Yarosh and Right Sector. Who are we working for?

Not long ago, Dmitry Yarosh unexpectedly resigned from the post of head of the Right Sector, without resigning his powers as a people’s deputy and heading the combat units of the Right Sector. Around this event, rumors immediately began to circulate that Dmitry Anatolyevich was preparing a coup d’etat or a third Maidan. In addition, his departure is associated with the loss of public money from the Right Sector, which we wrote about earlier. Another version of his departure, voiced by him, is supposedly his reluctance to be a “wedding general” in the nationalist movement of Ukraine, which we also wrote about. Is this true? It’s hard to say. And Yarosh himself and his Right Sector have always been closed to the general public. It is this closeness that often becomes fertile ground for speculation and various conspiracy theories. Well, let’s try to understand these intricacies of Ukrainian nationalism and understand who this person is and what he wants.

Where did Yarosh come from?

Dmitry Anatolyevich himself stated that the Right Sector appeared on the Maidan in December 2013, that is, simultaneously with the beginning of the protests in Kyiv. But this organization made itself known loudly in mid-January 2014, when the protests moved into the stage of fighting with Berkut and throwing Molotov cocktails. And already at the end of January, the Right Sector began to put forward demands to the then authorities and to Viktor Yanukovych personally. It was at this moment that the country learned that there is such a Dmitry Yarosh and he heads a military organization, which includes representatives of completely heterogeneous forces. From football ultras to the “Trident named after Stepan Bandera” and from the “Patriot of Ukraine” to a certain strange “White Hammer”. A month later, the Right Sector demanded political consultations from the democratic coalition of Klitschko, Yatsenyuk and Tyagnibok, and Yarosh himself met personally with Yanukovych and negotiated a truce, which, however, was not successful. In those days, political scientists and officials were at a loss as to where this Right Sector and this Dmitry Yarosh came from? He has neither history, nor relationships with other forces, nor even people in the establishment who once heard anything about him. It feels like he just appeared out of nowhere. But that doesn’t happen. There are always special services behind such organizations.

Why the special services?

Militarized organizations are quite expensive. They need gyms and training camps, uniforms, ideological literature. Its leaders cannot engage in organizational work and training young people in their free time, which means they need a salary. All this is money, and it has to be taken somewhere. Perhaps they live off donations from the public? Well, can each of us remember if he has ever donated his money to an extremist organization? Then maybe one of our friends did it? It is difficult to imagine an ordinary person who contributed at least one hryvnia to the “Trident” or “White Hammer”.

Then perhaps they are supported by oligarchs? But the same question arises: for what purpose? Yes, the oligarchs have their own paramilitary forces in the form of security services for their companies. But giving money to organizations that are guided not by the business interests of a specific Rinat Akhmetov or Igor Kolomoisky, but by incomprehensible ideals is simply madness.

But such organizations are right in the hands of the special services. They can, if necessary, organize a terrorist attack, and mass unrest, in a word, create that very “troubled water” in which the secret services usually catch their “fish.” And besides, only they can make sure that the entire power vertical from the district to the regional department of the SBU turns a blind eye to the fact that under their noses young people are being taught martial arts, shooting and the use of bladed weapons. Not to mention the fact that such organizations need trainers with very specific knowledge and combat experience. At the same time, the Russian FSB may well support Ukrainian nationally oriented formations, and the SBU Russian nationalists. Ideology has nothing to do with it, everything depends on the task that the special service faces or may face in the future. So Dmitry Yarosh may be in the pay of one power structure or another. Let’s look at both versions.

FSB version

This version is supported at least by the fact that the Russian media made Yarosh a real hero in the eyes of Ukrainians. There was a deliberate action to create the image of “the most terrible Ukrainian nationalist.” At the same time, there were plenty of “bogeymen” for Russians on the Maidan – Oleg Tyagnibok, Andrei Parubiy and many other nationalists. But Russian media didn’t say anything at all about them. Dmitry Yarosh did not leave the screens, scaring Russians and raising the image of the leader of the Right Sector in the eyes of Ukrainians almost to the skies.

