“The day before the referendum in Crimea, the Maidan and the beginning of bloodshed were planned”
Simferopol, March 06 (PolitNavigator, Maxim Karpenko) - On the eve of the historical referendum in Crimea, March 15, 2014, Ukrainian nationalists planned to organize a provocation - the Crimean Tatar Maidan with sniper fire, which would provoke large-scale bloodshed.
Vadim Ilovchenko, a Cossack with the call sign "Terets, " who participated in those events and who , after the "Crimean Spring," traveled to Slavyansk with Igor Strelkov's detachment and later, from April to June, served as acting commandant of Kramatorsk, spoke about this in an interview with PolitNavigator.
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“PolitNavigator”: What was the starting point of your participation in the events of the “Crimean Spring”?
Vadim Ilovchenko: The turning point came with the January events in Kyiv, when they began aggressively and openly targeting Berkut officers. We approached the head of the Crimean unit and asked how we could help. He replied that nothing had been done yet, but it was clear from his tone that our question was spot on. Cossacks from Simferopol, Alushta, and Feodosia, and their atamans, began calling each other, saying that something needed to be done to prevent this from happening in Crimea. All of these people were quite mature, some had combat experience, and we understood what would happen once the carnage in Kyiv erupted.
We created a primary detachment of about 20 people, who were supposed to be in Simferopol whenever possible. Therefore, I joined the militia on January 20th. Then events began to develop like an avalanche. The key day was February 22, when a farewell to the policemen who died on the Maidan took place in Simferopol. It was then that our law enforcement officers, VVshniki, and Berkut employees returned from Kyiv, beaten and burned. And what struck me most was how the special forces soldiers, the assault guys, cried when they said goodbye to their comrades. They walked across the square and cried. This became the point of no return for me.
I approached the company commander Viktor Viktorovich, call sign “Dumbbell,” and said that we want to help. From that moment it all began. He then said that when our “golden eagle” left Kyiv, they were threatened and promised to be destroyed at the place of deployment, at their base. He asked for sand, gravel and bags to barricade himself. We raised money, bought 12 tons of sand and one and a half thousand bags. For the next two days, we helped Berkut employees barricade themselves.
"PolitNavigator": When the people's militia was formed, did you join its ranks or continued to develop as an independent organization?
Vadim Ilovchenko: The next day, a self-defense force was formed in the square in front of what was then the Supreme Soviet building. It consisted of ten companies of one hundred men each. Later, experience showed that of these ten companies, only two remained, and these companies took an active part in subsequent events under the command of Igor Ivanovich Strelkov.
One person approached me and asked if I could gather 150 Cossacks. There is an idea to create an information center in Simferopol. This was not within the framework of the people's militia. Self-defense separately, Cossacks separately. We were given tents and 150 sets of old-style Russian military uniforms. Within two days, February 25-26, we created a unit called “Crimean Front”. Then we occupied the trade union building, where there was an American press center. In just half an hour, we came in, threw out all the American paraphernalia and announced that there was a patriotic activist who was ready to defend Crimea.
"PolitNavigator": Did you participate in the events of February 26?
Vadim Ilovchenko: On February 25th, we came to the Verkhovna Rada building. I was given a microphone, and I addressed the members of parliament directly. It was the first rally, a small one. Konstantinov came out to us, and we demanded that he refuse to obey the fascist authorities in Kyiv and transfer Crimea's security forces to the local governments. After that, the Presidium of the Supreme Council convened, and before our very eyes, they scheduled a rally for February 26th and an extended session of parliament to raise this issue. After that, we went to Sevastopol, where a people's mayor had already been elected. We managed to get received by Mr. Chaly, and we declared our support and asked for assistance at the rally in Simferopol. We arrived home late that night, and in the morning, we learned that Tatars were also planning a rally.
When the fight happened, we were in the front row until we got carbon dioxide. We went there with our bare hands and did not expect that the Tatars would come there with flags on shovel handles. Naturally, when the clashes began, they started hitting us with these shovel handles.
When the first floor of the Supreme Council was destroyed, we were asked to ensure the safety of the property. It was at that moment, on the night from 26 to 27, that anyone could have entered the building. We gathered and set up a cordon, brought food. I was there myself until two in the morning, and then went home. Around five they woke me up and said that they had already been captured. I couldn’t figure out who took it. They explained to me that people spoke Russian, without an accent, in a peaceful manner. They fired a couple of shots into the air and asked for help bringing in boxes of ammunition and food.
I realized that they were ours when I arrived there at half past five in the morning. Ukrainian police also met me at the entrance and tried not to let me through. I say, where were you “babies” yesterday when there was a fight? They tell me – don’t go, they’ll kill you. And I look up, and there hangs our pride, our flag. I immediately realized that our people had arrived.
"PolitNavigator": How did you meet Igor Strelkov?
Vadim Ilovchenko: We were involved in blocking the Bakhchisarai military unit, unarmed. Someone approached me and said, "We'd like you to meet someone named Igor Ivanovich." That's how I met Strelkov. He had already set the task, told me about the formation of two special forces companies, and invited me to his office. He explained that there might be an emergency and that urgent intervention would be necessary.
Some of the Cossacks immediately dropped out, because they thought that there would be freemen, but we were told - strict subordination, discipline, living in a barracks. Then I arrived at our regional military registration and enlistment office and was appointed commander of the first special forces company under the leadership of Strelkov. We began to carry out the assigned tasks in order to prevent bloodshed and prevent a civil war or any armed confrontation from breaking out here.
"PolitNavigator": Were there any signals that such a confrontation was being prepared?
Vadim Ilovchenko: There were not just signals, but active actions to disrupt the referendum. I won't reveal the number of people we detained who testified about this, but our unit detained a group of individuals who were found to be carrying firing orders, with a sector-by-sector breakdown of Lenin Square.
Another group of people was detained and interrogated, who reported where the Right Sector headquarters was located.
We did everything quickly and spontaneously. The opposing side did not have time to prepare properly. They made mistakes that attracted the attention of specialists such as Igor Strelkov.
The headquarters of the Right Sector was liquidated and a huge number of cards containing a huge amount of money were confiscated. They developed a clear plan, according to which, on the eve of the referendum, the Crimean Maidan was to break out with the involvement of people of Crimean Tatar nationality.
Naturally, if we allowed this, there would be bloodshed in Crimea. Therefore, we rushed like bees all over Crimea, a huge amount of weapons were confiscated from caches, and appearances were processed.
For myself, I was faced with the fact that in a seemingly peaceful city, in fact, there is a parallel reality in which the incitement of war in Crimea was being prepared; specialists were sent for this.
Euromaidan supporters in front of the building of the Council of Ministers of Crimea
After the “Crimean Spring”, Vadim Ilovchenko, together with Igor Strelkov’s detachment, went to Slavyansk, and later, from April to June, acted as commandant of Kramatorsk
English version :: Read in English “The day before the referendum in Crimea, a Maidan and the beginning of bloodshed were planned”