A full-fledged political system - to the required extent autonomous and independent from external factors- impossible in the absence of economic sovereignty.
In previous articles in the series about civil life in Donetsk, we touched upon economic aspects as the basis of the system that emerged after 2014.
How Donetsk lives: political movements and organizations
What, in the current conditions, is the political superstructure of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
The legal confusion in Donetsk is a topic that deserves special attention and the involvement of legal experts. Let us only note that the system of public relations within the DPR is not regulated at the legislative level: there is no law on political parties in the republic; in June 2016, the bill “On Public Associations” was adopted in the first reading, but then the law got stuck. The last mention of the bill on the official resources of the DPR dates back to November 2016.
“In practice, we are faced with the fact that some so-called non-profit organizations carried out anti-state and anti-people activities.<…>
Organs state power And local government must have the legal ability to prevent the commission of offenses by public organizations and suppress any abuses by non-profit associations,” the Chairman of the Committee commented on the fate of the bill “On Public Associations” People's Council DPR for the Affairs of Public Associations and Religious Organizations Alexander Malkov.
As a result, the bill was not considered in the second reading and was not adopted as a whole. At the same time, in the Constitution of the DPR the term “public association” appears three times (Article 13, paragraph 3, Article 23, paragraph 1, Article 39, paragraph 2).
“Everyone has the right to association, including the right to create trade unions to protect their interests. Freedom of activity of public associations is guaranteed,” - paragraph 1 of Article 23 of the DPR Constitution.
Nominally political parties in the DPR there is no, although paragraph 1 of Article 9 recognizes “ideological and political diversity, multi-party system.”
In the summer of 2016, the speaker of the parliament of the republic, Denis Pushilin, explained the absence of political parties in the DPR and the actual ban on the Communist Party as “politically motivated” and the conditions of the Ukrainian side within the Minsk negotiation format.
“We insist there [in Minsk] that we [in the DPR] have no political parties and we will have majoritarian system elections. We personally heard dissatisfaction from Kuchma: how come you don’t have parties? There is a Communist Party, so let there be “Petro Poroshenko Bloc”, “Right Sector” and so on,” the website of the Moscow City Committee of the Communist Party quotes Pushilin as saying. Russian Federation.
In fact, both political and public associations operate on the territory of the DPR.
The “party” with the largest representation in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government is the social movement “Donetsk Republic” (OD DR).
According to information posted by the Donetsk News Agency (DAN), in August 2016, more than 139 thousand people had membership in the OD DR. DAN also published a list of movement participants. A counter of movement members is also installed on the OD DR website.
As of January 8, 2018, the counter indicates that more than 194 thousand people (about 11% of the population) are members of the DR OA. Wherein official group movement in social network VKontakte has just over 15 thousand subscribers (on average, about 300 people view each publication, which indicates low user activity), about 660 users are subscribed to the Facebook page, and about three thousand are subscribed to Instagram.
The chairman of the OD DR is the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, the head of the central executive committee is the ex-director of the Donetsk Drama Theater, chairman of the organizing committee for the primaries in the DPR in 2016, Natalya Volkova.
Until October 2017, the position of head of the central executive committee was held by the speaker of the DPR parliament, the permanent plenipotentiary representative of the DPR at the negotiations of the Tripartite Contact Group in Minsk, Denis Pushilin.
During the general elections in the DPR on November 2, 2014, the Democratic People's Republic won 68 seats out of 100 in the People's Council. The remaining 32 seats in the parliament of the republic went to representatives social movement"Free Donbass". Alexander Zakharchenko received the support of 78.9% of voters in the elections.
Members of the OD DR occupy the positions of heads of cities and settlements DPR and almost all the seats in the Cabinet of Ministers of the DPR.
The second “party” with representation in the DPR parliament is the public movement “Free Donbass” (OD SD). The chairman of the movement and head of the parliamentary faction of the OD SD is a little-known and publicly inactive 35-year-old deputy Evgeniy Orlov.
The unofficial leader of the faction, judging by the New Year's greetings and the intensity of communication with the press, is DPR deputy Ekaterina Gubareva. Her husband Pavel Gubarev is a prominent participant in the 2014 events in Donbass, one of the organizers of the Novorossiya party, and the author of the book “Torch of Novorossiya.” On March 1, 2014, at a rally, Gubarev was elected “people's governor”; on March 3 and 5, he participated in the seizure (assault) of the Donetsk regional state administration.
