The influential British newspaper The Guardian wrote about the "outstanding military leader". The Moscow correspondent of the publication Sean Walker told readers about the murder of Motorola (A. Pavlov). Articles about the field commander were also published in some German newspapers.
Prominent rebel commander Arseniy "Motorola" Pavlov was killed in an explosion in Donetsk, writes Sean Walker in .
According to observers, the 33-year-old commander died either as a result of internal clashes or due to the removal by Russian handlers of "uncomfortable" separatist leaders in the Donbass.
Motorola died from a bomb explosion in the elevator of a residential building, the material indicates.
The man, who wore a "ginger-colored beard", had a "fiery temperament" and a pseudonym that seemed "ridiculous", was one of the most famous and most controversial rebel commanders in eastern Ukraine, the author of the article notes. Kyiv accused Motorola of committing war crimes, and at the same time this commander was revered in Russia as a hero. Now this man was killed by detonating a "powerful bomb" in the elevator (apparently, it was planted on Sunday night).
According to official data, the British journalist continues, the rebels blamed Ukrainian nationalists for the attack. However, "many believe that the killing was the latest in a series of brutal territorial wars between various rebel groups in eastern Ukraine and may have been carried out with the participation of puppeteers from Moscow."
According to the Russian site Life News, which released the video from the scene, Pavlov and his bodyguard were wearing bulletproof vests and were heavily armed. The bomb was detonated remotely.
Then it became known about the alleged killers: four masked men, who took off with the Ukrainian flag, claimed responsibility for the murder. Their future targets are other separatist leaders.
Oleksandr Zakharchenko, leader of the Donetsk rebels, issued a statement. According to him, the murder will be avenged. Despite this, observers note that such rhetoric is not credible, and "many in Ukraine and even some in Donetsk" believe that Motorola was killed by someone close to him.
A source close to the rebel leadership said that Motorola "was very cautious about security," he was even "paranoid about his safety and the safety of his family." And so it was difficult to get close to him. It could have been done by someone "from the inner circle". As for the official version, its source is questionable.
The newspaper further recalls that a number of rebel leaders have been killed in eastern Ukraine over the past 18 months. Ukrainian sabotage groups were blamed for the killings, with the exception of one suicide incident. However, many believe that the deaths of commanders are the result of either internal strife or even acts of "Russian intelligence agencies who are trying to remove "inconvenient" and uncontrollable leaders from the battlefield."
Pavlov once served in Chechnya. He arrived in Ukraine in 2014, where he led the Sparta battalion. The correspondent points out that this battalion was distinguished by "ruthlessness" as well as "poor discipline." There was also something else. In a telephone interview with the Kyiv Post last year, the commander allegedly boasted of personally carrying out executions (shooting 15 people).
In the Russian press, he is called a "warrior from God" and a "merry knight."
According to Walker, the rebel commanders are coordinating their actions with Moscow, which finances the separatists and controls the "political landscape" in the self-proclaimed republics, despite the fact that they say otherwise.
They also wrote about Motorola in Germany. In the publication (ARD) he was called "Separatistenführer".
In a short note, "Separatistenführer Pawlow getötet", Motorola is referred to as one of the "leading commanders of the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine."
The newspaper indicates that the commander died in a bomb explosion in an elevator. Earlier, recalls the publication, Pavlov was put on the wanted list for the execution of prisoners.
The material about Pavlov was also published in the publication.
The article states that "the leading commander of the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine was killed on Sunday in a bomb blast." "Arseniy Pavlov, better known under the pseudonym Motorola, was killed along with a bodyguard when a device exploded in an elevator in a building in Donetsk," the newspaper reports. Either the Ukrainian intelligence services or a "rival rebel group" are suspected of the murder.
The publication recalls a number of murders of other rebel leaders: Dryomov, Bednov (Batman), Brain and others. There were also assassination attempts on Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky. Motorola itself, which took part in major battles in Donetsk, Slavyansk, Ilovaisk and Debaltseve, managed to avoid an assassination attempt in June.
Also, "N24" indicates that the Deputy Minister of Defense and the former Deputy Prime Minister of the Luhansk People's Republic were subsequently arrested on charges of plotting a coup d'etat (the latter committed suicide shortly thereafter).
The publication refrains from any comments on the death of Motorola.
Pavlov, we add, managed to live much longer than other field commanders of the DPR and LPR. In addition, thanks to the numerous videos that were filmed and broadcast in the Russian media and on the Internet, he has become a true media personality of the military genre and the most recognizable face of the rebel movement in eastern Ukraine. Much more was said and written about him than, say, about the “official” regional leader Zakharchenko.
It should also be noted that Pavlov shied away from quarrels and conflicts in which the local authorities in the Donbass were mired. This is probably why he was removed later than some other rebel commanders - for example, the same Brain.
However, guesswork can be built as much as you want. But the truth is unlikely to become a property
Pavlov Arsen Sergeevich "Motorola"
02.02.1983 – 16.10.2016
Native city -
Commander of the anti-tank special unit "Sparta" DPR
Colonel of the Armed Forces of the DPR
Hero of the Donetsk People's Republic (2015)
Arseniy Pavlov from an ordinary guy in 2 years became a famous commander of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Arriving in Ukraine alone, in a matter of months he created Sparta, the glorified battalion of Novorossia.
“I will come home after work and look on the Internet what is happening on the Maidan,” says Arseniy Pavlov. - When I heard that they were ready to kill 10 Russians for every murdered Nazi, I thought, what kind of Russians are they talking about? After analyzing this whole situation, I realized that I need to go there and see with my own eyes, while there is an opportunity.
In April 2014, having taken a two-week vacation from work, Arseniy Pavlov went to Kharkov, where the confrontation between the townspeople and the fighters of the right sector and the Ukrainian security forces began. After talking with representatives of the Kharkov Oplot, he joined them. When his friend Andrei died a few days later at the hands of militants from the right sector, he realized that this was a concrete confrontation. It was then that Arseniy realized that these events had divided the country into two fronts.
When a real war began in Slavyansk, when, using helicopters and artillery, the Ukrainian security forces attacked the militias, the defenders of Donbass, Arseniy Pavlov moved there. After serving in Chechnya, Motorola found himself in a familiar combat situation.
When asked why the call sign "Motorola", Arseniy said that this call sign had remained with him since Chechnya. He was the signalman for the battalion commander of the tactical group and constantly walked with a station with a long antenna. Short in stature, fully unloaded and with an antenna, it looked like a mobile phone.
Without any external support for a military education, Motorola gathered a detachment around him in 2 months, which became a formidable force. Its fighters were directly related to all the high-profile victories over the nationalist battalions, divisions and brigades of the armed forces of Ukraine. At the Donetsk airport, Ilovaisk, Debaltseve, hundreds of Ukrainian officers and soldiers were taken prisoner, thousands of weapons and military equipment were captured.
The Motorola Battalion is known as the Sparta. This is the part in which combat training goes on continuously day and night. Getting into Sparta is a great honor. There are legends about tough discipline: Arseniy Pavlov was a commander who demands unconditional obedience. But after all, a real army happens when a unit performs combat missions and is always ready for war. On the front line - fight, in position - prepare for battle.
Arseniy Pavlov knew that he was being hunted, that sabotage groups were sent to his soul with attempts to kill him, but he said that he must go to the end.
Motorola was wounded several times. Of course, this was not the first attempt, and every time he was on the verge of death. However, even such a former Ukhtin was a disadvantageous person for Ukraine. Because he did not lose the ideology of battle even in rare moments of a truce. He gave himself to work fanatically. He said:
- Today, according to my physical capabilities, I cannot do something, but today I try to equalize and return the time that I was a year ago. I have to prepare myself, improve, prepare, keep my physical shape. I have to train. I am constantly equipped, because if suddenly a war breaks out at this moment, I should not become a burden on my personnel.
Pavlov's uniqueness lies in the fact that all sides of the conflict truly appreciated his merits. The government of the Donetsk People's Republic awarded him the St. George Cross, the Order of Military Valor, and the title of Hero of the DPR. The Ukrainian authorities charged him under the article "Violation of the laws and customs of war." The European Union honored the inclusion in the sanctions list at number 135, banning entry into EU countries.
To the deputies of the State Duma of Russia or to the court? In Russia, the Rodina party seems to have changed its mind about including Arseny Pavlov, nicknamed Motorola, a Russian citizen who is one of the leaders of the DPR group, considered a terrorist group in Ukraine, on its election lists. And Interpol refused to search for him, citing the fact that there are signs of a political nature in the case. Therefore, obviously, Motorola will continue to remain in the occupied Donetsk. Who is Motorola, who confessed to the execution of Ukrainian prisoners?
The Russian Rodina party will not include Arseniy Pavlov in the electoral lists. "Motorola" will not be on the lists of "Motherland", - said Radio Liberty the press secretary of the head of this Russian political force, without providing more information.
