The "government" of the head of the "LPR" Igor Plotnitsky is consistent in one thing, namely the destruction of the "enemies of the republic", who Mr. Plotnitsky considers to be his competitors.
On December 12th Pavel Dremov, the last of the leaders of illegal armed groups of the "LPR", who dared to critisize the "king", was killed. He is aka Pasha "Soplya", aka Pasha "Locator" and also "Batya". The leader of the Stakhanov Cossack was exploded on the Pervomaisk – Stakhanov motorway, there were explosives in the jeep, which was earlier muscled in on from a local businessman.
Ataman was heading to the Gorky Palace of Culture, where the ceremony of celebrate the marriage with a citizen of the Russian Federation from St. Petersburg was supposed to take place. The marriage itself was recorded a few days earlier in Russia. Dremov died on the accident site, his personal driver died later in the hospital.
Earlier, militant warlords of the "LPR" Alexander "Batman" (Bednov), Alex Mozgovoy and Eugene "Malysh" (Ishchenko), who didn’t want to obey Plotnitsky, had been eliminated in similar ways. All of them criticized the Plotnitsky’s "government" accusing him of stealing humanitarian aid, cooperating with Kiev hunta and stealing coal. Surprisingly, but outlasted Pavel Dremov " cauterized" Igor Plotnitsky louder and obscener than anyone else. In addition, Dremov boasted of some blackmail information stored on the flash drive.
A year ago Dremov downloaded a video message to the "Russian friends" and personally to Plotnitsky, in which he directly accused him of embezzlement of Russian humanitarian aid and stealing coal. To confirm his words Dremov said there was a flash drive, threatened to publish its contents. However, as of today, neither the flash drive, nor the contents were seen, so the question is still open: was there any?
"Batya" also dared to say that Plotnitsky represented the interests of the former deputy Aleksandr Yefremov and current deputy from the Opposition bloc Nataliia Korolevska.
As for the versions of the "LPR enforcement officers" on the murder, a lot of them and they are radically diverse. It is also logical and predictable that you can complain on Plotnitsky in the “LPR” only in the dark and under a blanket. He himself, by the way, commiserated and promised to "continue the work of heroes".
According to the Deputy Chief of Staff of the "People's Militia" of the "LPR" Igor Yashchenko, Ukrainian subversives were involved in the murder: "the committed crime is a continuation of the revitalization of the terrorist activity of Special Services of Ukraine on the territory of the LPR". This is the only version of the "people's militia".
In his turn, the head of the investigation department of "Prosecutor General", of the "LPR" Leonid Tkachenko said that "one shouldn’t make hasty conclusion": "it is too early to say something now who is to be blamed and how it happened. The main version is being worked out: SEG action on the part of the military units of Ukraine. This is something that is on the topic of the day as provocations and attacks intensified in the area. It is one of the most possible versions. Other versions will also be considered. This is settlement of old scores based on personal hostile relations. For example, some sort of household. Eliminating competition as a commander, an organizer directly", - vaguely suggested Tkachenko, assuming that the version of careless handling of ammunition can also be considered.
According to OstroV, a source close to the leaders of "People's Militia" says that "no one believes" in the version of Ukrainian subversives.
"The order is being worked out. As is the case with Mozgovyi, it is nonsense to attribute this elimination to the SEG of Ukraine. The Russian specialists killed him. Plotnitsky, of course, knew all and helped. "Batya", though trying recently to show his loyalty, was doomed due to his inadequacy and uncontrolled character", - said the source.
According to the source close to the leaders of the Peace to Luhansk public movement, which is "pocket party" of Plotnitsky, Dremov’s murder is "the last stage of cleansing opponents whom Plotnitsky couldn’t control".
