In the first part of the interview, "Gubarev had swastikas on the walls of his room, and devils have been carried to Donetsk from Russia ultras "Shakhtar" Vitaly Ovcharenko has told to ONLINE.UA about his fan past and the first skirmishes with separatists in early 2014.
In the continuation of the conversation with the journalist Yaroslav Grebenyuk, Ovcharenko recalls the guerrilla struggle in the capital of Donbas captured by terrorists.
- In Donetsk, it was the middle of spring: administrative buildings have been captured, first blood was shed, Cherniavsky was killed, Volodymyr Rybak who tried to pick the separatist flag in Horlivka has been tortured. Did you think that all will be settled yet?
- The intensity of the conflict grew, but there was no a feeling that this will turn into a war. I thought it just goes to serious political bargaining.
The last big (pro-Ukrainian, - ONLINE.UA) rally was on 28 April. The police did nothing again; they even handed out their shields to separatists, and those drove us out to Artem street when our column came to the building of "Donetsk City". I took the blue-yellow ribbon off my clothes...
- And then ran again to separate the fighters?
- No, this time it was a very tough situation: the separatists beat even their friends who was trying to separate them and interfered to beat our guys completely. I tried to influence the police, they just laughed in response.
Then emergency response teams of the Red Cross has operated in the city, and I went with volunteers and showed where I had seen the wounded. We arrived at the hospital and have seen there the entire floor was literally covered with blood. Blood was on the floor and on stretchers in the sanitary inspection room of the traumatology department. All people were in bandages; bandages were applied on heads of someone straight in the hallway.
I remember, Shibalov have been punched in his head; he is from among of "irresponsible citizens" (Evgeny Shibalov is a volunteer of the initiative group of residents of Donbas "Responsible citizens" - ONLINE.UA), I took a picture of him.
And then my friend calls me: " Vitalik, where are you?" - "I'm in the hospital!" - "There is a rumor that the separatists will now assault the hospital!" I and a physician have found a wire and wrapped the door with it; I still had a pepper mace, and thought, if now someone will get in, I will sprinkle with gas!
The physician came out onto the porch, and I was left indoors. There was not an assault, but really about fifteen drunken Russian titushky came to search "Pravy Sector activists". The doctor talked to them, then they went away. e stayed there for about two hours; about twenty people were severely beaten. All the tiles was stained with blood.
And in May, the separatists have already felt their power and began purposefully to look for ultras, civil society activists, and all of whom they considered "Pravy Sector activists", agents of the US State Department, zionists, in short, the Masters of the Universe. Then my friends told to me several times to leave the city, but somehow I could not believe that I'm wanted really. One day, when, say, I was so lucky, I realized that it is necessary to leave. On May 17 I had to leave Donetsk.
- I remember now that for a few weeks prior to slaughter you went under the knife - and here: necessity to fight constantly, cops, titushky. How did you feel?
- You know, after the operation in February, all was well, thanks God. At that time, events developed kaleidoscopically, and I did not hesitate about my health. I was glad that I had not been wounded because my friends often end up in hospital, and still there are no news about Igor "Kozak" from Khartsyzsk since the moment he was gone after the pro-Ukrainian rally in Khartsyzsk. Two years soon.
How we've hunted titushky in DPR: memories of a partisan from Donetsk. Part 2
New service "Explain Ukraine". This is a daily mailout of three articles which were written about the situation in the Donbas by Donbas journalists and translated into English. Honest vision of people who work in the field is unbiased and fresh which is crucial in the world which is full of desinformation and propaganda. We try to share this vision in out daily mailout. You can subscribe here.