because I did not want to make a mistake, I wanted everything to be clear. Now I can confidently say that yes, Russia is participating, using its now military employees, gives orders, bears a direct responsibility for what is happening there. I think that in Ukraine there are really many different formations, including Russian, volunteer, mercenary and so on. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to come to some decision in this conflict until the parties can agree. And the parties will not be able to agree until it is clear who these parties are. Because at the moment, Russia denies its participation. Ukraine and Russia will not be able to agree until Russia pretends that it is not involved. I hope that this film will bring us closer to the point when everyone will be recognized who is a participant in this conflict.

Bato Dambaev and Simon Ostrovsky in Ulan-Ude

- Simon, you were the first journalist who was taken hostage in Slavyansk captured by the DPR. Have you been to this city since then?

The reasons were not reported, but they wrote that accreditation would not be issued

- Yes, I was in Slavyansk many times after the Ukrainian authorities returned there. Because during the battle for Slavyansk, my company did not allow me to return in the territory controlled by the separatists, because they were afraid that something would happen to me. After a certain amount of time, I began to work again in these territories. There is still quite dangerous for journalistic work. The other day, the correspondent of Novaya Gazeta Pavel Kanygin was beaten , escorted to Russia. He now walks under his eye with a bruise. This is terrible - such disrespect for our profession. I think that journalists need to be put in the same category as diplomats or observers. To touch them - this should be a universally recognized crime, regardless of which country does it.

- In your film there is a small interview with the representative of the OSCE actively working in the east of Ukraine. You directly ask him about the participation of Russian troops, and he gives a very evasive answer. What do you think that this evasion is explained?

- Everything is very simple: without a mandate from Russia and all other members of the OSCE, the OSCE could not be there. If Russia does not want the OSCE to work there, then they will not work there anymore. It seems to me that this is explained.

- Do you think that after the release of this film you can come to Russia again?

- I am now in Russia, but I would not say that I have no problem. For a year and a half I have been trying to get journalistic accreditation from Vice News from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Just the other day, a few days after I returned from Buryatia, I received a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where they finally said that I would not be issued accreditation and that the reasons would be informed me later. The reasons were not reported, but they wrote that they would not be issued accreditation. I consider this as censorship, ”said Radio Freedom Simon Ostrovsky.

One of the first spectators of the film "Selfie Soldats" was Ukrainian blogger Anton Pavlushko . He has been engaged in the same investigation for a year as Simon Ostrovsky: he has been looking for evidence of the presence of Russian military personnel in Ukrainian territory on social networks. Anton Pavlushko recently told Radio Liberty about his findings. Here is his impressions of the film by Simon Ostrovsky:

It will not be Putin or the Lake Cooperative for the next Maryinka life for the next Maryinka, but a simple Russian soldier

- This is a very good and clear example of what Russian journalism was supposed to do for a whole year. We take the fate of one Russian soldier, on the fingers we show where he was and what he did - and in the end we ask a question to the military himself. The answer, at least intelligible, we will definitely not get, but all these questions must be asked. Unfortunately, Ukrainian journalists cannot conduct such investigations in Russia, and Russians, apparently, are afraid or not really want to conduct such investigations - there are enough conditional latent quilted jackets among supposedly opposition journalists. Which also impressed was the state of the Russian hinterland. See in what conditions this soldier lives, starting from the entrance to the cardboard door and ending with the defiled walls of his apartment. Who and what do these people want to save, what values and what Russian world do they want to bring if they cannot really land their house?

- Thanks to the investigations of Novaya Gazeta and Vice News, it seems that only these Buryat divisions participated in the battles for Debaltseve. But there were not only they were there?

Anton Pavlushko

- There were not only them, just against the general background they stood out. You can’t call them militias or local residents. That's all and paid such close attention to them. In general, the Russian army made for itself a conclusion from a summer company and decided not to shine the formation from the European part of Russia or at least large cities. As a result, they gave the order to use some less highlighted part, so that away from Moscow, from the annoying Ostrovsky-flasbergs. While the order was lowered to the bottom, someone guessed to use the Buryat tankers-they wanted the best, but it turned out as always.

- In recent weeks, reports on a new activation in the conflict area: exercises on the border with Ukraine (Simon Ostrovsky also speaks of this) and in Ukraine itself on the line of contact with Ukrainian troops: in particular, in Shirokino and Maryinka. Is this preparation for a new offensive?

All this war needs only one person

- I think that the Russian army is a hostage to the Russian leadership. It never decided to take Kyiv or not to take, to expand Novorossia or not. Drain or wait. The annual standing of the Russian military in tents on the border was already pretty exhausted by their army. There are no eternal teachings. Gradually, all those who dream of reaching Lviv on tanks understand that no one will go anywhere and every new Maryinka will cost more and more. As a result, there is nothing to fight the Russian military in Ukraine. They could not build the Russian world even at home. There are no fascists, no crucified boys - there is a desire of one person to pay for his ambitions by the meat of their soldiers. It is one thing to be a hero and understand this, and another thing to understand that all this war needs only one person. Yes, the army will continue to “fulfill” orders and take under the visor, but Putin or the cooperative “Lake”, but a simple Russian soldier will not pay with life for the next Maryinka.