Published in New Eastern Outlook. »
If you are under 21, do not read this. If you are over 21, you have a moral obligation to read this, and view the photos, to look into the depths of human depravity, into the face of pure evil, to ponder it, to understand it, because if you do not understand it, you cannot fight it, and if you do not fight it, you cannot defeat it. And if we do not defeat it, it will defeat us…
When I was on my way to Donetsk, I stopped in Rostov for a few days. I became friends with Mikael, the owner of the hostel I stayed at. He was a big, tough guy, a real Russian badass, tall, bald and muscular. He was also a veteran of the Russian Army, and a combat veteran of both Chechen wars. When I told him I was going to Donbass to fight fascists, he said “War is bad”, and he meant it. I replied “Fascism is worse than war”. The story I am writing today explains what I meant by that…
Fascism is the philosophy of masters and slaves. Ukrainian fascists want to enslave the Russian people of Donbass, and to exterminate the ones who refuse to be slaves. If the nazis were to take over Donbass, the men and boys here would be worked to death in the coal mines, and for the women and girls, the fate would be even worse.
I was recently speaking with a friend, a soldier in the NAF who fought at Debalsevo. He told me that during the battle, he came across a wounded Pravy Sektor nazi with swastika tattoos and a shirt that had “Мастер”, “Master” emblazoned across the front. The “Master” was begging for mercy. My friend finished him off, and I would have done the same. Do you think that is bad? Well, if you have been in battle against nazis, you are entitled to an opinion about it. If you haven’t, then you’re not. Either way, read the rest of this article before you decide.
When I first got to Donbass, I heard the rumors about girls being plucked off the streets of cities under fascist control and never being heard from again. I was a soldier then, and tried not to think about it much. The NAF was not in a position to liberate Mariupol or Odessa, so I felt there was nothing I could do. Now, I have the proof that the rumors are true, and I have to share this information with you and with the world, to get the truth out about what the fascists are doing to our people, and why we will die before we surrender.
And why you should too…
There have been at least 31 documented cases of good looking teenagers, (some as young as 11 years old) who have disappeared off of the streets of Odessa in the last year. Not street urchins or orphans, but kids from normal families, or rather, what used to be normal families, because how can any family ever be normal again after a child from that family is kidnapped by nazis, and the best you can hope for is they only want the organs. But judging from the age and the looks of these kids, the nazis who stole them from their families, want to do to those kids what they will do to all of us left alive, if we let them… Make us into slaves.
What is a slave? You are a slave if you can’t say “no”. You can’t say “no” regardless of how cruel or wrong or absolutely evil your masters, the guys with the whips and the guns, are.
And no matter how twisted or depraved the orders, you will obey or you will suffer, or you will die. That is what it means to be a slave, and these little boys and girls are now slaves.
And as utterly horrific as it is to imagine what those kids are going through, take a moment to consider what their parents and siblings are also going through. To know what has happened, and probably what is happening, at any given moment you think about it. And to know that the cops and the government and media aren’t going to say a goddamned thing about it, much less actually DO ANYTHING about it, because it is THEM, and their friends and flunkies who are doing it. And you can’t do shit about it. And if you try, you’ll end up in a shallow hole, with a few holes in the back of your head, or even worse… Like your kid did.
The governor of Odessa Oblast (state) is Mikael Sakashvili. He was appointed by Petro Poroshenko and granted Ukrainian citizenship, in spite of being wanted on criminal charges in his former country of Georgia. Sakashvili and his wife, Sandra Roelofs, have long been rumored to be major players in the international illegal human organ trade, based in Israel. Roelof’s wikipedia page states that “SOCO” the privately financed “charity” she founded, has, since 2007, “been actively taking care of reproductive health and child welfare in Georgia.” Probably the same way they have been in Odessa. Odessa Oblast is under the military control of “Azov” battalion, one of the most ruthless, criminal and openly neo-nazi units in the AFU. Members of the Odessa police not only allowed the mass murder at the Worker’s Union Hall to take place last year, they were active participants in it. What help do you think they will give to these missing children or their families? Criminal government, criminal army, criminal police. THAT is what it means to live under Fascism.There has been no action or comment by Odessa authorities about the mass disappearances of children in Odessa. A single case has been solved – a criminal gang, driving around Odessa in a BMW, one member dressed in a police uniform, kidnapped an underaged girl and demanded a $20,000 ransom for her return. According to the news report, while waiting for the ransom, the gang repeatedly “raped the underaged girl in unnatural ways”. The gang was captured, and the girl rescued when they tried to collect the ransom. Note the BMW, note the police uniform, note the fact that the gang thought the family could actually pay a ransom of $20,000. They picked the wrong kid, that time, one with a family whose power and connections to the government were stronger than theirs.