On the Ukrainian side, media support for Dmitry Anatolyevich personally and the entire Right Sector is provided by a Russian citizen, the famous Russian ex-Kommersant journalist Artem Skoropadsky. He finally replaced Borislav Bereza when he took up a political career. A strange choice for a national-patriotic force, isn’t it? Was there really not a single Ukrainian journalist? Or is this an order from the authorities from Moscow? The very moment of activation of the Right Sector speaks in favor of the FSB version. They started throwing Molotov cocktails and setting fire to police buses not in the first days of the Maidan, when they beat students, and not when the Berkut and titushki crowded and beat peaceful demonstrators. It happened like this: on February 17, the then government launched the amnesty process for Euromaidan participants, on the same day Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Vitaliy Klitschko flew to Berlin to talk with Angela Merkel. That evening, the German Chancellor announced her readiness to provide financial support to Ukraine. And then the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the United States was trying to impose the Western vector of development on Ukraine as the only correct one.

However, life in Kyiv is getting better. Administrative buildings and Grushevskogo Street are being vacated. It seems that the Europeans have finally put the squeeze on Yanukovych. And the very next day, a group of Right Sector activists set fire to buses on Grushevsky Street, and the confrontation flared up again. And already on February 20, Dmitry Yarosh appears on the arena, holding secret negotiations with Yanukovych. On whose behalf did he conduct them? On behalf of Maidan? Or on behalf of the Russian intelligence services? That’s the question. And one more argument. Among the dead of the Heavenly Hundred there is not a single representative of the Right Sector. It’s strange, because they were the ones who should have been in the vanguard of the Maidan. But, perhaps, it was on this day that Dmitry Anatolyevich gave the order to his troops to withdraw from their positions.

SBU (and therefore pro-American) version

This version is supported by long-term friendly relations with Valentin Nalyvaichenko, who twice headed the SBU. Dmitry Yarosh was his assistant-consultant, and according to some sources they are godfathers. Being the head of the SBU in 2006-2010, Nalyvaichenko personally supported Trizub. And besides, the situation at Euromaidan was beneficial to him. After all, the leader of the Self-Defense Andrei Parubiy was considered the main “silovik” of the Maidan. But after Yanukovych fled, he received a symbolic sinecure as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. And the post of head of the SBU went to Nalyvaichenko. For what merit? Apparently, he was the only one who at that time had a more or less effective combat unit – the Right Sector. Alpha, Berkut and other professional combat units were demoralized and feared for their lives and freedom. The army was collapsed, and volunteer battalions were just being formed. But the DUK “PS” was ready for battle and very quickly received weapons, apparently, Dmitry Anatolyevich’s friend also contributed to this. However, after some time, with the help of volunteers and businessmen, the army and volunteer battalions were brought to a state of normal combat readiness and the need for both Nalyvaichenko and Dmitry Anatolyevich disappeared, so they were quickly “merged.”

Preferences

Strangely enough, out of the entire powerful organization of the Right Sector, the threat of the criminal regime of Yanukovych, after the Revolution of Dignity, only three people received preferences – Dmitry Yarosh, Andrey Biletsky and Borislav Bereza, who became people’s deputies. The rest of the organization was roughly divided into two wings. The first took up ordinary banditry and racketeering, such as Oleksandr Muzychko, who began to actively take advantage of amber mining, or the Transcarpathian Right Sector, which took up “protection protection” for smuggling. Another wing, such as Andrei Sharaskin (call sign Boheme), went to fight in the East of Ukraine, helped the cyborgs, and generally distinguished themselves in battles and is still there. It is difficult to say which of these wings is controlled by Dmitry Yarosh himself. Most likely, the organization was out of his control. If this control ever existed. It may well be that Dmitry Anatolyevich was just a face, a speaker, the talking head of this organization. And behind her stood and continue to stand other people. Which ones exactly – read above. Yarosh himself, as a reward for his activities, received a dust-free and profitable position as a people’s deputy. Moreover, the image of the hero of the Maidan will probably be enough for him to win the next parliamentary term. Well, if necessary, he can be easily “reactivated” and put at the head of the next extremist project, if necessary.

Thus, in the context of all of the above, the reasons for his departure become clear. In the East of Ukraine the situation is normalizing, the need for combat units is no longer needed. Where will these yesterday’s heroes needed by the country go? What actions are they capable of doing? Yes, any, even the most inadequate. And thus, those who until recently were the pride of the country and people turn into criminals who are dealt with by the police. Just remember the same Muzychko we talked about above. And who will be responsible for them? Yes, anyone, but not Yarosh, he no longer leads them. Today, Dmitry Yarosh is not very loudly accused of stealing money from the Right Sector. Well, perhaps the “comandante” decided to engage in more peaceful and, at the same time, more profitable activities? In any case, he will remain a beautiful legend, the man who brought down the criminal regime of Yanukovych. At least that’s what it seems.

Denis Ivanov, for SKELET-info