"Luhansk authorities represented by Plotnitsky are really trying to find a compromise with Ukrainians today. Let it be an order from Moscow, but now the course is no teasing, to behave like a dung beetle, that is look menacing, but safe. Dremov didn’t fit such a policy. He was a really uncontrollable and dangerous element. No one knew what to expect from him: a drunken firing of mortar shells at a pigsty, or salvo of "Grad" on positions of Ukrainians, or some real blackmail information", - said the source.
The source of the Pravoye delo civil initiative also tell about the version of elimination of Dremov by Russian security service. So, they made a conclusion that Dremov’s deputy Eugene Borshchevskiy order to kill him as, according to the source, he was "recruited by the Russian security services in 2014".
"At the beginning of October 2014 Borshchevskiy suddenly disappeared for a short time as the employee of the analytical department of Pravoye delo and the security services militants. Militants themselves explained the disappearance of "Borshcht" by a quite specific version of him being poisoned with polonium by representatives of the Russian security services. Moreover, the militants did not exclude that he might repeat the fate of the FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko, who died from poisoning with radioactive polonium. Health condition of "Borshcht" allegedly deteriorated sharply after the regular working meeting with representatives of the GRU of Russia", - says co-chair of the Pravoye delo Dmitry Snegirev on Facebook.
However, the version of the poisoning was not confirmed and after the return of "Borshcht" there started disputes in the Cossack community.
"Six months before Dremov’s elimination Borshchevskiy repeatedly stayed in Luhansk and had several meetings with the leaders of the security services the self-proclaimed "republic". Then "Cossacks" began to talk about that Plotnitsky was trying to replace Dremov with controlled Borshchevskiy. Borshchevskiy was considered to be close to the leader of the LPR Plotnitsky. The Cossacks accused Borshchevskiy of desire to take the place of their leader. It is noteworthy that "Batya" considered "Borscht" to a close friend, which is confirmed by the fact the he was invited to the Dremov’s wedding", - writes Snegirev.
According to him, Borshchevskiy presented the jeep to Dremov as a wedding gift, which later exploded on the Pervomaisk – Stakhanov motorway.
"Russia decided to kill the last warlord who opposed Plotnitsky because "Batya" as opposed to Plotnitsky proved to be useless. If earlier it was necessary to maintain the balance of power in the region, as evidenced by the fact that some "humanitarian convoy" with military equipment went directly to Stakhanov, without going to Luhansk, now Russia is preparing to give back the occupied territories to Ukraine and the Stakhanov ataman, who opposed to the Minsk agreements, wasn’t needed any longer", - sums up Snegirev.
However, the source of OstroV close to "SSM of the LPR" has a different opinion: "Dremov wasn’t ordered to be killed but it was agreement with Russian curators. Moscow didn’t need him anymore and Plotnitsky is very vindictive. The motive of the Dremov’s murder is personal revenge and redistribution of spheres of influence. As in the '90s. There are just internal disputed, it’s not politics".
The odious Cossack fighter Nikolai Kozitsin also commented on the Dremov’s murder, he is now in Russia but had previously intended to establish his "Cossack princedom" in the occupied territories of Luhansk region. According to him, he warned Dremov of the attempted assassination.
"I had information that Pasha would be removed. I knew it, I was warned. When I was celebrating his wedding last week in St. Petersburg, I told him about it. But he reacted with indifference to my words... We will thank all for those things. All the secret sooner or later becomes clear. All these groups, subgroups ... We, Russians, have many jackals that wear form, give weapons and then make a mess. But the things they do will return to them. Earth is round ... We’ll be one up on them, they will bear us in mind for ever"- said Kozitsin.
However, such uncompromising statements of Kozitsyn rather show powerless rage than real danger. At least, in Luhansk they laugh at Kozitsin though they treat the Cossacks in a wary way but considering the support of Moscow.
"We call him 'the mustachioed mo..n" and "margarine cap". Cossacks are watched and kept under the control on the territory of the "LPR". Regarding Kozitsin, no one considers him to be a figure capable to influence events", - said the source in the administration of the "LPR".
Ostap Gorodenko, OstroV