Not just the children and their families, the entire society of Odessa has also been terrorized. Because if the nazis can take the kid down the street, they can take yours too. Think for a moment what that would be like. The Horror… THAT is what we fight against here. So, pull your boots on, lock and load, and no mercy for nazis. Victory or Death.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Saturday, October 17, 2015
What Are We Fighting For?
Published in The Greanville Post. »
In 1965, shortly after the first American combat troops arrived in Vietnam, Country Joe McDonald famously sang:
As everyone knows, in the end, the North Vietnamese sent the Americans packing with their tails between their legs. In an Orwellian event only rivaled by Droner Obomba winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the West awarded Henry Kissinger with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. The Nobel Peace Prize was simultaneously awarded to North Vietnamese leader Le Duc Tho, but Tho, an honorable man rejected the award because of U.S. violation of the Paris Peace Accords — the U.S. continued to bomb North Vietnam.
In contrast, the combat and info warriors fighting in and for Novorossiya know EXACTLY what they are fighting for: “This is Fascism’s first defeat since the US withdrawal from Vietnam, and what we have done here can possibly change the world.”
The United States engineered and promoted the Maidan coup in Kiev, Ukraine (although the majority of Americans, brainwashed by mainstream media propaganda and preoccupied by the Culture Wars, are ignorant of the facts and evidence). The Kiev junta has deep roots in the sordid Nazi collaborationist past of western Ukraine and is deeply hostile to the Russian-speaking population of southeastern Ukraine and Crimea (leading the population of the latter to vote overwhelmingly to secede and rejoin Russia).
Since 2014, the fascist forces, including overtly Nazi formations of the Kiev junta have attacked civilian areas of southeastern Ukraine (Donbass) with heavy weapons, causing tens of thousands of casualties and many hundreds of thousands of refugees. The Kiev fascists have caused horrific damage to civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, housing and power stations. They have specifically targeted civilians. The heroic people of Donbass, the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have rapidly organized themselves and formed a well-trained and highly motivated army — the Novorossiyan Armed Forces or NAF — to resist this fascist onslaught and now consider themselves a separate country, Novorossiya.
What are Novorossiyans fighting for? Whether it is with Автомат and Rocket Propelled Granades or Pen and Computer Server, Novorossiyans and their friends are fighting to be rid of the fascists, rid of the psychopaths that do this.
