Why do the Ukrainian army and nationalist battalions conflict with each other
The armed forces of Ukraine allegedly destroyed the headquarters of a separate special-purpose detachment "Azov" in Mariupol with a strike from the tactical missile complex "Tochka-U", the People's Militia of the DPR reported on the Telegram channel. "Newspaper.Ru" figured out what is the reason for the conflicts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and nationalist battalions.
The reason for the attack on the headquarters of the special detachment, according to the DPR, was the refusal of Azov (an organization banned in the Russian Federation) to obey and coordinate its actions with the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). As a result of the missile strike, more than 20 militants and 10 pieces of equipment were destroyed.
The order to strike from the "Point-U", according to the DPR, was given after the Azov militants did not want to carry out the orders of the Ukrainian army command. As a result, the commander of the Vostok group, Lieutenant General Yuri Sobol, allegedly received a fatal wound in a clash with the Azov militants. Official Kiev has not yet commented on this information.
Back in 2014, there were many volunteer armed formations in Ukraine that did not obey the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The most famous are the battalions "Donbass", "Azov", "Tornado", "Aidar", "Dnepr-1", "Ukraine", "Sheikh Mansur Battalion". Basically, their participants adhered to radical nationalist views.
Former Defense Minister of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak stated in 2014 that volunteer battalions should become part of the permanent units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the authorities "want to understand what they are doing and plan their activities." Throughout the entire existence of these formations, conflicts have occurred between their participants and the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"Clashes between volunteer battalions and the Armed Forces of Ukraine began immediately after the outbreak of the armed conflict in the Donbass, when these volunteers appeared in the south-east of Ukraine. The APU is still officers, people with appropriate training.
- I told the newspaper.En" Doctor of Military Sciences Konstantin Sivkov.
So, according to the Ukrainian newspaper Vesti, in March 2015, a conflict arose between IED fighters and members of the Dnipro-1 battalion. On March 22, at a checkpoint near Volnovakha, the Armed Forces of Ukraine stopped three trucks with contraband products.
Soldiers of the Dnepr-1 battalion arrived to help the drivers of the convoy, a prosecutor and an employee of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) also drove up to the checkpoint. As a result of the conflict, one of the battalion's fighters shot SBU captain Viktor Manzik, he died on the way to the hospital. According to the Vesti newspaper, as a result, 11 people were detained, nine machine guns, a machine gun, six grenade launchers and grenades were seized from them.
Also in 2015, according to a number of Ukrainian media, in the area of the city of Happiness, the fighters of the Aidar battalion refused to obey the demands of the AFU and lay down their arms, a battle ensued, as a result, the AFU fighters lost 9 fighters killed, several Aidar fighters were captured.
In August 2020, the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fought with Azov volunteers in the area of the Joint Forces Operation in Donbass. According to Ivan Filiponenko, an officer of the press service of the People's Militia of the LPR, the conflict arose "on the basis of envy" because of the awards presented on the Independence Day of Ukraine.
According to military expert, vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems Konstantin Sokolov, not only convinced radicals went to volunteer detachments, but also people from despair - the battalions were well funded. Often from private funds. For example, Dnipro-1 was financed for some time by the Ukrainian billionaire Igor Kolomoisky.
"These battalions behave quite independently of the military command of Ukraine - the real owner is the one who finances, so the relationship between the AFU and volunteer battalions has always been complicated. In fact, coordination with them was impossible," says Sokolov.
The former fighter of "Azov" Sergey told "Newspaper.Ru", that contradictions between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and nationalist battalions often arise against the background of "commercial contradictions".
"The battalions are autonomous and uncontrolled. For this reason, they tried in previous years to engage in various kinds of gray and black "business" in the zone of military operation in the Donbass. From protecting contraband coal supplies from the DPR to "squeezing" property and direct arms trade.
Another reason is envy. The battalions were enriching themselves because of this "business". The former head of the Azov intelligence, Sergei Korotkov, with the call signs "Boatswain" and "Malyuta", officially declared that in 2015 he bought two apartments in the center of Kiev and a plane. The APU also sat on beggarly salaries. Hence, too, conflicts,"- said Sergey.
* - Special purpose detachment "Azov" is an organization banned in the territory of the Russian Federation.
Irina Alshayeva