The banking empire of Colonel Zakharchenko. #4. Igor Strelkov-Girkin
From a technical school student to the head of the "DPR" he was very funny
On August 31, at about 18:00, an explosion occurred in the Separ cafe in Donetsk, as a result of which the leader of the “DPR” Alexander Zakharchenko was killed. Journalists collected interesting facts about the leader of militants and separatists.
Alexander Zakharchenko was born in Donetsk, where he graduated from the Industrial Automation College. He worked at a mine as a miner and as an electrician, then entered the Donetsk Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Allegedly expelled for alcoholism.
According to investigative journalists from Insider, Zakharchenko collaborated with the Party of Regions for a long time. In 2006, he held the position of director of LLC Trading House Continent. He was a co-founder of Donetsk LLC Delta-Fort (the company was engaged in a wide range of activities - from book publishing to wholesale trade in products).
In 2013, Alexander Zakharchenko joined the Kharkov pro-Russian organization Oplot and led the Donetsk branch.
On April 16, 2014, he led a group of militants to seize the Donetsk city administration. A month later, Zakharchenko was appointed military commandant of Donetsk captured by militants, and subsequently - “Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs” of the “DPR”.
In August 2014, he headed the “Council of Ministers” of the so-called “DPR”, replacing Alexander Borodai.
After the “elections” in the “DPR”, Zakharchenko was declared the winner and presented with “certificates of the head of the DPR” - 765,000 people (about 75% of voters) allegedly voted for him.
Alexander Zakharchenko is a defendant in criminal proceedings in Ukraine. Suspected of “creating a terrorist group or terrorist organization” and other particularly serious crimes. The main suspect in the case of the death of civilians near Volnovakha.
In May 2016, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said that the criminal case against Alexander Zakharchenko was not transferred to the Ukrainian court due to the fact that the Prosecutor General's Office was unable to collect evidence of his guilt.
“Novaya Gazeta” came out with the headline: “The head of the DPR” Alexander Zakharchenko and his right-hand man Tashkent stopped organizing Moscow on the eve of the explosion in the Separ cafe.
As always, unproven. As always, in line with our sponsors.
“The death of Zakharchenko continues a series of mysterious deaths of separatist leaders who die “at the hands of Ukrainian saboteurs” in the rear. Moreover, in the first years of the “Russian Spring”, Ukrainian saboteurs chose, according to official information, their targets close to the Russian border - in the “LPR.” This is how the commanders Mozgovoy, Ishchenko and Dremov died. The groups controlled by the murdered people joined the united corps created by Russian military specialists, and civil strife in the territories themselves ceased. Later, “Ukrainian saboteurs” began to restore order in the “DPR” - this is how Motorola and Givi were killed. However, sometimes “sabotage” ends bloodlessly - for example, this was the case with the overthrow of the head of the “LPR” Igor Plotnitsky, who was called a Ukrainian spy in Lugansk. Nevertheless, he managed to escape to Russia and was saved. They say that if he had died, he would have stayed. a hero, not a spy. A wide audience will remember Zakharchenko as a military man who was not afraid to go out to the people and was close to the common man,” writes Novaya Gazeta.
“The spring protests in Donetsk in 2014, initially initiated by Donetsk billionaire Rinat Akhmetov to put pressure on the revolutionary authorities in Kyiv, began to come under the control of Russian curators. Zakharchenko himself, who in fact worked for Akhmetov back in May 2014, was offered a larger owner. Soon After the death of the Malaysian Boeing, the “Prime Minister” of the “DPR” Borodai resigned, and Zakharchenko became the “head of the republic” and hung a portrait of Putin in his office” (we note that Novaya believes that this is Zakharchenko’s main mistake. There was no need to hang the portrait.)
“His powers were largely nominal - especially in matters of war and peace, which were decided exclusively in Moscow. Only the “economic aspects” of the local semi-criminal economy remained under Zakharchenko’s jurisdiction.
Under the leadership of Zakharchenko, a paramilitary group operated - the Republican Guard, based on the base of the local "Oplot". After the unification of the armed groups “DPR” and “LPR” into single army corps in 2015–2016, the guard remained the only large formation not under the control of Russian military supervisors. Moscow also did not control numerous departmental security and safety services - there were such under almost every ministry in the “DPR”. For example, as part of the Ministry of Revenue and Duties of the same Tashkent, the Ministry of Transport and the Prosecutor General's Office. And the locals called these departmental armies “special forces for taking away property.” In recent years, a lot of news has come from Donetsk about how Tashkent special forces stormed the offices of local firms, factories and shops, and the “Donetsk people’s governor” Pavel Gubarev complained about Tashkent.
According to Novaya, in early July Moscow demanded that departmental groups be disbanded and all weapons be given to the army. In Donetsk itself, the news was perceived as a signal of the imminent resignation of Zakharchenko, whose powers were ending this fall. But, as they say in Donetsk, Zakharchenko did not want to leave at all.
Novaya’s interlocutors say that dissatisfaction with Zakharchenko’s behavior has been accumulating in Moscow throughout the last year and was primarily due to the “gluttony” of the “DPR” leadership. Due to the weakening of the main Donbass curator in the Kremlin, Vladislav Surkov (his resignation has been talked about since May), Zakharchenko could lose his only protection. Almost all the profitable businesses of the “republic” were concentrated in the hands of the “insatiable” Zakharchenko-Timofeev couple. Under the control of Tashkent was the extraction of coking coal and anthracite, as well as their transportation to Russia - this coal was then returned to Ukraine as Russian raw materials (metallurgy and most thermal power plants in the country can operate exclusively on coal from the Donbass). For its simple services, Tashkent charged a “duty”, which was ultimately paid by Ukrainian consumers. The economic recovery in Ukraine that began in the last two years has greatly increased the country’s demand for its own coal, which has affected trade turnover with Russia. After a dramatic drop in the first years of the war (from $28 billion in 2014 to $10 billion in 2016), an increase of 28% occurred in 2017, and in the first half of 2018 trade turnover immediately increased by 30%. As they say in Donetsk, Timofeev wanted to receive “commissions” proportional to turnover.
However, the new economic situation attracted not only Timofeev and Zakharchenko, but also the Russian special services tied to the re-export scheme, the Yanukovych structures and their “wallet” Sergei Kurchenko. “The pie has suddenly become large, and everyone wants a larger piece for themselves, rather than sharing in a civilized manner,” one of the former leaders of the Novorossiya project told Novaya. “For Bati (Zakharchenko’s nickname - P.K.) and Tashkent, conflicts with large fish were too tough.”
However, the passing of the odious Zakharchenko may also have important political consequences.