Iconic photo of US choppers — the infamous “Air Cavalry” — and GI's plodding through the rice paddies. |
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Nguyen Ngoc Loan, chief of the National Police, and an American collaborator, fires his pistol into the head of suspected Viet Cong officer Nguyen Van Lem on a Saigon street on February 1, 1968, early in the Tet Offensive. In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, Loan fled South Vietnam. He moved to the United States, and opened a pizza restaurant in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Burke, Virginia at Rolling Valley Mall called “Les Trois Continents.” In 1991, he was forced into retirement when he was recognized and his identity publicly disclosed. Photographer Eddie Adams recalled that on his last visit to the pizza parlor, he had seen written on a toilet wall, “We know who you are, fucker”. |
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1975 — At last! Good riddance. The Americans are leaving. Many of the US troops were (as usual) completely ignorant or brainwashed by the system’s propaganda. A significant number came to realize — too late — the actual meaning of their participation in a horrible imperialist war. The memories of the barbarities committed haunted many of them for decades, destroying their ability to lead normal lives. Others remain unrepentant. |
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Le Duc Tho, chief adviser to the Vietnamese Paris peace delegation, embracing his comrade Xuan Thuy. head of the North Vietnam negotiators. |
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In early 2014, about 15,000 people marched through Kiev to honor Stepan Bandera, the leader of Ukraine’s Neonazi collaborationist movement. Many dressed in the Waffen SS uniform of the Ukrainian division. Below, a typical night-time torchlite parade. Everything was out in the open. The American media naturally managed to miss the whole event. |
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In Lviv, Ukraine’s second largest city, the pro Nazi sentiment has always been strong. It remains strong to this day. Bandera is looked upon as a heroic patriot. |
And it’s one, two, three,Of course, it was a rhetorical question — the obvious, objective answer being: fighting for a criminal, imperialistic war of choice. But the war was won by the heroic Vietnamese people and the North Vietnamese Army, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, at the cost of several million dead and unspeakable atrocities committed by the Americans and their South Vietnamese proxy.
what are we fighting for?
Don’t ask me I don’t give a damn
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it’s five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain’t no time to wonder why,
Whoopie! We’re all gonna die!
As everyone knows, in the end, the North Vietnamese sent the Americans packing with their tails between their legs. In an Orwellian event only rivaled by Droner Obomba winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the West awarded Henry Kissinger with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. The Nobel Peace Prize was simultaneously awarded to North Vietnamese leader Le Duc Tho, but Tho, an honorable man rejected the award because of U.S. violation of the Paris Peace Accords — the U.S. continued to bomb North Vietnam.
In contrast, the combat and info warriors fighting in and for Novorossiya know EXACTLY what they are fighting for: “This is Fascism’s first defeat since the US withdrawal from Vietnam, and what we have done here can possibly change the world.”
The United States engineered and promoted the Maidan coup in Kiev, Ukraine (although the majority of Americans, brainwashed by mainstream media propaganda and preoccupied by the Culture Wars, are ignorant of the facts and evidence). The Kiev junta has deep roots in the sordid Nazi collaborationist past of western Ukraine and is deeply hostile to the Russian-speaking population of southeastern Ukraine and Crimea (leading the population of the latter to vote overwhelmingly to secede and rejoin Russia).
Since 2014, the fascist forces, including overtly Nazi formations of the Kiev junta have attacked civilian areas of southeastern Ukraine (Donbass) with heavy weapons, causing tens of thousands of casualties and many hundreds of thousands of refugees. The Kiev fascists have caused horrific damage to civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, housing and power stations. They have specifically targeted civilians. The heroic people of Donbass, the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have rapidly organized themselves and formed a well-trained and highly motivated army — the Novorossiyan Armed Forces or NAF — to resist this fascist onslaught and now consider themselves a separate country, Novorossiya.
What are Novorossiyans fighting for? Whether it is with Автомат and Rocket Propelled Granades or Pen and Computer Server, Novorossiyans and their friends are fighting to be rid of the fascists, rid of the psychopaths that do this.
