Army of Novorussia numbers and weapons. What weapons do the DPR and LPR have, according to a specialist. The story of the deputy brigade commander for combat training

In November 2015, the speaker of the General Staff, Vladislav Seleznev, announced that there were 9 thousand Russian military personnel in the Donbass, as well as 35 thousand militants from the local environment. According to him, the total number of pro-Russian militants and Russian military in Donbass is 44 thousand. Another 50 thousand are a group of Russian troops, which is stationed along the Russian border between Ukraine and Russia. The representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Vadim Skibitsky, said that according to military intelligence, there are about 7 thousand 700 personnel of the Russian Armed Forces located in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. He clarified that this number has not increased significantly, it remains constant. At the same time, processes of redeployment and strengthening in the First and Second Army Corps are noted.

On February 8, 2016, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Viktor Muzhenko, stated that there are about 7 thousand personnel military personnel of the Russian Federation in the uncontrolled territories of Donbass. On February 10, 2016, a representative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vladislav Seleznev, said that the total number of militants and Russian soldiers in the temporarily occupied territory of Donbass is exactly 34,000, clarifying that about 7 thousand of them are career Russian military personnel.

According to information from Vadim Skibitsky, Deputy Director of the Department of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the number of career military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces in leadership and other important positions in the so-called “armies” “LPR” and “DPR” exceed one thousand people. This number is more than 1000 people. Leadership, career military personnel, mercenaries who are former military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and are in the occupied Donbass. The Russian command is trying by all means to hide the presence of its professional military personnel in Ukraine. Russian military personnel arrive on the occupied territory of Ukraine with a prepared biography legend, as well as with false documents in a new name and surname. They work with these documents already as part of the first and second “army corps”. V. Skibitsky emphasizes that all command posts in militant brigades and regiments are occupied by military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces. In some cases, the most important positions, such as, for example, the commander of a reconnaissance platoon or regiment, are also occupied by career military personnel of the RF Armed Forces. According to the data he voiced, the number of separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine exceeds 34 thousand people. About 8 thousand of the total number are career military personnel of the Russian Federation. We are talking about powerful groups that, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate, are ready to resume offensive actions against the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other security forces.

Chairman of the SBU Vasily Gritsak notes that in the occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions there are about 4-6 thousand military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces on a permanent basis, who mainly occupy leadership positions in the units of the occupation 1st and 2nd “army corps” .

According to the leader of the Right to Right group Sergei Snegirev, information about the presence of a total of 44 thousand militants and Russian military personnel in the East of Ukraine is provided with the aim of creating artificial tension in Ukrainian society. This figure is not static on the territory of Ukraine. It ranges from 4 to 6 thousand Russian military personnel.

In March, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs Zoryan Shkiryak noted that the so-called. “DPR” and “LPR” have about 36,000 personnel, of which eight thousand are servicemen of the regular army of the Russian Federation, stationed in the Donbass on a rotation basis. According to him, the militants have 470 tanks, 205 MLRS, about 600 heavy artillery systems of various calibers, as well as more than 1,000 units of other armored vehicles. Today, the amount of Russian equipment in the occupied territory of Donbass is much greater than the number of units when compared with the above indicators.

Thus, the total number of militants on the territory of the “DPR” and “LPR” varies from 34 to 44 thousand people. There are also different estimates of the data regarding the number of Russian military personnel on the territory of Donbass: according to the analysis of the General Staff of Ukraine (7-9 thousand people) and the SBU (4-6 thousand people). If we also take into account the presence of the so-called fact. "dead souls", then we can assume that the number of local militants in 1st and 2nd "AK" may be less than the officially announced minimum threshold number of militants. Within the framework of this study, the opinion is accepted that the real number of people included in the 1st and 2nd "AK", taking into account Russian military personnel, does not exceed 30 thousand people.

This material focuses on analyzing the structure of the “first army corps of the DPR.”

Structure of the "1st Army Corps of the DPR"

According to an analysis of open sources, the approximate structure of the “first army corps of the DPR Ministry of Defense” is: brigades, separate regiments, separate companies and territorial defense battalions.

Let us dwell on the analysis of the brigades that are part of “1 AK”, according to available information from open sources of information.

1st separate motorized rifle brigade (1st motorized rifle brigade "Slavyanskaya"). Located on the territory of the village of Komsomolskoye, military unit 08801. The commander of the 1st Omsbr is N. Dygalo. The estimated number of militants is up to 4,500 personnel. They have tanks, self-propelled guns and MLRS at their disposal. Formed on the basis of gangs created by Igor Girkin in 2014 in the city of Slavyansk. The backbone of the brigade consisted of militants from the sabotage group of I. Girkin, created on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in March 2014. The brigade included Russian military personnel, the “Slavic Brigade” of I. Girkin, militants of the “Russian Orthodox Army”, etc. Previously, it was one with the 7th Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 9th Motorized Rifle Regiment. Among the most famous gangs that are part of the illegal armed formations of the 1st Omsbr we should highlight: the 1st Semenovsky motorized rifle battalion (headed by Alexey Sosonny, call sign "Viking"), a separate platoon of snipers, two tank companies, the 2nd Semenovsky motorized rifle battalion, the 3rd motorized rifle battalion (commanders: Alexey Likhvar, Zigmund Ushakov, Alexey Danko), Dixon battalion (Konstantinovsky battalion), communications platoon, howitzer artillery battalion, etc.