Although, obviously, this was still discussed. The Russian publication Lenta.ru, citing sources, reported that the Rodina party held negotiations with Arseniy Pavlov, nicknamed Motorola, to include him in the list of candidates for deputies in the parliamentary elections. The purpose of including Motorola in the lists was the desire to "mobilize the patriotic electorate." But, according to the source, the negotiations have stalled. Representatives of Rodina were afraid of "a possible negative reaction from the international community if Pavlov gets into the State Duma of Russia."
Who is Motorola, whose presence on the lists, according to Rodina, can "mobilize a patriotic electorate" in Russia? In Ukraine, his name became widely known after he actually confessed to the "execution of 15 prisoners" of the Ukrainian military. He stated this when answering a question from a Kyiv Post journalist about the murder of "cyborg" Igor Branovitsky.
“I don’t give a fuck what I’m being accused of. I shot 15 prisoners. I don't care about everything. No comments on ***. I want - I kill, I want - no, ”said Motorola.
Also, the name of Motorola appeared in the Ukrainian media space after the publication video, filmed by Russian channels, about his meeting with a Ukrainian officer with the call sign "Dome" near Donetsk airport.
This video caused a flurry of discussions. And here's how the "Dome" itself in an interview Radio Liberty described Motorola and the meeting with him: “A bandit is a bandit, what can I say. But he is a man of his word, he promised that as soon as he took me alive and healthy, he would return me like that. What he promised, he fulfilled. It was official in front of everyone, and so we talked a little with raised voices. ”
“I, for example, met with Givi (another leader of the DPR group - RS), then it is impossible to communicate with him at all. And you can communicate with Motorola, ”Kupol noted.
Chechnya, car theft, Crimea, Donbass...
33-year-old Russian citizen Arseniy Pavlov arrived in the Donbass in 2014 and led an illegal armed formation there - the Sparta battalion, which is fighting as part of the DPR group.
“I got on the train and arrived, arrived in Yasinovataya. Alone, alone, without anyone. No one invited me, no one promised to give me arms. I myself found an opportunity and people who are ready to resist fascism,” Motorola tells the separatist media.
Arseny Pavlov was born in 1983 in the Komi Republic. Orphaned at the age of 15, he lived with his grandmother
According to information available on the Internet, Arseny Pavlov was born in 1983 in the Komi Republic. At the age of 15, he became an orphan and lived with his grandmother. He served in the marines, fought in the Second Chechen War for about a year. In the army, he served as a liaison officer, for which he received the nickname "Motorola".
As he himself said, he has the professions of a rescuer, a marble-granite worker and an extruder. Has no higher education. Lived in Russian Rostov-on-Don. According to unconfirmed information, in 2012, Motorola was prosecuted for stealing a car while intoxicated from a car wash where he worked.
Observers note that Motorola's tunic has medals "For the return of Crimea" and "For the defense of Crimea", therefore, they assume that he was present on the peninsula during its annexation. There is also information that Arseniy Pavlov participated in the confrontation in Kharkov on the night of March 15, 2014, after which he went to Slavyansk, where he began to fight against Ukraine.
Wedding "on the front line", major gifts and a legal wife in Russia
In 2014, Motorola married a resident of the suburb of Slavyansk, Semenovka, Elena Kolenkina, who is more than 10 years younger than him and whom he allegedly saved during the shelling. Their marriage was positioned as "the first officially registered in the so-called" New Russia ".
At the wedding, Motorola was dressed in a military uniform with awards and a pistol, his hand was in plaster. A "St. George's ribbon" was woven into Elena's hair, she also carried a machine gun. Among the guests were the so-called "People's Governor" of "Novorossiya" Pavel Gubarev, "Minister of Defense" of the "DPR" grouping, Russian Colonel Igor Girkin (Strelkov). This wedding was shown on Russian TV channels.
Now, according to Russian media, Motorola lives with his wife in a 2-room apartment in a new building in Donetsk. He says that the apartment is not his, but a rented one, for which he pays 2.5 thousand hryvnias per month. As you can see from the photo in social networks, they have a girl.
In March, Kolenkina, on VKontakte, boasted of a gift from Motorola for her birthday - a Peugeot car, which costs about 18 thousand dollars, which also caused a discussion on the Internet, where did the "poor militia" come from.
Arsen Pavlov in Russia has a legal wife and son
But Motorola turned out to be a bigamist. First, activists reported that Arsen Pavlov had a legal wife and son in Russia, then he himself indirectly confirmed this, answering a journalist's question about what he would do after the war.
“I will raise my son, he is five years old. Today I called my wife, talked to my son, everything is fine with them. I want six sons and one daughter. That's what I'll do after the war. I will make children and educate them, ”Pavlov said in an interview with Zavtra.
"Invincible fighter against fascism" - the image created by the Russian media
The Russian media seem to have created the image of a certain “Komsomol member who is fighting for a brighter future” from Motorola.
“Russian society perceives Motorola as an anti-fascist fighter who fights against the fascist methods of fascist gangs that are legalized in Ukraine, we are talking about the National Guard battalions. Therefore, public opinion in Russia perceives Motorola approximately as field commanders in Spain who fought against the fascist Spanish regime, ”said Radio Liberty unofficial adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, political scientist Sergey Markov.
And we have the head of the "republic" Zakharchenko without education. So what? He still does not have a completed higher education
Sergei Baryshnikov
Arsen Pavlov has the halo of a “hero” in the occupied territory of Donbass, he noted in an interview with Radio Freedom Sergei Baryshnikov, who describes himself as the director of the Center for Political Science Analysis and Technology in Donetsk, and was previously a lecturer at the Donetsk National University.
“The halo of one of the heroes, as before, he retains. At the last parade dedicated to the two-year anniversary of the “DPR”, he again appeared as one of the leaders of the armed struggle. These are the faces that have been left behind in the eyes of the population and continue to be perceived as heroes of our struggle,” says Baryshnikov.
Without overloading the intellect ...
When asked how the fact that Motorola is an uneducated person is perceived, he replied: “And we also have the head of the“ republic ”Zakharchenko without education. So what? He still does not have a completed higher education.”
“As a person from the field of education, this also seemed to me a minus at first. But perhaps this is not a minus, but a plus. Since it happens that education weighs down like a weight, a person begins to evaluate his actions, whether it is necessary or not ... But people like Motorola are not particularly overloaded with such intellectual reflections and restraining factors, ”said Sergey Baryshnikov.
International human rights organization Amnesty International called for an investigation into the executions in which Motorola confessed
The international human rights organization Amnesty International has called for an investigation into the executions that Motorola confessed to. But, as confirmed by the SBU, Interpol refused to search for Russian citizen Arseniy Pavlov pseudo "Motorola", citing such a decision that there are signs of a political nature in this case.
The fighting in Donbas has been going on since April 2014. During this time, according to the UN, up to 10 thousand people died there.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supporting militants in the Donbas and the participation of the Russian military in hostilities. Moscow denies these accusations, stating that there are no Russian soldiers in the Donbass, but only “volunteers”.
Comrade Colonel, I congratulate you on the birth of your son.
Damn, I'm in the car, on the front lines, I can't hear anything ...
How is Lena?
All is good! I'll call you back as soon as I leave...
I had this conversation with Motorola just two weeks ago. The guys from the DPR beaconed that there was a new addition to the Pavlov family. Our last conversation...
Moscow morning. An apartment on Flotskaya Street, half an hour's walk from the Vodny Stadion metro station. Motorola always got up early. Even during this short vacation.
Moskalyaku on gilyaku! - The red-bearded commander shouts directly from the window. Muscovites walking their dogs look around anxiously and quicken their pace. Where the voice comes from, you will not immediately understand. And the Maidan slogan in the capital's courtyards in the midst of the Donbass conflict has an even more encouraging effect on passers-by than a cup of strong coffee.
In August 2014, Motik and Lena were passing through the capital. Before that, they rested in the already Russian Crimea. The first respite after several months of minute-by-minute shelling, running from one cellar to another in Semyonovka near Slavyansk. From the DPR, then he was released by the First (as the fighters called Strelkov).
The motor broke down twice in a week. First, he fell asleep at the wheel of an armored personnel carrier in Snezhnoye and demolished several trees on his way, it was saved that he was in full uniform in an armored personnel carrier - armor, a branded helmet. And then, a couple of days later, after the wedding with Lena, he had an accident near Khartsizsk. Of course, Motor was in every possible way invigorated, even when he was covered with plaster, but even he could not fight in this form.
Moskalyaku on gilyaku!
This is how every morning started. It was all Motorola. In the war, he tested the stability of the psyche of his own comrades-in-arms - jumping at a high speed to a checkpoint and turning on the full column of his jeep, which was full of holes in several places. From the speakers it was heard: "Yushchenko is our present!" Some fashionable Ukrainian rap from the era of the Orange Revolution. The joint chants of the 25/17 group and Revyakin sounded no less life-affirming: "Commandante Yarosh - red-black wings."