video on source
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Inna Kukurudza, Vadim Papura, Katya Tuv and Yuriy Tuv, presente! Inna in better days. How could this young woman with everything to live for imagine that secret decisions taken in faraway Washington by shameless and hypocritical criminals would end her life? | ||
Labels:
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chronicles
Friday, October 16, 2015
Birth of a Nation
Published in The Greanville Post. »
This is the personal diary of Russell Bonner Bentley — ”Texac” — an American volunteer militiaman currently serving with Novorossiya’s army. Texac is both a frontline fighter and a war correspondent. His dual mission is to help repel the Washington — created, Nazi-infested regime in Kiev, and to introduce Western publics to the truth about the war in the Donbass. The heroic struggle of the young republics in Eastern Ukraine, their unwavering defiance of Western fascism and their high ideals, has reignited hope among many people around the world, hope that imperialism can indeed be pushed back and defeated, and that a new, better world, can at last be constructed. Thus, in the spirit of the International Brigades that fought in Spain in the 1930s, brave volunteers, honorable men, are streaming in from Russia, France, Spain, Chechnya, Serbia, Italy, South America and many other points — even the US — as Texac’s welcome presence indicates. The Donbass is today’s Spain, as is martyred Syria. More may join them before this struggle is over. It is entirely fitting, therefore, to recall La Pasionaria’s tribute to their deeds:
When I was in Junior High School in Houston, Texas, back in the 1970’s, our Social Studies class we watched D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. Our teacher went on and on about what a masterpiece it was, but I was not impressed. Forty years later, I am in the Donetsk People’s Republic, watching the birth of a nation, for real, and it is mighty impressive indeed. We have fought the Ukrainian Army to a standstill. Our new Republic is strong – militarily, politically, economically, and philosophically. I have been here for almost a year, fighting as a DPR soldier with the Essence of Time combat unit at the Donetsk Airport and at Spartak, and also an Information Warrior, fighting against the genuinely Fascist regimes in Kiev, Brussels, London, and Washington D.C.
As a soldier on the front lines, the effective range of my AK-74 was about 400 meters, and the range of my RPG, about 900 meters. As an Information Warrior, my words are my bullets, and I can reach around the world. I will be making regular reports about the birth and growth of my new country, and will be doing everything I can to keep it safe and to make sure that it fulfills all the great potential that a brand new nation in the 21st Century implies. I invite you to follow this story, and contribute if you can. This is Fascism’s first defeat since the US withdrawal from Vietnam, and what we have done here can possibly change the world. As the shooting war seems to be winding down, the Information War will be even more important, and the reconstruction and recovery begins. There are many ways to help. Join us. Here’s how I did it...
I came to Donetsk in December of 2014, after following closely the events in Kiev, Odessa and Southeast Ukraine (Donbass). I was outraged by what I saw, and also felt a personal responsibility as a US citizen, because there can be no doubt that the phony Maidan coup would never have happened without US backing and direction. Once my decision to come here was made, I told my friends and family about my plans. Most did not believe I would really do it, but I have been known to do some audacious things in my life, and they should have known better. I sold most of my possessions to finance the trip, including my beloved motorcycle, and gave away the rest. I had a final Thanksgiving dinner with my family and a few close friends, and left Dallas on December 1st, with a one way ticket to Rostov on Don. It was like diving off a seaside cliff with my eyes closed.
The movie “Stalingrad” was playing on the plane as we flew across the Atlantic, and I found it quite inspiring. I landed at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow after midnight. As the saying goes, “I spent a week in Moscow one night”. After passing through customs and airport security, I went to the only kiosk open and asked for a cup of coffee in my very limited Russian. I then reached in my back pocket for my money, and it was not there. Neither was my passport. Take a moment to reflect on what that might feel like. In a foreign country with a different language, halfway around the world, no money, no passport. I had determined to come to Donbass to be a soldier, fight Fascism and try to change the world. When my family suggested I might be biting off more than I could chew, I told them I was smart and tough enough to do it. I had been on foreign soil for less than an hour, and it seemed I was already totally screwed. Naturally, I sat down and had a good laugh.
I took a few moments to gather my thoughts. The last place I had my passport was at airport security, so it must be there. So, dragging my huge duffle bag and two other suitcases, I made my way back to the checkpoint, thinking if I had left my money there, about ($3,000) the cops would have to have a lot of integrity to give it back. I knew the Russian word for money, “dinghe”, and feeling like a fool walked up to these cops and asked. They said “nyet”. Now, I was actually starting to get a little nervous. I started patting down all my pockets, and lo and behold, in the side pocket of my cargo pants, was my passport and all my money. I dragged my baggage back to the lobby of the airport, sat down and had another good laugh. I went back to the coffee kiosk and triumphantly ordered another cup of coffee. Anticipating what I thought would be the most enjoyable and memorable cup of coffee in my life, The barista set the coffee on the counter, and I handed her a five dollar bill. She shook her head and said “Rubles”. Of which, of course I had none. So, after getting a drink of Moscow tapwater from the bathroom sink, I sat down to ponder my future and await the opening of the money exchange and my flight to Rostov. It was a long night, indeed.
