01/12/14 Igor Strelkov Interview to PolitNavigator. English translation by Kazzura: Alexandr Chalenko: As far as I know, steppe and thermal-vision devices have made light weapons fights impossible in Novorossia. Because of that the parties can't get close to each other, so this war is the war of artillery. What's your opinion about it. Igor Strelkov: The terrain beyond the urban agglomerations, which are so numerous in Donetsk Republic, is very indented: lots of ravines, heights, tree belts, lows grown with bushes. Lots of mines and waste heaps, which make the area closed. Now it's a positional warfare, where there is almost no skirmishes with gunfire, it's an artillery war. Alexandr Chalenko: I've been told that it's war in the urban agglomeration, because in the heart of Donbass, leaving one town you etner into another one right away. And there's civilian population living there... Igor Strelkov: ... understand it, war is war. Population suffered and suffers while the war rages, so the sooner the victory is achieved and the war stops, the sooner civilian population suffering stops. As for the rest: small group tactics. Alexandr Chalenko: What does it mean? Explain, please Igor Strelkov: see, in war history, in war theory, there's such concept as basic tactical unit, that has to fulfill certain tactical tasks. The more military craft develops, the more combat vehicles are improved, the bigger grows the units' firepower, the lesser get the tactical units. Relatively speaking, if one task could be solved by the battalion with its firepower druing the WWI, the same task could be solved by companies during the WWII. Now similar tasks can be solved by mere platoons In this case, the number of armament and its quality, for example, firing rate, became such, that fire density provided by modern platoon, surpasses or at least is equal to one, that battalion of the WWI could provide Hence, the large masses of people turn into large targets, basically, that's what has been shown by the UAF around Slavyansk and Donetsk, when having great numerical superiority and way better equipment Ukrainian troops were helpless before us and suffered heavy losses. Due to their crowdness, because they used to move in large masses, large masses of vehicles, and we have been using it. We used the small group tactics -- units up to a platoon or less in numbers. They searched for an enemy, pinned it down and called our artillery, mortar strikes upon it. Because of that enemy suffered very heavy losses comparing to our relatively small casualties. At the same time, the lesser unit is, the harder it's to hit it, especially in conditions of suburban and urban areas. Enemy had enormous advantage in vehicles, but he couldn't implement it, since it was like shooting sparrows with a cannon. It's useless to use the division of "Grads" against the dispersed infantry team. Maybe someone will get hit, but anyway the efficiency would be really low Alexandr Chalenko: For example now they can't take the airport in Donetsk. What's the problem? Why the fights take so long? What would Igor Strelkov do to take the airport under his control completely? Igor Strelkov: I wouldn't storm it at all Alexandr Chalenko: Why? Igor Strelkov: What for? Alexandr Chalenko: Because it was believed before the militias started taking it under their control, that Donetsk had been shelled from the airport territory as well as from Peski and Avdeyevka. Igor Strelkov: Do you imagine the map for yourself? When you manipulate with such names like Avdeyevka, Peski, airport, you don't imagine yourselve the connection. Adveyevka is a rather large town with 50 thousand population. Peski's also a rather big settlement. It's urban type settlement which is abutting to the city. Airport is located between them on a rather large distance. It's not a single agglomeration. Artillery can't be at the airport, Peski and Avdeyevka at the same time. It's either in one place or in the onether. Alexandr Chalenko: So were there any artillery in the airport? Igor Strelkov: There were artillery spotters there. Indeed, artillery was deployed in Peski and in Avdeyevka. The thing is that, to take the airport, you should simply eliminate this artillery. Object for the assault has been chosen formally by people, who don't understand a thing in the military art, it was a strike against the consequence, not the reason. To take the airport they had to eliminate the reason, destroy the artillery positions in Peski and Avdeyevka beforehand. Then airport could be taken without any problems. And now, we have a situation when all infantry attacks at the airport are being repelled by the barrage of artillery that is out of reach. Alexandr Chalenko: Okay, why it wasn't clear to those, who had been planning these operations? Igor Strelkov: Let's say that these people don't differ from you in the level of military knowledge and operation planning much. Alexandr Chalenko: And Motorola? Igor Strelkov: Motorola is good soldier, brilliant commander on the platoon level. He fulfills the tasks give to him. In this case we're dealing with strategic decision, with those, who have thrown Motorola and Givi to fight in the airport to take which, was determined as the priority objective. I don't know who made such decision. I was absent at that time. It was clear for me that it's not a proper object from the beginning. Attack at the airport is not only unnecessary, it's harmful, since the best units for the former Slavyansk brigade got scratched and suffered losses there. Without any sense. See, once they launch an attack, enemy calls the artillery strike. Alexandr Chalenko: Do I get it right, that this task is possible to be solved? Igor Strelkov: Yes it is, but not with the forces of infantry units. They have to act with the support of armored vehicles, but since all the vehicles of Slavyansk brigade have been taken to "Oplot" by Zakharchenko, he decides what to do with them. Alexandr Chalenko: Many of your critics say that Strelkov -- is just a mere FSB lt. colonel, so he has no experience of army operations planning. What can you say about it? Igor Strelkov: Indeed, I'm an FSB colonel, so I'm fine about it, but generally, I wouldn't advise to call a military with the rank 1 step lower that he is. For the military, ranks have greater value than for civilians. Basically that's what military hierarchy is built on. Of course it was difficult for me to command units and subunits, when army grew there were several thousand men in it, and front has been stretched for dozens of kilometers. Naturally we couldn't create a solid frontline with such small forces. Alexandr Chalenko: Do you have an army experience of leading such units? Igor Strelkov: I don't have such experience, I had experience as a commander of small units, but happened to plan the special operations for 80-100 men. I used to be an operative in field of anti-terrorist operations in Chechnya. I happened to take part in many operations, but to command directly -- no. Maximum that I happened to command before were joint operative group of 150 men, for a couple of months in 2005. And again, units didn't subordinate to me directly, it was only an operative subordination. I only gave them tasks, which they planned and executed on their own. Now, often, I didn't understand completely how to organize a certain operation, but instead I had a clear and strict understanding of what I wanted to achieve in this operation. So, I set the tasks and goals, that had been achievable and they were achieved. Thanks to that, we practically succeeded all enemy plans that were aimed to encircle and eliminate us. I really lacked the chief of the staff, who could explain what I wanted to soldiers in detail. Basically, all army commanders of high ranks are divided into two categories: chiefs and chiefs of staff. Commander makes a decision, chief of the staff develops it, divides into subtasks. Both job is completely necessary. Far not always good chief of the staff is able to command troops well. And vice versa. For example, it was told about Zhukov in one of his characteristics, that he was a brilliant commander but hates the staff work. Naturally, I don't compare myself with Zhukov, but, frankly speaking, dislike the staff work too, even more I simply don't know how to do it. Instead I have a deep understanding of the essence of the guerrilla warfare. I knew qualities of all my units, what they could and what they could not. At that moment our army was a partisan army. In many aspects it's still such. It's not a regular army.



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01/12/14 Igor Strelkov Interview to PolitNavigator. English translation by Kazzura

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