Frightened militias sometimes twitched the shutters, faced with such an utter ideological contradiction on their territory. In response, they heard a jellied red laugh with comments in the spirit: "Boys, don't you sho, don't drink? It's me, Motorola."
He liked to play tricks, to enter into a stupor. This was both teenage audacity and a balanced position. With his "provocations" he, as it were, opened up reality, cut it - and peeped whether it was real or not.
In moments of extreme overloads - this is when they were transporting everything broken in an ambulance after an accident - the Motor always wanted very simple, and therefore impossible things. So, for example, - he furiously demanded IKEA hot dogs. In Donetsk, at the height of the artillery summer, they were naturally not available. And he explained: “When I worked as a security guard at IKEA, we could eat such hot dogs for free, I didn’t eat anything tastier.”
A couple of days later we were sitting in the fish restaurant "Rakushka", and he regaled everyone around with rapans, washing it all down with latte, in which - all the waiters knew - you need to add no more than 30 grams of cognac.
Exquisite manners in one second could be replaced by absolutely unpatriotic desires - upon arrival in Rostov-on-Don, for example, we first went to McDonald's. They collected all sorts of garbage, then, happy, they suffered from heartburn.
"We skipped this section on heartburn just" - a phrase in the style of the Motor. So he commented on another trip under mortar fire. More pearls like "yes, his visor fell" (about a man who went crazy) - also his language is a matter. He communicated with loved ones on some of his own sparkling slang.
In Rostov, we stopped at a car wash. The motor worked there before the war. There is even graffiti painted by him. Industrial landscape, the contours of skyscrapers. The owner of the enterprise was at home - but rushed in as soon as the workers called and said that Arsen had arrived. Kissed her like her own son. Not because he became famous, but because he worked there for two years, no less. Mowed, he was shabby, but native. And, you know, you can see it. You can't fake it.
Many imagined Motor as a kind of "god of war". Of course it was. His seemingly blind courage did not exactly bribe, it broke all the patterns about how one should be afraid for one's life.
That is, when Motorola is displayed on the phone, be prepared to hear: "Well, are you going to record stand-up under the" hail "?"
I agreed. It was absolutely crazy.
Vokha (Motik's right hand) was taking us to the fields near Nikolaevka, the Veseushniks, apparently, were adjusting the installations before the decisive assault. Rockets plowed fields sown with potatoes and sunflowers. Earth clods flew like singed lumps into his face. But still, they were Grads. I often traveled alone with the Motor, without a cameraman, I filmed it myself. But a good half of my stand-ups on the front lines were recorded by Motor himself. The one under the Grads, too. When he did this, a big scandal erupted in Ilovaisk. You can't tell without tears.
Close combat, bullets whizzing overhead - literally. The motor has just recovered from injuries received in accidents - the soldiers of his unit are inspired, the commander personally participates in the battle, as before.
He shoots one after another RPG, then starts firing vogs from a grenade launcher. At one point, the mutual firing subsides a little. I ask Motorola to take the camera and record my stand-up. He does everything quickly in a military way - puts the machine gun against the wall, picks up a dusty and beaten "Canon" - in the frame I am and the Motorola machine gun, "parked" against the wall. How much stink there was ... Like, I'm not a journalist, but a military man, well, and all that ... If only they knew who recorded the stand-ups.
* * *
Of course, sometimes his jokes looked defiant. I arrive in the same Ilovaisk at seven in the morning. His unit must have formation. The boys fell asleep. Motorola is angry.
Without thinking twice, the commander fires a vogue into the grenade launcher and aims at the roof, which has already been destroyed by Ukrainian artillery shelling. Click - a grenade explodes over the heads of sleeping subordinates. After a few seconds, everyone lined up on the parade ground below. "Alarm clock" in Motorola style.
Motik worked with the enemy as subtly as with his subordinates. It was he who organized the first psychological attacks on the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At some point, there was a rumor that Chechens were fighting on the side of the separatists in Slavyansk. Motik did not lose his head and began to exploit this legend in his favor.
At the checkpoint, where the distance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine was minimal, no more than five hundred meters, he installed huge speakers. The attendants launched prayers at full volume - at strictly defined hours, according to Muslim canons. As the Ukrainian soldiers themselves later said, these chants in the Donetsk steppe made their hair move on their heads.
Namaz was replaced by compositions of the legendary Chechen bard Timur Mutsuraev. And if a militia fighter shouted "Allah Akbar" when attacking a Ukrainian checkpoint, he was entitled to additional rations and ammunition (it was tight with them). Therefore, in the skirmishes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the guys exaggeratedly emphasized their belonging to Islam. The long beards of those who fought in Semyonovka are also from this opera. To go on the attack - they called it "set fire". And the very ideology of confrontation with pro-European nationalists was soon called "Orthodox jihad." Inspired by these existential definitions, of course, Motik himself.
* * *
He was considered a nationalist. But in the case of Arsene - a rude word. He did not separate people by skin color. Both conditional Slavs and Caucasians fought in the detachment, the Central Asians also went into battle side by side with the guys. All his nationalism consisted in a simple formula: "consider yourself Russian - build a strong house, build a strong family, defend your homeland." Nothing else matters.
When healthy men approached him in the metro in Moscow - with a desire to shake hands, they say, how cool you are, we support you. The motor did not shake hands. He said to each such thug: "If you support me, why are you here?"
He didn't feel comfortable in civilian life. The rules of the game were clear to him, but caused a feeling of rejection. Somehow crossed the border. Our Russian border guard interrogated Arsen for a long time, like some kind of kid. Although everyone understood that he (the border guard) had a TV. It's not even a matter of show-offs. And in some principled jealousy. If such a conversation happened at the front, Motik would have pushed any warrior, because he proved everything in battle, but here he had to restrain himself, adapt ...
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© RIA Novosti / Andrey Stenin
We were friends. When the militia left Nikolaevka, the Motorov guys were the last to cover the retreat. Everyone worked around the city - "Grads", "Hurricanes", tanks. I happened to be there.
The boys were tired, Motik was on edge - the day before there had been a betrayal. One hundred volunteers withdrew from their positions and went to Bezler in Gorlovka. Such a hole in the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was effectively used.
I ended up there, it was necessary to drag the wounded. We didn’t have enough hands, Motor and I did it together, it was at night, we got lost, tired, got out. Since then, they have become like family.
The best pictures of the Motor were made by Stenin - RIA Novosti photo correspondent. Andriukha died in August 2014 near Snezhnoye. Arsen was very worried. He got close to crazy people. At first, "Solnyshko", a sniper girl from Belarus, fought in his detachment. She could shoot in the direction of her own. Everyone was afraid of her and considered her "voltaic". The motor took her to the unit, she clicked exactly with a dozen Ukrainian officers. And he had ninety percent of the detachment of such charismatics.
For his own, he was not only ready to break - respect for comrades-in-arms became a cult. If someone died, evacuating the body is the main task above all. The boys risked their lives - but to bury their colleague with honor was a matter of principle.
They say that for jambs he shot through the knees of his subordinates. I did not see. But I know for sure that when one of the elderly fighters asked for help to free his son in Gorlovka - he was sitting in the basement near Bezler - Motik, despite the counters with the Bezler people, went there. He put Stechkin on the table for Bezler, a pistol donated by Strelkov for a successful operation. And traded the guy for a reward. I have never heard of other commanders of such stories.
Motik did not want fame, he suffered from it. This is true.
We agreed to call him when he returned from the front line, but we never talked. He often dialed me to Syria, saying: "Hey, what are you doing there? I warned you, in battle - only with me!" I called him to visit, answered that it was not possible, despite the truce, the front could not be left.
Kingdom of heaven, friend. I'm sorry we haven't seen each other for six months and now we'll never see each other again.
Arseniy Pavlov, commander of one of the militia units of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, has died after an explosion in an elevator in his house in Donetsk.
The data of the intercepted correspondence on Viber of Motorola and his wife indicate that the leader of the militants was liquidated by “their own”.
The liquidation of the Russian mercenary Arsen Pavlov (Motorola) was carried out by Russian special services. Many experts and bloggers have already made this conclusion, but their conclusions were based more on logic than on concrete facts. In this investigation, for the first time, materials will be presented that directly and indirectly point to the Russian trail.
The hacktivists of the cyberalliance of the Ukrainian hacker groups CyberHunt, FalconsFlame, RUH8 and Trinity handed over to InformNapalm archives with data obtained from the gadgets of Arsen Pavlov (Motorola) and his wife Elena Pavlova (Kolenkina).
The “hacktivists” reported that they also have access and full control over the personal gadgets of other members of the Sparta group (commanded by the late Motorola) and the entourage of the leader of the DPR terrorist organization Alexander Zakharchenko.