The next morning, after exchanging a thousand dollars for Rubles, I finally got that cup of coffee and caught the plane to Rostov. We landed in a blizzard, and the Rostov airport looked like a Mexican airport from the 1960’s. So, I wasn’t just in Russia, I was in the Russian boondocks, and going even further into the wild, wild East, to be on the small side of a big war, on the Russian steppes, in Winter, at the age of 54. But I was game, and moved ahead. I made my way to the guesthouse where I had reserved a room online before I left Texas. After communication via google translate with my host, I made my way to a nearby store, bought a bottle of vodka and a microwave pizza, and went back and had myself some rest. The next day, I got up and took a stroll around town, managed to buy myself a cheap cellphone (US phones operate on different frequencies than Russian ones, so do not work in Russia) and read my first Russian word in Russia – “Банк”, “Bank”. Not too big of a stretch, obviously, but I felt like a real genius.
Back around the time I was watching Griffith’s “masterpiece” in Miss Thompson’s Social Studies class, I saw a photograph of the monument to the heroes of Stalingrad at MAMAYEV KURGAN. It was beautiful and inspiring, and I had always wanted to see it ever since, but never expected to, never imagined that it would ever be even remotely possible. But when I made my decision to come to Donetsk via Rostov, and saw that Volgograd and Mamayev Kurgan were only about 500 Km away, I decided to make a side trip before crossing the border into the DPR. So, after a couple of days in Rostov, I caught a bus to Volgograd, to Stalingrad. As we drove across the vast and empty Russian Steppes, (through another blizzard, of course) at one point the bus engine stalled. It took about 15 minutes to get going, and during that time I realized that as lightly dressed as I was, if the engine did not start, I would probably freeze to death before help arrived. The chill I felt was not entirely due to the sub-zero temperatures. Thanks to good luck and Russian ingenuity, we made it.
I got a room in an upscale but very reasonably priced hotel, and checked the map to see how to get to the monument I had wanted to see for over 40 years. I got up at 4AM and decided I would walk the 10 KM from my hotel to the monument. It was still dark when I started out, but I knew the direction, and had the mighty Volga river to guide me. On the way, I passed a great statue of Lenin and the famous sculpture of the children dancing around the chained crocodile.
I arrived at Mamayev Kurgan a little after dawn, and was the only person there. It was just me and the ghosts of a million heroes, and I must admit, the experience moved me to tears. I spent several hours there, and truly felt as if the spirits of those million heroes knew I was there, and appreciated my coming to pay my respects. Later, I caught the trolley back to the hotel, and spent the evening in the hotel bar, trying to seduce the beautiful bartender, Sveta, to no avail. The next morning, with a bit of a hangover, I made the trip back to Rostov with a Guardian Angel on my shoulder. Though I did not “get lucky” with Sveta that night, I have been very, very lucky many times since.
Back in Rostov, I made a trip to the Army Surplus store where I bought 3 sets of camouflage; green, white and brown. Two days later, I again rose before dawn, this time to catch the bus to Donetsk. As I stood on the platform, smoking a cigarette, two Russian policemen approached me and pointed to the No Smoking sign right behind me. They asked in rudimentary English where I was going and for my passport. Reading my name, one smiled and said, “Ah, Russell, like Russell Crowe”. I smiled and said, “Da, ya gladiator”. Though it is only about 200 Km from Rostov to Donetsk, the trip took most of the day. When we arrived at the border crossing, everyone was instructed to exit the bus and bring all their baggage in to the Customs station to be checked. The Russian official asked the purpose of my trip to Donetsk and I replied “To visit friends”. In reply to his question about my camouflage uniforms, it took me a few minutes to find the words “Christmas presents” in my Russian phrase book. He smiled and let me pass. On the DPR side of the border, the Customs shed had bullet and shrapnel holes from recent battles, and as we waited for our passports to be checked, I realized I was now in a different world. A very different world.
