Paul Roderick Gregory: Russian correspondent openly reveals role of Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine battlefield
In his article, In the Pampases of Donbass, special correspondent for "Kommersant" Ilya Barabanov reports on his interviews with the young Russian soldiers who fought at Debaltseve. What follows is a translation of his article, which shows, among other things, that 1) the Russian soldiers were actively recruited by political commissars to fight in Ukraine, 2) They were actively encouraged by their commanding officers to go to Ukraine after signing papers resigning from the Russian army, 3) They wore Russian uniforms without insignias, 4) They did not like that reporters were directed to interview local militia (miners), while they did most of the fighting, 5) They were told that by fighting against the Ukrainian junta, they could prevent war from coming to Russia.
