Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1532587
Originally a small and marginal social organization from Kharkiv, Oplot moved to Donetsk during the clashes in Donbas, merging with its local counterpart to form an armed group of the same name. Its leader was Yevgeny Zhilin, a former officer of the Ukrainian police. The core of this unit consisted of Ukrainian security service officers with extreme pro-Russian views, including former members of the Berkut special units, which had already been disbanded in Ukraine by that time. Previously, I mentioned that Donetsk's local elites had attempted to form their own militias, known as "people's squads," often composed of retired police officers. One of the leaders of these squads was Alexander Zakharchenko. After the dissolution of the regional council, which his squads were supposed to protect, he joined the Kharkiv-based Oplot. Together with Zhilin, they established the Oplot battalion, which later became a regular mechanized brigade of the same name. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) released numerous recordings of Zhilin's conversations with Russian elite and security representatives, who supported Oplot's activities and assisted Zhilin and Zakharchenko in forming the unit. Oplot became notorious for its activities in Donetsk and other major cities, particularly for looting the assets of the old Donbas elites and taking control of valuable regional enterprises. Another group established in Donetsk was Vostok, led by Alexander Khodakovsky, a former officer of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). This unit was primarily based in Donetsk and faced heavy criticism from other "people's militia" leaders due to its ambiguous stance during the 2014 events. Direct clashes between Vostok and Oplot were recorded during this period. There are suspicions that Vostok was created with financial backing from Rinat Akhmetov, and its activities were often seen as protecting the oligarch's interests in occupied Donetsk. In other words, other factions frequently viewed Vostok as a unit tasked with safeguarding Akhmetov's assets in the city and region. However, over time, Khodakovsky lost his influence over the unit, and consequently, Akhmetov lost his leverage as well. Like other groups, Vostok served as a foundation for forming one of the regular brigades of the 1st Army Corps. Another faction was formed by a retired military officer working in the local "war commissariat", mainly from local activists and incoming Russian volunteers. Mozgovoy is also considered by Russians to be an idealist of the "Russian Spring". He was a close friend of Dremov, and they fought together against Ukrainian forces in the Luhansk region. Mozgovoy became notorious for conducting public court trials, where local civilians could vote by raising their hands to determine both the guilt of the accused and the sentence, which often included execution. Many individuals were executed in this manner in Luhansk. Like Dremov, he actively opposed the changes taking place in Luhansk as the LPR government was forming, and he was assassinated in a series of ambush attempts. He was gunned down with a machine gun while traveling from Alchevsk to Luhansk. Pavel Dremov is considered in Russia to be an idealist and a sincere advocate of change. However, like others who maintained an independent stance, he did not survive the later stages of the conflict. When the situation in Donbas escalated into armed clashes, this monarchist and member of a Russian Don Cossack association formed a unit in the Luhansk region, consisting mainly of local and Russian Cossack association members. It is important to note that these were modern organizations continuing the traditions of the Don Cossacks, unrelated to Ukrainian Cossacks. Dremov's faction frequently changed its name, being referred to as the "Dremov's Group", "Dremov's Cossacks", the "Cossack National Guard", and finally, the "Independent Cossack Motorized Rifle Regiment". He effectively controlled a vast area of the Luhansk region, including major cities such as Krasny Luch and Antratsyt, subordinating local authorities and services without rushing to recognize the emerging Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) authorities. Dremov was a vocal critic of the LPR government, accusing it of corruption and collusion with Ukrainian oligarchs and authorities in Kyiv. He was assassinated in 2015 while traveling to his own wedding ceremony. His unit was eventually subordinated to the republican authorities and later transformed into a regular brigade of the 2nd Luhansk Army Corps. Oplot VOOK Mozgovoy Grp e Coa cks Pa l Dmov ANALYSIS