{"id":224489,"date":"2022-11-28T12:00:42","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T12:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=224489"},"modified":"2022-11-25T05:55:31","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T05:55:31","slug":"maligned-in-western-media-donbass-forces-are-defending-their-future-from-ukrainian-shelling-and-fascism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2022\/11\/maligned-in-western-media-donbass-forces-are-defending-their-future-from-ukrainian-shelling-and-fascism\/","title":{"rendered":"Maligned in Western Media, Donbass Forces Are Defending Their Future from Ukrainian Shelling and Fascism"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. is widely understood to be a key instigator behind conflict in Ukraine that has pitted brother against brother.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The author with Pyatnashka commanders at outpost near Avdeevka, Donetsk People\u2019s Republic. [Source: Photo courtesy of Eva Bartlett]<\/p><\/div>\n

19 Nov 2022 – <\/em>Smeared, stigmatized, and lied about in Western media propaganda, the mostly Russian-speaking people of the Donbass region were being slaughtered by the thousands in a brutal war of \u201cethnic cleansing\u201d launched against them by the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv, which the U.S. installed after the CIA overthrew Ukraine\u2019s legally elected president in a 2014 coup.<\/p>\n

Although the Donbass people had been pleading for Russian military aid to defend them against the increasingly murderous military assaults by the Ukraine government forces, which killed more than 14,000 of their people, Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to intervene. Instead, he tried to broker a peace agreement between the warring parties.<\/p>\n

But the U.S. and Britain secretly colluded to sabotage peace negotiations, persuading president Zelenksy to ignore the Minsk III peace agreement that the Ukraine government had previously signed, and which had been countersigned by Russia, France and Germany.<\/p>\n

Realizing that the U.S. and its NATO allies would never permit peace negotiations to succeed, Putin finally sent troops into Ukraine on February 24. Russian troops went in to support and reinforce the outnumbered and outgunned Donbass Special Forces who had been defending their land against attacks by the Kyiv government for nearly eight years.<\/p>\n

Voices from the Frontlines of Former Eastern Ukraine<\/strong> Republics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the Donetsk People\u2019s Republic (DPR) in October, I went to a frontline outpost 70 meters from Ukrainian forces in Avdeevka (north and west of Donetsk), according to the Donbas commanders I spoke with there.<\/p>\n

To reach that position, I went with two other journalists to a meeting point with two commanders of Pyatnashka\u2014volunteer fighters, including<\/a> Abkhazi, Slovak, Russian, Ossetian and other nationalities, including locals from Donbas.<\/p>\n

From there, they drove us to a point as far as they could drive before walking the rest of the way, several minutes through brush and trenches, eventually coming to their sandbagged wood and cement fortified outpost.<\/p>\n

It has changed hands over the years, Ukrainian forces sometimes occupying it, Donbas forces now controlling it.<\/p>\n

One soldier, a unit commander who goes by the call sign \u201cVydra\u201d (Otter), was formerly a miner from the DPR who had been living in Russia with his family. In 2014, he returned to the Donbas to defend his mother and relatives still there. He spoke of the outpost.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe dug and built this with our hands. Several times over the years, the Ukrainians have taken these positions. We pushed them back, they stormed us\u2026Well, we have been fighting each other for eight years.\u201d<\/p>\n

There, artillery fire is the biggest danger they face. \u201cYou can hide from a sniper, but not from artillery, and they\u2019re using large caliber.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\u201cVydra,\u201d a unit commander of the Pyatnashka fighters. [Source: Photo courtesy of Eva Bartlett]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His living quarters is a dank, cramped, room with a tiny improvised bed, with another small room and bed for others at the outpost.<\/p>\n

A sign reads: \u201cIf shelling occurs, go to the shelter.<\/em>\u201d The kind of sign you see all over Donetsk and cities of the Donbas, due to Ukraine\u2019s incessant shelling of civilian, residential areas. In a frontline outpost where incoming artillery is the norm, the sign is slightly absurd, clearly a joke.<\/p>\n

An Orthodox icon sits atop the sign. Ukrainian nationalists hang and spray Nazi graffiti and slogans of death; these fighters revere their faith.<\/p>\n

A poster, with the DPR flag, reads: \u201cWe have never known defeat, and it\u2019s clear that this has been decided from above. Donbas has never been forced to its knees, and no one will ever be allowed to.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The only things decorating the space are tins of tuna and canned meat, instant noodles, and washing powder. Their existence is bare minimum, nothing glamorous about it; they volunteer because, as they told me, this is their land and they will protect it.<\/p>\n