The data of the intercepted correspondence on the Viber of Motorola and his wife on the eve of the murder were presented as evidence. A superficial analysis of the information indicates that Motorola in the last weeks before his death was alarmed by the conflict with Russian curators. For this reason, he did not live at home for a week (although he took the child from the hospital only on October 5) - he spent the night in the office, probably fearing for his life.
In one of the latest correspondence, Motorola's wife mentions that security was removed in their house on the night of October 15-16, after which she became anxious. Pavlov, on the other hand, instructed her not to trust her “elder brothers” (this is how Russian special services, namely the FSB of the Russian Federation, are usually called among the militants).
Also curious is the love triangle, which became known during the combing of personal photos from the Motorola gadget. (Pay attention to the dates of the documents, it is obvious that they were made on forms backdated (pre-war), so that later it would be easier to legalize them.)
In the phone of the killed militant, they found photos that suggest that Motorola had a blonde mistress on the eve of her death. InformNapalm OSINT experts conducted additional reconnaissance using the photo and found this girl on VKontakte. The alleged mistress of Motorola was a resident of Lugansk Lyubov Zakharova-Kustova. Note that before his death, Motorola took part in the so-called “suppression of the rebellion” in the LPR, so he visited those parts. One of the last shots from Zakharova-Kustova's profile is a photo against the background of a military uniform with a Russian pixel. Perhaps this is the uniform of Arsen Pavlov or another Russian mercenary or regular soldier of the RF Armed Forces.
Recall that on October 16, one of the commanders of the pro-Russian separatists, Arsen Pavlov, known under the call sign Motorola, was killed in Donetsk. The SBU said that the murder of Motorola is beneficial to the Russian leadership. The leader of the DPR, Zakharchenko, in turn, accused the Ukrainian military of killing the terrorist and threatened to take revenge. Zoryan Shkiryak, adviser to Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, said that the Russian FSB was responsible for the murder and predicted which other militants it would eliminate.
See also - Motorola Funeral
Anatoly Matios considers the opening of proceedings on the death of one of the leaders of the DPR appropriate.
Chief Military Prosecutor of Ukraine Anatoly Matios considers it appropriate to open proceedings on the death of one of the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Arseniy Pavlov, known as Motorola. Matios stated this on the air of the 112 Ukraine TV channel.
The chief prosecutor said that Ukraine is obliged to conduct an investigation into every crime committed on its territory.
Recall that on October 16, Motorola died as a result of an explosion that thundered in the elevator of his house. The explosive device was detonated by the terrorists. The militia had no chance to survive. Several thousand people gathered for the farewell ceremony for the commander of the militia in the center of Donetsk.
Despite the fact that the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France at the meeting of the Normandy Four agreed to develop a road map for the implementation of the stalled peace agreement in Donbass, the murder of Arsen Pavlov - Motorola threatens to lead to full-scale battles, writes The Financial Times.
The publication article says that the death of the pro-Russian commanders of the DPR is shrouded in mystery. “However, the death of Pavlov - the most notable of at least seven rebel commanders killed in just over a year - also raises a broader question: why are so many separatist leaders killed, sort of, during a truce? Theories range from revenge by pro-Ukrainian groups and infighting between various rebel factions to Russian intelligence agencies getting rid of separatists they can no longer control.
Since the end of 2015, at least four pro-Russian military commanders have been killed: Pavel Dremov, Alexander Bednov, Alexei Mozgovoy and Yevgeny Isachenko. All of them were rivals of the leader of the LPR Igor Plotnitsky, who was also subjected to an attempt on his life by unknown persons. Another Luhansk commander, Gennady Tsypkalov, died in prison (according to the official version, he committed suicide).
The head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Alexander Zakharchenko, who also survived the assassination attempt, accused the Ukrainian special services of killing a native of Komi Motorola, the newspaper recalls. “Kyiv denies its responsibility,” the authors write. “According to officials, the Kyiv security services would not have been able to kill a heavily guarded rebel commander in the heart of Donetsk.”
Analysts, noting the thoroughness with which Pavlov took care of his safety, suggest that he was killed by his own, the material says. They note that Russian media glorify Pavlov, while Kyiv officials and other sources suggest that he may have been eliminated by the Russian security services in a "purge."
Yulia Latynina, a Russian journalist and radio host who is a prominent critic of Vladimir Putin, blogged this week that Pavlov was killed on the orders of high-ranking Moscow officials because "he knew who shot down the Boeing" (MH-17), the newspaper reported.
Oleksandr Tkachuk, spokesman for the Kyiv-based SBU intelligence service, said Ukraine would certainly want to get Pavlov - "a suspect in many cases, from terrorist activities to murders" - and suggested that Moscow was to blame for his murder. “Imagine that the Ukrainian authorities had a witness like Pavlov at an international criminal court over Russian war crimes,” Tkachuk said. In his opinion, Pavlov's death is "beneficial to the Russian leadership."
Arseniy Pavlov died in Donetsk as a result of an explosion in an elevator in a residential building on October 16. According to some sources, about 50,000 residents of Donetsk took part in the farewell ceremony for the Hero of the DPR.
Ukrainian media reported that the identity of the man who committed the murder of the Motorola militia was established.
It is assumed that he prepared explosives and pressed the detonator button when Motorola entered the elevator. It is reported that the killer was paired with another unknown mercenary. Officially, the information that a certain Mark Ozolynysh was involved in the murder of the militia has not been confirmed.
Recall, Arsen "Motorola" Pavlov was killed in Donetsk on October 16. An explosive device went off in the elevator he entered upon returning home. The day before, the Ministry of State Security of the DPR stated that they have evidence of the involvement of the Ukrainian special services in the murder of the militia commander.
This opinion was expressed by the lava of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Zakharchenko.
“The operation to eliminate Arseniy Pavlov was developed by the Security Service of Ukraine…. This is terrorism on a national scale… Now it is too early to talk about specific perpetrators, but after the investigation is over, all information will be made public,” he said.
The militia commander of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Arsen Pavlov, who died in Donetsk, with the call sign Motorola, admitted in an interview that even his associates treat him ambiguously and that not only Ukrainian saboteurs, but also one of his own can kill him.
Shahida Tuluganova, a journalist from the Current Time TV channel, who interviewed him while filming the film Novorossiya in the DPR, told the Ridus publication about the conversation with Motorola.
Tuluganova spent almost the whole day with Motorola - at a press conference, a training ground and at the Donetsk airport.
According to the journalist, Motorola then said that he had already come to terms with his future fate.
“I am a suicide bomber, I know this and treat this fact with a cold heart,” the militia commander said to Tuluganova.
“Not in front of the camera, Motorola casually stipulated that the attitude towards him is ambiguous even among his own people and that not only Ukrainian saboteurs, but also his own comrades-in-arms can remove him,” the journalist noted.
Earlier it was reported that during the explosion in the elevator in Donetsk, the victim of which was Motorola, his bodyguard was also killed.
The murder of one of the leaders of the DPR militia, Arsen Pavlov (call sign Motorola), occurred against the backdrop of mutual accusations from both sides of the conflict in Donbass in refusing to comply with the Minsk agreements. This crime may provoke the resumption of the active phase of fighting in the south-east of Ukraine. This is the opinion of experts interviewed by RT.
Arsen Pavlov was killed on the evening of October 16 in the elevator of his own house. According to preliminary data, an improvised explosive device went off. Motorola was at the epicenter of the explosion and received injuries incompatible with life. Together with the commander of the DPR militia, his bodyguard also died. According to the DPR authorities, the bomb was detonated remotely. Responsibility for what happened in Donetsk was placed on the Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group.
“The death of the commander of one of the most combat-ready parts of the Donetsk People’s Republic is, of course, a heavy blow to the rebellious Donbass,” Yuri Kotenok, head of the media and public relations sector at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISI), said in an interview with RT. - In my opinion, the handwriting of the Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups, which have recently become very active both in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions, is clearly visible in it. Very brutally and professionally done. In response, the head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, openly promised that this vile murder would not go unanswered, retribution was inevitable. Thus, it becomes a catalyst for hostilities in the Donbass and once again confirms the true intentions of Kyiv. The Ukrainian authorities will not adhere to any Minsk agreements, even in the form that did not suit many, the stake is only on a forceful solution to the problem. I believe that Russia now has the right to significantly intensify its military and political support for the Donbass republics and force the Kyiv regime to comply with at least the Minsk agreements. In the end, no one has canceled Russia's right to conduct an operation to enforce peace, since there is a precedent - the events of August 2008, when Georgia's treacherous attack on the peaceful quarters of Tskhinvali forced the Russian army to use force, push back the enemy and save the Ossetian people from genocide. The analogies are very clear."
