Batman – the commander of the elite “Batman” combat/military police unit that is based in Luhansk, LC (Novorossiya)
Originally Posted http://vk.com/rusilasu
In our conversation, Batman, not hiding his real name, tried not to talk about specific combat tasks by the rapid response team, which he commanded, referring to military secrets.
He only said (apparently, it’s not a secret) that his soldiers took part in battles in the area of Lugansk airport, where he captured significant military trophies. (Most of the tanks, apcs, trucks and other military equipment)
In addition, the Bednov-Batman admitted that his men regularly go out for positions on the front line, which runs today (track from Lugansk to Pervomaisk-Gorska-Lisichansk) and Stanichno-Lugansk area.
– What did you do before all of these events?
I was an ordinary pensioner from Ministry Internal Affairs (MIA,) a reserve officer, (he retired with the rank of captain in 2006, he worked in the security services of different enterprises in the city.)
I have a family, wife, two children, which I was forced, after things started to happen, to take to another state.
How did you get into the ranks of the “army of the South-East, and why have they decided to fight for the independence of Donbass?
I painfully experienced what happened in Kiev in October-December. All these events – the Maidan, a coup – naturally could not pass by me, because I am law-abiding people and saw that the wickedness going on in the capital.
I watched what the so-called peaceful demonstrators, “they’re only children”, had done to the police (Berkut)- they had been beaten, shot and burned alive. Such in any country of the world is called the gravest crime.
All that was happening then in any frame did not fit. (no justification)
And all this was served with a sauce of severe Russophobia, racial hatred, fascism, Nazism, the superiority of the Ukrainian nation over all others. And when this wave of unrest has come to us in March, when the radicals of our local bottling brothers Serpokrylovy
heads in HQ of political party “UDAR”(Ukrainian Democratic Alliance Reform) Luhansk region, were involved in a shooting at the guys from the “Young Guard” (one of the first organizations established in the beginning of the movement supporters of the referendum), when wounded our young friends, that’s when I realized that the joke was over.
I realized that the question is simply about the survival of Russian-speaking people. And this is no exaggeration, because when the mad men has taken blood, it became clear that by itself this will not end, and we need to protect ourselves. And when, after the building of SBU (Security Services Ukraine) was captured, people held peaceful protests and there were no weapons on the streets.
In Kiev, authorities called us terrorists, and here moved troops with heavy equipment. Therefore, it was clear that we were going to be destroyed, and we were forced to take arms against the machines.
First my wife was very seriously worried and unhappy that I had become involved in the movement and worried for me, but the moral was always on my side. And when he started shelling the city, she already had a clear conviction that we need to fight, not to sit still, otherwise it will destroy us.
How did it happen that you became the head of the division of the Army of the South-East, which is now called “elite”?
– I originally joined the movement Alexei Brain and was formed in them “people’s militia of Lugansk region”. When it began to organize the unit type of the military, those friends with whom I came in the militia, told me: “Sanych, you can be a commander, because you’re an officer, and have organizational and military experience.” They were right, because in the police I was the commander of the special purpose company, and of course I had the experience. I also clearly understood when people trust you cannot deny it, and need to justify their confidence, so I became a commander.
– Tell us, what is your current service, and what are the functions of “Batman”?
– I do… war. Support major combat readiness of military units, providing soldiers with food, clothing, equipment, weapons, and ammunition. There is a whole set of concerns and challenges facing any commander, that he must fulfill. After all, to be called the commander of the just, is an important matter and can be very troublesome.
I in no case do not complain. I, as the commander must take responsibility for each of my fighters, and I think that people who are in arms to protect their land, must be protected from all domestic problems. Commanders must ensure normal conditions. For me, every fighter is a person with her own inner world with their concerns and worldview. They are not cannon fodder, not a cog in a huge body, it is primarily people, and I always remember this.
My Department is very diversified. We perform different tasks. About all I can’t tell, but I would say that we are now engaged in law enforcement activities, because we are only now beginning to operate this system. She still makes the first steps. Now we had to take on the role of the police, because when was the most active, hot phase of the fighting, then the law enforcement system was not working at all, and law and order in the rear in the city had to be enforced. And since I’m this close, we took on these responsibilities, and people began to apply to us for help.
– About what?
Most often it was a household drunkenness, disorderly conduct, uproars. And there were, of course, acts of looting, and theft. We also detained several people for murder, they are arrested and awaiting trial. Preliminary materials on them are collected and documented as it should be.
And drunkards and family hooligans-brawlers hit and come to us for rehabilitation. By the way, we have a prohibition in the division. Fines we never no-one took, the people atone for their sins, such as digging trenches. These drunks are, and amazing things happened – several people have been cured! And one of the detainees, after serving here for 10 days, even asked to stay on with us, that he was not drunk. As it turned out, the man with Golden hands, we have assigned him to our repair shop, he was an excellent gunsmith.