His death caused more indignation in official Moscow than the murders of the much more famous Donetsk “people’s commanders” Motorola (blowed up by unknown assailants in the elevator in the building where he lived) and Givi (killed by unknown assailants with a flamethrower in his office).
Although it should be noted that official grief is due to Zakharchenko’s formal status: together with Plotnitsky, he signed the Minsk agreements on reconciliation, pledging to fulfill them. The removal of both signatories would seem to jeopardize the agreements themselves, which are already not being implemented on almost any point. However, the departure of figures associated with war and irreconcilable separatism may give Minsk a new chance, and first of all, a chance for the political part of the agreements. On both sides of the divide, the most odious individuals and groups are being removed. The presence of volunteer battalions on the Ukrainian side is also decreasing. On Friday evening, already three hours after the murder of Zakharchenko, the need to “confirm the readiness of the Russian side for a constructive conversation” was stated, for example, by Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, who said that he was now waiting for a meeting with the US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker. - writes Novaya Gazeta.
Well, that's how they investigated.
Discussion of the article
ContinuationSep 5 2018 8:05PM
The honored Jew of the USSR was not allowed into Israel because of his connections with the mafia: Yaponchik, Kvantrishvili, Kalmanovich. Eroy Afghanistan transported drugs from there without inspection with the permission of the KGB, whom he selflessly served and at the same time successfully fought with competitors: Mullerman, Obodzinsky, who were banned from TV and concerts.
Anti-Semitism?Sep 5 2018 7:55PM
Stupid Kiselev was never considered a Jew. Soloviev is one of the useful idiots among the Jews despised by decent people. This benefits the scumbag, as does his vile constant party: Fat; who came up with a biography of Kedmi. who is despised in Israel, etc. and so on.
AnnaSep 3 2018 11:35PM 1000z
Sep 3 2018 9:19PM
If you look at who benefits, then this is exactly what happens. Moreover, Moscow has been lying for a long time, and there is absolutely no faith in it.
P.S. Otherwise they will appoint a new one and nothing much will change there.
Who is selling their homeland?Sep 3 2018 8:46PM
Those who led the country into a dead end, wasted oil trillions and their echoes of Kisel, Solovyov and other shelapun! NG is a decent newspaper; it recently asked to raise funds to continue its publication. This is about sponsors!
guestSep 3 2018 6:21PM
Zakharchenko was blown up in a cafe, where access to outsiders was strictly prohibited. Cafe "Separ" belongs to his driver; the SBU agents could not mine it simply because no one would let them there.
AliceSep 3 2018 11:57AM
This "newspaper" is 9!!! once a year I wrote about my former boss (he didn’t sell his homeland, didn’t participate in loans-for-shares auctions, didn’t offshore billions and didn’t cheat). It was ordered by a very influential organism. Now he is well known, he has received a new post, but since he has not stayed in one place for more than two years, he will fly out of there. Since then I have not trusted this “newspaper” and its “journalists”. And I don’t buy it or read it. Not because of terry pseudomonas liberalism, no, I just don’t believe it.
Just a year and a half ago, Donbass was one of the most prosperous regions of Ukraine. In terms of wealth and elegance, Donetsk was on a par with Kiev, ahead of other regional centers of Ukraine and Russia. The region's gross regional product was about 15%, which is comparable to Moscow's share in Russia's GDP (17%). Since the beginning of the war, the region’s economy, according to the National Bank of Ukraine, has fallen threefold. Ukrainian and foreign businesses began to leave Donbass en masse, preserving what could not be taken out: factories, equipment, real estate. However, new owners soon began to appear for the abandoned assets. And those businessmen who risked staying were forced to negotiate with the new authorities. The forgotten concept of “roof” has returned to everyday use. However, the roof is no longer just a team of jocks with brass knuckles, fittings and Stechkins. The roof houses machine guns, grenade launchers and heavy equipment.The superiority in manpower is decisive. Authority is the one on whose side there are more bayonets. (In this publication, we will deliberately omit the aspect of the influence of the “vacationers” as it is not amenable to analysis due to their constant rotation and non-inclusion in the redistribution of local markets.) The head of the “DPR” and the unofficial leader “ Republican Guard." Alexander Zakharchenko. In second place is the head of the DPR Security Council, Alexander Khodakovsky. Next come the negotiator from Donetsk for the Minsk agreements, Denis Pushilin, and, finally, the ex-commander-in-chief of the Novorossiya army, Igor Strelkov-Girkin (no longer present in Donbass, but successfully making money thanks to him in Russia).
We tried to weigh the level of economic power and financial condition of the Donbass leaders, using information from our high-ranking sources in Moscow and Kyiv, listening to the statements of the leaders themselves and assessing the data provided to us by Ukrainian companies that have lost control over their assets in the Donbass.
#1. Alexander Zakharchenko
With approximately four to five thousand fighters, Alexander Zakharchenko today has control over most of the liquid assets of Donetsk and surrounding cities. Former “oplotovtsy” and now guardsmen of the “DPR” “supervise” supermarkets, restaurants and cafes, shopping centers, and act as a roof for industries that have not yet been closed.Of particular interest to the new owners of the region is food retail, where fast cash turnover is still maintained. One of the most notable “acquisitions” of Zakharchenko’s structures is the famous Ukrainian chain of grocery supermarkets “ATB”, previously owned by a group of Dnepropetrovsk businessmen. In total, the company had 152 stores in the territory of Donbass not controlled by Kyiv. At the end of 2014, the chain began to gradually close retail outlets, explaining this step by the inability to ensure the safety of staff. But soon the supermarkets began to be occupied by people introducing themselves as DPR officials. Some stores continued to trade under the same sign, 20 stores were renamed “First Republican Supermarket”. According to ATB-Market, control over them was gained by the wife of Alexander Zakharchenko, Natalya.
We now do not have any access to our assets in that territory,” Anna Lichman, a representative of ATB-Market in Dnepropetrovsk, told us. - Nobody notified us that we were losing our retail space. They were unceremoniously taken from us. Our former employees in Donetsk do not deny that the wife of Alexander Zakharchenko is behind this.
In addition to ATB, retailers mention the Zakharchenko family as supervising the Amstor chain of stores, which formally belongs to the Smart Holding company of prominent Ukrainian tycoons Vadim Novinsky and Alexander Vagorovsky. After a corporate conflict between two businessmen unrelated to the war, the network’s activities were suspended throughout the country. However, supermarkets continued to operate under the same sign in the territory controlled by the separatists.
