The Belarusian security forces are configured to escalate the conflict. Why - they explain themselves and their former colleagues

“I came to serve in riot police in order to play a revolution with adolescents. We will not go anywhere from Belarusian streets, because this is our country and our people, which we will protect. It will not work to intimidate me and my colleagues. We will protect the calm of women, old people and children. And if it seemed to someone that in the center of Minsk you can arrange bandit showdowns, very soon we will make it clear: the law is one for everyone, ”such an appeal of riot police fighters to Belarusians sounded on October 13 on the air of the state television channel STV. On a minute video - two riot police. Despite the declared determination, their faces are hidden by balaclavs. The voices are changed ...

By October, in the third month of protests against the next (sixth) presidential term, Alexander Lukashenko, the rhetoric of the Belarusian security forces in relation to the opposition became extremely strict. The head of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime Nikolai Karpenkov on the air of Goskanal "Belarus 1" said that

"On the streets there were only bandits, fucked up by alcohol, drugs and money."

And the first deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Gennady Kazakevich threatened to use combat weapons against protesters.

The interlocutors of Novaya Gazeta in the Belarusian power structures and those who left the service because of disagreement with the brutal suppression of protests confirm: the security forces of the security forces reflect the mood of most commanders and ordinary fighters. Despite the calls of the opposition "lower the shields and go to the side of the people",

The police, riot police, Sobr and internal troops are more configured to suppress the demonstrations completely. The fighters have their own reasons for this.

***

Sergey N. for 15 years served in the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus. The officer held one of the command posts in the military unit of special forces No. 3214 in Minsk Uruchye.

He quit the service in 2010, refused to participate in the dispersal of the opposition demonstration on independence (protests were also associated with the results of the presidential election). At the same time, Sergei says, he did not lose his connection not only with his colleagues in special forces, but also with colleagues from other law enforcement agencies. At the beginning of our conversation, he lists all the power structures that today participate in the suppression of street shares.

REFERENCE

Who disperses street actions in Belarus: a list of law enforcement agencies

- The main force is OMON employees. Contractors.

-The second largest are fighters of the units of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs , among whom are little soldiers.

- Rubber bullets and light -school grenades against protesters are used by employees of special units of the KGB Alpha .

- The anti -terrorist unit "Almaz" and the Minsk division of a collection , based on the territory of the special forces in Uruchye, participate in the suppression of protests.

- In “peak days”, demonstrations are attracted to the dispersal of the department of execution of the sentences of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, investigators, investigators and district police officers.

“Unfortunately, the children from riot police and special forces really think that rallies participants are mercenaries paid by the Western money,” Sergey explains. - The ideology department is working on the worldview of employees, which is in every unit of each department. They were established by Lukashenko back in the 90s. Plus, state propaganda. Plus - the closeness of the community: fighters mainly communicate with each other. And most importantly - the guys are very afraid to be dismissed. Because nothing but wave with a stick, they do not know how.

"A huge fear of being outside the system pushes to fulfill absolutely any order."

The system guarantees an employee of any of the law enforcement agencies of Belarus serious advantages over the "civilian":

• The average salary of an ordinary fighter is $ 600-700 ,

• The average officers have about $ 1,000 .

• For comparison: the average salary “on a civilian” is about $ 350 .

• In addition, the strengths of the de facto guaranteed the solution of the housing issue .

“Any young employee who comes even to an ordinary position is immediately provided with official housing,” says Sergey. - Let it not be in the property, but a person no longer hurts where to live. The “civilian” one has to rent housing: in Minsk, about $ 250-300 must be paid for “odnushka”. That is, give almost the entire salary. The security forces have no such problem.

In addition, the security forces are provided with a preferential loan for housing construction - at 5% per annum for 20 years. If housing is purchased in rural areas (it begins already 5 kilometers from Minsk) - the loan is given at 3% per annum for 40 years. For “civilian” mortgage loan rates - 19% and higher.

- With such a guarantee system, it is not even necessary to additionally nourish the moods of security forces. But still now they are paid a small allowance - 17 Belarusian rubles (500 Russian) per day, ”says Sergey.