– What affect has Batman had on the growth of crime in Lugansk?
Once we arrived, in the surrounding blocks became quieter and quieter. People know that they can contact us and we will always send help, and scoundrels and villains will be humbled and will be punished.
– Who is in your group?
– Basically all members are our countrymen, Luhansk residents of the region. There are of course, also several volunteers from Russia, but these are in no way “mercenaries”, which is spoken in Kiev. These people, the Russians, are those who came to protect the Russian-speaking people of Donbass.
I had a case, last summer when two students came to us from the Russian Federation with a request to join. I turned them down, because they were not prepared for war, even the arms never held. They may be excellent scientists in the future will be, but war is not. The guys then moved away from me, talked about something and came back. They asked if there they could stay to do help of another kind.
I then consulted with the commanders, and we identified the students abilities. They in the month and a half when they were here counted the humanitarian aid, ammunition, helped in the kitchen, in general, was engaged in “our house”, but in any case, were not servants. When they left, I said quite sincerely, that they too took part in the fighting, because the rear is also the front.
– Have you had cases when soldiers went from the RRG?
I immediately talk about the war without embellishment, explain that combat romance is only in the movies. I always give people time to think before they join our ranks, because participation in hostilities is in itself a very important and responsible step in every person’s life, and he must decide if you are ready to go for this kind of sacrifice. I always tell people, it is better to say a firm “no” than a vague “yes” and then throw down your weapons and desert from the battlefield, and your friends will be left without cover. When these people after our conversation said “no”, we do not condemn, it’s their choice.
But to expel you must have had to?
– I have my own recruitment. Recommendations come to me from people that I know personally or from fighters that are in the group. We in the RRG are responsible for any offence and not only the person who committed it, but also the one who brought the offender in.
Additionally, with each arriving fighter I spend a preliminary conversation, which tell about our orders. I don’t need to keep records of infractions, because the first case might be the last. If there is somewhere one step away from the accepted rules, then the man is ruthlessly expelled. After all, in itself belonging to the RRG is already a kind of belonging to the elite division and to wear the badge with flying mouse – this is a great honor, but it must be achieved.
All my fighters are interested in how to get rid of man unworthy. I always tell people that their shameful actions of unscrupulous fighter will stain all of us, and we will have to be washed from this spot. So the “rats” were driven off, of course, immediately.
– Does your unit have women?
Certainly, there are. For example, my Deputy is a woman, there are staff workers, cooks, girls in the personnel Department work. But we have women and on positions. For example, “Astra”, which is currently undergoing training to become minamichita. There are women snipers, medics. We have not many, and, naturally, we treat them with some “anxious”, try to protect from all the horror. But some are simply spoiling for a fight, and definitely want to be at the forefront.
– How did you manage to achieve the perfect discipline?
– Mutual respect is the basis of my discipline. It is in our division and is manifested from an ordinary soldier to the commander and vice-versa. On fear and intimidation, idiotic orders, for example, “build a fence from here till Monday” -this is not the way. If the relationship and subordination is based on negative reinforcement, then nothing good will come of it: people will simply cease to protect you, they will leave the place, after all, why should they such commanders and such a war. All our discipline is supported on respect for human relationship, and so there must be.
The last question in the interview asked Cmmdr. Bednov that since his was not a regular army, if he ever had the desire to set up his own independent “warlord” type control mechanism or “withdraw from the jurisdiction of the center”.
– I am a supporter of the idea of a single country – Novorossia, I never even had divided us in the Donetsk and Lugansk.
For me LNR and DND one, and the boundary between them is just a formality. I was born and raised in the huge state of social justice in the Soviet Union, so I never even didn’t thought about some “own” the territory and its management. I never thought about that somewhere to grab them yourself “Hutorok” and to be there “commander in chief”. I am against autonomous principalities. We must be a united state, people, united by one story, one faith.
By the way, I do not think that the Brain had a kind of separate “Principality”, as some say. LNR exists in the former borders of Luhansk region of Ukraine, and all the territory that is now under the control of different departments, is a single state. All this land belongs to the people here and nobody else.
– But you aren’t without ambitions – even ran for the post of head LNR, and as it turned out that voters ultimately did not see your name on the ballot?
– For technical reasons it is not made. Most of all it upset my friends and acquaintances, and I’m not. For me it was sort of a “trial run”. I think that it was a success because the conversations on the Internet and around the city were positive. People reacted to my initiative, that the militia of the candidate. And for me it is kind of achieved results. I’m sure I’m still ahead, because this is not the last election.
You see, today it’s not in any specific personalities, not for the personal ambitions of any of the contenders. The event itself was important for our young Republic. This is one of the hallmarks of emerging statehood. In these elections the people have may choices, and this in itself is good.
From The “Summary”.
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