by Taras Klochko
Today’s resignation of Valeriy Bolotov as so-called prime minister of the terrorist organization the Luhansk People’s Republic is evidence that the escape of terrorists leaders from the Donbas has become systemic.
Today Bolotov personally stated on video that he was “resigning,” explaining that his decision was prompted by poor health due to injury. “The consequences of the injury do not allow me to devote all my energies to the responsibilities of this office,” he declared. However, the terrorist leader did not look injured or ill. On the contrary, he appeared rather well nourished, leading one to conclude that there is little reason to believe in the ill health of this warrior against the “Kyiv junta.”
It should be noted that Bolotov’s resignation is by no means the first such departure from duty on the part of a terrorist leader. Earlier, other self-proclaimed “chiefs” also announced their resignations from their farcical posts in the terrorist republics — Denis Pushilin and Alexander Borodai. Both immediately left for Moscow, and despite their promises to return to the Donbas “without fail,” there has been no evidence to this day of their presence in the ATO zone.
Additionally, the hero of propaganda clips on Russian TV, the Rostov terrorist and bigamist Arsen Pavlov — better known as “Motorola” — also took early “evacuation” from the Donbas to Crimea for reasons of war injury and a honeymoon. Subsequently, it was reported that he had returned to the front, but there has been no convincing evidence of his return, and no one has seen or heard from this soldier-terrorist.
The leader of the Horlivka terrorists Igor Bezler (Bes) has also disappeared from the horizon. The last time his name was mentioned was in the context of his stay in Moscow, still in late July. Since that time there has been no reliable report of his presence in the Donbas.
Yesterday the Russian information agency ITAR-TASS reported on the serious wounding of Igor Girkin, known as “Strelkov,” the most popular “legendary Hero of Novorossiya” among his ragtag audience. This information was the final signal that the end of the terrorist groups was approaching. Of course, other members of the quasi-republics immediately began to deny this information, but the only thing that could have proven that Girkin was still in command of the terrorists — a video message from the man himself — never appeared. Therefore, the most likely explanation is that Girkin, if he really has not been wounded, is already far from Donetsk.
Bolotov’s announcement, made the day after the report on Strelkov’s injuries, does not appear accidental. It is much more likely that Bolotov was ordered by his superiors to collect his belongings and flee from Luhansk, which the ATO forces are encircling more tightly with each passing day. It is highly likely that the order came from Bolotov’s former boss, the leader of the Party of Regions faction Oleksandr Yefremov, whose position is no less precarious than that of his terrorist friends, despite his stay in peaceful Kyiv.
The Luhansk Mayor Serhiy Kravchenko, arrested the day before, has already testified against Yefremov. Everyone can view the video recording of his interrogation on the web. The Party of Regions leader would hardly want for Bolotov to end up with Ukrainian security forces as well. In competent hands, he could tell much more that the refugee mayor. So the former master of the Luhansk Oblast decided to move his local terrorist “premier” some distance from Ukrainian security forces.
The systematic escapes of the self-proclaimed chiefs of the Donbas is another proof that even they do not believe in the future prospects of their own terrorist republics and that they are fleeing the sinking ship like rats. These actions on the part of their own leaders should inspire the rank and file terrorists to lay down their arms in the hope of saving their lives or reducing their sentences. Because even Bolotov and Girkin cannot be sure that Russia will want to shelter armed adventurers instead of quietly burying them somewhere in the vast expanses of the country. And when it comes to the ordinary fighters, Russia has absolutely no interest in granting them asylum.
August 14, 2014
Translated by Anna Mostovych
