Much of the unrest and separatist attacks on government buildings that started on April 6 is coordinated online.
The social networks are filled with profiles of coordinators, radio
communication channels are easy to access and do not require any
particular effort, and YouTube features lots of videos that show the
true nature of what is going on in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv.
If
you want to be plugged into the emergency channel of separatists, you
have to follow the link http://goodgame.ru/channel/demon_dobra/.
It’s a radio channel, and it might not seem like much, but actually a
lot of coordination happens through this channel. Separatists who
took over the regional administration buildings communicate their
needs, report on movements of police and special troops, as well as
what happens in various parts of the region.
Russian
users plug in occasionally, but mostly the channel is used by
Ukrainians who are coordinated by several people, including a man
referred to as “Fyororovich.” Some of the highlights of their
communication make it to the chat on the right-hand side of the main
page.
There
is an open group in Russian social network Vkontakte that is used for
communication as well. It can be accessed at
https://vk.com/donetsk_zello.
Some
of the prominent figures are also active online. Andrei Kovalenko, a
Russian, was accused by the Right Sector of being the coordinator of
Donetsk rallies. He boasted about it on his Vkontakte profile,
https://vk.com/dialektika.
“Friends,
since Praviy Sector pronounced me a “coordinator of separatist” I
will give more advice,” Kovalenko
says, before proceeding with tips for making barricades from trees
and cars and similar ideas. He also posts some top news about the
developments in the region.
Another
coordinator lives on LiveJournal under the nickname Putnik1. His
profile is accessible through the link
http://putnik1.livejournal.com/.
The author posted a coded warning this afternoon that other
pro-Russian social networks users interpreted as a plan to attack
Kyiv while the police troops are moved to eastern Ukraine to deal
with mass disturbances there.
In
a video posted on Youtube on April 7, Luhansk separatists were
caught counting out the money they earned at the pro-Russian rally,
chanting “referendum.”
One
of Donetsk separatist leaders Artem Olhin admitted that protests in
several cities of eastern Ukraine are coordinated by Russian State
Duma parliamentarian Eugeniy Fiodorov in the video released on April
6. He also named a number of other organizations involved in
organizing disturbances, including People’s
Militia of Donbass headed by Pavlo Gubarev, who has been in custody
for organizing mass disturbances since March 6; the People’s
Liberation Movement of Andrei Fyodorov; the Russian Block; and an
organization called the Essence of Time led by Sergei Kurginyan.
A pro-Russian separatist group called AntiMaidan posted news in social network that
about 60 Alpha servicemen moved from Donetsk airport at around 4 pm.
This group is also used to communicate news and updates about what’s
happening around pro-Russian movements in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow-placed
OMON Service began
hiring
Ukrainian
fighters
Berkut.
First fighters
of former Ukrainian
Special Forces “Berkut”
are welcomed to seek
employment in
the OMON service in Russia,
said Assistant Chief of
Special Forces Center
in
Moscow,
Vyacheslav
Tkach.
This announcement was also posted in social network page of Mirovoye
Obozreniye website.
The
full text gives other interesting facts, such as Special
Forces Service receives support from
Russia:
about 100,000 Russian
police
have
already transferred
money
to help
Berkut and
other Services of
the
Ukrainian police.