A minority shareholder of the holding, Vagorovsky, runs the network in rebellious areas,” Smart Holding representative Evgeniy Zagorulko told me. - While we (the largest shareholder Novinsky - P.K.) have no influence at all on our assets there, he somehow found a way out. I will express the opinion that he is clearly friends with the leadership of the separatists.
They did not comment on the situation by calling the central office of Amstor in Donetsk.
It must be said that Zakharchenko had been associated with retail trade before, in pre-war times.
According to our data, before the start of his political career, Alexander Zakharchenko was a sales agent for a large Ukrainian chicken producer, Gavrilovskie Kurchata, in Donetsk. Trading poultry meat, Zakharchenko had a turnover of approximately 10-15 million hryvnia.
The Gavrilovskie Kurchata company neither denied nor confirmed working ties with Alexander Zakharchenko, but stated that anyone could become a sales agent and sell their branded chicken.
Our interlocutors among the largest Ukrainian wholesalers say that Zakharchenko’s circle also ensures the safety of food delivery from the territory of Ukraine. “Literally everyone wants to get their piece, from small guard commanders who take it in kind, to the top officials who sell our goods,” shares a representative of one of the supplying companies.
["Politnavigator", 03/15/2015, "The go-ahead has been received: Ukrainian oligarchs will lose their assets in the Donbass": The DPR government is clearly not unmercenary - ill-wishers accuse Alexander Zakharchenko of monopolizing the extremely profitable business of installing metal-plastic windows. - Insert K.ru]
Alexander Zakharchenko also made his mark on the petroleum products market, where until recently the decisive word belonged to Sergei Kurchenko, one of the closest to the eldest Yanukovych oligarchs (more often referred to as the “Family wallet”). According to our data, Kurchenko received the task of overseeing the sale and delivery of gasoline in the self-proclaimed republics from the Donbass curators in the Kremlin a year ago. Kurchenko's oil trading companies, based mainly in Crimea, were supposed to establish supplies for the civil and military needs of the region - to replace the flow from mainland Ukraine, which was reduced with the beginning of the "LPR/DPR" blockade. Alexander Zakharchenko also supported the monopoly of the “Family wallet”, demanding that local dealers sell only “Crimean gasoline.” Also in November 2014, Zakharchenko appointed Yevgeny Fainitsky, Kurchenko’s lawyer, as “Minister of Energy of the DPR.”
The head of the DPR made a public promise that the price of 92-grade gasoline would drop from 25-26 to 19-20 hryvnia per liter (which is 2-3 hryvnia less than in Ukraine). But the monopoly of the oligarch settled in Moscow in alliance with Zakharchenko led the self-proclaimed republics to a fuel crisis. Gasoline has risen in price even more, in particular, a liter of 92 - up to 26-27 hryvnia (52-54 rubles). DPR officials tried to keep prices down, but gas stations began to close altogether. The resignation of “minister” Fainitsky did not save the situation: it was reported that he was even “put in the basement,” however, there was no evidence of this.
Alexander Zakharchenko chose the building of the regional financial administration of the Donetsk region for his working residence. It is here, and not in the regional state administration building, that the head of the “DPR” spends most of his working time. Zakharchenko travels in a motorcade of five luxury SUVs, including Mercedes GL and Lexus GX.
“No need for illusions. The Kremlin knows the real value of these people. They are in their places only as long as they demonstrate complete controllability. As for internal squabbles and redistribution of property, these are not critical topics for Moscow. The main thing is not to overdo it. After all, they can reason with lightning speed, everyone in Donetsk should remember this,” this is how an interlocutor close to the presidential administration commented on the manners of the head of the “DPR.”
We asked Alexander Zakharchenko to comment on the information presented. A week ago we sent a written request to his press secretary Alena Alekseeva. We suggested that Alexander Zakharchenko choose a convenient conversation format. Alekseeva confirmed receipt of our proposal. However, a week later there was still no response.
#2. Alexander Khodakovsky
The second most influential person in the “DPR”, Alexander Khodakovsky, has less “power” capabilities compared to Zakharchenko. The commander of the Donetsk Alpha unit of the SBU, and now the head of the DPR Security Council, subjugates from one to two thousand armed fighters of the Vostok brigade.But Khodakovsky’s influence is enhanced by his close ties with the old Donetsk elites, who have retained their assets here. Moscow also has him in mind as a possible quick replacement for Zakharchenko. Khodakovsky himself positions himself as the future probable leader of the region, ready to negotiate with everyone.
In public speeches, Khodakovsky speaks out for the reintegration of Donbass into Ukraine, but while maintaining close ties with Russia. He declares that he is not a supporter of joining the Russian Federation, but insists on the special status of the territory. How a more moderate figure is supported by Khodakovsky and those around him who are still influential in the region Rinata Akhmetova: the main enterprises of the Akhmetov SCM group continue to operate on the territory of the DPR. In such a situation, the oligarch’s entourage is also forced to provide political and other support to the head of the “DPR” Zakharchenko.
Friction of a political nature, the struggle for flows associated with the name of Rinat Akhmetov, commodity smuggling from Ukraine are the main reasons for the tension between the two leaders of the “DPR”. “Vostok” fighters control the western borders of the “DPR” and have a share in the smuggling of food cargo coming from Ukraine, competing with Zakharchenko’s people.
(In general, during periods of calm, protecting trade flows is the main income for all armed groups on both sides of the conflict in Donbass. Representatives of the Ukrainian state are engaged in protecting contraband with the same zeal as the separatists. Businessmen are subject to bribes for transporting goods, both security forces and civilians officials feeding near the demarcation line - from sanitary services to special forces of the tax police. As a result, the price of cargo crossing the demarcation line increases by 2-2.5 times.)
Until recently, Vostok ensured the security of alternative gasoline supplies from Ukraine and sales to the DPR. In particular, supplies to the Parallel gas stations owned by Rinat Akhmetov’s structures. But with the tightening of the blockade of the rebellious areas, trade in the Parallel network was practically stopped. Among other things, “Vostok,” as volunteers say, until recently accompanied and ensured the safety of humanitarian cargo from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.
The connection between Khodakovsky and Akhmetov’s interests was discovered from the first days of the conflict in Donbass. Rumor makers attributed sponsorship of Vostok to Akhmetov in exchange for forceful support of his initiatives and escort of industrial cargo of the SCM group through the territory of the DPR. One way or another, Khodakovsky’s fighters still guard the billionaire’s enterprises and the Donbass Arena stadium (one of the Euro 2012 venues).
