MARIUPOL, Ukraine -- Ukraine's Right Sector fighters and their supporters have vowed to stay in Shryrokyne in Donetsk Oblast and ignore any orders to withdraw, which they said would effectively invite Kremlin-backed separatists to invade the nearby port city of Mariupol, with nearly 500,000 people.
Denis Pushilin, leader of Kremlin-backed separatists in Donetsk, on July 1 declared a unilateral demilitarization of Shyrokyne, a seaside city nearby Mariupol, scene of a five-month tense standoff. In the next days the Russian-backed militants withdrew from Shyrokyne to the fortified positions not far away from the city.
At first, the decision was presented as an act of goodwill and demonstration of the peaceful intentions and readiness to implement the February Minsk II agreements. But on July 8, Oleksandr Zakharchenko, another separatist leader, claimed that Shyrokyne serves as a trap for Ukrainian troops now. Also he said that “these 1.5 kilometers play no tactical role but politically they are decisive.”
Igor Matyushin, 54, a civic volunteer and former fighter who now helps soldiers in nearby Mariupol, believes that the declared demilitarization is just a “tactical trick.”
“Soon after our supposed withdrawal from Shyrokyne, there will be some lost or strayed Russian commandos there. And from this town they are going to disturb us and create problems for us, threatening Mariupol. So the one who will dare to give an order to withdraw from Shyrokyne must be considered a traitor. Though I am sure that a lot of residents of Mariupol will oppose this move because we don’t want a repetition of the tragedy that happened on Jan. 24,” Matyushin said, when separatists shelled Mariupol, killing 31 people.
The Azov Regiment declared the initiative “dangerous and irresponsible.”
On May 3, several thousands residents of Mariupol took to the streets in protest against the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Shyrokyne. Residents adopted a resolution to President Petro Poroshenko, the General Staff and the Security and Defense under the title “Not a Single Step Backwards.”
As for now, there was no definite response from the Ukrainian authorities to the unilateral demilitarization of Shyrokyne declared by the separatists.
Valentin Fedichev, the chief inspector for Humanitarian and Social Services Inspectorate of Ministry of Defense, said that separatist leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk were charged “with a task by Moscow to demonstrate concrete steps to promote a ceasefire” on the eve of a new round of talks in Minsk.
Vladyslav Seleznev, a Ukrainian army spokesman, said the terrorists “resorted to trickery” to make Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the demarcation line.
The idea to make Shyrokyne a demilitarized zone initially was proposed by Ukrainian side on April 15 during a video conference of participants of the Trilateral Contact Group, including separatist representatives
The fiercest opponents to the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Shyrokyne is Right Sector.
Serhiy Chiryn, leader of the Right Sector fighters in Donetsk Oblast, vows that the volunteers of his organization will never follow the order to leave the city.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “just scores the points. He cannot afford an open fight now so he buys time and tries to please the Western counterparts. And I guess they will like it. Ukrainians will be told to make concessions to him again. Hey, come on, just one more time, it’s nothing,” Chiryn said. “But yet it’s not nothing. We always paid with our blood for such concessions. It must not happen again. If Shyrokyne will be left by Ukrainian troops, Mariupol becomes exposed to attack. In my opinion, only enemies of Ukraine can give an order to withdraw.”
Right Sector is not alone to raise the alarm and oppose the withdrawal, Serhiy says. According to his words, Donbas Battalion has sided with them. There are talks with Azov are going on and they seem to be successful. Chiryn also believes that there will be a lot of patriots in other units ready not to obey the “wicked order.”
But even if Right Sector will be left alone, “let it be our last fight, we will fight,” Chiryn says. “Mostly we rely on the people, their support. We didn’t get anything from the state. We are fed and armed by the people like it was with Cossaks in the old times. The state is afraid of us. They know that when the war is over kwe will have a lot of questions to the enemies from within… The (EuroMaidan Revolution) has not finished yet. I have gone through Maidan in Donetsk, I have gone through Maidan in Kyiv and I don’t want all that to be in vain.”