The OD “Free Donbass” is actually removed from the executive power in the DPR and informally occupies a niche of opposition in relation to the “Donetsk Republic” movement.
Pavel Gubarev is to a certain extent toxic for the population of Donbass: he was involved in a number of scandals and stories. In March 2014, Gubarev was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), but in May he was released (exchanged for officers of the Ukrainian special services); an activist was shot at from a grenade launcher; in January 2015 he was kidnapped by Chechens; in January 2016, Gubarev was “appointed” as mayor of Yasinovataya. At the same time, the politician is a link between the SD SD and two more organizations: the People’s Militia of Donbass and political movement"Novorossiya".
From time to time, Gubarev allows himself critical remarks and attacks against the current authorities in the DPR. This is probably why the activist disappeared from the airwaves of local TV channels.
“In the DPR and LPR, as you know, there is no democracy. This is correct, but war requires a vertical line. However, some democratic instruments still remain. For example, media democracy has taken on the function of a regulator of power in matters of correcting special excesses and abuses.
When the actions of the authorities reach the point of lawlessness (unfortunately, this happens very often in our country), social networks, bloggers and non-state online media begin to cover this topic, and all politically conscious citizens who are not indifferent to the problem get involved. The highest authorities pay attention to the problem and begin to react,” Gubarev said on his VK page.
At the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis (spring - summer 2014), the People's Militia of Donbass (NOD) was a volunteer armed formation. After the creation and final formation of the 1st Army Corps of the Ministry of Defense of the DPR, it is problematic to assess the structure of the NOD and Gubarev’s influence on it. There is a group of the same name on the social network VK with 113 thousand subscribers. Among its administrators is Pavel Gubarev. But does it fulfill this resource any functions other than information are unknown.
The same fate befell the Novorossiya movement - they don’t talk about it in the media. On the Internet you can find the website “Novorossiya Movement” by Igor Strelkov.” However, it positions itself as an association of organizations that help “the militia and ordinary residents of Donbass.”
Igor Strelkov (Girkin) - leader of the armed resistance in Slavyansk, ex-Minister of Defense of the DPR and military commandant of Donetsk in July - August 2014. Today Strelkov is a media figure who does not directly influence the political and social life of Donbass.
In the fall of 2015, the DPR was created public organization"Oplot of Donbass" (OO OD). The chairman of the board of the organization is DPR parliament member Sergei Zavdoveev (call sign “French”). Ukrainian media classify Zavdoveev as one of Alexander Zakharchenko’s inner circle.
“Oplot of Donbass” implements cultural and educational programs, provides support to the families of militiamen and military personnel of the DPR Armed Forces, including those who died during the fighting.
On December 28, 2017, the NGO “Oplot of Donbass” supported Zakharchenko’s candidacy for the post of head of the DPR. And about. Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the DPR Alexander Timofeev also stated that the “Oplot of Donbass” will participate in the parliamentary elections, and unequivocally called the movement a “parliamentary public organization.” Apparently, the OD DR will be rebranded with the separation of several parties within the largest movement of the republic.
“I'll be honest. I perceive our meeting today and those that were... Believe me, for me you [“Stronghold of Donbass”] are my family. What we experienced together is... To be honest, some information cannot be told: there is something to remember, but nothing to tell.<…>We chose our fate ourselves. And our destiny is inextricably linked with you,” said Alexander Zakharchenko on December 28 at the reporting conference of the NGO OD.
As written on the organization’s website, the public organization “Patriotic Forces of Donbass” (PSD) was created during a rally on March 1, 2014. At the same time, ex-SBU employee and Secretary of the DPR Security Council (2014–2015) Alexander Khodakovsky was elected head of the organization. PSD activists participated in the seizure of “strategically significant points of Donetsk” (for example, the SBU building, television center and military units), organized checkpoints near Donetsk, and prepared for the referendum on May 11, 2014.
On May 6, 2014, a battalion was created from PSD activists people's militia"East". Later, the military unit became part of the 1st Army Corps.
On at this stage The main activity of the PSD is to carry out humanitarian actions. Until the spring of 2016, the organization had representation in the DPR parliament, but on April 30, deputies Alexander Semenov and Pyotr Savchenko were early deprived of their parliamentary powers during a vote of the DPR People's Council. The reason in the resolutions of the parliament is stated: “Due to the loss of confidence in the Social Movement “Donetsk Republic”” (the deputies were members of the Council from this organization). In 2016, Alexander Khodakovsky publicly announced his transition to the opposition to the current government in the DPR.