The head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, called the murder of Pavlov "a challenge to the entire republic" and promised that there would be no mercy for the killers. “As far as I understand, Petro Poroshenko violated the truce and declared war on us,” news agencies quote Zakharchenko. In recent days, the leader of the self-proclaimed republic has repeatedly accused the President of Ukraine of violating the Minsk agreements - first on Thursday, October 13, after the DPR militia shot down a helicopter of Ukrainian security forces, and then on Saturday, October 15, commenting on Poroshenko's speech in the city of Chuguev at the handover ceremony APU party of military equipment. As the Ukrainian president stated there, Kyiv will not begin to implement the political part of the Minsk agreements, including constitutional reform and local elections in the Donbass, until all requirements for ensuring security in the region are met. He explained: “The package provides for a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of foreign troops from our territory, the transfer at the first stage under the control of the OSCE, at the second stage under the control of Ukraine of an uncontrolled section of the Russian-Ukrainian border, the withdrawal of heavy equipment and artillery, unimpeded access of OSCE inspectors to the entire territory of Donbass.
After Poroshenko's speech, Zakharchenko called an emergency meeting. “Today we have conducted exercises with you that are related to two things. The first is a strong aggravation on the line of contact, and the second is the speech of Petro Alekseevich Poroshenko, in which he completely canceled the Minsk agreements and actually unleashed a new round of hostilities,” the head of the DPR emphasized.
“The death of Motorola could lead to the resumption of the active phase of fighting in the Donbass,” Donetsk political scientist Roman Manekin shared his concerns with RT. - The fact that the Minsk agreements are observed badly is not a secret for a long time, shelling occurs daily, as a result of which both civilians and armed people on both sides die. But in recent days, the intensity of shelling has increased, and the likelihood of an escalation of the conflict is very high. On Saturday night, the situation in the direction of Mariupol escalated sharply. On Monday morning, the Azov territorial battalion, after artillery and mortar training, made another attempt to attack the positions of the armed forces of the DPR, apparently counting on the demoralization of the militias in connection with the death of Motorola.
On Monday afternoon, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe settlement of Leninskoye in the south of the self-proclaimed DPR, a battle was going on between the militias and Ukrainian security forces, RIA Novosti reported, citing a representative of the DPR Ministry of Defense. “Today, the enemy in the area of \u200b\u200bthe settlement of Leninskoye, after artillery and mortar preparation from 08:00, made another attempt to attack our positions with forces up to a company. Now there is a battle, the enemy is suffering losses, ”said a representative of the DPR Ministry of Defense.
He also said that the Azov National Territorial Volunteer Battalion and foreign mercenaries participated in the attack. According to preliminary data, the Ukrainian military lost five people killed and ten wounded.
Andrey Loshchilin
Arsen Pavlov, better known as Motorola, killed in Donetsk; The head of the DPR Alexander Zakharchenko said that the attempt on the life of one of the commanders of the militia means a declaration of war by Kyiv.
Arsen Pavlov died the day before in the elevator of his house, where an explosive device went off. Several other people were injured as a result of the incident.
The death of Pavlov has already been commented on by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the SBU. At the same time, none of the law enforcement agencies claimed responsibility for the death of Motorola.
“A person who committed crimes against the integrity of Ukraine and was actually put on the wanted list by us was killed today in a residential building,” Yuriy Tandit, an adviser to the head of the SBU, said on the air of the 112 Ukraine TV channel.
At the same time, the speaker of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Artem Shevchenko, said that his “accomplices” could be involved in the death of the “terrorist”.
Denis Pushilin, the DPR plenipotentiary in the contact group on Ukraine, believes that the murder of Arsen Pavlov is the work of Kyiv. In his opinion, what happened could lead to another aggravation of the situation in the Donbass.
“Ukraine cannot go on a full-fledged offensive because they know they will lose, so they again return to terrorist acts,” he said.
The head of the DPR Alexander Zakharchenko also agreed with the plenipotentiary, calling Pavlov's murder a declaration of war.
“As far as I understand, Petro Poroshenko violated the truce and declared war on us,” Zakharchenko told reporters.
Zakharchenko noted that the DPR authorities already know the name of the person who ordered the assassination attempt on Motorola. Investigative measures will help identify the perpetrator of the crime, the head of the self-proclaimed republic said on the air of the NTV channel.
Arsen Pavlov gained notoriety during the battles near Slovyansk in 2014, when he broadcast live from the front line. He also participated in the defense of Ilovaisk, Donetsk airport and Debaltseve. For success in military operations, Motorola received the St. George Cross of the DPR and other awards of the self-proclaimed republic.
He got his nickname due to the fact that while serving in the Russian army he was a signalman in the Marine Corps.
In January last year, the European Union included Pavlov in the sanctions list. In Ukraine, a criminal case has been initiated against the leader of the militia.
In June 2016, an assassination attempt was made on Pavlov. As a result of an explosion on the territory of a trauma center in Donetsk, several cars were damaged, but the militiaman himself was not injured.
The authorities of the DPR have established the customer of the murder of one of the commanders of the militia, Arsen Pavlov, with the call sign Motorola. The performer is currently being sought. This was stated by the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Zakharchenko.
“At the moment, investigative measures are being carried out that will allow us to find out not only who ordered it, we already know about it, by the way, but who carried out this murder. There will be no mercy for you, believe me, ”Zakharchenko said on the air of the NTV channel.
Earlier it became known that in Donetsk on October 16, one of the commanders of the militia of the Donetsk People's Republic Arsen Pavlov with the call sign Motorola was killed.
According to preliminary data, he died when an explosive device went off in the entrance of his house.
A video appeared on the network in which four masked men claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt on one of the militia commanders, Arseniy Pavlov, known under the call sign Motorola. In their appeal posted on YouTube, they warned that the next victims would be the heads of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DNR and LNR), Alexander Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitsky, respectively.
Earlier, Zakharchenko said that the authorities of the DPR had established the customer of the assassination attempt on the officer. According to him, "investigative measures are being taken that will allow us to find out who carried out this murder." He also called the colonel's murder a declaration of war. "As far as I understand, Petro Poroshenko (President of Ukraine - approx. "Lenta.ru") violated the truce and declared war on us," Zakharchenko told reporters. "Now wait," he added.
“A video has appeared from the scene of the assassination attempt in Donetsk on Arsen Pavlov, better known under the call sign Motorola. As can be seen on the recording, the area of the attack is cordoned off and patrolled by the military. Investigators and emergency services are on the scene. As previously reported, in Donetsk, in connection with the death of the well-known Motorola militiaman, a counter-terrorist operation was declared. The area of the attack is currently cordoned off. The city introduced the plan "Interception". Law enforcement agencies are trying to find the organizers of the explosion that thundered in the elevator of Arsen Pavlov's house.
Also, a video appeared on the network recorded by unknown persons who claimed responsibility for the explosion of Motorola and made threats against Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky. The video was downloaded from the page of a Ukrainian propagandist. The video is most likely fake, but we publish it as a fact of existing reality.
The Ministry of Defense of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic confirmed the death of the commander of one of the units of the militia of the DPR Arseniy Pavlov with the call sign "Motorola" as a result of a terrorist attack.
"The fact of the death of the DPR hero Arsen Pavlov as a result of a terrorist attack is confirmed," a ministry spokesman told reporters.
The death of the commander of one of the units of the militia of the self-proclaimed DPR, Arseniy Pavlov, with the call sign "Motorola", as a result of a terrorist attack in Donetsk, could lead to an aggravation of the situation in Donbass, Denis Pushilin, the DPR envoy to the contact group on Ukraine, said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Sunday.
“This may lead to some aggravation (of the situation on the line of contact in Donbass - ed.),” Pushilin said.
“Perhaps Ukraine marked with its terrorist act some attempts to resolve the conflict by force,” he added.
Several people were injured as a result of an attempt on the life of the commander of one of the militia units of the self-proclaimed DPR, Arseniy Pavlov, with the call sign “Motorola”, the “Interception” plan was announced in the city, Denis Pushilin, the DPR envoy in the contact group on Ukraine, said on the air of the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
The Ministry of Defense of the DPR previously confirmed the death of Pavlov as a result of a terrorist attack.
The scene of the incident was cordoned off by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DPR and the military. Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are present at the scene, several ambulances are on duty, RIA Novosti correspondent reports. Prohibited passage and travel to the courtyard of the house where the emergency occurred. One of the roads leading to Pavlov's house is blocked by an armored personnel carrier.
“Unfortunately, yes, the information (about the death of Motorola) is confirmed. An improvised explosive device was planted. Operational actions are now being carried out, the Interception plan for the city has been announced,” Pushilin said.
“While the investigation is going on. It is known that an improvised explosive device was planted in the area of the elevator, that is, several people were injured and there is a dead one,” he added.