The trip from the border was uneventful, but along the way, we passed several bombed out and deserted villages, as well as deserted blockposts and trenches. After passing through the military checkpoint at the Donetsk city limits, the bus made a stop so people could exchange rubles for grivnas with a guy standing on the street who had a briefcase full of money and two friends with Kalashnikovs. No banks in the DPR, but essential services like money exchange are still provided one way or another. As the sun was setting, we arrived at the bus station. Less than 5 minutes after I got off the bus, I heard artillery firing and impacting just a few kilometers away. It was heavy artillery, and plenty of it, but everyone at the bus station just went about their business as normal, so I did the same. I caught a cab at only double the normal rate, to the Red Cat hostel, where I met for the first time Christian Malaparte, a writer who had been living and working in Donetsk since May. We had corresponded on Facebook prior to my arrival, and I was very, very glad to meet someone who spoke English and some Russian, and was willing to help. So, that’s how I got to Donetsk, and getting here was the easy part.
“This is Fascism’s first defeat since the US withdrawal from Vietnam, and what we have done here can possibly change the world...”
This is the personal diary of Russell Bonner Bentley — ”Texac” — an American volunteer militiaman currently serving with Novorossiya’s army. Texac is both a frontline fighter and a war correspondent. His dual mission is to help repel the Washington — created, Nazi-infested regime in Kiev, and to introduce Western publics to the truth about the war in the Donbass. The heroic struggle of the young republics in Eastern Ukraine, their unwavering defiance of Western fascism and their high ideals, has reignited hope among many people around the world, hope that imperialism can indeed be pushed back and defeated, and that a new, better world, can at last be constructed. Thus, in the spirit of the International Brigades that fought in Spain in the 1930s, brave volunteers, honorable men, are streaming in from Russia, France, Spain, Chechnya, Serbia, Italy, South America and many other points — even the US — as Texac’s welcome presence indicates. The Donbass is today’s Spain, as is martyred Syria. More may join them before this struggle is over. It is entirely fitting, therefore, to recall La Pasionaria’s tribute to their deeds:
“From all peoples, from all races, you came to us like brothers, like sons of immortal Spain; and in the hardest days of the war, when the capital of the Spanish Republic was threatened, it was you, gallant comrades of the International Brigades, who helped save the city with your fighting enthusiasm, your heroism and your spirit of sacrifice...
For the first time in the history of the peoples’ struggles, there was the spectacle, breathtaking in its grandeur, of the formation of International Brigades to help save a threatened country’s freedom and independence – the freedom and independence of our Spanish land.
Communists, Socialists, Anarchists, Republicans — men of different colors, differing ideology, antagonistic religions — yet all profoundly loving liberty and justice, they came and offered themselves to us unconditionally.
They gave us everything — their youth or their maturity; their science or their experience; their blood and their lives; their hopes and aspirations — and they asked us for nothing. But yes, it must be said, they did want a post in battle, they aspired to the honor of dying for us.
Banners of Spain! Salute these many heroes! Be lowered to honor so many martyrs...!”
— Dolores Ibárruri, La Pasionaria, Farewell Address to the International Brigades, Barcelona, Nov. 1, 1938
When I was in Junior High School in Houston, Texas, back in the 1970’s, our Social Studies class we watched D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. Our teacher went on and on about what a masterpiece it was, but I was not impressed. Forty years later, I am in the Donetsk People’s Republic, watching the birth of a nation, for real, and it is mighty impressive indeed. We have fought the Ukrainian Army to a standstill. Our new Republic is strong – militarily, politically, economically, and philosophically. I have been here for almost a year, fighting as a DPR soldier with the Essence of Time combat unit at the Donetsk Airport and at Spartak, and also an Information Warrior, fighting against the genuinely Fascist regimes in Kiev, Brussels, London, and Washington D.C.
