09.10.15. Interview After the Arrest of Andrei Purgin
An updated, reformatted version of the Andrei Purgin interview has been posted on our main website: CLICK HERE.
The following is a rough translation in preliminary format.
Vladimir Suchan’s page: vk.com/strelkov_info
Autotranslation (with minor editing by Quemado Institute)
September 10, 2015
Andrei Purgin
– Andrei Alexandrovich [Purgin], the conditions in which you held?
– AP: Normal conditions. All that the MSS (Ministry of State Security DNR. – Approx. VK Ed.) can provide. In this regard, I have no complaints.
– What was it? Detention or you, as he said, “Fontanka” so Denis Pushilin took custody, so you were not attacked Ukrainian saboteurs?
-AP: Detention of course. I could not leave the room, I had conducted searches in the evening to find out if there is a phone or not, I was not able to contact anyone. My phone and all other electronic devices were all taken, I was isolated.
– How do you explain this?
-AP: The working version to protect me from Ukrainian DRGs (sabotage and scouting groups. – Approx. VK Ed.).
– Do you agree?
-AP: Yes of course! And they released because phoned the Ukrainian DRG and found that they had left, you can go!
– I am glad that you are joking. How do you explain what happened to you? Why it took to remove you from power in such a way?
-AP: I dont know. I think maybe there are some very serious political ambitions … Denis (Pushilin. – VK Ed.), We collect posts. He’s the head of the executive committee of the public movement “Donetsk Republic”. He is the head of the Minsk Group. He heads the football. He decides on humanitarian missions and move the “humanitarian aid”. And so on. What is missing is coke and agriculture. Now he needed a post as the head of the parliament.
– For a simple job of collecting posts, is this not a tall price? After your dismissal everyone saw that the DPR leaders squabbled.
-AP: For me, the whole story was a surprise.
– What is the fate of Alexei Alexandrov – former chief of staff, with whom you were detained at the border?
-AP: I do not know where Alexei Alexandrov is. His son from me. But if you look intently, then Alexei Alexandrov is one of the most influential people in the Russian movement of Ukraine, deputy head of the party many years of “Russian bloc”, creator of the “Russian world” in Ukraine. This is someone who has a very high credibility. Ukrainian nationalists back in 2006 he smashed his head with a hammer. He was then barely saved.
– How is it now that your colleagues do not accept him in the Parliament?
-AP: I do not know. He has held technical positions. In public you will find him very little.
– Few, but expressive. I read his statement.
-AP: He gave his opinion on one of the scenarios, not more.
– Pushilin says that you “fell under the influence of Alexandrov.” You came under his influence?
-AP: We are adults, I have a lot of luggage, I’m even a little insulting. I have a very respectful attitude towards Alexey, very largely I agree with him, somewhat disagree, we have known each other a long time. “I came under his influence” – then I do not understand. I “came under his influence,” so I was removed from the post of head of the National Council?
– It is not I say, as your colleague Pushilin.
-AP: Do you know what the position of the Speaker of Parliament is, more technical, organizational? I mean, what I have in my head does not affect the work of the Parliament. The Agenda is formed by the Coordination Council, which includes Denis (Pushilin. – Approx. VK Ed.) And another three people.
– Moreover, why it was necessary to remove you?
-AP: For me, the logic is slender Explanation for the action Denis and those who helped him do , no.
– Pushilin says that you have been warned: it is necessary to dismiss Aleksandrov.
-AP: Some patsanskie statements. Someone warned me? We recorded all sessions. Even without the closed meetings recorded on video. Can he provide a record that I was warned?
– He probably warned you unofficially.
-AP: Oh, unofficially! You know, this is the inscription on the fence. Parliament may vote any order, such as the removal or appointment of the head unit, the change of the structure. And I can not do it without a parliament.
– Why, then, they had to detain you at the border, to keep under guard?
-AP: You ask questions to which I have no answer. For me it was a complete surprise.
– Maybe it was something to do with the next round of talks in Minsk? You would have to participate in them, they eventually passed on September 8 without you, and now you are released.
-AP: No I do not think so. That is, it is possible to make thaat link, but I strongly doubt it. There is a long process. Of course, it is very important who is in a working group, but the final documents of these people do not sign.
– They say that you are in the country more popular than Denis. You can use that to recover the post?
-AP: I, frankly, do not really want this. It is understood that I am not going to fight for it. It is more important to regain the confidence of the people to form a positive agenda than to build horizontal links, to somehow break through the social elevators. We have a war, we have a very serious situation. We from Kharkov, Odessa, Zaporozhye of people live. Only from Kharkov political refugees,and a half thousand. They have to work. We must understand the common ideological canvas …
– Sorry, I did not understand: the refugees from peace Kharkov and Odessa in Donetsk?
-AP: Yes! Many from Kharkiv fight with us in the army, worked in government. These people cannot return home. They are killing people, extrajudicial persecution imprisoned for distributing newspapers.
– What do you now plan to do?
-AP: I plan to be still engaged in social and political activities, ideological projects. As the founder and builder of many years “Donetsk Republic” as an online organization that virtually created and Donetsk People’s Republic and wore the flag that now bears Donetsk People’s Republic. “Donetsk Republic” ofitsionalizirovana in 2005, and established even earlier …
– Yes, after the “Orange Revolution.” Then you had help? Who, for example, funded it?
