The DPR «ganged» Akhmetov. Review of separatist media

Despite the current and former impact of Rinat Akhmetov in Donbass, the separatist media surprisingly did not seem to notice him during all the year and a half of war. Recently, however, the separatist information space recalled Akhmetov. For example, a small item by the pro-Russian political analyst Vladimir Kornilov that «Akhmetov has played too much» was reprinted by many public social networks and some media agancies. Kornilov said that Akhmetov is actually having an open war with «DPR», which threatened his influence in Donetsk.

«He is fighting for his business; I want to notice that he is doing that for the first time. In the nineties when he was having war with Dniepropetrovsk clan ruling in Kiev, he managed to do that. He hopes he can do it now. At the same time, unlike Kolomoyskyi and other oligarchs he preferred to avoid direct conflicts with the authorities, he was ready to give a part of his business to keep the rest. He is behaving like that even now. You can’t imagine life of Mariupol without Akhmetov’s enterprises. AS well as in a number of towns controlled by DPR. It would be difficult to live for Mariupol and Other Donetsk towns without Akhmetov’s money. It’s not a secret that he provides food to pensioners in a number of Donbass towns despite all the blockages. It would be hard for many to live for money without his help. НBut sometimes he plays too much. Last year he didn’t realize his power and seethe political situation by deciding to proclaim an open war to the authorities of the DPR. He almost was out of the law in the region. Since then he has been trying to be more careful in relations with them», - writes Kornilov.

The article by Svetlana Chayka «The oligarch on two chairs» which was published on Sunday at Antifascist website is also full of accusations.

«Donetsk dwellers remember how Rinat couldn’t help saying how much he loves Donbass and Donetsk. Then he put his hand on the heart and said very touching phrases. And that was true as you couldn’t resist loving region which you privatized, the area which even now reminds of Akhmetov with hid Donbass Arena stadium, Donbass Palace hotel, restaurants and offices. Even during the war his luxurious mansion in the botanical garden is kept.  

On the bank of the city pond there is a new but empty so-called «Gryegoryevkaya international school» for kids of very rich parents. A year of studies at this school costs at least 12 thousand dollar. Here are all his enterprises. Dobass is for the richest person in Ukraine just a source of income, money and power. Before the war he was considered to have 12,5 billiard of dollar».

He gets his income from more than 90 enterprises which are directly or not directly controlled by the biggest in Ukraine company System Capital Management (SCM). Among them there is Azovstal metallurgical complex, Mariupol Ilich metallurgical complex, Khartsyzkyi pipe plant, the First Ukrainian international bank (PUMB), ASKA insurance company, publishing holding, TRK Ukraina, Life mobile provider, Shakhter football team, Paralel petroleum station network. The number employees, rotating on the orbit of SCM, reached 160 thousand people during blooming time of the business.

The oligarch feeds old poor people on the one hand, and gives much money to Poroshenko and Yatsenyuk to kill them, on the other hand. And these figures are also indicative. This year, from the territory of the DPR there is more revenue to the state budget than from the territory of the Donetsk region, which is under the jurisdiction of Ukraine. In numerical terms, it is about 4 billion hryvnia or 62 percent of total contributions to the territory of the former Donetsk region.  It’s needless to say that the main streams of money were from Akhmetov’s businesses. And by the new year, this figure will probably be doubled.

Recently the chief revenue and fees of the DPR Alexander Timofeev said in his interview that the republic survives mainly due to revenue from small and medium businesses. It is clear that this business is not as developed as in the blessed time of peace and without Russia's assistance the Republic would not have survived. But a year ago, the leaders of the DPR was told to re-register their big business enterprise on the territory of the DPR. With regard Akhmetov, as we see, this did not happen «- summarizes Svetlana Chayka.

Rostislav Ishchenko, who is the president of the Center of Systems Analysis and Forecasting, also wrote about attempts to sit on two chairs. His post also became very popular with the separatists.

«Akhmetov’s position always kept position of the political marker. He hesitated between Kiev and Donbass, trying to argue with nobody. On the other hand, Akhmetov, whose assets are located in Donbass, lives at the expense of Kiev…of course, facing the challenge whom to support, not familiar Donbass dwellers or familiar Kiev oligarchs – he made his decision in favour of Kiev», - says Ishchenko.

Besides, Ishchenko writes that Akhmetov tries to retain Mariupol,elidovo, Avdeyevka in Ukraine as he has got personal interests there.

 

«The life is harder but funnier»

«People’s republics» of Donbass continue talking that life in improving very quickly. The last informational rend is that «we are not restoring but we are building». The head of the self-proclaimed DPR Alexander Zakharchenko stated at his press conference that houses were built in Donetsk in a vey fast mode.

«In the near future we’ll start giving keys of 111 houses which we built for people in the framework of the project which started 3 months ago. The houses in which handicapped people will live, will be provided with furniture. The people will get accommodation with all electric appliances and other conveniences», - said he.

Then there will be even more: Zakharchenko announced the building of a new street in Donetsk. «We’ll build this street in Donetsk and will enable people, who previously lived in Peski and Petrovka, to live there, - stated he.