3rd separate motorized rifle brigade (3rd motorized rifle brigade "Berkut"). Located on the territory of the city of Gorlovka (military unit 08803). The curator of the armed formation is Major General of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Timofeev. Created on the basis of the merger of the Gorlovsky 3 MSB, the Enakievo 2 MSB, the Makeevsky MSB ("Sword"), and the gang of Igor Bezler. According to other information, the brigade commander is Andrei Borisovich Sokolov, Major General of the Russian Armed Forces. The headquarters and command staff are located in the hotel and restaurant complex "Barnsley" (Gorlovka). The total number is about 1000 people. The monetary remuneration of an ordinary soldier of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Brigade is $360 per month. It began in November 2014 after the resignation of Igor Bezler. The leadership of this separatist armed formation includes the call signs “Mongoose”, “Okun”, “Long”, “Brest”, etc. The 7th Motorized Rifle Brigade includes three Slavic motorized rifle battalions, the GSaDn (howitzer self-propelled artillery battalion), the ZRDn (anti-aircraft artillery battalion) division), the "Fields" company, etc. According to the materials of the "Troy" militants, in connection with the current "dead souls" system, half of the actual strength of the brigade battalions are volunteers and mercenaries who are not on the staff of the "1st AK DPR" and are not receive cash allowance. The money allocated for their maintenance is appropriated by the command. The group's members are known to abuse alcohol and drugs. At the beginning of March, a commission from the Center of Territorial Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, located in the city of Novocherkassk, Rostov Region, arrived to check the state of combat readiness and logistics of the 3rd separate motorized rifle brigade "1 AK". According to information from social networks, the bandit formation includes four tank companies, the previously mentioned three battalions "Gorlovsky", "Enakievsky", "Makeevsky", a reconnaissance company (commander - call sign "Spaniard"). Taking into account the “dead souls” factor, the quantitative composition of the illegal armed formations of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Brigade can range from 1,000 to 2,000 militants.

5th separate motorized rifle brigade (5th motorized rifle brigade "Oplot") - located on the territory of Donetsk (military unit 08805). It began its activities as a group of “titushki” on Anti-Maidan. In the spring of 2014, a group of militants led by A. Zakharchenko captured the Donetsk City Council. It was formed by merging the Oplot group, part of the militants of the Russian Orthodox Army, the Svarozhichi gang, and others. Mikhail Tikhonov, Sergei Rozhkov, Nikolai Yurash are known among the command staff of the militants. The illegal armed formations include three motorized rifle battalions, an artillery howitzer brigade, a howitzer artillery battalion, and a howitzer self-propelled artillery battalion. In 2015, the "MGB of the DPR" arrested the commander of the 2nd SME ("Svarozhichi") Oleg Orchikov (call sign "Vargan"). In early March, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense announced the arrival from Russian territory of a unit of the 24th separate special-purpose brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces to the area where the 5th separate motorized rifle brigade is located.

100th separate motorized rifle brigade of the "Republican Guard" (100th separate motorized rifle brigade of the RG), located on the territory of Donetsk. Repeatedly, separatist bloggers Andrei "Chervonets", Boris Rozhin and others wrote that the "Republican Guard" was disbanded as part of the process of structuring separatist gangs under the single command of "1 AK", thereby depriving Alexander Zakharchenko of an armed formation under his control. However, according to the separatist media, this militant unit continues to function and is subordinate to A. Zakharchenko, and not to the command of “1 AK”. The separatists note that the Republican Guard has been transformed into the 100th Brigade. After this, the companies were redistributed to other battalions, supplies and salaries were reduced. Some of the personnel were distributed to other units, and the officers were transferred to civilian status. Experienced militants had to re-enter the military registration and enlistment office as privates to continue their service. The basis of the “Republican Guard” was made up of separatists from the battalions “Oplot”, “Russian Orthodox Army”, “Bulat”, “Patriot”, etc. The “Republican Guard” includes special forces units whose task is to conduct reconnaissance, sabotage and airborne operations. -assault operations. The militants undergo special training, and also practice the skills of conducting internal and external reconnaissance. The commander is Ivan Kondratov (“Vanya the Russian”). This week it was reported that Ivan Kondratov was dismissed. Previously, “RG” included the “B-2” battalion, led by the field commander Taras Gordienko (call sign “Cluney”), known among militants. October 31, 2015 “Cluney” after a conflict with Russian curators and for criticism of A. Zakharchenko. was arrested by the "MGB of the DPR". Previously, "B-2", together with the "Shuma" battalion, were part of the illegal armed formations of the "Cossacks" on the territory of the "DPR". However, after the conflict between the "Cossacks" and A. Zakharchenko, purges and campaigns were launched against them. by discrediting. During the negotiations, the “Cossack” groups were transferred in full force to the “Republican Guard”, after which they began to oppress them organizationally and financially as former “Cossacks”. Part of the 2nd brigade of the "DPR" (the other part formed the 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade), RPA battalions, "Oplot", the 15th international battalion "Pyatnashka", territorial defense battalions, a number of separate units following the example of the commandant's command were used to staff the "Republican Guard" "Varyag" company, Cossack units. The approximate number of guards is 4500-5000 people. The RG is directly subordinate to the head of the “DPR” and is A. Zakharchenko’s reserve; it represents an intermediate link between the VV and the Airborne Forces: highly mobile, light battalion/company tactical groups of which can quickly be deployed to the most dangerous sectors of the front. In February 2015, the “Intelligence Directorate” (GRU “DPR”) was introduced into the staff of the RG. After the “departure” of Sergei Petrovsky (Sergei Dubinsky, according to other information – Dvorkovsky) to the territory of the Rostov region, the “GRU DPR” actually fell into decline after the scandal with the call sign “Old” and Alexandra Filippova. The “Republican Guard of the DPR” is not formally included in the Defense Ministry of the “DPR”, but is directly subordinate to A. Zakharchenko. At the moment, the process of forming the DPR RG has been completed; currently 6 battalion tactical groups (BTG) have been formed.