Perhaps surprising to some, when Vydra was asked whether he hates Ukrainians, he replied emphatically no, he has friends and relatives in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have no hatred for Ukraine. We hate those nationalists who came to power. But ordinary Ukrainians? Why? Many of us speak Ukrainian. We understand them, they understand us. Many of them speak Russian.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been involved in sports a lot of time, wrestling. So, I\u2019ve got a lot of friends in Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Kirovograd, Odessa, Lvov, Ivano-Frankivsk, Transcarpathia.<\/p>\n

I have relatives in western Ukraine, and we still communicate. Yes, they say one thing on the street, but when we talk to each other, they say, \u2018Well, you have to, because the SBU is listening.\u2019<\/p>\n

Ukraine shouts about democracy, then puts people in handcuffs for no reason. My aunt got in trouble because they found my photo on her Skype.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m on the Myrotvorets [kill list] website.\u201d [As is the author, see this article<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

He spoke of Ukraine\u2019s shelling from 2014, when the people of the Donbass were unarmed and not expecting to be bombed by their own country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the artillery hit the city of Yenakievo, east of Gorlovka, we were defenseless. We went with hunting rifles and torches to fight them. Most of the weapons we had later were captured from them. We had to go to the battlefield without weapons in order to get the weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if he was concerned that Ukrainian forces might take Donetsk he replied no, of course not, they didn\u2019t succeed in 2014, they won\u2019t now.<\/p>\n

When asked whether he had a message for soldiers of the Ukrainian army, Vydra replied without hesitating, \u201cGo home! We\u2019ve been saying that since 2014: Go home. Unequivocally, we don\u2019t want them here, but we don\u2019t want to kill them. I\u2019m not speaking about nationalists, I\u2019m speaking about Ukrainian soldiers, who are drafted or forcefully employed in the Ukrainian army. Guys, go home, either surrender or go. This is our land. We\u2019re not leaving, we\u2019re not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

I asked how he felt to be treated and described as sub-human, to be called dehumanizing names, a part of the Ukrainian nationalists\u2019 brainwashing propaganda. As I wrote previously<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cUkrainian nationalists openly declare they view Russians as sub-human. School books <\/em>teach this<\/em><\/a> warped ideology. <\/em>Videos show<\/em><\/a> the extent of this mentality: Teaching children not only to also hate Russians and see them as not humans, but also brainwashing them to believe killing Donbas residents is acceptable. The <\/em>Ukrainian government itself funds<\/em><\/a> neo-Nazi-run indoctrination camps for youths.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s offensive,\u201d Vydra said, \u201cWe are saddened: There are sick people. We need to heal them, slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n

I asked whether he thought friendship between Ukrainians and Russians would be possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will take years for any friendship. Take Chechnya, one region of Russia, it was at war. But slowly, slowly\u2026We must all live together. We are one people.\u201d Indeed, now Chechen fighters are one of the most effective forces fighting alongside Donbas and Russian soldiers to liberate Donbas areas from Ukrainian forces.<\/p>\n

He opened a zippered trousers pocket and proudly brandished a small plastic sleeve containing children\u2019s drawings, also containing icons of saints and Christ, and prayers\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is very personal, it\u2019s like my guardian angel. I put it in plastic, I don\u2019t even keep my ID in plastic. I\u2019ve been carrying this one in my pocket since February. I\u2019ve been in all sorts of hot spots. A child drew this, we receive letters from children. It\u2019s very nice to look at them when it\u2019s hard and we are under fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

He read one letter:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are waiting for you. Thank you for risking your lives to defend Donbas. Yulia and Ira.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even know who are Yulia and Ira,\u201d he said smiling.<\/p>\n

Showing the icons, he said, \u201cThis is Saint Ushakov, our great commander. This is Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Protector. This Abkhazi icon was given to me by the guys. This is a prayer book. And here is a prayer,\u201d he said of one page prayer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese words are to support when times are very hard. When there is heavy shelling, it can go on for hours. So, while you\u2019re sitting there, you can read this.<\/p>\n

Especially for the younger guys, 22, 23 years old, just finished college. This is new to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commanders Speak of Geopolitical Reasons for Ukraine\u2019s War<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Outside, sitting in front of an Orthodox banner and a collection of collected munitions\u2014including Western ones\u2014two platoon commanders, \u201cKabar\u201d and \u201cKamaz,\u201d spoke of the bigger geopolitical picture. [See video<\/a>]<\/p>\n

\u201cU.S. is running the show here,\u201d Kabar said. \u201cIt builds foreign policy on the basis of how its domestic policy is built, which is through conflicts with external countries. They are accustomed to proving their power to their people through terrorism around the world, inciting fires in Syria, in the east. They played the card of radical Islam there.<\/p>\n