“This is simply freeing up seats to be filled by some new deputies, intimidating those who are undesirable. This is delegitimization. Endless legal violations on the part of “parliament” lead to the fact that the understanding of what kind of body this is and why it is needed is washed away.
The first point of the political program of the “Patriotic Forces of Donbass” is: “We see our future only as part of Russia.”
The first political party of the self-proclaimed republic was Communist Party DPR (KP DPR). It was organized on October 8, 2014. The chairman was appointed as the head Supreme Council DPR Boris Litvinov. At the very first congress, the DPR Communist Party expressed support for the then Prime Minister of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, in the upcoming elections of the head of the republic in November.
Deputies from the Communist Party of the DPR entered parliament on the lists of the OD DR. However, in June 2016 they were stripped of their mandate with the wording “for loss of trust.” According to party representatives, this decision was made after criticism of the bill on transferring 50% of the production of alcohol and tobacco products into private hands.
“It was cynical lawlessness, and it happened in a matter of minutes, without trial or investigation,” Litvinov commented on the exclusion of communists from the number of DPR deputies.
Donetsk communists also reported attempts at “decommunization” in the DPR: they were prohibited from laying flowers at the monument to Vladimir Lenin on the leader’s birthday, holding rallies and participating in actions under red flags.
The reasons for the “persecution” of Donetsk communists were covered in its journalistic investigation by the publication Gazeta.ru.
Over the four years of the Ukrainian crisis and the war in Donbass, the political and social life of the self-proclaimed republics has acquired certain characteristics. Today, many movements, associations and organizations have little direct or indirect influence on the DPR.
Among the organizations outside the territory of the DPR, one can highlight the public association "South of Russia" (participant - Andrei Purgin), "Committee of January 25" (leader - Igor Strelkov), the Union of Donbass Volunteers (UDV) (leaders - the first chairman of the DPR Council of Ministers Alexander Boroday and the first minister state security DPR Andrey Pinchuk).
The project with the participation of Purgin should be perceived as a platform for discussion, a think tank, which is in search of new ideas for the development of Donbass. Strelkov's projects were marginalized by the media. At their core, they are designed for right-wing forces in Russia. The SDD is similar to a “back-up option” that can be launched if the political system within the DPR collapses.
The political landscape within the DPR is not as homogeneous as it might seem at first acquaintance. For example, on the territory of the republic there is a branch of the Russian left-patriotic social movement “Essence of Time” by Sergei Kurginyan. Moreover, members of the movement pass military training and participate in hostilities as part of the Khan battalion. One can only guess what long-term goals the far left in Donbass are pursuing and what prospects they see.
The future of the self-proclaimed republics is characterized by high level uncertainty. Although no one seriously hopes for the implementation of the Minsk agreements (which imply the return of Donbass to Ukraine), the factors of Ukraine, Russian-Ukrainian relations and the geopolitical balance of power make any development of events possible. Also, the November situation with the reformatting of the highest echelon of power in Lugansk showed that “black swans” in Donbass should always be expected. Therefore, the elites and leadership of the DPR concentrate their efforts on operational and tactical tasks.
Working with youth is largely a strategic activity. The situation in this policy direction is ambiguous. On the one hand, continuous work is underway: patriotic education, creating a personnel reserve, attracting activists and leaders public opinion among young people to implement youth projects. On the other hand, this work is carried out by amateurs, and the learning process in conditions of partial isolation of the region from the experience of advanced countries is slow, mainly by trial and error.
The main centers for working with youth are the youth wing of the OD DR - the public organization "Young Republic", the department for working with youth of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Tourism of the DPR, the youth wing of the "Oplot of Donbass", a network of student trade unions and military-patriotic clubs, which They work mainly with schoolchildren.
Attempts to form a youth wing were made by the SD SD, but judging by the information support, the initiative did not receive much development.
As is the case with political parties and movements, small projects on the territory of the DPR are implemented by organizations of various types: from self-formed interest-based companies to politically oriented discussion clubs. For example, in the republic there are cells of Eurasians (followers of the ideas of Alexander Dugin).
The material is an overview that only gives general idea about the socio-political life of the self-proclaimed DPR. Real arrangement the forces within the LDPR are not made public, and politics are carried out behind the scenes. And the information that does end up in the media - “leaks” or deliberate “stuffing” of materials for thought - is not reliable.