According to him, Ukraine cannot fulfill the Minsk agreements and is trying to disrupt them. “Ukraine cannot go on a full-fledged offensive, because they know they will lose, so they again return to terrorist acts, that is, the launch of sabotage groups that, in fact, act in such ways,” Pushilin said.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine confirmed the death of the commander of one of the militia units of the self-proclaimed DPR Arseniy Pavlov with the call sign "Motorola" in Donetsk.
The death of Pavlov was previously reported by the Ministry of Defense of the DPR and the representative of the DPR in the contact group Denis Pushilin.
“I can confirm the information that a person who committed crimes against the integrity of Ukraine and was actually put on the wanted list by us was killed today in a residential building,” Yuriy Tandit, an adviser to the head of the SBU, said on the air of the 112 Ukraine TV channel on Sunday evening.
The speaker of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Artem Shevchenko on Facebook also confirmed the death of Pavlov.
“The terrorist Arseniy Motorola Pavlov has been destroyed,” he wrote. At the same time, Shevchenko said that Pavlov could have been killed by "his own accomplices."
Kyiv declared war on the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic by attempting to assassinate Arseniy Pavlov, head of the republic Alexander Zakharchenko said on Sunday, commenting on the death of one of the militia commanders with the call sign "Motorola".
“As far as I understand, Petro Poroshenko violated the truce and declared war on us,” Zakharchenko told reporters.
The authorities of the DPR know the name of the customer who ordered the murder of one of the commanders of the militia, Arsen Pavlov, also known under the call sign "Motorola". This was stated on the air of the NTV channel by the head of the self-proclaimed republic, Alexander Zakharchenko.
Motorola was killed the day before in Donetsk. An explosive device went off in the elevator of the house where the militia lived. Several people were also injured in the incident.
“(Investigative actions) will allow us to find out not only who ordered, we already know about it, by the way, but who carried out this murder. There will be no mercy for you, believe me," Zakharchenko said.
According to the DPR authorities, the bomb was detonated remotely. Responsibility for what happened in Donetsk was placed on the Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group.
“At the moment, the following is clear. The commander was killed by a bomb blast attached to the wall of the garbage chute adjacent to the elevator shaft. It was put into action exactly at the moment when Arsen entered the elevator, the doors closed behind him, but the cabin had not yet begun to move up. That is, the work was done to the nearest second.
The house where Motorola lived was guarded very well. Yes, security is not an absolute guarantee against killers. But the execution of this particular murder is a different case. The room in which the bomb was fixed is locked and accessible to a very limited number of people - garbage disposal workers of the public utilities and their leadership in the housing and communal services department. That is, outsiders could not penetrate there. And if somehow they took possession of the keys, unfamiliar faces trying to enter the utility room would immediately fall into the field of view of the guards monitoring the situation in the yard.
Further. In order to detonate the bomb at the right moment, the killer had to be near the house, and in such a way as to see when Arsen enters the entrance. And the accuracy of the operation of the infernal machine shows that the killers somehow controlled what was happening in the entrance. Either with the help of a video camera installed there, or with the help of some devices built into the elevator equipment. Indeed, without this it is impossible to accurately calculate the moment when the victim enters the elevator, the doors close, but the cabin has not yet had time to start moving up. It is clear that the installation of such equipment also involves access to the building and lengthy manipulations that cannot be hidden from the guards.
So the version about "coming out to the DRG" is untenable. Ukrainian saboteurs do not have access to the building and the opportunity to stay there for a long time and carry out some work without arousing suspicion of the guards. The murder was committed by certain accomplices of the Kyiv junta, who have the opportunity to disguise themselves as “their own” in order to prepare a terrorist attack.”
“Neighbor of the killed Motorola militia: I was blown out of the door by an explosion, I hear screams, people are being carried out. Legendary militia commander Arsen Pavlov died in a terrorist attack. In the evening in Donetsk, in the house at 121 Chelyuskintsev Street, in the last fifth entrance of the nine-story building, an explosion thundered. The commander of the Sparta battalion, Arseniy Pavlov, known as Motorola, lived in this building on the seventh floor. The house and family of the Hero of the DPR were guarded around the clock by armed men. Motorola received the keys to this apartment under the program for providing housing for military personnel only this summer from the hands of the head of the republic, Zakharchenko.
According to neighbors:
- There was a powerful explosion, it feels like in my apartment. We are horrified at what is going on. Screams, groans, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, an ambulance, says one of Motorola's neighbors. - They took out the door in the partition and smashed the pantry. What about the neighbors - I do not know. I hear screams and what people endure. My friends are standing near the entrance, they are worried, but they are not allowed. I told the Ministry of Emergency Situations that there is a person in this apartment and I am in relative order. I looked out the partition - I see the elevator shaft.
Another witness reported that the explosion occurred in an elevator. Together with Arsen Pavlov, another person died.
According to some reports, plastids were used as explosives. And the bomb was fixed on the elevator cable.
Quote from Graham Phillips about the death of Motorola:
I can't say that I knew him as a friend, I knew him as a journalist. But, I remember many times, he was even concerned about my safety, and made an effort so that I could work, shoot. He was a cool, funny guy. And, of course, there was another side to him - a strict commander, and I saw that too. He yelled at me a few times when I was probably climbing too dangerously, “Get out of here” - well, I didn’t take offense. In fact, he always cared about the safety of journalists on his territory. Many victories for the DPR simply would not have happened without him. Donetsk airport is perhaps the main one. In addition, he was a husband, father of two children. I express my condolences to his family.
MEANWHILE
Motorola is survived by his wife Elena. In October, a son was born in the family of the Sparta battalion commander. The child was named Makar. Last year, Motorola had a daughter, who was named Miroslava. Motorola also has a son from his ex-wife Victoria, who remained in the Rostov region.
https://youtu.be/QiAkMDQHVqg
“Motorola in Donetsk is at home. The famous writer Zakhar Prilepin visited the home of the legendary fighter of the DPR Army - Arsen Pavlov (Motorola). Motorola, in the world Arsen Pavlov (namely Arsen, not Arseny, as they say on the net) lives in an ordinary apartment in Donetsk. On some floor there - the fifth, sixth or seventh: when we looked out the window, I did not count the floors. In the yard, local old people were playing dominoes. Motorola recently led them to the light to the table, so that their eyes would not be spoiled in the evenings. An ordinary peaceful courtyard, and the lights are on at the playing domino players.
I once asked Motorola what he says to his wife when he leaves for combat.
“I don't say anything,” he replied. "I'm just going to work."
Now I saw this place, from where he goes to work: the usual, with the smell of light mustiness known to everyone, moderately shabby, people's entrance; an iron door, a TV is working in the apartment, there is some regular conversation about England and the European Union (Motorola skeptically comments: they shouted ... it is clear that he is following the news and is aware of everything).
On the wall and in the sideboard behind glass are photographs: his daughter, who is barely a year old, his wife Elena, a couple of his successful black-and-white photos, a wedding photograph.
Motorola is cheerful, friendly, in shorts, barefoot, naked to the waist, white-skinned, traces of several previous wounds are visible, one eye is in a bandage (wounded - the most amazing thing is that in the exercises; from numerous combat he often returned literally like a hedgehog - in armor and sphere, studded with dozens of fragments, and received a new wound, in fact, by accident).
I've known Motorola for two years, but I never call myself. He called.
Yes, I'm back in Donetsk, - I answer.
And come to visit, I'm still on sick leave, - he said.
I was picked up in a jeep by his guys from Sparta, two of them. A pass was attached to the glass of the jeep, giving the right to drive around the clock (in Donetsk there is a curfew) and to carry weapons (it is forbidden to walk with weapons on the streets in Donetsk).
Basta Noggano played in the jeep.
New songs? - I did not know.
We chatted with the driver (a young, nice, friendly guy who has been at war since the summer of 2014) about rap: this is him, as soon as something new appears, he pumps Motorola: 25/17, Rema Diggu, GROT, Tipsy Tipa and here is Bastu-Noggano (pseudonym of rapper Vasily Vakulenko).
Vasya sang something in his next good song about the war and somewhere there again flying bullets.
We joked a little and not very cheerfully with the “Spartans” about the fact that Basta-Noggano is not alien to the “militarist” theme, but, apparently, never will come to Donetsk with a concert.
I asked the fighters how Motorola feels about the political beliefs of those they listen to.
The "Spartan" driver answered in the sense that this is of no decisive importance in general; although the fact that Digga comes here and sings makes everyone happy, they are friends with Motorola, and in general Digga is beautiful.
(Ram Digga is such a popular rapper from the Rostov region with a very peculiar and high-speed manner of reading; the author of the excellent song "The caravan leaves for the south", which has clear allusions to the Donbass war).
The second "Spartan" was laconic; he brought me to the apartment, contacted Motorola by radio:
Commander, open the door!
Motorola opened it, invited the fighter to also come in, sit, talk, but he very tactfully refused.