7th separate motorized rifle brigade (7th motorized rifle brigade "Chistyakovskaya", military unit 08807). Since February 2015, it has been located in the city of Debaltsevo. Formed in November 2014 in Torez. According to the SBU and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Moscow Region, it belongs to the “2 AK of the LPR People’s Militia.” The 7th Omsbr was founded by merging local separatists, Russian “volunteers” and military personnel, members of the Slavic group of Igor Girkin. The curator of the 7th Motorized Rifle Brigade "2 AK" is Colonel of the Russian Armed Forces Alexander Bushuev. From the leadership of the group, the call sign “Malt”, call sign “Sheriff”, call sign “Mosque”, call sign “Mister”, A. Negriy, I. Prikhlebov, call sign “Rex”, Yu. Sviridov and others are known. The 7th Motorized Rifle Brigade has tanks at its disposal , self-propelled guns, cannon artillery, MLRS. Taking into account the presence of the “dead souls” factor and the increase in desertion, the real number of militants is not 4,500 officially declared, but no more than 2 thousand people. According to operational data from the Information Resistance group, since February 2016 in the area of ​​the settlement. Svetlodarsk, the active formation of new units within the 7th Motorized Rifle Brigade began. This process is led by a career soldier of the Russian Defense Ministry A. Bushuev (call sign "Zarya"). He fills all the key positions in his “brigade” exclusively with regular military personnel of the RF Armed Forces. Mercenaries are attracted due to increased salaries and social benefits (for 3 years, etc.). Bushuyev has already managed to form a “reconnaissance platoon” of Russian military personnel with a sufficient level of training and experience. One of the checks of this unit was the capture on February 25, 2016 of two Ukrainian servicemen of the 54th brigade. It is considered the most unprofessional militant group, where the worst situation has developed with the level of moral and psychological state of the separatists: there has been an increase in alcoholism, drug addiction, looting and desertion.

Separate artillery brigade (OAB "Kalmius"). Located on the territory of Donetsk, military unit 08802. Founded in June 2014 by Valentin Motuzenko. Initially it was a special forces battalion. The battalion, like another similar unit, the “Miner Division,” was part of the “militia” forces subordinate to I. Girkin. Subsequently, the battalion was reorganized into the 1st artillery brigade "DPR" and then into a separate special-purpose brigade (OBON). It consists of: GADn, GSADn (howitzer self-propelled artillery division), ReADn (rocket artillery division). Commander - Alexander Nemogai. At the moment, former political officer of the Kalmius Joint-Stock Company Eduard Basurin holds the position of “Deputy Minister of Defense of the DPR” and is the speaker of “1 AK”. According to official sources of information, there are 4,500 people in Kalmius. The actual number is unknown.

Let us dwell on the analysis of individual regiments included in the structure of “1 AK”:

9th separate assault motorized rifle regiment of the Marine Corps. Created on the basis of the 9th separate motorized rifle regiment, military unit 08819. Located on the territory of the city of Novoazovsk. The commander of the separatist illegal armed forces is Colonel of the Russian Armed Forces Dmitry Bondarev. According to the Information Resistance group, on the basis of the 9th Marine Marine Marine, the Russian military is creating a “navy” of Donetsk separatists. Officially, the DPR fleet, which is called the Azov Flotilla of the DPR, was created back in May 2015. This “flotilla” included fishing boats and pleasure boats, consisting of five pieces, which the separatists called “combat boats” as part of their propaganda. In addition, the leadership of the “DPR” is negotiating with the Russian Federation regarding the replenishment of its “fleet” at the expense of the Russian border service boats. Also, on the basis of this “fleet”, the 9th Motorized Rifle Regiment is actually being transformed into an assault motorized rifle regiment of the “Marine Corps”. In early March, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported the arrival from Russian territory of the 9th separate motorized rifle regiment of the Marine Corps of the 22nd separate special-purpose brigade of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces into the area of ​​responsibility. In February of this year, another “corruption” scandal broke out in the 9th regiment of the “1st Army Corps of the DPR.” In the village of Kachkary, Novoazovsky district, militants of this regiment dismantled a livestock complex for building materials and scrap metal, which caused discontent among the local population. The work was carried out on the instructions of the militant commander with the call sign “Utes”, who is a citizen of Ukraine Andrei Oprishchenko, “the hero of the Slavic retreat”, who fought under the command of Igor Girkin. At the request of the local population, two representatives of the “military prosecutor’s office of the DPR” from Donetsk arrived in the area - the head of the department, Bayrachny, and his deputy, Magir Narimanovich. During their arrival, the command of the 9th Regiment issued instructions to the militants to curtail all work and avoid meetings with the indicated representatives of the “prosecutor’s office.” After the “prosecutors” left, work resumed. The command of the 9th Regiment in its actions is completely dependent on the Russian officer with the call sign "Bereg". In February, in Novoazovsk, Donetsk region, during an inspection by a high military rank of the Russian Federation of the 9th separate motorized rifle regiment, the commander of his platoon, Lieutenant Boris Dekhtyarev, committed suicide. In December 2015, the commander of the "Cheburashka" battalion (call sign - Vesely) was removed from office due to a conflict with the commander of the 9th Motorized Rifle Regiment (call sign - "Utes", citizen of the Russian Federation). The cause of the personal conflict was associated with an attempt to take personal control of the illegal transportation of goods in the area of ​​​​responsibility and arbitrariness (an attempt by this battalion to seize the village of Comintern December 22, 2015). The dispute led to the attempted murder of "Vesely", which failed on December 31, 2015. Then an explosive device went off in the path of the removed battalion commander’s car. However, “Vesely” himself survived; the driver and another representative of the illegal armed group died. An important fact is that “Vesely” was A. Zakharchenko. In addition, at the beginning of December 2015, 9 OMSP MPs checked very carefully, in particular, they looked for Ukrainian agents. However, they found a shortage of diesel fuel, a lot of faulty weapons and equipment, and inevitable facts of smuggling. As a result of the checks, the previous commander (“Savely”) was removed and “Utes” was appointed, a person proposed by the FSB. As for “Vesely”, Zakharchenko came to Kominternovo precisely to resolve the situation. However, he did not succeed - the decision to remove "Vesely" from his post was made by the commander of the 1st AK, which includes the 9th separate motorized rifle unit, to the commander of which the 3rd special forces unit "Vesely" is subordinate. Consequently, decisions on the appointment or dismissal of Zakharchenko’s people are made without the latter’s knowledge.

11th separate motorized rifle regiment "Vostok" (11th separate motorized rifle regiment, located in Makeevka, military unit 08818). Consists of infantry battalions, artillery group, armored group, "Cross" group and other formations. It is staffed by former fighters of the Donetsk "Alpha", "Berkut", persons of Caucasian nationality, and Russian military personnel. At the end of the winter campaign of 2015, the Vostok brigade was reorganized into the 11th Yenakievo-Danube separate infantry regiment. Previously, Vostok also included the 2nd armored troop formation "Miner Division", an Ossetian group, a separate special forces battalion "Khan", a company "Krasnogorovka", a detachment "Essence of Time" and others. Today, according to available information, the 11th infantry fighting force includes 4 motorized rifle battalions. There are other formations within Vostok. The following figures are known from the leadership of the 11th Specialized Police Force: Andrei Likhatsky, Vladislav Shinkar, Oleg Veter, Alexander Yanenko, Vadim Yaroshev, call signs “Trainer”, “Voevoda”, “Cross” and others. Alexander Khodakovsky was considered the leader of the battalion, but since November 2015 the former head of the “DPR Security Council” is gradually losing control over the “East”. Control over the compulsory medical insurance passes to representatives of 1 AK. At the same time, Khodakovsky retains influence on individual units of the 11th special forces unit, whose members receive salaries both from the leadership of “1 AK” and from A. Khodakovsky.

Separate Commandant Regiment (OCR) - located on the territory of Donetsk, military unit 08816. The main task is control, compliance with discipline and military regulations by military personnel in the territory of cities and towns of the "DPR". A separate commandant’s regiment is engaged in the disarmament of armed formations not under the control of Alexander Zakharchenko and fights dissenting militants. The OKP has at its disposal the military commandant's offices of the "DPR" (12 commandant's offices). The regiment also includes military police units. The "military police" of the OKP includes special forces units. At the end of the 2015 winter campaign, the regiment was awarded a battle flag and given the honorary name “Kramatorsk”. The regiment commander is Viktor Anosov. The command staff of the OKP also includes Vladimir Bystritsky, Denis Kiyanitsa, call sign "Karaim", Alexander Oseev and others.

Let us dwell on the analysis of the activities of individual battalions of the “1st AK DPR”:

Separate reconnaissance battalion (Donetsk, military unit 08810) - according to information from separatist public pages, a “separate reconnaissance battalion of the DPR Ministry of Defense” operates in the territory of the temporarily occupied part of the Donetsk region. The Serbian mercenary Dejan Beric was the deputy commander for a long time. The gang is headed by a Russian military man, whose personal details have not been established. In a separate reconnaissance battalion, on paper, there are 645 militants.