As a soldier on the front lines, the effective range of my AK-74 was about 400 meters, and the range of my RPG, about 900 meters. As an Information Warrior, my words are my bullets, and I can reach around the world. I will be making regular reports about the birth and growth of my new country, and will be doing everything I can to keep it safe and to make sure that it fulfills all the great potential that a brand new nation in the 21st Century implies. I invite you to follow this story, and contribute if you can. This is Fascism’s first defeat since the US withdrawal from Vietnam, and what we have done here can possibly change the world. As the shooting war seems to be winding down, the Information War will be even more important, and the reconstruction and recovery begins. There are many ways to help. Join us. Here’s how I did it...
I came to Donetsk in December of 2014, after following closely the events in Kiev, Odessa and Southeast Ukraine (Donbass). I was outraged by what I saw, and also felt a personal responsibility as a US citizen, because there can be no doubt that the phony Maidan coup would never have happened without US backing and direction. Once my decision to come here was made, I told my friends and family about my plans. Most did not believe I would really do it, but I have been known to do some audacious things in my life, and they should have known better. I sold most of my possessions to finance the trip, including my beloved motorcycle, and gave away the rest. I had a final Thanksgiving dinner with my family and a few close friends, and left Dallas on December 1st, with a one way ticket to Rostov on Don. It was like diving off a seaside cliff with my eyes closed.
The movie “Stalingrad” was playing on the plane as we flew across the Atlantic, and I found it quite inspiring. I landed at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow after midnight. As the saying goes, “I spent a week in Moscow one night”. After passing through customs and airport security, I went to the only kiosk open and asked for a cup of coffee in my very limited Russian. I then reached in my back pocket for my money, and it was not there. Neither was my passport. Take a moment to reflect on what that might feel like. In a foreign country with a different language, halfway around the world, no money, no passport. I had determined to come to Donbass to be a soldier, fight Fascism and try to change the world. When my family suggested I might be biting off more than I could chew, I told them I was smart and tough enough to do it. I had been on foreign soil for less than an hour, and it seemed I was already totally screwed. Naturally, I sat down and had a good laugh.
I took a few moments to gather my thoughts. The last place I had my passport was at airport security, so it must be there. So, dragging my huge duffle bag and two other suitcases, I made my way back to the checkpoint, thinking if I had left my money there, about ($3,000) the cops would have to have a lot of integrity to give it back. I knew the Russian word for money, “dinghe”, and feeling like a fool walked up to these cops and asked. They said “nyet”. Now, I was actually starting to get a little nervous. I started patting down all my pockets, and lo and behold, in the side pocket of my cargo pants, was my passport and all my money. I dragged my baggage back to the lobby of the airport, sat down and had another good laugh. I went back to the coffee kiosk and triumphantly ordered another cup of coffee. Anticipating what I thought would be the most enjoyable and memorable cup of coffee in my life, The barista set the coffee on the counter, and I handed her a five dollar bill. She shook her head and said “Rubles”. Of which, of course I had none. So, after getting a drink of Moscow tapwater from the bathroom sink, I sat down to ponder my future and await the opening of the money exchange and my flight to Rostov. It was a long night, indeed.
The next morning, after exchanging a thousand dollars for Rubles, I finally got that cup of coffee and caught the plane to Rostov. We landed in a blizzard, and the Rostov airport looked like a Mexican airport from the 1960’s. So, I wasn’t just in Russia, I was in the Russian boondocks, and going even further into the wild, wild East, to be on the small side of a big war, on the Russian steppes, in Winter, at the age of 54. But I was game, and moved ahead. I made my way to the guesthouse where I had reserved a room online before I left Texas. After communication via google translate with my host, I made my way to a nearby store, bought a bottle of vodka and a microwave pizza, and went back and had myself some rest. The next day, I got up and took a stroll around town, managed to buy myself a cheap cellphone (US phones operate on different frequencies than Russian ones, so do not work in Russia) and read my first Russian word in Russia – “Банк”, “Bank”. Not too big of a stretch, obviously, but I felt like a real genius.
