Gleb Bazov · @gbazov
12th Jun 2014 from TwitLonger
#BREAKING #STRELKOV - New Strelkov Interview by KP @kp_steshin & @sashakots - RT
Interview by KP Reporters, Alexander Kots and Dmitry Steshin
June 12, 2014
Translated Into English (@gbazov)
Original: http://www.kp.ru/daily/26242/3124192/
IGOR STELKOV: I Saw No Ammo Like That During the First or the Second Chechen War
In his interview to “KP,” Commander-in-Chief of the Donetsk People’s Republic Militia commented on the latest events in Slavyansk and around (photography, video, online stream)
A: We do not expect an assault in the next few days. However, the enemy will, surely, try to feel out our defences, same as they did last night in the Artyom village. No matter, we hit one of their “BTR” APCs.
They have surrounded the city with artillery, at each checkpoint they put 2-4 tanks. Overall, they are conducting a proper siege, trying periodically to interrupt our communication lines. Electricity supply has been cut off in the city, water [supply] is blocked. The pipe was repaired, but flaps have been cut off around the Donetsk village. Water is being delivered only from artesian wells and rivers.
Q: In other words, are you saying that destruction from bombardments is not to blame for the lack of water? This is an intentional disconnection by the Ukrainian side?
A: Exactly so. The emergency at the water supply line was resolved by the municipal services, and water was [then] cut off by order of the Ukrainian military. Same with electricity. Today, a brigade sent by “Donbassenergo” traveled to us from Gorlovka, so as to repair the power lines between Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. Despite an existing agreement, the Ukrainian military refused to let them into the region.
Q: What is happening on the other fronts – in Donetsk, in Lugansk?
A: The enemy continues to advance on the direction leading to Donetsk. They have put up new checkpoints in the vicinity of Kurakhovo, Konstantinovka and Ukrainsk. Step by step, they advance on Donetsk, trying to encircle it.
Q: Are attacks on multiple fronts possible?
A: The have a great number of tanks, soldiers and artillery. In theory, that should be enough. They are experiencing very serious problems with discipline and morale. At the checkpoints, there is universally heavy drinking, soldiers are refusing to follow their commanding officers’ orders. There are already instance of infighting with use weapons among the units of NazGuard and the Ministry of Defence. [Their] army is not only unprofessional, it does not want to fight. They are ready to fire at city blocks from afar with cannons and mortars or to batter Semyonovka with tanks from a safe distance. Yet when it comes to direct combat, no one is willing [to fight].
Q: What can you say about the strange incendiary ammunitions used by the [Ukrainian] army? There is talk of white phosphorus charges.
A: I am not such a big military expert so as to determine the type of ammunition by its appearance. In practice, I had never encountered such ammo. Neither during the first, nor during the second Chechen campaign. At first, I thought these were low-altitude discharges of the so-called “chandeliers” – special lighting bombs. However, “chandeliers” must be suspended on parachutes. Here we are talking about a [type] of cluster ammunition, which explodes in the air and floods certain areas with an incendiary mix. I do not know what type of ammunition this is.
Q: The militia tell us that professional tank and mortar crews have appeared on the Ukrainian side. Have they learned how to fight or are we talking about mercenaries?
A: I think that we are still talking about particular detachments of the Ukrainian army. We should not dismiss the enemy as talentless and useless. In every army, even the most dilapidated, there are professionals, masters of their craft, who can teach others willing to learn. However, it does not take a genius to remain in a stationary position, in absolute safety, 2.5 kilometers away, and shoot at one spot day after day.
Q: Are the militia seeing a growth in professionalism?
A: The militia is progressively turning into a fighting force, able to counteract the enemy on defence. Given the enemy’s colossal overwhelming superiority in heavy armaments, it is simply madness to attack them.
Q: Information has appeared on the Internet, citing you, that some type of ammunition with chemical or bacteriological weapons’ markings is being unloaded at the airport near Kramatorsk …
A: It is very difficult to unload anything at that airport. It is half controlled by the militia, at least its civilian part. Helicopters can land only on its most remote part. The militia cannot observe it from its positions. Accordingly, I cannot comment on that – I do not have any such information. We do have information that some weird train cars with strange markings have been unloaded, under heavy guard, between Cherkasskiy and Bylbasovka.
We suspect that something unconventional is being unloaded there. However, it’s impossible to say if this is chemical or bacteriological weaponry. We can only suspect this. Who it is that spread this information from my name I don’t know. On the Internet, I write only on one known platform, and several people have the permission to retype these messages verbatim. And in the past three days I have had no ability to go in the Internet. In the city, we have practically no access.