Separate assault battalion "Somalia". Until September last year, the Somalia battalion functioned as 1 separate battalion tactical group (BTTG). In September 2015, the commander of the "Somalia" militant group, Mikhail Tolstykh (call sign "Givi"), was appointed head of a "separate assault battalion", which came under the direct leadership of the leader of the "DPR" Alexander Zakharchenko. The training of militant personnel is very different from the training of other DPR gangs. In addition to increased attention to physical training, an important element was the development of skills and coordination of actions of foot assault groups and cover technology in conditions of interaction at short distances, as well as during street battles. In this battalion of militants, special emphasis, according to Zakharchenko’s instructions, is placed on combat operations in buildings of varying degrees of height. The OSB is located on the territory of Donetsk. The structure of the OSB "Somalia" currently includes three motorized rifle companies (each with up to 10 infantry fighting vehicles), a tank company (with from 7 to 10 T-64 tanks), and an artillery group (from 18 pieces of artillery).

Separate reconnaissance battalion "Sparta" (ORB "Sparta"). Commander - Arseny Pavlov (call sign "Motorola"). Located on the territory of Donetsk. The structure of the ORB includes two reconnaissance companies, a special-purpose company "Avalanche" (has up to 10 BRT), and an artillery group. The total number of militants is up to 300 people.

Nikolaevsky Special Purpose Battalion. Located on the territory of Donetsk, military unit 3023. On February 19, information appeared that a gang known as the “Nikolaevsky Special Purpose Battalion” (part of the former “Russian Orthodox Army”, RPA) was cleared by representatives of the “TsSO MGB DPR” during headed by Vasily Evdokimov. Field commander - Alexander Nikolaevsky ("Nick"). The "Special Operations Center of the Ministry of State Security" carried out an armed seizure of the base. The seizure was led by V. Evdokimov. Among those arrested was also the commander of the BSN Nikolaevsky, call sign “Nick”. The further functioning of Nikolaevsky’s BSN is unknown.

Special Forces Battalion "Khan". One of the DPR's combat-ready special forces units. The commander is call sign "Khan" (presumably a citizen of the Russian Federation). In 2015, the “Essence of Time” division became part of “Khan”. Located on the territory of Donetsk. Actively participates in recruiting events.

Separate repair and restoration battalion "Congo" (ORVB). Carries out medium and current repairs of restoration equipment on the territory of the DPR. Founded on October 17, 2014 in Donetsk. Military unit 08813. Commander - Alexander Anatolyevich (call sign "Congo"). The majority of Russian citizens are part of the gang.

There are also other gang formations within the “1 AK DPR”: a separate anti-aircraft missile division (OTZRDN), a separate command and control battalion (OBUO), a separate material support battalion; a separate sapper-engineering company and a separate electronic warfare company, 5 territorial defense battalions.

18.10.2016, 08:28

The murder in Donetsk of the commander of the Sparta volunteer battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Arseny Pavlov, better known by his call sign “Motorola,” was regarded by many in the DPR as a declaration of war by Kiev. The head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, directly called Pavlov’s murder “a challenge to the entire republic” and promised that there would be no mercy for the killers. “As I understand it, Petro Poroshenko violated the truce and declared war on us,” he noted.

In Kyiv the signal was heard. On the morning of October 17, Ukrainian troops attempted an attack on the positions of DPR troops in the area of ​​​​the village of Leninskoye. As a representative of the DPR Ministry of Defense told reporters, after artillery and mortar preparation, the enemy “attacked our positions with forces up to a company.” He noted that nationalists and foreign mercenaries also took part in the attack. And this, alas, is not the only episode. According to the deputy commander of the operational command of the DPR, Eduard Basurin, over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian security forces violated the ceasefire 398 times, of which 336 times with the use of heavy artillery and mortars.

According to the command, the villages of Oktyabrsky, Sakhanka, Bezymennoye and Leninskoye in the south of the republic, the city of Yasinovataya, the village of Spartak, the villages of Aleksandrovka, Trudovskiye and Staromikhailovka, Gorlovka and Dokuchaevsk were under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “All data on violations of the Minsk agreements by the Ukrainian side and the location of prohibited weapons of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been transferred to representatives of the OSCE mission and the JCCC,” Basurin noted.

The representative of the LPR defense department, Major Andrei Marochko, said that the Ukrainian military has intensified reconnaissance using unmanned aerial vehicles on the line of combat contact, and they not only conduct reconnaissance, but also drop explosive devices.

And although the leadership of the LPR and DPR emphasizes that despite the murder of Motorola and the provocations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the republics will continue to comply with the Minsk agreements, in the Donbass they are seriously talking about the fact that the current local clashes could soon escalate into full-scale hostilities.

How realistic is this, and what are the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the paramilitary forces of the DPR and LPR like today?