Until recently, one of the interests of Khodakovsky’s group was also medicines delivered from the territory of Ukraine. But due to the blockade, the volume of drug supplies has decreased significantly. In general, the strengthening of the blockade and the lack of military action are exacerbating competition between armed groups. In order to optimize costs, leaders of armed groups continually resort to reducing their numbers, announcing “cleansing the ranks and getting rid of random people.” In particular, Khodakovsky last announced reductions in his brigade two months ago.
In a telephone conversation, I asked Alexander Khodakovsky to comment on the information contained in this material. The Vostok leader said that such topics are not discussed over the phone, but only in person, noting that it may not be safe for me to come to Donetsk now.
#3. Denis Pushilin
The authority of this person in the “DPR” is questioned by all our interlocutors. Pushilin has neither his own army nor influential patrons. However, he manages to occupy a prominent place in the separatist hierarchy as the deputy chairman of the “People’s Council of the DPR”; he also represents Donetsk at negotiations in the Minsk format.Another of our interlocutors, who was involved in the now discontinued Novorossiya project, described the deputy chairman of the People’s Council as “complete...”: “A petty greedy adventurer and a person without any idea other than profit. It drags under itself everything that is not lying well. These are useful because sooner or later they become switchmen. So it will be with Mr. Pushilin.”
At the height of the Russian Spring, the former curator of the Donetsk MMM network was talked about as a person of the same Rinat Akhmetov. According to our interlocutors in Moscow and Kyiv, Pushilin received several tens of millions of rubles to create a network of pro-Russian agitators in Donetsk, starting in the winter of 2014. Money was allocated for organizing rallies, purchasing food for activists, transport and equipment. Large sums were spent on organizing the May “referendum”. According to our interlocutors, Pushilin was involved in financial support for all the activities of the early “DPR” and received most of the funds. Which caused discontent among the other newly-minted leaders. In June 2014, an attempt was made on Denis Pushilin’s life, his assistant was killed, but the emmemist himself was not injured.
The coordinators of the collapsed Novorossiya believe that most of the funds allocated for the early DPR were simply stolen. Large sums were embezzled, including from private donors.
However, little is known about Pushilin’s current business activities.
In a telephone conversation, we asked Denis Pushilin for a conversation on the topics raised in this material. The deputy chairman of the “People’s Council of the DPR” said that he would comment on our information by email, but he never got in touch again.
#4. Igor Strelkov-Girkin
The Kremlin removed “Commander-in-Chief of Novorossiya” Girkin from the list of war managers a year ago. However, the months of his vigorous activity in the Donbass helped to build up a reputational asset, which is now successfully converted into hard cash. Returning from the war, Strelkov-Girkin created the social movement “Novorossiya”, through which funds were raised as part of, as stated, the provision of humanitarian assistance to Donbass and other regions of south-eastern Ukraine. “The movement will be built exclusively on volunteer principles, everyone will be able to join us - both monarchists and communists,” said the former reenactor. Attracting donors, the ex-commander-in-chief went on a tour of Russian cities, in which he was accompanied by like-minded people and PR consultants. In particular, in Perm, photographers found Girkin moving in a motorcade of two Mercedes S500.In a short time, the movement of the ex-commander-in-chief became the most famous and wealthy, and at the same time, a fund for supporting Donbass independent from the Kremlin. As his ex-wife Vera Girkina told us, the movement now manages millions of rubles.
He hit the jackpot in this war, and the Novorossiya movement is his main project,” Vera Girkina told me. - Plus, Igor was rewarded very generously for the campaign in Slavyansk. I don’t know whether he accepted them or not, but we could be talking about 15 million rubles. In general, the fund, as far as I know, is working successfully, but funds are also wasted. Although Igor himself is crystal honest, left-wing waste is still inevitable, everyone is hovering around you, trying to snatch a piece.
According to Girkina, part of the humanitarian aid ends up on the border of Russia and the Donetsk region and then goes on as goods: “People turn their pockets out to help Donbass. But in the end they make a business out of humanitarian aid. For Igor, material wealth was never important; he was not greedy and did not like theft. But now he turns a blind eye to it. I don’t understand this.”
Vera Girkina herself and her two children now live in the Rostov region not far from Millerovo. She says that she went there at the insistence of her ex-husband. “We were sent here at the beginning of the war, Girkin demanded that we sit down and not move around, he was so worried about our safety, allegedly. But the problem is that Igor, having become rich, actually abandoned us. It is impossible to sit and not rock the boat when you have a minimum of funds and two children, one of whom is sick. I am aware of his affairs, communicate with our mutual friends. I recently wanted to contact his former boss. Malofeev, but Konstantin conveyed that he did not want to know any of Girkin’s relatives anymore.”
In response to a request to comment on this information, Strelkov-Girkin’s press secretary Anastasia Mikhailovskaya stated the following:
“Igor Ivanovich will not comment on this nonsense. The information about 15 million is a lie, as is the fact that Vera lives in the Rostov region. Vera lives at her place of registration in her apartment in Khimki. Better tell me why you are writing all this? You’ve already been beaten in Donetsk, but do you know how many inadequate militias there are in Moscow now?”
After the death of Alexander Zakharchenko, life in the DPR changed in all its aspects. And not because “a new broom sweeps in a new way,” but because today there is a redistribution of spheres of influence in all key positions of state (and not only) administration.
Moscow is imposing Pushilin on the Donetsk people
Now all the cards are in the hands of Denis Pushilin, who by hook or by crook is getting rid of representatives of the team of his predecessors, building the entire vertical of power for himself. The thirst for revenge and ambition - as they say, nothing personal - is what now drives him. In addition, there is a fifth ace in his deck. Only the lazy did not write about the fact that Pushilin is a protégé of the presidential administration. Many speak about this openly, such as the head of the Union of Donbass Volunteers, the first Prime Minister of the DPR, Alexander Borodai.
Alexander Borodai and Alexander Zakharchenko
“Let's speak frankly: Pushilin is a candidate who is supported by Russia. It was supported for a number of absolutely understandable, elementary reasons. Pushilin was formally the second person in the republic. At the same time, he had practically no real levers of power all this time. But due to the position he held, he was not even “one of the Donbass politicians,” but the only one who interacted very closely with Moscow. Zakharchenko also interacted with Moscow, no one can argue with this, but even Zakharchenko interacted fundamentally less than Pushilin. Pushilin was constantly in the mode of participation in the “Minsk negotiations”. This is a man who is well known here. And this is one of the most serious reasons to bet on it. Because the Varangians are immediately swept aside. The person who will lead the republic must be local. Accordingly, which of the locals is most famous and who is distinguished by the greatest performing discipline? Pushilin! The stake is obvious,” he said in an interview with RIA FAN.