I brought all sorts of toys and sweets to his daughter, a bottle of cognac (last time I drank three bottles of cognac at Motorola along with the military commander Poddubny, I decided to at least partially compensate for the damage done) and two bottles of wine; moreover, he immediately warned that I would drink one myself (yesterday we sat up until the morning with a good interlocutor, well ... I felt some need).
Motorola offered to eat several times, I refused. He brought me a tall, strong glass and a mug of tea for himself.
The whole entrance knows, of course, that you live here, - I say.
The day before my arrival, near this house, a journalist wandered back and forth all day and looked at the windows; Motorola guys quickly figured it out, checked the documents.
Motorola laughs: "I tell her: I'm lustring you now, as in Kyiv."
And he adds conciliatoryly:
Well, what can I say? They haven't taken me home yet.
Local drunkards and other non-labour near-criminal elements left the courtyard of the house where Motorola lives, as well as neighboring courtyards.
The yard is a place for old people and children, Motorola chuckles.
I wouldn't be surprised or upset at all if Motorola lived in a huge cottage behind a huge fence, and there was a tank in the yard. There are many empty cottages in Donetsk, whose owners left for Kyiv at the very beginning of the war and hate all this “Russian spring”: live - I don’t want to.
In the end, one of the main "separatist militants", according to the news of the Ukrainian media, did so many things that he had to rebuild a palace for himself a long time ago. But no, since Motorola ended up in Donetsk, he has been renting from a Donetsk resident for his own money.
Three-room apartment, small rooms.
And a very small kitchenette, the entrance to which is blocked by a large soft ottoman, so that a one-year-old daughter does not crawl in there and remove dishes from the cabinets.
There is a small aquarium in the kitchen.
Eleven fish, five crayfish, three snails, says Motorola. - Recently bought. Now I look at them.
Gives them food. Crayfish begin to fuss, knocking down the snail every second, and work their jaws frantically.
The smallest food is barely visible.
Sometimes it seems that crayfish work their jaws in vain.
The idea that crayfish move only backwards turned out to be not entirely fair, - Arsen laughs: crustaceans really climb forward.
We talked about his eye: there are some problems with the treatment. Motorola, however, reacts to this whole story with the same humor.
So far, only one thing worries: one eye was hurt and now, if anything, there is no reserve, - looking at me with the only eye at that moment, he says.
Motorola unexpectedly flowery talks about his feelings:
You have no idea what phantasmagoric processes take place in your head when you look at the world with only one eye: the consciousness is rebuilt and begins to draw the second, invisible half of reality on its own ... It is very interesting to live. But sometimes it's dumb: you're walking - and suddenly there is a sharp feeling that there is a pillar in front of you. And there is no pole.
Then he tells amusingly how, after another shell shock, he lost the ability to read: the words fell apart, and in order to understand them, he had to re-read the phrase five times - one word did not cling to another; but when another shell shock occurred, the reverse process happened: everything fell into place.
How many injuries do you have? I ask him.
The most noticeable: on the left elbow, sewn, torn meat: a Ukrainian machine gunner at the airport worked. Motorola, without focusing on anything, tells how he led a group to storm in one of the corridors of the Donetsk airport.
“The machine gunner immediately switched to us,” Motorola says with some, it seems, even respect (the machine gunner fired in the other direction, where his fire was attracted).
He tells how he injected himself with painkillers.
People on the other side - they are deceived by someone. They don't understand what they are doing. And if they do not understand what they are doing, then you need to find a way to give them the right direction. A person cannot say that he is at war with Ukraine or with Ukrainians, if yesterday, two years ago, three years ago he was exactly the same Ukrainian. And he spoke the same way...
In Ukraine, I say, there are about twenty million people who do not fully know where the truth is. And it is important that they do not feel that they are offended. It is important to show that we are not fighting Ukraine, we are not fighting Ukrainians.
I have a specific position, - continues Motorola. - All those fighting on the other side are illegal armed formations. These are terrorist groups. Some of them are pro-fascist, some are pro-Western. Both of them are bandits and criminals. Ukraine as such has nothing to do with it.
Arsen, can you at least once in your life tell how you ended up here? I already know ten options of your entry.
I thought Motorola would refuse and keep the intrigue; but he suddenly laid everything out. Or what he considered necessary - in any case, he said more than I expected.
You know, when it all started in South Ossetia, my first wife was on the safe side. I went to her that very night, and then I find out about everything: “Grads” - shmrads, war ... And then I really didn’t have two and a half thousand rubles to go to Vladik, well, it really was such a difficult moment in life .
And I fussed. But there, all those close to me had already been warned in advance not to give me anything - they already see that I am about to get up on my slippers. Well, I think, another day, two, three, and I will definitely spit. And then - bang! - war is over.
And after this situation, I thought: you can fuck the flash. Where can she be? At some point, I begin to correspond with people who are in Ukraine. The active phase was already in January-February 2014: correspondence, an attempt to understand what was happening there.
And I make a decision. While my wife is on shift, I take two weeks of vacation at my own expense and five thousand rubles in advance from the director. In the church I bought a token with George the Victorious, consecrated my cross, alive in help - I'm still with them, - Motorola shows the belt on himself. - I'm going to, sit down on the train and go to Rostov. From Rostov to Yasinovataya, from Yasinovataya to Donetsk... You know, what I was most afraid of was that I would get burned, you understand?
No. Why?
There was a “Maidan”, and there they shouted about Muscovites, and some shouted that Russians should be slaughtered, they said that Russian should not be the state language. At first I thought: what the hell are Russians? Only crests live there! My and a huge number of citizens of the Russian Federation had this idea: in Ukraine there are people who speak a different language, and they have some other mentality. And then suddenly some "Russians". I think: Russians, Russians, where are they from...
After all, I speak Russian, for the last four years I have lived in the Krasnodar Territory, in the villages where they speak the balachka, and I thought then: I’ll go and they will immediately figure me out there.
Like a black man.
Well, yes. But I still didn't really scare myself at that moment. He put on white sneakers with a tricolor and with the inscription "Russia". And my friend’s brother is a “soldier” - they sewed hats under the helmet, also with the Russian coat of arms. And in this hat, in sneakers, in a short coat, I rushed here. And suddenly I realized that ... Well, for example, in Kharkov, only a month later I heard a woman talking on the phone in a language: I already turned around.
And how did you get to Kharkov?
I arrived in Ukraine on February 26, 2014. At 6 am train to Yasinovataya. From Yasinovataya to Donetsk. A man met me in Donetsk. We went with him to Dimitrov, stayed there for two days. From Dimitrov to Zaporozhye, there were two or three days. Then to Nikopol, Dnepropetrovsk region. I sat in Nikopol and watched Ukrainian channels. On all channels of the Verkhovna Rada, every five minutes. Ban on the Russian language? - sneeze-pooh, voted, sneeze-pooh - done ...
In Nikopol there was a small group from Svoboda and a small part of representatives of the Right Sector*. They had a tent there near the administration. All this would cost me 2-3 Molotov cocktails: they would just go nuts there. Everyone was relaxed there. When I actually had everything ready, I carried out additional reconnaissance in this direction with my like-minded person.
Were there two of you?
No, he did not take part in this. He just assisted me ... I come, and there - once! - already a crowd. People in uniform are already walking around, and there, in the depths of the crowd, where the tents were, there are people with weapons. Without stripes, without anything, in masks. And then I realize that I'm late. This should have been done the day before. But the day before, I was not ready yet. And I understand that it is time to leave Nikopol. I sit and think where to go next. To Crimea? Crimea - it's clear: our troops are there. What is the point of going there when there is already something to do there.
I look further - in Donetsk there is resistance. But Donetsk is somehow closer to the Rostov region, and everything is somehow clearer there from the very beginning. Until 2014, it could have seemed that Donetsk was Russia in general: people constantly went to football there, this and that, they said that I was in Donetsk yesterday - and all this was not perceived as someone else's. As a result, I decided to go to Kharkov ... I got there just when Lenin was being defended, that night.
Changed extreme money in Kharkov - rubles for hryvnias. In the store I ask something there, and the seller says to me: "18 rubles." I stand and think where I will take 18 rubles now. “But I don’t have,” I say, “only hryvnia.” She says - yes hryvnia, hryvnia. In Kharkov everyone used to say "rubles" then. The names of the shops - everything was in Russian. Now there is no such thing.
Why Kharkov lost?
There were activists: I would have unscrewed their heads ... They began to raise a movement in Kharkov in defense of the monument to Lenin. They shouted some slogans there - and that's it, let's go to the Russian consulate. And they went there to write some letters, to ask for peacekeepers. And people were being taken away all the time, you know. And the next day, a third fewer people came. Because people are working. They get tired. And gradually this movement began to dissipate. And it remains only to keep the youth. What do the youth need? Show off.