Back around the time I was watching Griffith’s “masterpiece” in Miss Thompson’s Social Studies class, I saw a photograph of the monument to the heroes of Stalingrad at MAMAYEV KURGAN. It was beautiful and inspiring, and I had always wanted to see it ever since, but never expected to, never imagined that it would ever be even remotely possible. But when I made my decision to come to Donetsk via Rostov, and saw that Volgograd and Mamayev Kurgan were only about 500 Km away, I decided to make a side trip before crossing the border into the DPR. So, after a couple of days in Rostov, I caught a bus to Volgograd, to Stalingrad. As we drove across the vast and empty Russian Steppes, (through another blizzard, of course) at one point the bus engine stalled. It took about 15 minutes to get going, and during that time I realized that as lightly dressed as I was, if the engine did not start, I would probably freeze to death before help arrived. The chill I felt was not entirely due to the sub-zero temperatures. Thanks to good luck and Russian ingenuity, we made it.
I got a room in an upscale but very reasonably priced hotel, and checked the map to see how to get to the monument I had wanted to see for over 40 years. I got up at 4AM and decided I would walk the 10 KM from my hotel to the monument. It was still dark when I started out, but I knew the direction, and had the mighty Volga river to guide me. On the way, I passed a great statue of Lenin and the famous sculpture of the children dancing around the chained crocodile.
I arrived at Mamayev Kurgan a little after dawn, and was the only person there. It was just me and the ghosts of a million heroes, and I must admit, the experience moved me to tears. I spent several hours there, and truly felt as if the spirits of those million heroes knew I was there, and appreciated my coming to pay my respects. Later, I caught the trolley back to the hotel, and spent the evening in the hotel bar, trying to seduce the beautiful bartender, Sveta, to no avail. The next morning, with a bit of a hangover, I made the trip back to Rostov with a Guardian Angel on my shoulder. Though I did not “get lucky” with Sveta that night, I have been very, very lucky many times since.
Back in Rostov, I made a trip to the Army Surplus store where I bought 3 sets of camouflage; green, white and brown. Two days later, I again rose before dawn, this time to catch the bus to Donetsk. As I stood on the platform, smoking a cigarette, two Russian policemen approached me and pointed to the No Smoking sign right behind me. They asked in rudimentary English where I was going and for my passport. Reading my name, one smiled and said, “Ah, Russell, like Russell Crowe”. I smiled and said, “Da, ya gladiator”. Though it is only about 200 Km from Rostov to Donetsk, the trip took most of the day. When we arrived at the border crossing, everyone was instructed to exit the bus and bring all their baggage in to the Customs station to be checked. The Russian official asked the purpose of my trip to Donetsk and I replied “To visit friends”. In reply to his question about my camouflage uniforms, it took me a few minutes to find the words “Christmas presents” in my Russian phrase book. He smiled and let me pass. On the DPR side of the border, the Customs shed had bullet and shrapnel holes from recent battles, and as we waited for our passports to be checked, I realized I was now in a different world. A very different world.
The trip from the border was uneventful, but along the way, we passed several bombed out and deserted villages, as well as deserted blockposts and trenches. After passing through the military checkpoint at the Donetsk city limits, the bus made a stop so people could exchange rubles for grivnas with a guy standing on the street who had a briefcase full of money and two friends with Kalashnikovs. No banks in the DPR, but essential services like money exchange are still provided one way or another. As the sun was setting, we arrived at the bus station. Less than 5 minutes after I got off the bus, I heard artillery firing and impacting just a few kilometers away. It was heavy artillery, and plenty of it, but everyone at the bus station just went about their business as normal, so I did the same. I caught a cab at only double the normal rate, to the Red Cat hostel, where I met for the first time Christian Malaparte, a writer who had been living and working in Donetsk since May. We had corresponded on Facebook prior to my arrival, and I was very, very glad to meet someone who spoke English and some Russian, and was willing to help. So, that’s how I got to Donetsk, and getting here was the easy part.
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