And now they are playing the card of fascism. They do not see themselves on the other side of good. They need wars, blood, cruelty, and they signed Europe up for this.<\/p>\n

However, they\u2019ve missed one point: Russia, since the days of the Soviet Union, has never retreated in large scale wars. They took Europe and pushed it to slaughter Russia, and they put Russia in such a position that it must secure its national interests. Europe needs to understand this, to pay attention to history, to stop being led by the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\u201cKabar,\u201d a commander of the Pyatnashka fighters. [Source: Photo courtesy of Eva Bartlett]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When asked about his feeling regarding Ukrainians, \u201cKabar\u201d replied similarly to Vydra.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t blame the whole Ukrainian people. Ukrainians are our friends, they are our relatives. They\u2019ve been struck by evil, and it\u2019s not their fault, ordinary people are not to blame for this. We will liberate them from fascism, we\u2019ll show them brotherhood, and we\u2019ll make friends.<\/p>\n

This is a good opportunity for us to defeat evil. God has honored us with this right to fight evil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kamaz, when asked why he is fighting, replied that this is his homeland, he was born here, and that he has a son who he doesn\u2019t want to inherit Ukraine\u2019s war on the Donbas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI myself am Greek by nationality. Ukrainians are Slavs, they are our brothers, their grandfathers fought together shoulder to shoulder with our grandfathers against Nazism and fascism. We are here to finish it, so that our children live a normal happy life. We are fighting for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

He spoke of US continuous need for war.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen it in Syria and Yugoslavia, where they destroyed everything and then set everything up their own way, so the people must submit, almost like slaves.\u201d<\/p>\n

I asked whether he thought peace between Ukraine and Russia is possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, possibly, why not? But at the moment, the President of Ukraine said there will be no negotiations.<\/p>\n

Negotiations are possible, but I think not with this president. When he comes to his senses, he will not be able to negotiate, because he took a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before leaving the outpost, we chatted a bit with the commanders. A puppy sought the attention of a young soldier. Another puppy ran around our feet. The outpost commanders and soldiers take care of the dogs. Their presence added a somewhat surreal touch to the scene: an outpost which is routinely shelled, where life can cease to exist at any moment, and these happy, well-cared for puppies running around like dogs anywhere.<\/p>\n

Western Media Inverted Reality, Lauding Nazis and Demonizing Defenders<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While many in the West think that this conflict started in February 2022, those following events since 2014<\/a> are aware that, following the Maidan coup and Odessa massacre, and the rise of fascism in Ukraine against the Ukrainian people, the Donbas republics wanted to distance themselves from Ukraine\u2019s Nazis and fascism.<\/p>\n

The sacrifices which the people of the Donbas republics have endured, particularly those fighting to protect their families and loved ones, have been and continue to be immense.<\/p>\n

Just as the heroes of the Syrian Arab Army<\/a> were maligned, so too have Donbas forces have been maligned by Western media, though both are defending their homelands from terrorist forces trained and funded by the West. Terrorists given the freedom to commit endless atrocities against Donbas civilians.<\/p>\n

These defenders, many living in dank trench conditions didn\u2019t choose war, they responded to it, to protect their loved ones and their future. In spite of more than eight years of being warred upon by Ukraine, they retain their humanity.<\/p>\n

______________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Eva Bartlett is a Canadian independent journalist and activist. She has spent years on the ground covering conflict zones in the Middle East, especially in Syria and Palestine (where she lived for nearly four years). <\/em>Her writings can be found on her blog, In Gaza<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Go to Original – covertactionmagazine.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

19 Nov 2022 – Western Media Inverted Reality, Lauding Nazis and Demonizing Defenders: The U.S. is widely understood to be a key instigator behind conflict in Ukraine that has pitted brother against brother.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":224490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[207],"tags":[2314,1035,1268,1138,1748,1126,1050,1855,2462,91,1301,2571,112,818,278,961,2200,95,70,1594,1365,481,172],"class_list":["post-224489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-balkans-eastern-europe","tag-corporate-media","tag-eastern-europe","tag-european-union","tag-fake-news","tag-fake-report","tag-hegemony","tag-imperialism","tag-mainstream-media-msm","tag-military-industrial-media-complex","tag-nato","tag-nuclear-war","tag-official-lies-and-narratives","tag-pentagon","tag-proxy-war","tag-russia","tag-ukraine","tag-us-empire","tag-us-military","tag-usa","tag-war-economy","tag-war-journalism","tag-warfare","tag-west"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}