-AP: “Financed” our criminal volumes! This is not a party structure is a network structure of a horizontal nature, they are practically not funded. This network horizontal structures, endless conventions, endless consultations, it is hard-won public and experts concept, we have created a system discourse, which is actually the right time broke the situation, we were able to set up public opinion in such a way that when the events took place in 2014, the whole layer of political structures has been set up so that we were able to do what we could.
– Excuse me, that you could have done – it is known. And now you’re going to do that?
-AP: The State – this is not the border and law enforcement agencies, it is first of all people who feel a sense of ownership to the state, to the territory. We had a negative agenda, today the society is tired of it. People need to understand that for which we are fighting.
– And still fighting for what?
-AP: I have already told you: we need a positive agenda. Power is often in the framework sometimes even an alien system of discourse. It focuses on what the people want, what people think. A structure needs to invest, to show the people what they want.
– You did not yet invest and showed people what they want?
-AP: No, no and NO! We ended with a negative agenda, we urgently need to generate positive. Otherwise people just do not forgive us. Formation of a positive agenda – an ideology in the form in which it is.
– I think now in Donbass the agenda is very clear.
-AP: What, in addition to war?
– You have no money for pensions and salaries, the company does not work, the economy is not even destroyed – it just is not, you are completely dependent on the neighboring state …
-AP: You propose to use the preposition “or”, and I suggest – “and”. In addition to the recovery of the economy and everything else, we need to understand at all where we are going, we are going to build. Even restoring the economy, we are seeing a lot of questions. Regaining ownership of the oligarchs that we do with it? Will she state – or both? What do we do with the entrails? And so on.
– So you’re going to do the ideological part?
-AP: Of course. It is part of an ideological, but – with the transition into the actual.
– You called the head of the executive committee of Denis Pushilin. Did you not intercepted your “Donetsk Republic”?
-AP: Well, it is a social movement, I do not understand why it is investing in the party sense, it can not be a party structure.
– “Donetsk Republic” do you still or Denis Pushilin?
-AP: He has been a social movement “Donetsk Republic”. I’ll do the same movement. Also “Donetsk Republic”.
– Equally be called?
-AP: Movement “Donetsk Republic” rightfully belongs to me. I do not see any sense to give up the name of the structure, for which people died.
– You’re planning to create a different structure – the “People’s Front”?
-AP: “Popular Front” was perceived by me not as a political structure, but as a narrow-Corruption Bureau. I understand that in Russia now it becomes a kind of “people’s control.” It is very much in demand in our poverty, the distribution of humanitarian aid and other problems.
– You planned it as something connected with the Russian Popular Front?
-AP: The plan was to do it together with some representatives of the “Popular Front” from the neighboring regions of Russia. It would be foolish to create something different when a powerful movement is already on the territory of the Russian Federation. But because of what did not happen, this idea is shelved.
– At what point it became clear that the idea should be postponed indefinitely?
-AP: I would not like to comment on it.
– And for some reason, had to be postponed?
-AP: Well, it is currently too great a political hue. Too many layers to get political and speculation. And it is wrong.
– I ask because Khodakovsky connects your suspension with plans to create a “People’s Front”, which could become a competitor to “Donetsk Republic” Pushilin in the struggle for influence.
-AP: Maybe, maybe. I do not know much about these twists and turns, I’m an inexperienced person.
– Are not you afraid that without your personal involvement of the project “New Russia” will, as is sometimes said, “merge”?
-AP: I do not think that everything is so sad. A lot is decided among the people. If people lose faith in the fact that we are building, if people stop to understand what happens when people do not get a positive agenda, if they do not get the idea for which we fight, for which we stand for freedom and justice, if they do not get understanding that we are building, then all of this will lead to an internal civil war.
– You mean the – the civil war have now in the DPR?
-AP: Yes.
– If you go down talking about the reintegration of Donbass and Ukraine, how do you feel will concern?
-AP: I do not think it will happen. If Donbass returned to Ukraine, the country will have other boundaries and will be called differently, and Poroshenko and Turchynov will be in prison. For this to happen, Ukraine should take place, and drastic changes in people and within the state itself.
– What will happen if Russia stopped helping Donbass?
-AP: It would be a disaster. Because Donbass today is totally dependent on Russia. On its goodwill. In fact, Russia saved us from the cold of death, when Ukraine blocked the gas. The Russian Federation is in fact the savior of the people of Donbass.
– And yet … if Russia stops help ing, Donbass will be forced to turn to Ukraine?
-AP: In Ukraine, the changes occur very bad. Absolutely winter will be a lockout – emergency power outages. Ukraine is flying into the abyss, it is already in default.
– Your colleague Khodakovsky said diametrically opposite things: that we underestimate the vitality and buoyancy of Ukraine.
-AP: No, Khodakovsky meant that Ukraine can take a long time to decompose and rot!
– Actually, he spoke quite differently. And yet, if Russia stops helping, and self-Donbass, as I understand it, can not exist, that you think should be done?
-AP: Yes, we do not give Ukraine! No-thing! Market Engineering is located in the Russian Federation, energy resources located in the Russian Federation, cultural, mental, all the links – in the Russian Federation. We can not create the machinery – and sell them to the Ukraine, where they are not needed.
– I understand that your machinery is needed only in the Russian Federation. Nevertheless, if the Donbass left without support, he will survive?
-AP: Well, you’re too much of my need. I’m just a day at home. ”
Integrative*Mind 