***

“I have been shooting the epaulettes of the senior lieutenant of the police that I have been worn in recent years. And I do not regret it. In 2012, I came to the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a clear thought with a 17-year-old kid that I chose a profession that would benefit people. But at the present time I feel that the snow -white gloves in which I stood on graduation can be stained in the blood and tears of my people. I ask everyone who hears me and is involved in power structures: stop violence! Do not break the oath that you gave to your people, your homeland, ”the former police inspector Yevgeny Osinsky made such an appeal to the security forces on August 18.

Two months later, Eugene admits: most of his colleagues did not dare to quit.

“It is very difficult to quit everything when you have a family, two children and a loan for housing,” he says. -I am deeply convinced that even those employees who directly disperse the rallies do not do this from some political reasons-they are clearly uninteresting in politics, but their current situation in society is very interesting. They see: there is Lukashenko, every month on the 20th he pays a salary, and good, pays uninterruptedly. And they come from this. It is strange to say that some patrol in the city of Birch is an ideological supporter of autocracy. Although everyone should understand that not Lukashenko pays the salary, but the people that they are so successfully beaten in the squares.

Eugene calls his salary as a district police officer - 1,500 Belarusian rubles ( 45,000 Russian ). True, it emphasizes that this is slightly higher than the average - with processing.

Colleagues, according to Eugene, was mainly supported by his decision to leave the bodies.

-The guys of my age said that they would have done the same, but because of the material difficulties that are waiting “on a civilian”, they could not quit.

Like Sergey N., Evgeny Osinsky admits: now employees of law enforcement agencies are not tuned to lower the shields.

- Unfortunately, the fighters will rather suppress protest. Not because of some hatred of protesters. Just in order to maintain your position-it is still much better than most Belarusians.

***

Konstantin is 31 years old. He serves in the riot police of the Minsk City Executive Committee. He says that he did not shoot the protesters, but participated in the detentions.

“This is not political hatred,” he emphasizes. - Ideological work in detachments is really underway, meetings are held every week. They talk about the role of Poland and Lithuania. By the way, they say nothing about the United States. But we do not need this recharge. The main motivator is not salaries or loans. Maybe they played a decisive role at the very beginning, in August, but not now. Now the main thing is that we do not feel safe.

Konstantin refers to the Black Book of Belarus-a Telegram channel, which deanonymizes the employees of law enforcement agencies participating in the suppression of protest actions.

- I am not there yet, and many of my colleagues are already named.

“We all know that from Timur Grishko, who got into the famous photo with supposedly dead protesters, his wife left.”

Not because she did not love him, but because the family was produced: people continuously wrote all sorts of nasty things to his wife.

“But you understand, where is such a reaction?”

- Well, listen. Firstly, protesting is alive. Secondly, I don’t know if Timur beat him, but I know for sure that he was trying to provide first aid to Zaichkin. The man just got into a “successful” photo. And he was bought. Okay, God with him, with Timur. Our chief Dmitry Vladimirovich Balab burned the house in which he was born. This is the village of Gorodilovo, Molodechno district. Many guys have addresses in the Black Book: now they have all the walls are written: “killer”, “traitor”. I understand, “popular anger” and everything else. But now it turns out that this anger is directed against us. We cannot but answer.

-In your opinion, if you lower the shields and refuse to comply with orders, will these attacks will not stop?

- Yes, we will be just imprisoned. The opposition promises to bring to justice everyone who "participated in crimes."

Moreover, hit with a baton from their point of view is also a crime. Although how can you protect public order in another way?

And which of us has not once worked with a club?

PS

All interlocutors of Novaya Gazeta claim that there is no Russian participation in the suppression of protests in Belarus yet. Fighters of the Belarusian riot police, a assembly, and the special forces of the internal troops really take an internship in the Dzerzhinsky division stationed in the suburbs, in military units in Smolensk and at the University of Special Forces at the Chechen Hudermmes. They are also armed with pump -shock rifles, light -school grenades and carbines for firing with rubber bullets and tear gas produced in Russia. But these are elements of planned cooperation. Russia has not yet sent their fighters to Belarus.