In the dispute between the favorable attitude of Moscow and the rejection of this candidacy by the residents of Donbass, the former wins. After all, the DPR, at its core, is a priori a dependent state, relying exclusively on the decisions and sentiments of Moscow curators. As they say, a step to the right, a step to the left is an attempt to escape, and a jump in place is an attempt to fly out.
Denis Pushilin
It cannot be said that the late Alexander Zakharchenko did not obey Moscow directives. Of course, he followed (at least tried to follow) all the instructions, but at the same time he was not flexible and, due to his character, could at any moment decide to act independently.
As, for example, in May 2018, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to break through the DPR defense line near Gorlovka: then Zakharchenko, as the commander-in-chief of the DPR army, did not hesitate to give a damn about the prohibition of retaliatory actions prescribed in the “Minsk agreements”, and gave the order to repel the attack, which successfully completed by DPR soldiers.
Without such an order from Zakharchenko, the territory of the republic would have “shrinked” into some other part.
It is also worth emphasizing that Alexander Zakharchenko was categorically opposed to the return of Donbass to Ukraine. For him, this was unacceptable under any status and under any political auspices. As for Denis Pushilin, under his leadership the special status of Donbass within Ukraine is more than a reality. And the statement of the current acting head that “the course outlined by Alexander Zakharchenko will be continued” is nothing more than a bluff. Pushilin’s “executive discipline” suggests the opposite.
Pavel Gubarev
This kind of political situation, in particular, became the reason that the most prominent character of the “Russian Spring”, the founder and leader of the Donbass people’s militia, the ex-people’s governor of the Donetsk region, the leader of the public movement “Free Donbass”, 35 years old, was forced out of the election race Pavel Gubarev. More than half of the 15 thousand signatures collected by his supporters were declared invalid by the DPR Central Election Commission, simultaneously accusing his wife Ekaterina Gubareva’s income declaration of discrepancy with the actual income.
Thus, for the post of head of the DPR in the elections on November 11 (in addition to Denis Pushilin), four little-known technical candidates are registered: Elena Shishkina (judge of the Ukrainian people's tribunal for the investigation of war crimes of the regime of Petro Poroshenko), Roman Khramenkov (ex-mayor of Gorlovka and Yenakievo), Roman Evstifeev (head of the Museum of Military and Labor Glory of the Union of Afghanistan Veterans of the Petrovsky District of Donetsk) and Vladimir Medvedev (Deputy Minister of Education of the DPR). Local residents claim that none of them a priori could (and did not try) to collect the signatures necessary for registration with the CEC.
In summary, elections without choice - this is what the political system of the DPR came to after the death of Alexander Zakharchenko.
The DPR is getting rid of the “legacy” of Tashkent
The Ministry of Revenue and Duties of the DPR - the former patrimony of Alexander Timofeev (Tashkent), who fled to Russia - is perhaps the only department that any sane politician would try to get rid of in the first place. Which, in fact, is what Denis Pushilin immediately did. According to his decree on amendments to legislation, the structural divisions of the Ministry of Revenue that carried out operational tasks were abolished from October 1 of this year.
Tashkent
“Today we are preparing a new structure of the ministry. As soon as it is agreed upon, a new staffing table will be prepared, which will entail a complete reorganization of the department,” said acting. O. Head of the department Evgeny Lavrenov.
It is worth noting that already in January 2019 the DPR plans to adopt a new tax code.
“The task is for the acting head of the DPR Denis Pushilin to completely change the tax system of the republic. The new system will be formed according to the principles of simplicity and transparency. This will primarily create a safe investment climate and stability,” Lavrenov noted.
Evgeny Lavrenov is entrusted with the mission of completely changing the tax system of the DPR
As a result, the temporary commission of the People's Council to identify facts of damage to legal entities and individuals as a result of illegal activities of representatives of the Ministry of Revenue transferred materials on 13 appeals from affected citizens to the Prosecutor General's Office of the DPR. A total of 22 appeals were considered at four meetings of the commission.
“These are mainly complaints about violations of the inspection procedure and unreasonably inflated fines. For example, for one of the private entrepreneurs with a monthly profit of 7 thousand rubles, the amount of the accrued fine amounted to 756 thousand rubles,” noted commission chairman Andrei Baevsky.
Also, the hotline of the Temporary Commission on the transfer of markets operating on the territory of the DPR to state ownership and the activities of non-resident enterprises and institutions where temporary state administrations were introduced received 52 requests, as reported by the press service of the People's Council.
The temporary commission created by Denis Pushilin is getting rid of the “heritage” of Tashkent
The materials were transferred to a permanent commission to conduct inspections of compliance with budget and tax legislation, as well as the legality of ownership, use and disposal of state property.
Is the balance of criminal forces broken?
Recently, information appeared in Novaya Gazeta that at the end of September of this year, a “gathering” of crime bosses and “thieves in law” took place in Rostov-on-Don, which was attended by about 15 people. The publication reported the names of the participants in the “event”: Alexander Baturin (Batura) - “supervisor” from the “Enakievo” in Gorlovka, Armen Sarkisyan – “supervisor” of Gorlovka from the “Akhmetovskys”, Vitaly Metla - commander of one of the units of the “Vostok” battalion, deputy People's Council of the DPR, thief in law Eduard Asatryan (Edik Osetrina, or Edik Tbilissky), representatives of thief in law Sergei Oleynik (Umka) from Dnepropetrovsk, and others. At the “gathering,” spheres of influence in the DPR and issues of redistribution of property were allegedly discussed , smuggling, coordination of cargo transportation, the topic of security of group members, as well as issues of interaction between the criminals of Ukraine, Russia and Donbass.
Edik Tbilissky
Umka
The CrimeRussia clarified this information with its sources, and they confirmed the fact of the mentioned meeting. It really took place, but not in Rostov itself, but in the region. But the fact that it was precisely as a result of this that the DPR customs office in the Gorlovka direction was immediately closed, as Novaya Gazeta wrote about, is not confirmed.
It is worth noting that the head of the DPR Alexander Zakharchenko and the acting head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik intended to liquidate this department, which was previously part of the ministry of Tashkent, on January 31: then in Donetsk they signed a protocol on the creation of a single customs space. By the way, the initiator of the construction of the border between the republics was the ex-head of the LPR Igor Plotnitsky. Already on February 1, the posts between the DPR and LPR were supposed to be closed, but, apparently, business interests prevailed over political ones.
