{UAH} Putin's Number One Gunman in Ukraine Warns Him of Possible Defeat - The Daily Beast

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/25/putin-s-number-one-gunman-in-ukraine-warns-him-of-possible-defeat.html

Putin's Number One Gunman in Ukraine Warns Him of Possible Defeat

DONETSK, Ukraine — Just over a week ago, Igor Strelkov, the key commander for separatist militia forces in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), was keeping an eye on several battles, both military and political. Strelkov was an experienced military officer, a former commander of Russian special forces during the Chechen war in 2001; but here in Ukraine his rebel units were mostly made up of unprofessional fighters losing checkpoint after checkpoint to quickly advancing and constantly shelling troops from the Donetsk Ukrainia Anti-terror Operation Forces sent by Kiev.

There was still no sign of the Russian army arriving to help Strelkov, who had already lost his previous stronghold, Sloviansk, earlier in the month. 

And then—bodies began to fall from the sky. An anti-aircraft missile almost certainly fired by some of Strelkov's men had reached six miles up to Malaysia Air Flight 17, and suddenly Strelkov found himself not only the leader of a rebellion, but denounced as a possible war criminal. 

The time had come for the insurgent colonel to roll out his main argument for more support: Losing this war on the territory that Vladimir Putin personally named Novorossia (New Russia) would threaten the Kremlin's power and, personally, the power of President Vladimir Putin.

An article published by Strelkov's adviser, Igor Druzd, on Wednesday laid out the case that Putin, today, is facing the same choice that ousted Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych faced a few months ago: either send in the army and win control over Novorossia territories in eastern Ukraine—or lose his presidency. "I hope that the Ukrainian tragedy will neither become the tragedy of Russia nor the personal tragedy of Putin," wrote Strelkov's adviser.

Ukrainian authorities insist that, in fact, Russian heavy weapons already are deployed and Russian personnel already are fighting in Donbass, as eastern Ukraine is known. The Ukrainian authorities say it was the Kremlin, specifically Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu, which coordinated all Strelkov's actions.

"We have proved beyond a doubt that Strelkov and other terrorist leaders are equipped with the most destructive weapons and instructed directly by Shoygu," Anton Geraschenko, adviser to the Ministry of Interior Affairs, told The Daily Beast. "Shoygu would not dare to send the Grad system, tanks, APCs and other weapons to Donbass unless Putin approved of that."

The Ukrainian Ministry of Interior Affairs reported that as soon as rebels managed topunch holes in the Ukrainian border in May, Strelkov's forces received all the weapons they needed, including mortars, RPGs, APCs, tanks and rocket launching systems.

All that hardware didn't come for free, according he Strelkov. He claimed that his army had to purchase the arsenal for "fabulously huge money." Apparently, to win the war Strelkov also needed more professional fighters to use his newfound arsenal. His irregular forces were made up of local men in their late 30s or 40s, and Russian and Caucasus volunteers with very little or no combat experience. He still required men who knew how to operate heavy weapons like, say, surface-to-air missile batteries.
In Strelkov's recent video posted online he said he "could never imagine" that of over 4.6 million people living in the Donetsk region, only about 1,000 volunteers were willing to join his rebel army to defend Novorossia: "We can see anything but crowds of volunteers outside our gate," admitted Strelkov, whose nom de guerre means "gunman," and whose real name is Girkin.

To Kiev, Strelkov-Girkin was the most wanted terrorist; to Donbass rebels—a hero and an idol. "He is not too tall but handsome, stout with military poise, sometimes too serious—he is a true ideologist, one of very few in DPR; he has a chess player's brain brilliant for fighting plans," is how a deputy of the self-proclaimed DPR parliament, Claudia Kulbatsky, described Strelkov to The Daily Beast on Thursday.

Colonel Strelkov once admitted that he had quit his work at the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in May 2013. Since earlier this year, "DPR Defense Minister Strelkov" has become the dominant authority among the rebels, especially those who lived and fought with him under Ukrainian mortar fire in Sloviansk earlier this summer.

"Victory means a chance to return home to Sloviansk, which is now occupied by Ukrainians; we are going to be with Strelkov through the worst," said Denis, 31, a rebel working for Strelkov's personal security forces when he wasguarding me at their main headquarters in the old Ukraine SBU (security service) prison.

Several reporters detained last week had a chance to talk with interrogators, and we asked for permission to place a call to the republic's prime minister, Alexander Borodai. The rebels just laughed at us: "Borodai, is he still alive?" one of them joked. He said there is nobody but Strelkov who makes crucial decisions in Donbass.

Strelkov's mission in Ukraine, whoever gave it to him, has been bigger than just the defense of the DPR. Strelkov claims to be defending Putin's reputation and power in Russia, too. In an interview with The Daily Beast on Thursday, Strelkov adviser Druzd spoke about the importance of Russians coming to Donbass in order to prevent a revolution like the Maidan in Kiev from spreading to Moscow.

"Putin's popularity is fading away, since nobody has stopped the slaughter of Russians in Donbass," Druzd said. "The president's approval rating is much lower in Moscow and St. Petersburg than in the provinces. As we know, revolutions—both French and October—were done in capitals; unfortunately, we cannot exclude attempts of the Maidan type of protests in Moscow," Druzd explained. "For now Russia mostly sends us information and humanitarian help," he said, when what the rebels need to defend Russian interests is "significant military support."

Dangerous talk, certainly. As anyone who knows Putin knows, Russia's president does not respond well to threats. If Strelkov pushes too far, he could find himself a lone gunman in a very lonely war.

Putin's Number One Gunman in Ukraine Warns Him of Possible Defeat - The Daily Beast

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/25/putin-s-number-one-gunman-in-ukraine-warns-him-of-possible-defeat.html

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