On Jan. 6, Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) released a recording of a phone conversation that suggests that Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev promised one of the Cossack leaders of Luhansk People’s Republic to equip them with heavy weaponry and provide military experts.
According to the SBU, the people talking on the recording were one of the Cossack chiefs Pavel Driomov and the member of his unit Yevhen (Borshtch). Earlier on Jan. 6 SBU released another recording of intercepted phone calls between Driomov and the members of terrorist groups, where they said that a town of Zolote in Luhansk Oblast was under shelling on Jan. 1.
“I don’t know, but some four houses were destroyed,” the member of the terrorist group told Driomov on Jan. 1, according to recording.
Earlier SBU provided a recording where Russia-backed separatists confessed the shelling that continues in the east of Ukraine. On Dec. 6 the SBU released intercepted phone conversation, in which members of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic reported that they have opened fire near Novobakhmutivka village, that resulted in civilian casualties.
Read the full transcript of an intercepted phone call below:
Pavel Driomov (nickname Batia): Guess whom I met with just now?
Yevhen: Maybe with Tambov?
PD: I had an meeting with Dmitry Medvedev.
Yevhen: Oh, that’s good. And how was he?
PD: He’s okay. He managed to get us Grad multiple rocket launchers, guns and told that (Ihor) Plotnytskiy (the leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic) will apologize to us. He’ll come back from Moscow and give a televised address in which he’ll apologize to the first Cossack unit, because they have always been fighting for the nation and they are the best.
Yevhen: Really?
PD: Yes. They will let us keep the same insignia, a name of the unit and our flag. But we have to change the title. We’ll have multi-service title now.
Yevhen: Who gives a f*ck!
PD: They’d give us tanks, they’d give us everything. Do you know how they called us? “You are in the vanguard of Russian Federation Cossacks.” The most important is that we’ll be provided with all the weapons before Jan. 15. Tambov was ordered to give us tanks, ground combat vehicles, and guns.
Yevhen: They will give us all this stuff?
PD: And what’s more important, I witnessed Medvedev to order to provide us with military professionals, not some advisers-chatterboxes. They really could teach people how to make things right. They are real soldiers and I trust them. That’s what I heard myself.
Yevhen: Wow!
PD: Dude, can you imagine – I have Medvedev’s phone number! Not some of his fucking assistants, but his number! The most interesting is that he’d officially invite 125 children from Gorlivka and Stakhanov on Jan. 5 to check Kremlin’s Christmas tree! Now to the bad news.
Yevhen: Yes.
PD: On Sunday “Tambov” will check everything, so we need to show him warehouses, 6th school, where we will have the headquarters.
Yevhen: F*ck, but the building of the 6th school is kind of unprepared, Pavel Leonidovich.
PD: We’ll do it! He needs to see the walls and now they will give us all we need.
SBU comment: De-facto Kuzovliov Sergei Yurievich (nom de guerre Tambov, Ignatov), Russian major-general, is Driomin’s boss.
Serhiy Kuzovliov: Yes.
Pavel Driomov: Sergei Yurievich, let me report on staff. The total number is 1,176 now, including 35 freelancers.
SK: Okay, good.
PD: This is without “ghost souls.” All those who are in. I checked it all myself.
SK: Anyway, Pavel Leonidovich, let them know that I’ll inspect all the units together with you – and will check, and look and count.
PD: Of course, Sergei Yurievich, they are ready. We even can have a unit set-up if needed.
SK: Great.