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The role of the Communist Party in the life of the republic is difficult to overestimate. It’s no secret that the communists made a great contribution to the formation of the DPR, that communist ideas are shared by a significant number of residents of the republic. And how could it be otherwise? As in our country, the Communist Party of the DPR actively defends the interests of its multinational people and advocates for the speedy international legal recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic.
According to the firm conviction of Donetsk communists, the very creation of the Donetsk People's Republic is the result of a 25-year struggle of communists and their supporters against the restoration of the capitalist system. The logic of the historical process of creating the Communist Party of the DPR was emphasized in his speech at the Congress by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the DPR, Boris Litvinov: “Firstly, after the criminal collapse Soviet country and the ban on the basis of the entire Soviet system - the Communist Party - it was the communists of the Donetsk region who stood at the origins of the revival of the Communist Party of Ukraine in 1993.
Secondly, through the efforts of several generations of communists and our supporters in Ukraine and the Donetsk region in particular, the historical experience of generations in defending and fighting for their rights was preserved and enhanced.
Thirdly, when Ukraine plunged into a national-fascist frenzy, many communists found themselves on the verge of physical destruction, many communists of the Donetsk region became organizers of decisive resistance to the Kyiv junta.
Fourthly, after the declaration of the sovereignty of the Donetsk People's Republic, many primary party organizations, local communists and their supporters took an active part in organizing and holding a Referendum on the attitude of the people of the Republic to the fact of declaring the country's sovereignty. After overwhelming popular confirmation of the course towards the creation of a sovereign state - the Donetsk People's Republic. And the communists stood up to defend the choice of the people, joining the ranks of the people's militia and the people's army, others carried out and are now engaged in state building of our young republic.
Fifthly, as a result of the armed struggle imposed by the Kyiv junta on our young state, the Donetsk People's Republic found itself temporarily divided into two parts. One part is under the control of the republican authorities, the other is occupied by Ukrainian troops and mercenaries paid by the oligarchs.
Under the current conditions, the Donetsk Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine has not developed a mechanism for leading the communists. Taking these circumstances into account, in October 2014, the need arose to form the Communist Party of the Donetsk People's Republic. And we did it together."
Today the Donetsk communists face a lot complex problems. After all, party building is forced to be carried out in an unrecognized republic, experiencing severe economic difficulties, in a state of civil war, unleashed by the criminal Kyiv regime with the support of the US authorities and many European countries.
At their Congress, the Communists gathered to introduce necessary changes in its Charter, as well as clearly define the role and role of the Communist Party in the life of the Donetsk People's Republic. 116 delegates from 26 party branches arrived at the congress. Most of the speeches were not only constructive, but also emotional - many of those present had the opportunity to defend their ideas with arms in hand. It’s not for nothing that someone said that the party’s charter was written in blood.
Among the guests of the Congress were representatives of the Lugansk communists, a representative of the UCP-CPSU Sergei Prokopenko, a correspondent for the newspaper " Soviet Russia» Lyudmila Nefedova and others. Renata Koppe, a member of the Central Committee of the German Communist Party, who was present at the congress, read out the greeting of the Civil Communist Party to the congress of the Communist Party of the DPR. It says, in particular: “We wish you success in discussing important issues at your Congress and in the further struggle for the socialist development of the DPR, especially since we know that this struggle is not without difficulties.
We hope that fruitful cooperation will develop from this meeting and that we will find an opportunity to support you with concrete measures. The fight against fascism in Europe can only be waged together - as was the case with the fight against Hitler's fascism. We will do everything we can to support this fight."
The speech of Vladimir Rodin, who has been organizing the collection and dispatch of humanitarian aid from Moscow to Novorossiya for two years, was greeted with applause. Thanks to regular trips as part of the working group of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation to the Donbass, he, as well as the First Deputy Chairman of the Central Council of the UPC-CPSU Kazbek Taisaev, is well known not only by communists, but also by many heads of departments, enterprises and social institutions of the republic, who received much-needed help thanks to their activities Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
Many speeches included words of gratitude to Russian communists and all our compatriots for their support. For example, from flour regularly delivered by Communist Party convoys, bread is baked in Gorlovka, which is then sold in kiosks at cost.
Donetsk communists spoke about the decisive role of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in their party building. Words of special gratitude were addressed to the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov, Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Vladimir Kashin, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, First Deputy Chairman of the Central Council of the UPC-CPSU Kazbek Taisaev, Secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Vladimir Rodin. And, of course, they unanimously wished the Communist Party of the Russian Federation victory in the upcoming State Duma elections in September.