Zakharchenko and Pasechnik intended to close customs between the republics back in the winter of 2018
In May 2018, the LPR announced that it had unilaterally removed all customs borders with the DPR. Donetsk did not declare anything, but did not withdraw anything. And the LPR customs, as, for example, in the Debaltsevo region, are still working to this day. On October 3 this year, during a working meeting in Lugansk, Leonid Pasechnik discussed this issue with the acting head of the DPR, Pushilin.
“We discussed all the identified issues, including the removal of customs borders between our republics. All this will be done in the near future,” Pasechnik said, emphasizing that Pushilin shares this point of view. In any case, for this period of time, “booths in an open field” continue to function: somewhere on the LPR side, and somewhere on the DPR side. So, at least, say CrimeRussia sources living in Donbass.
“Young oligarch” Sergei Kurchenko is crushing the DPR to himself
And now about the industrial assets of Donbass in general and the DPR in particular. According to CrimeRussia sources, the death of Alexander Zakharchenko cleared the way for the Ukrainian-Russian oligarch, 33-year-old Sergei Kurchenko. Today, Kurchenko is the owner of the Gas Ukraine group of companies, the UMH Group media holding, the chairman of the supervisory board of the Eastern European Fuel and Energy Company (VETEK) group, the owner of the Kharkov football club Metalist, a network of gas stations in Crimea, etc. Office the young oligarch is in one of the Moscow City towers.
Sergey Kurchenko
Previously, the Tashkent team did not allow Kurchenko into the region and was in charge of the gasoline supply schemes to the DPR. In 2015, Kurchenko’s protege, DPR Minister of Fuel and Energy Evgeniy Fainitsky, was even killed in Donetsk. As for the LPR, the company Trade House Nefteprodukt LLC, co-owned by Kurchenko (51% of the shares belongs to the LPR), has become a monopolist in the supply of fuels and lubricants to the republic since 2016 (by the way, in the absence of an appropriate license). In addition, TD Nefteprodukt is engaged in wholesale supplies of electricity to the LPR. In June 2018, by resolution of the Council of Ministers of the LPR, TD Nefteprodukt was renamed into Lugansk Electric Networks LLC.
Petroleum products and electricity - birds of a feather?
As for coal supplies to Russia from the DPR and LPR, since March the only monopolist has been the Gaz-Alliance company, controlled by Kurchenko. According to sources, the coal business brings the “young oligarch” a margin of 300%.
According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Kurchenko’s company is registered in Nizhny Novgorod with an authorized capital of 70 thousand rubles
“Kurchenko is raking out coal from the mines below cost through the State Enterprise “Coal of Donbass”, and even on the Russian side they are hiding money from taxation. No, I'm not surprised, this is capitalism! I’m not even surprised that with such money, the soldiers on the front line have a meager salary, have no hemostatic agents at all, and tourniquets - 30% of the required quantity, and they repair the tanks at their own expense, and dress and equip themselves. I’m surprised by something else: gentlemen, rich people, aren’t you afraid that people will completely leave the front and your acquisitions will be seized without a fight?” — asks Donbass blogger Nathan Donetsky.
According to sources, Sergei Kurchenko’s patron in high Moscow offices is Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, and his business partner is senator, member of the Federation Council from the Republic of Dagestan Suleiman Kerimov.
Suleiman Kerimov
As is known, Kurchenko became the owner of the Donbass assets of the Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, as well as the Industrial Union of Donbass (IDS). One of the owners of the IDS was Ukrainian billionaire Oleg Mkrtchan, who has been under arrest in a Moscow pre-trial detention center since February 2018. He is charged with Part 4 of Art. 159 (fraud committed by an organized group or on an especially large scale) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to investigators, Mkrtchan, under the guise of legal transactions in 2009-2013, organized the receipt of loan funds from Vnesheconombank through a foreign offshore company. The investigation estimates the damage from fraud at more than 1 billion rubles.
Fugitive Ukrainian oligarch of Armenian origin arrested in Moscow for fraud
In 2014, Mkrtchan left Ukraine and obtained Russian citizenship, while part of his assets remained in Ukraine. After the arrest, they were transferred to the safekeeping of the Gas Alliance company. On October 5, 2018, the Basmanny Court of Moscow arrested Mkrtchan’s Russian assets in the amount of 8 billion rubles. Among the seized property are the assets of the Russian Mining and Metallurgical Company (RMMC).
It is worth noting that the Ukrainian authorities do not touch the assets of Sergei Kurchenko, in particular his industrial group VETEK, operating in Ukraine.
It is likely that he has an agreement with the current leadership of the country into whose territory he is smuggling oil products.
And the activities of the “young oligarch” do not come to the attention of Russian law enforcement officers due to good patronage. Obviously, such a “business arrangement” is convenient against the backdrop of strained relations between Ukraine and Russia and the suspended state of the LDPR. After Zakharchenko’s death, Kurchenko’s schemes will work in full force in the DPR. Therefore, bright times will not come soon for Donbass, torn apart by war and businessmen.
In mid-September, Alexander Zakharchenko was planning to leave not only his positions, but also the DPR Photo: The CrimeRussia
The information published by The CrimeRussia is based on stories and conclusions of competent sources (both military and civilian) located in the DPR and directly related to Alexander Zakharchenko, that is, included in the so-called pool of the head of the DPR, the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the DPR and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the DPR in one person.
After the terrorist attack in the center of Donetsk, which occurred on the evening of August 31, as a result of which the head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, was killed, already on the night of September 1, on the personal order of Vladimir Putin, a group of Russian specialists from the FSB arrived there, whose task was to help find and punish the killers. The information that security officers work there was confirmed to the media by the head of the operational information and international relations service of the FSB of Russia, Sergei Beseda.
Russian special services are considering the version of a pro-Ukrainian coup in the DPR, so it was assumed that until the causes and circumstances of the death of the head of the republic are finally clarified, all personnel appointments will be frozen and there will be no elections scheduled for November 18. However, on September 6 it became known that elections of heads of regions and parliaments in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) would still take place. An RBC source noted that the Kremlin decided that elections should be held simultaneously in the DPR and LPR.
“...There is no doubt that these are Ukrainian special services. We are talking about a clearly planned, competently carried out terrorist attack on the leader of a self-proclaimed republic. This kind of action could not have been carried out by some nationalists or military men. This went through the intelligence services, using recruiting approaches. And therefore, the question here is not so much the investigation itself, the investigation of the crime. This is a purely counterintelligence issue. How were representatives of the Ukrainian special services able to accomplish this? After all, if you have tracing paper, it means you can repeat it. If scattered but organized terrorist groups under the leadership of the SBU are operating on our border, then for us this is a matter for us to seriously think about and develop countermeasures,” expert, reserve FSB general Alexander Mikhailov said in an interview with MK. The key word here is “recruitment approaches.”
