Donetsk is ready to beat off the attacks of the Ukrainian chasteners and to win

Along with military progress of a militia there is an active socio-political structuring of DNR and LNR, creation of full-fledged authorities of Novorossiya that considerably increases the defense capability of the national republics —the director of the Center of the Political Analysis and Technologies (Donetsk) Sergey Anatolyevich Baryshnikov answers the questions of «The world and we».
— How is a military situation in Donetsk? Is it right that the armies of chasteners managed to break on suburbs of Donetsk, to unblock the airport?
Our opponents have certain progress. But I think that this progress not critical for DNR and its army. Around the airport they managed to approach from the northwest and the West and to unblock the group. And now, of course, there is a threat of that they use this segment as the base for further advance forward. As some small settlements in northwest suburbs are occupied. There is an attack from there, the cannonade is constantly audible.
Donetsk is the huge city on the territory. It represents tens of grown together in one conglomerate mine and other settlements therefore on the nominal territory it is more on the area even than Moscow. Therefore it is a question only of any directions. In the northwest they planned tactical success. As it occurred in the southwest, in the territory of the Petrovsky area. It is the most remote area — from a central square of Lenin there it is necessary to go more than an hour by car.
Donetsk is more shifted to the west and the southwest, than in east direction. And the active actions are shown there with variable success. But as a whole such isn’t present that military presence of chasteners was felt still somewhere in the city that it designated itself by the attacks. It only separate introductions. Thus our posts rather rigidly protect the entrances to city line.
— How the civilians of Donetsk belong to the events? Are the mass flows of refugees observed or inhabitants of Donetsk more seek to protect the city?
The city is ready to protection in the main directions. Mobilization actions were carried out to the current events. According to that information which arrives now, it is structured not only the military, but also the DNR power block, the real system of a law and order is built, the Ministry of Internal Affairs gains the real lines. Since July 17 our system of law enforcement agencies, as well as in Russia, is called as police. The Ministry of state security is created — it is very important point which indicates the gravity of intentions of the government on internal structure of the national republic.
Recently the population in Donetsk even increased in quantity. In comparison with a situation of ten-day prescription people became more in the city. Thus, there was a strange inflow of inhabitants, at first sight.
Therefore I wouldn’t began to speak about any panic and dramatic nature which defines a daily and household cut of our situation. Certainly, there is an intensity, disturbing expectations, and for the majority of residents the operations are the certain «surrealistic» picture. People heard about it only from books and memoirs of participants of war, and now they should try this situation on themselves.
But in the separate directions such big city for the present isn’t ready fully to massive military activity of our opponent because there is no system of air-raid shelters, civil defense. For correction of this situation ten-day term is taken away to order the Civil Defence system. Thus, unlike Lugansk, the atmosphere at us is quieter, more measured rhythm of life. Donetsk still lives own, some more disturbing, but normal, general life for the megalopolis.
— How did the political and military situation in DNR change after arrival of Igor Strelkov and his groups to Donetsk?
Those divisions which orderly left Slavyansk also orderly came to Donetsk. There was on July 5 — in three weeks Strelkov’s all military group already completely fitted into a military and administrative context of Donetsk, joined ranks of real and potential defenders of DNR and concentrated all our defensive efforts on the Donetsk direction.
We are the war, defending republic. Therefore our friends and allies, people who sympathize with our fight, have to understand that we conduct defensive fight, we answer the actions of the opponent and try to prevent the extremely negative final scenario. We hope, we will manage it with that support for which we hope from our friends.
Therefore our general spirit is positive. Together with military actions in DNR the political reforms are carried out also. We don’t put a cross on peace development — we speak about the social sphere, about economy — recently there was the appointment of the Deputy Prime Minister for social problems. There is a structuring social policy, policy in the sphere of health care, education — already miscalculates what means are necessary for preparation to new academic year. Therefore we live disturbing, but rather rich life.
— How will you comment on changes in the political management of DNR — Denis Pushilin’s resignation, leaving of Alexander Khodakovsky from a position of the Minister of State Security?
There is a promotion of those leaders who are necessary in this situation. Khodakovsky remains the head of one of military divisions. Obviously, it was difficult to him to combine the activity with military work in the state security ministry. Therefore he passed to purely military field.
The ministers are the new people from Transnistria with experience of conducting combat operations, with experience of operational work through special services. They are rather young, full of energy and desire and their arrival for us is the positive moment, an indicator of that we don’t leave to the mercy of fate.
The former speaker of the Supreme Council of DNR Denis Pushilin was a nominal and declarative figure in many respects. The real speaker, the head of parliament is necessary to us. It is absolutely inadmissible that in the conditions of a wartime we, in fact, had no speaker for nearly two months — he that in Moscow, in Samara, in Rostov. Person specially taken away for this purpose has to be engaged in such trips, instead of the first person— in DNR formally the first political leader is the speaker of parliament as we have a parliamentary republic.
Our government needed constructive, harmonious actions of parliament which will work without difficulties and personal sword-plays, inevitable in process of formation of any political project. Now we minimized this negative, and our internal political process gains more and more steady character. It is that together with a military situation will promote our general success.
— How do the military and political management of DNR see the further prospects of development of a situation — exclusively defensive strategy with preservation of existing boundaries or possibility of transition to approach against armies of chasteners?
Military have plans and they won’t give their detail to wide publicity, certainly. We will look on a course of events, how these plans are real. Certainly, we hope that shortly on these or those directions and DNR and our colleague LNR making today Novorossiya, can turn into counterattack, especially if the situation is favorable from the point of view of replenishment of our ranks by volunteers.
The soldiers internationalists come to us in that sense in which it sounded last century in a context of the Spanish events, in Latin America and other regions of a planet. Some honeycombs of volunteers from Serbia with experience of operations come there. We have the Israeli volunteers who form own military division. And the main thing, of course, is our brothers, volunteers from Russia. Together we will be able to master this primary stage of an impact on us, actually, all western community and we will break a situation in own favor. It means that we have every chance and prospects, having stood, then to win a military and political victory.