Despite the extremely busy work trip schedule, we managed to take part in grand opening memorial plaque to the last leader of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR Stanislav Gurenko, interview the Chairman of the People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin, learn about the real state of affairs at the enterprises of the republic during a meeting with employees of the Donetskgormash plant, drive through areas of the city that were once subject to serious shelling and talk with their residents. All this will be discussed in the next issue of the newspaper Pravda Moskvy.
A full-fledged political system - to the required extent autonomous and independent of external factors - is impossible in the absence of economic sovereignty. In previous materials about the civil life of Donetsk, we touched upon economic aspects as the basis of the system that emerged after 2014. The portal site found out what the political superstructure of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) is under current conditions.
Parties that formally do not exist
The legal confusion in Donetsk is a topic that deserves special attention and the involvement of legal experts. Let us only note that the system of public relations within the DPR is not regulated at the legislative level: there is no law on political parties in the republic; in June 2016, the bill “On Public Associations” was adopted in the first reading, but then the law got stuck. The last mention of the bill on the official resources of the DPR dates back to November 2016.
“In practice, we were faced with the fact that some so-called non-profit organizations were conducting anti-state and anti-people activities.<…>
Bodies of state power and local self-government must have the legal ability to prevent the commission of offenses by public organizations and suppress any abuses by non-profit associations,” commented the Chairman of the DPR People’s Council Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations on the fate of the bill “On Public Associations” Alexander Malkov.
As a result, the bill was not considered in the second reading and was not adopted as a whole. At the same time, in the Constitution of the DPR the term “public association” appears three times (Article 13, paragraph 3, Article 23, paragraph 1, Article 39, paragraph 2).
“Everyone has the right to association, including the right to create trade unions to protect their interests. Freedom of activity of public associations is guaranteed,” - paragraph 1 of Article 23 of the DPR Constitution.
There are no nominally political parties in the DPR, although paragraph 1 of Article 9 recognizes “ideological and political diversity, multi-party system.”
In the summer of 2016, the speaker of the parliament of the republic Denis Pushilin explained the absence of political parties in the DPR and the actual ban on the Communist Party by “political background” and the conditions of the Ukrainian side within the framework of the Minsk negotiation format.
“We insist there [in Minsk] that we [in the DPR] have no political parties and we will have a majoritarian election system. We personally heard dissatisfaction from Kuchma: how come you don’t have parties? There is a Communist Party, so let there be “Petro Poroshenko Bloc”, “Right Sector” (the organization’s activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation - approx. website) and so on,” the website of the Moscow City Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation quotes Pushilin as saying.
In fact, both political and public associations operate on the territory of the DPR.
Party of the head - social movement "Donetsk Republic"
The “party” with the largest representation in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government is public movement "Donetsk Republic" (OD DR).
According to information posted by the Donetsk News Agency (DAN), in August 2016, more than 139 thousand people had membership in the OD DR. DAN also published a list of movement participants. A counter of movement members is also installed on the OD DR website.
As of January 8, 2018, the counter indicates that more than 194 thousand people (about 11% of the population) are members of the DR OA. At the same time, the official group of the movement on the social network “VKontakte” It has just over 15 thousand subscribers (on average, about 300 people view each post, which indicates low user activity) on the Facebook page signed about 660 users, in Instagram- about three thousand.
The Chairman of the OD DR is the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Zakharchenko, head of the central executive committee - ex-director of the Donetsk Drama Theater, chairman of the organizing committee for the primaries in the DPR in 2016 Natalia Volkova.
Until October 2017, the position of head of the central executive committee was held by the speaker of the DPR parliament, the permanent plenipotentiary representative of the DPR at the negotiations of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk Denis Pushilin.
During the general elections in the DPR on November 2, 2014, the Democratic People's Republic won 68 seats out of 100 in the People's Council. The remaining 32 seats in the republic's parliament went to representatives of the Free Donbass public movement. Alexander Zakharchenko received the support of 78.9% of voters in the elections.
Members of the OD DR occupy the positions of heads of cities and towns of the DPR and almost all seats in the Cabinet of Ministers of the DPR.
Instead of the opposition - the public movement "Free Donbass"
The second “party” with representation in the DPR parliament is public movement "Free Donbass" (OD SD). The chairman of the movement and head of the parliamentary faction of the OD SD is a little-known and publicly inactive 35-year-old deputy Evgeniy Orlov.