According to open data, the Armed Forces of Novorossiya consist of two army corps (AK) - the 1st (Donetsk) and the 2nd (Lugansk). There is very little information about them, but it is known that, for example, the People's Militia of the LPR includes separate 2nd and 4th brigades, one artillery and one tank brigade, a corps reconnaissance battalion, territorial defense battalions, etc. Armament - tanks T-64, BMP-1, BTR-80, self-propelled guns 2S1, BM-21 “Grad”, “Msta-B”, air defense system “Strela-10 M”, etc.

The 1st Army Corps of the Defense Ministry of the DPR includes: a separate special forces brigade “Vostok”, a large role in the formation of which was played by employees of the “Alpha” detachment of the SBU department in the Donetsk region, a separate special forces brigade “Kalmius”, a separate commandant regiment engaged in anti-terrorism and counter-sabotage activities, a number of army brigades, the intelligence department of the Main Headquarters of the DPR Defense Ministry, as well as the DPR Republican Guard, which reports directly to Zakharchenko. The latter consists of 8 battalions of varying levels of strength.

The DPR forces are armed with: MLRS (over 80 units), several T-90s, about 300 T-72s, 400 T-64s, about 400 units of BMP-2, etc., several hundred self-propelled guns and howitzers, more than 150 units ATGM "Konkurs", 120 units of ATGM "Fagot", as well as more than a thousand RPG-7, small arms. At the same time, the number of militias of the DPR and LPR is not disclosed.

As for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as Ukrainian military experts note, out of 268 thousand personnel of the Armed Forces, there are never more than 30 thousand at the forefront. During the war in Donbass, the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered huge losses in equipment (at least 130 units of T-64B/BV tanks alone were destroyed, according to open data), however, as experts say, many times more of it remained than was lost - Soviet heritage enough to form new units, formations and even two new operational commands, in addition to the existing four - OK “West”, “East”, “South”, “North”. At the same time, “the creation of a larger number of new military units and formations does not lead to an increase in quality, since the shortage of personnel in the Ground Forces reaches 50%.”

However, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are constantly supported by Western instructors. According to the Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Viktor Muzhenko, four battalions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have recently been transferred to NATO standards.

Ukraine has superiority in army numbers, but recently two army corps (AK) - the 1st (Donetsk) and the 2nd (Lugansk) have been constantly engaged in defensive activities. In the people's republics, command staff and tactical exercises are being conducted, in general, elementary army training has been and is ongoing, notes military expert Boris Rozhin (known online as Colonelcassad).

But it is clear that the DPR and LPR corps are committed to strategic defense. That is, if Kyiv goes on the offensive, the militias must meet the Ukrainian units, wear them out as much as possible, and only then go on some kind of offensive.

So far, the positional war between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Donbass militia has been going on and continues to go on with periodic exacerbations. Thus, the recent battles near Kominternovo and settlement. Vodyanoye near Mariupol at the tactical level developed rather unsuccessfully for Ukraine. In general, we have been observing this situation for two years now, and, apparently, it will continue to develop. But we cannot consider the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the corps of the DPR and LPR as vacuums warring among themselves. If the situation escalates, external players will certainly increase assistance and military presence, which will lead to a “Korean” or “Vietnamese” war scenario, when the United States and Russia will directly stand behind the local armed forces. Much depends on politics, since Ukraine and Syria are part of the same conflict between the United States and Russia.

- Could there be any acceleration of events under the current US presidential administration?

Hardly. It is clear that the Minsk agreements are not being respected; there is only an imitation of their implementation in order to demonstrate that the political process of resolving the conflict is still simmering. But if the next US president wants to put an end to them, then we will most likely see a military solution to the issue: Ukraine will attempt to seize the DPR and LPR, and the people’s republics, after defensive actions, will try to expand their territories at the expense of neighboring regions.

Whatever the combat effectiveness of the DPR and LPR corps, Moscow always stands behind them, notes researcher at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, editor-in-chief of the Arms Export magazine Andrey Frolov.

- If she does not want the collapse of the republics, then they will survive, no matter what offensive the Ukrainian Armed Forces organize. Therefore, it is not entirely correct to compare the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the army corps of the people’s republics, because suddenly the “northern wind” may blow... But this kind of scheme only works when the local forces are something of themselves. But the armies of the DPR and LPR have come a long way lately. As a result, from formations that were chaotic and varied in motivation, combat readiness and equipment, they turned into brigades with a single command, headquarters, uniform, and weapons. But still, the weakness of the militia corps is that the LPR and DPR often fail to synchronize their actions in defense, not to mention the offensive. And the Ukrainians can probably take advantage of this.

- What are the current Armed Forces of Ukraine?

On the one hand, Ukrainian units seem to have forgotten the shock of losses and defeats, and their morale has nevertheless increased compared to 2015. But, paradoxically, the main weakness of the Ukrainian army is its numbers. The Ukrainian military budget, with such a number of mobilized fighters, does not allow them to properly train or supply them with military equipment and ammunition.