In September, Zakharchenko was planning to leave the DPR
All subsequent information published by The CrimeRussia is based on stories and conclusions of competent sources (both military and civilian) located in the DPR and directly related to Alexander Zakharchenko, that is, included in the so-called pool of the head of the DPR, Chairman of the Council of Ministers DPR and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the DPR in one person.
So, the murder of Alexander Zakharchenko occurred against the backdrop of a “cleansing” of armed units not controlled by the corps, which began in July of this year. The battalions that were not included and did not want to enter the corps were disarmed (for example, the international brigade “Pyatnashka”). At the same time, the DPR was agitated by persistent rumors that something would happen in September that would subsequently completely and completely change the political and economic course and, most importantly, the military component.
Now many people associate these “prophecies” with the death of Alexander Zakharchenko, drawing hasty conclusions that this murder was actually announced. But it is not so.
The fact is that in mid-September of this year, Alexander Zakharchenko was going to leave not only his positions, but also the DPR. He was already preparing the ground for his arrival in Russia, including intending to take his family out. And those around Zakharchenko knew about this. The Minister of Taxes and Duties of the DPR, Alexander Timofeev, known as Tashkent, who was injured in the terrorist attack, was also testing the waters for “safety net” in the Russian Federation; nevertheless, he planned to lead the republic for some time after Zakharchenko’s departure (having every reason to do so, since he was in the DPR the second person after Zakharchenko). There is information that three weeks before the terrorist attack, Tashkent, who was trying to enter Russian territory to resolve some issues, was for some reason not allowed to leave the DPR. What exactly caused this is unknown, and it is unlikely that he will expand on this topic now.
Inseparable Timofeev and Zakharchenko at the march of the “Immortal Regiment” in Donetsk on May 9, 2017
Why did Zakharchenko end up in the Separ cafe?
Nevertheless, it is known that in the period from 14 to 15 hours on August 31, Alexander Zakharchenko, together with one of the DPR battalion commanders, was supposed to leave Donetsk for Moscow for the funeral of Joseph Kobzon, as well as for an important meeting in the presidential administration. But at about six in the evening of the same day, for some reason the head of the DPR ended up in the ill-fated Separ cafe.
Who exactly “cancelled” Zakharchenko’s agreed upon protocol departure? Why did he suddenly suddenly change his plans and go to a cafe for some meeting under the guise of Joseph Kobzon’s wake?
“It was a shellless explosive device, the main operating principle of which was a shock wave and fire. Alexander Vladimirovich suffered from the shock wave. They were driving from the residence (the residence is located 170 meters from the cafe. - Ed.) to a meeting and stopped here in the parking lot. They came here often. So they entered one after another. The guard went first, he died immediately, then the head came, he died almost immediately. Then another guard walked, he is now in intensive care. Then came Natasha Volkova, she was seriously injured, then came Timofeev and the rest of the guards. Terrorists call this a “lucky bookmark.” They knew that the head of the DPR often comes here,” Alexander Kazakov, an adviser to the head of the DPR, told the media immediately after the tragedy.
Alexander Kazakov speaks with journalists on September 1 at the site of the terrorist attack
The “bookmark for good luck” was the placement of 800 grams of explosives in a lamp located under the ceiling. Sources claim that before Zakharchenko’s arrival, the cafe premises were inspected with a specially trained dog, which did not find anything, since the bomb was located at the top. The radio-controlled explosive device went off on time, and certainly not “by luck,” which indicates that the perpetrator was fully aware of exactly who would enter the cafe and when.
There was a lot of blood near the scene of the terrorist attack
It is worth noting that the establishment itself, as well as the area around it, were more than guarded. In “Separ” itself, which opened 9 months ago, there was so-called face control - in other words, visitors from the street did not enter this establishment, it was possible to get here only if accompanied by those who were covered by the concept of “friends”. The owner of the cafe is the bodyguard of Alexander Zakharchenko, the head of the Donetsk Republic faction in the republican parliament, Alexander Kostenko.
Alexander Kostenko - owner of the Separ cafe, where the head of the DPR died
In the first hours after the terrorist attack, rumors spread throughout the city that Kostenko had disappeared, that they were looking for him and that he had allegedly left the territory of the republic. In fact, Kostenko did not run away anywhere.
“I’m here, I haven’t left anywhere, I’m testifying. I can say that there are already suspects,” he told reporters on September 3.
Ukrainian trace with a touch of Donetsk?
The suspects are a separate puzzle in what happened. In a matter of hours after the terrorist attack, it was announced that several Ukrainian saboteurs had been caught on Bogdan Khmelnytsky Street, not far from the site of the explosion, and, as a result of interrogation, they confirmed the involvement of the Ukrainian side in the crime. The DPR Ministry of State Security, in turn, stated that there were several sabotage groups and the saboteurs are still within the republic. Further information was received that the detainees were released because they had nothing to do with the planting. One thing is obvious - the perpetrators have not been caught. The version about the Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group in its pure form is melting before our eyes, since it is obvious that no “Independence patriot” was able to draw up a “deadly ceiling” for more than half an hour at an object into which he a priori could not get inside.
By the way, Kyiv, for the sake of self-affirmation, gladly takes responsibility for all terrorist attacks on the territories of the LDPR, actively denies accusations of murdering the head of the DPR.
On September 5, the DPR Ministry of Internal Affairs put two men on the wanted list who were suspected of involvement in the explosion. Photos of those wanted were published on the department's website. According to DPR law enforcement officers, on August 31 they were in a cafe. A couple of hours later, the ministry announced that the wanted persons who were at the Separ restaurant on August 31 had nothing to do with the incident.
“The Ministry of Internal Affairs thanks citizens for the information provided; the involvement in the incident of persons whose photographs were posted earlier has not been confirmed,” the department’s statement said.
Of course, one should not rule out a Ukrainian trace in this terrorist attack. But no saboteurs, even with a hundred Ukrainian passports each, could have managed without persons (or individuals) who had direct access to Alexander Zakharchenko, who were representatives of his inner circle. And the precision in the execution of the sabotage gives no reason to doubt this. And these are the “recruitment approaches” we previously mentioned: the killer was clearly informed about when Alexander Zakharchenko would cross the threshold of Separ. And again we return to the question: with whom did the now deceased head have a meeting planned under the guise of a wake? Who ensured his visit to the cafe exactly for liquidation?
Destroyed cafe
Firstly, this can be established from Zakharchenko’s last mobile calls, which is quite a common global forensic practice. Secondly, interview the cafe employees about who ordered the funeral dinner and when. Thirdly, carefully study the recordings of external surveillance cameras not only directly near the cafe, but also in the surrounding area. Apparently there were also cameras inside the establishment.