The unofficial leader of the faction, judging by the New Year's greetings and the intensity of communication with the press, is a DPR deputy Ekaterina Gubareva. Her husband Pavel Gubarev- a prominent participant in the 2014 events in Donbass, one of the organizers of the Novorossiya party, author of the book “Torch of Novorossiya”. On March 1, 2014, at a rally, Gubarev was elected “people's governor”; on March 3 and 5, he participated in the seizure (assault) of the Donetsk regional state administration.
The OD “Free Donbass” is actually removed from the executive power in the DPR and informally occupies a niche of opposition in relation to the “Donetsk Republic” movement.
Pavel Gubarev is to a certain extent toxic for the population of Donbass: he was involved in a number of scandals and stories. In March 2014, Gubarev was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), but in May he was released (exchanged for officers of the Ukrainian special services); an activist was shot at from a grenade launcher; in January 2015 he was kidnapped by Chechens; in January 2016, Gubarev was “appointed” as mayor of Yasinovataya. At the same time, the politician is a link between the OD SD and two other organizations: The people's militia of Donbass and the political movement "Novorossiya".
From time to time, Gubarev allows himself critical remarks and attacks against the current authorities in the DPR. This is probably why the activist disappeared from the airwaves of local TV channels.
“In the DPR and LPR, as you know, there is no democracy. This is correct, but war requires a vertical line. However, some democratic instruments still remain. For example, media democracy has taken on the function of a regulator of power in matters of correcting special excesses and abuses.
When the actions of the authorities reach the point of lawlessness (unfortunately, this happens very often in our country), social networks, bloggers and non-state online media begin to cover this topic, and all politically conscious citizens who are not indifferent to the problem get involved. The highest authorities pay attention to the problem and begin to respond,” stated Gubarev on his VK page.
Movements that do not exist: Donbass People's Militia and Novorossiya
At the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis (spring - summer 2014) People's Militia of Donbass (NOD) was a volunteer armed formation. After the creation and final formation of the 1st Army Corps of the Ministry of Defense of the DPR, it is problematic to assess the structure of the NOD and Gubarev’s influence on it. On the social network VK there is group of the same name with 113 thousand subscribers. Among its administrators is Pavel Gubarev. But whether this resource performs any functions other than information is unknown.
The same fate befell movement "Novorossiya"- the media don’t talk about him. On the Internet you can find the website “Novorossiya Movement” by Igor Strelkov. However, it positions itself as an association of organizations that help “the militia and ordinary residents of Donbass.”
Igor Strelkov (Girkin) - leader of the armed resistance in Slavyansk, ex-Minister of Defense of the DPR and military commandant of Donetsk in July - August 2014. Today Strelkov is a media figure who does not directly influence the political and social life of Donbass.
OD DR 2.0: public organization “Stronghold of Donbass”
In the fall of 2015, the DPR was created public organization "Oplot of Donbass" (PO OD). Chairman of the board of the organization - member of the DPR parliament Sergey Zavdoveev(call sign "French") Ukrainian media classify Zavdoveev as one of Alexander Zakharchenko’s inner circle.
“Oplot of Donbass” implements cultural and educational programs, provides support to the families of militiamen and military personnel of the DPR Armed Forces, including those who died during the fighting.
On December 28, 2017, the NGO “Oplot of Donbass” supported Zakharchenko’s candidacy for the post of head of the DPR. And about. Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the DPR Alexander Timofeev Also stated, that the “Oplot of Donbass” will participate in the parliamentary elections, and explicitly called the movement a “parliamentary public organization.” Apparently, the OD DR will be rebranded with the separation of several parties within the largest movement of the republic.
“I'll be honest. I perceive our meeting today and those that were... Believe me, for me you [“Stronghold of Donbass”] are my family. What we experienced together is... To be honest, some information cannot be told: there is something to remember, but nothing to tell.<…>We chose our fate ourselves. And our destiny is inextricably linked with you,” said Alexander Zakharchenko on December 28 at the reporting conference of the NGO OD.
Public organization "Patriotic Forces of Donbass"
As written on the organization's website, public organization "Patriotic Forces of Donbass" (PSD) was created during a rally on March 1, 2014. At the same time, a former SBU employee, Secretary of the DPR Security Council (2014–2015) was elected head of the organization. Alexander Khodakovsky. PSD activists participated in the seizure of “strategically significant points in Donetsk” (for example, the SBU building, television center and military units), organized checkpoints near Donetsk, and prepared for the referendum on May 11, 2014.