We’ll note that before the authorities of the DPR stated that they were going to start building of the Donetsk metro.

Zakharchnko surprised everybody by the new approach to food inspection on the market. He showed new Donetsk reality when he performed control weighing in Donetsk with the help of TT pistol.

The video with know-how was uploaded to YouTube. It is visible how Zakharchenko checked scale by putting his pistol on it.

«It’s not correct. The pistol cannot weigh more than it, can it?», - asked he the seller.

The terrorist explained that he put TT pistol of 1943 on the scale. Then, standing next to a man armed with a pistol handed him another, weighing of which also allegedly revealed inaccuracies in the testimony of scale.

Meanwhile, Russian goods accounted for nearly 80% range in the shops «DPR». This was reported by DAN information agency citing the press service of the so-called «Ministry of Economic Development of the DPR».

«On the shelves of stores up to 80 percent of the goods are produced in Russia, 7 percent in other countries. Local products account for up to 13 percent», - said the»office».

Even in the summer, according to this «ministry», the share of Ukrainian production of goods accounted for 30 percent, the rest of the range of products was collectively occupied by «republic» and the third countries.

DAN also states that the Russian goods make up the vast majority of the range in the DPR according to the OSCE mission.

The Novorossia news website  supplemented this news with explaining why the «authorities» of the self-proclaimed «DPR» shifted to Russia

«The Ministry of Transport has repeatedly stated that you had to pay for transportation of goods through the Ukrainian military checkpoints of the AFU depending on the amount and type of imported products. On average, the cost of travel of the truck ranged from 10 to 50 thousand hryvnia. In order to overcome the consequences of the blockade, the authorities have decided to refocus  the logistics of the DPRI to the Russian Federation», - writes Novorossia.

Russian visitors don’t stop talking about improvements in the «republic» who often come there. Thus, a writer and broadcaster Zakhar Prilepin visited Donetsk last week and often shared his impressions on Facebook

«In the Donetsk café, despite low salaries in the DPR, there are many completely quiet, very beautiful girls who don’t expect meeting someone. Sometimes it seems that you are somewhere in Europe. The girls are drinking coffee, reading books or tablets and don’t look at the entering men. Prague or Berlin. But girls are more beautiful…». 

«I visited Donetsk television, I was told that before the war (in Donbass everyone says «before the war») there worked 250 people. And now only 50. I do not want to offend colleagues but sometimes I have a feeling that if something bad happens in Russia, it will happen also on some channels. Several «frostbitten» and «militants» will have to deal with accounting department and the personnel department. And some of the most ebullient and rating patriots will disappear like smoke. (Some but not all, of course)»

«...Now I saw a big number of Donetsk students: cheerful and well-dressed guys. They want cancellation of the curfew and open night clubs most of all. They also want to study, they want vertical mobility, support their young country and I haven’t seen any mood changes at all.

But there is a slight dissonance between people in the city and on the front. On the other hand, there are more than thousand militants study in Donetsk... I have never seen such a country».

 »Donetsk is one of the most beautiful city in the works. And my favourite. It is full of power. I invite everybody to see that».

New time, new heroes

Pupils are now told at the lesson about new «heroes». There is a video on the internet in which children are shown the new booklet of «Golden starts of heroes».

In the video the teacher tells children about brave head of the «DPR» militants Alexander Zakharchenko, Mikhail Tosltykh who is more famous as Givi and Arseniy Pavlov known as Motrola.

Arseniy Pavlov known as Mottorola has recently given interview to Andrey Filatov for Nation-news.ru. The militant thinks over joining Russian in it.

«- Will you join Russia, in your opinion? Or the process will be stopped and there will be «Crimean scenario»?

- I think now we shouldn’t’ think of joining Russia but of Ukraine’s joining  DPR and LPR to free people from fascist authorities  and terroristic groups. This is more topical than joining Russia. We can join Russia now, to get that by different means. But what will happen to people?

I spoke with people from Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, communicated with different people, there is a percentage of people who support the authorities of the Maidan, very miserable. To join Russia is too early but when Ukraine wants to join us, then it will be easier to think about joining. You can also stay in the republics it’s not needed to focus only on joining», - said Motorola.

In addition, Motorola has responded to the unflattering statements of Igor Strelkov that the army of so-called «militia» is made up of homeless people.

«- Recently Igor Strelkov in a video called militias  «homeless». «What is your attitude to Strelkov now?

- I treat Strelkov as other people do, as a person treats homo sapiens. If we talk about my personal attitude, then he used to be my commander. I can say nothing good or bad.

Regarding his sayings, they are fundamentally wrong. There are internal problems but not to such an extent as he describes.

If you look at my unit - which was clearly demonstrated during the tank biathlon - everything was done correctly. It wasn’t Russian tank biathlon that arrived, was it? And our people didnot really look like  «homeless». There's no one drunk.

Of course there is a certain percentage of alcoholics and drug addicts and it is unacceptable, especially in combat missions. This is unacceptable for the army soldiers of DPR. Nevertheless, this percentage exists, and we fight with it by specially trained people. It is MSS structure, there is the military police, there are prosecutors who gradually reveal and punish»- summed up the militant.

Ruslan Birukov, «OstroV»