Nothing is known about most of the victims of the terrorist attack.
Together with Zakharchenko, his bodyguard Vyacheslav Dotsenko, call sign “Slavyan”, died. It is known about him that he is a native of Donetsk, who has fought for the republic since 2014.
Vyacheslav Dotsenko (pictured left)
12 people were injured of varying severity. Seven of them received outpatient medical care, and five are undergoing inpatient treatment at the Institute of Internal Medicine named after. Gander. Among them is the head of the youth platform “Oplot of Donbass,” 20-year-old Natalya Volkova. The girl has 60% burns on her body and a burn on her lungs; she is in serious condition; doctors do not give a prognosis. It is also known that a cafe employee, 22-year-old Yaroslava, was wounded in the head. There is no information about her health status.
Natalya Volkova was at the time of the explosion in the Separ cafe
Victim of the explosion, Alexander Timofeev (Tashkent), spent the night in intensive care after a severe concussion. However, contrary to the recommendations of doctors, after using a considerable dose of painkillers, he was near the coffin of Alexander Zakharchenko from the morning of September 2 until the moment of burial.
Tashkent
Nothing is known about the remaining nine victims. Were they all security guards and employees of the cafe? Were any of them direct participants in the memorial event? A source close to Zakharchenko’s entourage doubts that the commemoration was limited to the participation of only Zakharchenko, Timofeev and Volkova.
Tashkent
“Most likely, there was someone fourth, and maybe more than one. And next to the cafe was the one who organized all this and who didn’t care who exactly Zakharchenko would come with. But Zakharchenko could have invited anyone he deemed necessary to join Separ! Yes, anyone, because, despite the understanding that he could be killed, he was very sociable and sociable. Everyone is wondering: why did a 20-year-old girl suddenly find herself in such a high-status company? I will say this: she is a close friend of Tashkent. At two o'clock in the afternoon, Natalya Volkova held an action in Donetsk on the Alley of Angels in memory of the dead children. She was most likely invited to Separ by Timofeev himself,” the source said.
Is Akhmetov returning to Donbass?
The acting head of the republic was 37-year-old Dmitry Trapeznikov, deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers and part-time head of the Department of Internal and Foreign Policy of the administration of the head of the DPR. Little is known about him even in the DPR itself, where Trapeznikov is ironically called an “effective manager” or “apparatchik.” He worked as a manager of the Shakhtar football club, whose president is the Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, and then headed various business structures. In 2010–2012, he was deputy head of the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, then until the spring of 2014 he worked in Kyiv as the general director of the Ukoopvneshtorg trading house. In September 2014, he was appointed head of the temporary administration of the Telmanovsky district of the DPR, which, in fact, began Trapeznikov’s bureaucratic career in the republic: he soon became deputy prime minister. By the way, Trapeznikov did not take part in mass protests under anti-government slogans in Donetsk (“Russian Spring”) and did not fight anywhere. On the contrary, he was the organizer of Akhmetov’s rallies “For a United Ukraine” and was involved in the distribution of humanitarian aid, which was brought to the Donbass Arena by Rinat Akhmetov’s charitable foundation.
Rinat Akhmetov
Trapeznikov has a more than strained relationship with the ex-head of Zakharchenko’s administration, Maxim Leshchenko, whom he shot in the thigh with a pistol in 2016 during one of the feasts. Trapeznikov has a very difficult relationship with Alexander Timofeev: they hate each other. Nevertheless, over the past year, Trapeznikov tried to stay close to Alexander Zakharchenko as much as possible, while remaining a quiet and inconspicuous manager. He actually manages all information flows in the republic. In addition, Trapeznikov coordinated access to Zakharchenko: without his consent, only his right hand Tashkent could get to the head.
Trapeznikov, who has not fought (left), likes to dress up in a military “gorka”
“Trapeznikov is such a “gray cardinal.” He has contacts with Rinat Akhmetov and in the Russian Presidential Administration. It is no secret that Akhmetov intends to return his patrimony. Moreover, under the “Minsk agreements” they are trying to force the DPR into Ukraine. Russia, in turn, is interested in a speedy resolution of the protracted armed conflict, but is not interested in recognizing the republic, much less accepting it into the Russian Federation. Yes, Zakharchenko was a signatory of these “agreements”, sincerely believing in the power of diplomatic art. He was categorically opposed to any status of the DPR in Ukraine. He advocated joining Russia. But Akhmetov has no need for this. Taking into account the fact that there are a lot of former and current “Akhmetov’s” in the DPR, it is possible that the legs of the notorious “Ukrainian saboteurs” grow from there. Trapeznikov's candidacy will suit Ukraine. They did not conduct any negotiations with Zakharchenko,” one of the sources noted.
“...As a dark horse, Trapeznikov, I think, suits Russia too, because we need to move on to a period of deheroization. Heroes are no longer needed here. It will now be easier for Moscow to tell its Normandy format partners that it is understandable why Kyiv did not sit down at the negotiating table with Zakharchenko, who fought and has blood on his hands. Well, why not sit down with Trapeznikov?” - Ukrainian political scientist Vadim Karasev actually confirmed the opinion of the Donetsk source.
Why was Alexander Zakharchenko killed if he was planning to leave the republic in September?
The answer is simple: he knew too much. By the way, at the moment there is a threat to the life of Alexander Timofeev: firstly, he knows no less, and secondly, he has the legal right, after his final recovery, to “recapture” the position of acting head of the DPR. In principle, some other Donetsk managers can fight for their place in the sun. For example, the Chairman of the People's Council, permanent representative of the DPR in the contact group in Minsk Denis Pushilin. A group of specialists from the FSB has something to work on, since an attempt at a “pro-Ukrainian coup” has actually been carried out in the republic. And in Donetsk, where more than 120 thousand people came to say goodbye to the deceased leader, they understand this.
On September 7, it became known that the wife of the murdered head of the DPR, Natalya Zakharchenko, visited the front line of the DPR. She talked with army soldiers, during the conversation saying that the militia wanted to avenge their deceased leader Alexander Zakharchenko.
“Everyone wants revenge, and I want revenge. We will do this only by order,” Life.ru quotes Natalya Zakharchenko. According to her, many believed that chaos would begin in the DPR after the death of the leader, but instead people united. “We have something to strive for, something to fight for,” she concluded.
Zakharchenko’s widow assured that the fighters could contact her at any time and promised to “help like Dad.” She stated the need to continue the work of the deceased DPR leader and bring his initiatives to life.