On May 6, 2014, the people’s militia battalion “Vostok” was created from PSD activists. Later, the military unit became part of the 1st Army Corps.
At this stage, the main activity of the PSD is to carry out humanitarian actions. Until the spring of 2016, the organization had representation in the DPR parliament, but on April 30, deputies Alexander Semenov and Pyotr Savchenko were early deprived of their parliamentary powers during a vote of the DPR People's Council. The reason in the resolutions of the parliament is stated: “Due to the loss of confidence in the Social Movement “Donetsk Republic”” (the deputies were members of the Council from this organization). In 2016, Alexander Khodakovsky publicly announced his transition to the opposition to the current government in the DPR.
“This is simply freeing up seats to be filled by some new deputies, intimidating those who are undesirable. This is delegitimization. Endless legal violations on the part of “parliament” lead to the fact that the understanding of what kind of body this is and why it is needed is washed away.
This is, first of all, a blow to the image of the “republic”, a blow to the system of legitimation that was launched,” commented the ex-head of the DPR parliament Andrei Purgin on the deprivation of the mandates of deputies Shaftner and Bogdanova in 2015.
The first point of the political program of the “Patriotic Forces of Donbass” is: “We see our future only as part of Russia.”
The path of the communists to the DPR
The first political party of the self-proclaimed republic was Communist Party of the DPR (CP DPR). It was organized on October 8, 2014. The chairman of the Supreme Council of the DPR was appointed head Boris Litvinov. At the very first congress, the DPR Communist Party expressed support for the then Prime Minister of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, in the upcoming elections of the head of the republic in November.
Deputies from the Communist Party of the DPR entered parliament on the lists of the OD DR. However, in June 2016 they were stripped of their mandate with the wording “for loss of trust.” According to party representatives, this decision was made after criticism of the bill on transferring 50% of the production of alcohol and tobacco products into private hands.
“It was cynical lawlessness, and it happened in a matter of minutes, without trial or investigation,” Litvinov commented on the exclusion of communists from the number of DPR deputies.
Donetsk communists also reported attempts at “decommunization” in the DPR: they were prohibited from laying flowers at the monument to Vladimir Lenin on the leader’s birthday, holding rallies and participating in actions under red flags.
The reasons for the “persecution” of Donetsk communists were covered in its journalistic investigation by the publication Gazeta.ru.
Outside the political struggle... for now
Over the four years of the Ukrainian crisis and the war in Donbass, the political and social life of the self-proclaimed republics has acquired certain characteristics. Today, many movements, associations and organizations have little direct or indirect influence on the DPR.
Among organizations outside the territory of the DPR, one can highlight the public association “South of Russia” (participant - Andrey Purgin), “Committee of January 25” (headed by Igor Strelkov), Union of Donbass Volunteers (UDV) (leaders by the first Chairman of the DPR Council of Ministers Alexander Borodai and the first Minister of State Security of the DPR Andrey Pinchuk).
The project with the participation of Purgin should be perceived as a platform for discussion, a think tank, which is in search of new ideas for the development of Donbass. Strelkov's projects were marginalized by the media. At their core, they are designed for right-wing forces in Russia. The SDD is similar to a “back-up option” that can be launched if the political system within the DPR collapses.
The political landscape within the DPR is not as homogeneous as it might seem at first acquaintance. For example, on the territory of the republic there is a branch of the Russian left-patriotic social movement “The Essence of Time” by Sergei Kurginyan. Moreover, members of the movement undergo military training and participate in combat operations as part of the Khan battalion. One can only guess what long-term goals the far left in Donbass are pursuing and what prospects they see.
Youth
The future of the self-proclaimed republics is characterized by a high level of uncertainty. Although no one seriously hopes for the implementation of the Minsk agreements (which imply the return of Donbass to Ukraine), the factors of Ukraine, Russian-Ukrainian relations and the geopolitical balance of power make any development of events possible. Also, the November situation from the highest echelon of power in Lugansk showed that “black swans” in Donbass should always be expected. Therefore, the elites and leadership of the DPR concentrate their efforts on operational and tactical tasks.
Working with youth is largely a strategic activity. The situation in this policy direction is ambiguous. On the one hand, continuous work is being carried out: patriotic education, creating a personnel reserve, attracting activists and public opinion leaders among young people to implement youth projects. On the other hand, this work is carried out by amateurs, and the learning process in conditions of partial isolation of the region from the experience of advanced countries is slow, mainly by trial and error.