In my opinion, it is better for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to have 100 thousand well-armed and trained soldiers than 280 thousand incomprehensible ragamuffins who are still constantly experiencing supply problems. Now Ukrainians can only win the war using the “human waves” method, that is, by overwhelming the enemy with corpses, as Tehran did in the Iran-Iraq war. But it is clear that no one in Ukraine will agree to this.

- The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine constantly reports on the receipt of repaired equipment...

They repair Soviet equipment, but it is difficult to say what its actual condition is at the end. After all, it’s not because they have a good life that they constantly make homemade armored vehicles. In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have a clear shortage of the most consumable ammunition - for MLRS, hand grenades, cartridges for small arms - the same SVD, etc. It is for this reason that Bulgarian ammunition is found in Ukraine... In general, after Minsk-2 The Ukrainian defense industry has done little to cover the obvious weaknesses of the army with its own resources. Moreover, this is explained not only by the lack of money, but also by lack of motivation.

- Representatives of the DPR have repeatedly reported about mercenaries in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces...

- Of course, there are a certain number of “soldiers of fortune” in Ukraine, but still there are fewer of them now than there were in 2014-2015. However, the mercenary factor in this war is clearly not the key one. If they exist, they are clearly incorporated into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the National Guard, and such small units cannot turn the tide of hostilities.

As for the training of Ukrainian Armed Forces battalions according to NATO standards and so on, a lot has probably been done in a year and a half. But these are still separate units that have undergone rather superficial training at short-term courses, and it is clear that just as the Armed Forces of Ukraine had huge problems with competent officers, they still remain. Although this is partly compensated by the insufficient training of the DPR and LPR corps. But, I repeat, the militias have a direct border with Russia and a “northern wind.” And it is obvious that the people’s republics are more likely to win the resource war, because the delivery distance is shorter and the warehouses of the Russian army are not comparable to the Ukrainian ones. Even if NATO buys weapons throughout Europe and supplies them to Ukraine.

I am always surprised by the magic phrase that many media like to quote - “training Ukrainian battalions according to NATO standards,” says Deputy Director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis Alexander Khramchikhin. - Allegedly, such training, as an option in a computer game, will give the Ukrainian military plus five points to strength and three to endurance. This is simply funny, because I immediately want to ask the question: what kind of victories on land has the North Atlantic Alliance achieved?

The Ukrainian army retains some kind of combat capability only because it is not NATO, but Soviet. That's the only reason she can still fight. As soon as units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fully trained according to NATO standards, they will stop fighting altogether. Naturally, now the Ukrainian Armed Forces have become stronger due to the fact that in the battles of 2014–2015 they acquired combat experience, which they did not have before 2014. On the other hand, they, of course, have weakened due to large losses in technology, which are not actually compensated for.

- Poroshenko occasionally personally accepts equipment transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the Ukrainian defense industry...

But it is clear that all “new equipment” appears through the resuscitation of Soviet reserves and the rearrangement of parts and assemblies from one model to another. That is, the reserves of military equipment in Ukraine are, one way or another, decreasing.

As for the Donbass militias, recently they have apparently streamlined and structured their units under the leadership of Russian advisers, but if Ukraine wants, it can crush the republics “massively.” What, in fact, we already saw in July-August 2014, when only Russian help prevented this. It could be exactly the same now, the only question is how ready Ukraine is to fight on a full scale again.

Military expert Anatoly Nesmiyan (El-Murid) also believes that the current hostilities will not escalate into a full-scale war.

The fighting in Donbass is maintained in a more or less low-intensity mode and that’s all. Here the military component is inextricably linked with the political one. It is important for Russia to implement the Minsk agreements in order to at least count on a partial lifting of sanctions by the West. Kyiv is torn between Europe and the USA. In addition, Poroshenko cannot solve the problem with Ukrainian nationalists, who, in general, pose a fairly serious threat to the government, in addition, he cannot rely on the police and the army. All this ultimately affects the war in the Southeast.

Of course, the Americans and other NATO instructors trained separate army battalions, but from the point of view of combat operations this does not mean anything. Based on the experience of training local forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is clear that their programs have a pronounced military-police character. That is, guys trained according to their standards can carry out clean-up operations quite well, but they cannot participate in combined arms operations - their skills and motivation are different. The rest of the motley formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces see no point in fighting at all, much less attacking.

The same story is with the Donbass militia. They cannot attack - the ideological militia has already been knocked out almost everything, and the part that is under arms today is more interested in salary. After all, most people joined the militia simply because there is no work, but in the corps at least they pay. Accordingly, the motivation of these people is different. They will defend and defend their territories, but they are unlikely to be able to conduct attacking actions.

- Judging by reports, combat aviation is slowly but still being restored in Ukraine. In particular, on October 15, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received three aircraft - the MiG-29, Su-27 and the Su-25 attack aircraft.

Yes, the Ukrainian Air Force received a small reinforcement during this time. And the Ukrainians can probably resume aviation flights, but the Air Force is a branch of the armed forces that supports the actions of ground units. Aviation by itself is not capable of carrying out tasks, especially Ukrainian aviation, which at best numbers a regiment. Whether there are planes or not is not important for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, because without a well-organized offensive on the ground there is no point in them.

What is the size of the armed forces of the DPR and LPR?