But the “right-wingers” who arrived in Kharkov already had guns and pistols. They made a trial raid near the monument to Shevchenko. Fluff, fluff, fluff, they shot from the traumatists. The next time they were already charged more seriously. They flew into the square and suddenly realize that they will not taxi directly through the square, in transit. They begin to wind, and we suddenly understand what kind of bus it is - it was passing by the orientation, a blue Volkswagen.
And, you know, there were always bottles of beer, and this time, as luck would have it, not a single bottle of beer, everything was removed: there was nothing to throw even at the windshield. And I'm running after this bus with a plastic mug of tea. Why did you run? Motorola laughs. - Then the taxi drivers who were behind us quickly figured out their location, and we went there.
That is, you were on Rymovskaya Street when Beletsky's people barricaded themselves and killed two Kharkiv activists from small arms. It was March 2, I think.
Yes, there was ... On Rymovskaya, Peter was hit in the eye, in the supraocular bone.
- "Peter" is a call sign?
Yes, he was in Slavyansk later and went missing there ... Peter was wounded, and another, local policeman took his place. He was killed. And they also killed one of our guys, Artyom.
I know how he died. I studied at the school of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in 2007-2008 in Krasnodar, and first aid is a topic that I understand. We went in, there is such an arch inside the courtyard. And when he appeared, a shotgun was fired from the first floor.
We followed him in a line. There was a billboard at the back. I took the shield and covered it, and the guys pulled Artyom out. He got hit in the body, and one pellet in the neck, in the artery. We moved away from this place, I look with peripheral vision - things are bad with him. An ambulance doctor calls, asks someone for advice and does not know what to do. With one hand he makes an indirect heart massage, and with the other hand he asks how it is done.
In general, I connected - fuh, fuh, fuh, Artyom - time! - and breathed, his skin color began to change. Everything is fine, they put him on a stretcher, and I returned to this mess near the house.
And then I go out - Artyom is already all: pale, already turned green. Internal bleeding! He was a good guy ... Back then, "Russia 24" filmed me there, how I was squirming there. The face is not visible, but those people who knew me said that it was me ...
What about taking a machine gun and killing another person before they kill us, and taking another machine gun in order to seize power. For this…
Kernes then led Beletsky's people out of there.
That is, Kernes already understood with whom he was dealing, and deduced them meaningfully?
Of course. It's all staging. People sold out... The local cops, the "berkut" were normal at first - we talked with them, for some time I went to the Kharkov administration without any problems. And then they were mixed up with the Poltava "Berkut" - it was clear from their eyes that they were not local, they didn't care. And so gradually the Kharkiv "Berkut" merged themselves ...
When I was leaving Kharkov, it was clear how armored vehicles were moving along the highway, and soon the whole city was completely surrounded by tanks. There was nothing more to be done by then.
In fact, from the very beginning, since February 2014, I have been observing everything that happened in stages, says Motorola. - I know how the war started, I know where it started. Everyone is talking about Odessa. Yes, it's a tragedy. But everyone forgot that in parallel with Odessa, on the same day, May 2, a large-scale military operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began with the use of aviation, artillery, and armored vehicles.
On the same day, the militia shot down two attack helicopters.
Yes, it was me who filmed the video of the rocket taking off. I had been there for several days before. In a mask, I go back and forth there, a machine gun with a grenade launcher; people thought I was some kind of reinforcement. In fact, I was waiting for the helicopters to arrive to give the command. So that those people who are sitting in ambush prepare and “blow off” the helicopters. Fortunately, we had already disarmed the 25th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and we had everything.
Thus the war began. Or rather, that's how it started.
Now, of course, they will ask us: why did your Motorola come there?
This is a secondary issue. He came with certain intentions. But that side was the first to kill anyway. The fact is, you can't write anything.
We are moving the conversation to other topics. The wife returns, but does not connect to the conversation, goes about her business, calm and concentrated.
Arsen suddenly says: “Let me brag to you about my poems.”
Quite an unexpected turn, I confess.
I'm reading three texts on his phone, obviously made for reading to the beat. I didn’t even have time to be puzzled: what if they are bad and I’ll have to somehow speak too streamlined about this.
The fact that Motorola is trying to rhyme does not always succeed, but this will come with time.
But in these three texts there was everything that Russian rap lacks so much: the complete absence of show-offs and the complete responsibility of a person for every word he said. No deliberateness, no “literature”, but instead aphorism and, yes, the same metaphysics of disturbing being, which many of us are trying to play out, twist with false tragedy, having nothing in their souls that can confirm this tragedy.
And Motorola, of course, has.
Frankly, I was surprised: it's one thing - a military commander, a witty guy, a folk hero, and another thing ... that's all.
There was boredom on the plane, there was nothing to do, - he explains.
Maybe it will turn out to be a good rep, - I say, so as not to crumble in compliments.
It’s still like walking to Pompeii for me, - Arsen responds. - Well, no, maybe this year something will turn out in the summer. I'll read something with Roma.
With Rem Digga?!
That would be very nice, I say.
No, it's still an unexpected twist.
I return Motorola’s phone: I don’t understand them (I myself have a push-button bast shoe and I don’t need another), but it seems to be a very sophisticated device.
A Swede, an officer who worked for the SBU, was captured near Slavyansk, he gave it to me,” says Motorola. - Then for a long time all sorts of letters came to him in English, like “how are you?” I write back: “He died,” Motorola laughs.
Scared? Nothing happened to this Swede.
We're back to war in a minute anyway.
Dnipropetrovsk region, Zaporozhye, Kharkiv region - why is there no resistance there? Motorola asks rhetorically. Because there are no weapons. There is no transportation of ammunition, transportation of personnel, transportation of supplies. As soon as a small supply center appears - just if we go to the administrative borders, those regions will immediately light up.
Here we all say “Donbass, Donbass” - and this is actually part of the Zaporozhye region, part of the Dnipropetrovsk region, part of the Rostov region, even Lugansk, in my opinion, even a small part of the Kharkiv region - all this is Donbass.
Donbass is a large coal basin. Now begins a long, tedious polemic in order to level this whole situation. And, most likely, either this is all before 2017, or before the elections, I don’t know in what year they have elections there. We need to make sure that it doesn't work out the way it did in Transnistria. Because the situation there is very difficult ...
Motorola begins to speak with a slightly noticeable irritation, stops smiling.
There are many here who we call "tolerant troops". Here they are at the forefront. Here they are hammered by artillery, they are killed, but they endure. They do not shoot not because they are not allowed to. They do not shoot, because they begin to shoot back at them. They will shoot from a machine gun or a machine gun, and in return they can be hit from a mortar or from an AGS. They can hurt or kill. Therefore, it is better to sit still instead of digging at least a meter from each position towards the enemy.
The miners! During the two years of the war, it was already possible to get out of Avdeevka with a whole brigade. In Syria, tunnels were dug in a year, they drove through the tunnels on BMPs between houses. Why? Because they are at war. Because they have some idea of their own there. And people here are starting to lose the idea in the trenches. They do not have any specific goal, they are all ghostly, blurry. They stand in the same place for two years and still manage to move back.
And it makes me very nervous when people leave positions. I am a person who, during the entire period of hostilities, left only from Slavyansk, it is hard for me to understand this ...
We don't have a gray zone at all. But the gray zone is clearly spelled out in the Minsk agreements. Troops that enter the gray zone, they can be destroyed without violating the Minsk agreements. They must be squeezed out. Driven out of there. A soldier appears at a certain distance - closer than 500 meters - he can be destroyed. There are no problems. And they drive smoothly.
Here is the landing, they are going to the next one in a tank. Why?
Naturally, I am silent.
Some people can’t even understand what I’m doing here,” he says. - There is always an opportunity to get out of here. I don't need to advertise. I will knit socks - I can knit socks - and sell them for normal money. Motorola socks. And I will live normally... But for now, the most important thing is that the enemy does not enter Donetsk. And he is actually in Donetsk. Sands is a village in Donetsk. Krasnogorovka is the outskirts of Donetsk. There are troops on the outskirts of Donetsk, a lot of armored vehicles, everything is there. We need to endure here and now.
We said goodbye and agreed to meet.
In fact, the next morning I could go with him to the Donetsk hospital for dressing, smoke there in the yard, wait for him.
But I went to other things.
He called and said:
- I am fine. Now the news will go, but keep in mind: everything is fine with me, - and laughs.
Okay, Arsen, it's accepted, - I say, realizing that something bad has just happened.
I open the news: well, yes, as usual - Ukrainian bloggers have already managed to write that Motorola was killed, our news writes that an attempt was made on him in the courtyard of the hospital. A land mine was placed under the car - the spread of fragments was such that dozens of people could be killed. Miraculously, no one was around.
Motorola was with his wife and child.
It’s good that he called: last time, when there was a fake that he was killed, and I couldn’t figure out what was really there for a couple of hours, my mood was nervous and not good.