The main centers for working with youth are the youth wing of the OD DR - a public organization
The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic announced the creation of a communist party. According to TASS, the decision was made during the founding congress of the association.
Chairman of the Supreme Council of the DPR Boris Litvinov was appointed head of the party. He, in turn, expressed support for DPR Prime Minister Alexander Zakharchenko in the upcoming elections for the head of the DPR.
Plans to create a Communist Party in the self-proclaimed republic became known on Monday, October 6. The relevant information appeared on the website of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
The Communist Party became the first political party in the history of the DPR. Until this point, political organizations existed in the form of social movements.
On October 8, the founding conference of the Communist Party of the DPR was held in Donetsk, whose representatives plan to take part in the elections to the republican parliament on November 2. Why the Communist Party is being created, what goals it pursues, the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Donetsk People's Republic, communist Boris Litvinov, told a KPRFNsk correspondent in an interview.
– Why did it become necessary to create a Communist Party in the DPR? Who owns this idea?
– The idea belongs to those communists who stood at the origins of the revolution in the South-East of Ukraine - the uprising against the fascist coup d'etat. And although we have formed two people's republics, and this process, from our point of view, is irreversible, a political vacuum has arisen in the state. We do not have political forces or parties that should form the ideological basis of the future state. Although the entire revolution was initially based on leftist ideological soil, there was a lack of a powerful political party that would become the ideological core and driving force this movement. According to our plan, the Communist Party should become one of the leading political forces in building the statehood of the DPR and LPR, determining the ideological appearance of the new republics. Therefore, on the eve of the elections in November, it was decided to create the Communist Party of the DPR. As a communist, I am one of the organizers of this process.
– What is the expected size of the Communist Party at the initial stage?
– About 100 people will take part in the conference, that is, at least 1000 people at the initial stage. This is the founding conference, and then the registration of party members will begin.
– What is the support for communist ideas among the population of the DPR?
– As far as I know, there is significant support among the people. The majority of the DPR population adheres to views “from the center and to the left.” It's hard to say in percentage terms - the elections, I think, will show. Everyone is expecting a left turn, a movement of our state towards socialism. But this support, of course, is superimposed on all the disasters of war, devastation, death, and poverty. All this irritates people. A certain part of society has become despondent over the past month; people are ready to put up with everything, both with the Kyiv authorities and with the oligarchs, just so as not to suffer, “as long as there is no war.” However, the main part of society in the DPR are still those who are ready to go to the end. Many people who share communist ideas are now in government, in leadership roles that are just being formed, among deputies, among militias.
– Of course, we will take part in the elections and put forward our party list. It is worth noting that the Communist Party is the only political party that has decided to go through the registration process today; there are no other political parties in the DPR. There are socio-political movements, but there are no parties yet.
– What are the party’s top priorities for the near future?
– We will strive to ensure that the DPR Constitution complies with the declaration that was proclaimed on April 7 and confirmed on May 11 during a referendum. In particular on the issue of land ownership. Those deputies who prepared today's Constitution deviated a little from the original idea, but this can be corrected. We need to build up government bodies now, and then bring everything in line with the declared goals. We, communists, will strive to ensure that the statehood of the DPR is built on socialist principles, but taking into account the peculiarities of today's current period. We need to do everything possible to achieve our goals, and then move forward. Now there is a chance to fill our statehood with socialist ideas as much as possible. First of all, this concerns the economy: we will not have a liberal, but a mixed type of economy, where the role of the state is strong, the state owns all the basic strategic important industries, but in some industries the initiative can be given to private capital. Where the state still doesn’t get around to it.
– Will the DPR Communist Party interact with the Communist Party of Ukraine, with the Communist Party of the Russian Federation?
– We recently spoke with the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Andreevich Zyuganov, and he gave us a number of valuable consultations on this topic. Of course, he supported the very idea of creating the Communist Party of the DPR. So there is mutual understanding and interaction with the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, consultations are also underway with the Communist Party of Ukraine. The Communist Party of Ukraine has ambivalent views on the idea of creating the DPR Communist Party - and I understand why. They are there under fire, in the center of fascist tyranny, and they can only defend themselves against this with words. But we still have other methods of protection. We will establish interaction with other organizations. You can build a dialogue with representatives of the left-wing organization “Borotba”. I even know several people from there who wished to join the DPR Communist Party. Subsequently, I think, our party can transform into the Communist Party of the United Independent States, the Union of Independent Republics (KP SNR), but this is in the draft.