This question is difficult, since it is simply impossible to find such data on the Internet. Yes, they probably don’t exist, since there is no single command of armed detachments even within the DPR and LPR, not to mention a single center for both republics.

Therefore, you will have to use fragmentary data, often purely estimates.

It is indisputable that the armed struggle began virtually from scratch. When the current leader of the LPR, Bolotov, then still incognito, made a video message on behalf of the “army of the South-East” for the first time (it was April 2, 2014), hardly anyone took this appeal seriously. The second appeal, recorded 5 days later, already looked more convincing, since the masks had already been dropped, and it was recorded in the seized SBU building in Lugansk. But even then everything looked more like a militarized masquerade, of which the Ukrainian public had seen enough during the Euromaidan.

At the very beginning, the armed forces of the DPR also looked extremely frivolous and adventurous. Strelkov brought with him from Crimea, apparently, up to 200 people. This can be concluded from the list of weapons that he gives in his first video interview, where he says that “about 150 units of automatic weapons, several grenade launchers, a large amount of ammunition were seized and 6 combat vehicles - 3 combat BMD, one BMD1, one BMD2 and one self-propelled mortar." Bezler’s squad, as can be seen from the famous video, actually began almost with himself. Even on May 9, the Vostok battalion could easily fit into two KAMAZ trucks.

On May 5, a message appeared that 27 thousand people had already signed up to join the Donbass people’s militia. It cannot be said to what extent this figure corresponded to reality, but what can be stated, and this is stated in the message itself, is that “not everyone was included in the combat detachments.” More precisely, most likely, few people got there at all. The author of the above message apparently did not really understand the structure of the armed units of the DPR. In fact, in addition to the Donbass People's Militia, which was initiated by Pavel Gubarev, there were several other groups there - the same Vostok battalion and the Patriotic Forces of Donbass and the Russian Orthodox Army affiliated with it.

At the end of June, according to sources in the Security Service of Ukraine, the composition of the DPR forces was as follows: “The largest battalions of the DPR are “Vostok” and “Oplot”, they each serve 2.5 thousand militiamen. Next comes the Girkin-Strelkov group, which has 2 thousand fighters. According to the latest data, 350 militiamen serve in the “Besa” battalion and in the “Russian Orthodox Army.”

It was at this time that the creation of the Miner's Division was also announced, in which it was planned to attract up to 10 thousand miners, but so far the data was only that the first battalion of this division numbered up to half a thousand people.

Most likely, these figures are somewhat exaggerated. For example, according to E. Guilbaut, who, in principle, can be trusted, even at the time of leaving Slavyansk, Strelkov’s troops numbered about 500–600 people.

It should be noted that all these forces not only do not have a common command, but very often are at odds with each other, which is a consequence of the struggle within the political leadership of the DPR. Thus, Gubarev accused the top of the DPR of being bribed by Akhmetov. The commander of “Vostok” Khodakovsky was previously considered Akhmetov’s man. After Strelkov arrived in Donetsk, a split occurred in the Vostok battalion. Some people came under Strelkov’s command, and some, led by Khodakovsky, left Donetsk and settled in Makeevka. Bezler and the “Russian Orthodox Army” also keep themselves apart.

As for the armed forces of the Lugansk People's Republic, the picture there is very similar. Despite the fact that the political leadership there is concentrated in one hand - President Bolotov - the armed units do not always obey him. Three structures are clearly distinguished: the Zarya battalion, which is controlled by Bolotov himself, the Ghosts battalion, commanded by Alexey Mozgovoy, as well as the detachment of Pavel Dremov (Bati) who joined him, and the Cossack units of the ataman of the Great Don Army, Ataman Kozitsyn. In terms of the number of units, The Kiev Times newspaper provides the following expert assessments:

“According to Ukrainian military expert Alexey Arestovich, the Lugansk Army of the South-East has several thousand fighters, and Russian mercenaries make up 30-40 percent of the total number of militants in the LPR. Blyuminov has a different estimate - 12–15 thousand people, of which at least 10–15 percent are from Russia.”

An important question is what motivates the people fighting on the side of the DPR. Some part, most likely not very large, are ideologically convinced, that is, fighting for the “Russian world.” It seems that in percentage terms there are no more of them than convinced Ukrainian nationalists fighting on the side of the ATO forces. But if the bulk of government troops are mobilized in a “voluntary-compulsory manner,” then in the DPR and LPR, I believe there are very few of them. Both Borodai and Bolotov announced the need and even the beginning of mobilization. But these were, as a rule, purely propaganda statements and we were talking about the recruitment of volunteers, and not about real, at least “voluntary-forced” mobilization. This is simply impossible in the conditions of self-proclaimed republics. Strelkov himself explained one of the reasons:

“Will you personally provide transport, uniforms, machine guns, maintenance and food? Then I’m ready to announce mobilization in an hour. We have nothing to arm the volunteers with, so we can already talk about mobilization.”

It seems that the majority of those fighting on the side of the DPR and LPR are similar to those who were mobilized into the Ukrainian army and national guard back in the first wave of mobilization, when there were really a lot of volunteers.