Today's merger of the BPP and UDAR was marked by one strange moment.
Among the 19 "UDAR" members who ceremoniously joined the BPP Solidarity party was Luhansk resident Vitaly Serpokrylov, a man known for his friendship with Luhansk separatists. He had always played a supporting or even third-tier role in UDAR, so he wasn't particularly noticeable, but now, for some reason, they've decided to include him among the chosen ones. The reason for this decision is unclear to me, but it clearly won't benefit the president's party. Most likely, it's because Serpokrylov is close to Vitaly Kovalchuk. In any case, he's his assistant.
The Serpokrylov brothers (Vitaliy and Vyacheslav) are well known in Luhansk. They regularly switched parties, and have served in NU-NS, Pora, and UDAR. They are said to have been involved in the organized crime group of Luhansk crime boss Dobroslav in the 1990s, who was killed in 1997, but this remains a rumor.
What is known for certain, however, is that in 2009, the Serpokrylov brothers, among others, founded a public organization in Lugansk called the "Union of Social Justice and Development" (USSR). It was headed by Vitaly Serpokrylov.
The internet contains unforgettable publications about the activities of this organization. Suffice it to say that, in addition to the Serpokrylov brothers, it included such interesting figures as Arsen Klinchaev, Vladimir Struk, Nikolai Pesotsky, and Nikolai Gapochka. Vladimir Landik, Sergei Zhevlakov and other “best people of Luhansk region” who later participated in the creation of the LPR.
The "USSR" was founded in May 2009 at the so-called unification congress of public organizations, which took place in Luhansk at the "Coliseum" entertainment center. A report of this event is still available online, beautifully capturing the drama of the event.
The congress was picketed by Ukrainian nationalists led by the then unknown Ruslan Kotsaba, who for some reason came to Luhansk from Ivano-Frankivsk.
“The abbreviation of this approach is synonymous with “USSR.” Therefore, this is an unconstitutional move. Lugansk residents, what is going on here? This is a provocation for other thieves!” - said Kotsaba.
He was harshly confronted by the now well-known Luhansk separatist Arsen Klinchaev, one of the headliners of the 2014 “Russian Spring,” who was among the founders of the “USSR” along with Serpokrylov.
They said that Ruslan Kotsaba was specially “written out” from I-F in order to create a scandal and promote the “USSR” congress, but it is impossible to prove this.
Don Cossacks also took part in the creation of the "USSR".
The entire Luhansk freak show gathered under the organization's banner. Its lineup was so magnificent that looking at the photographs still brings back nostalgia. Among them were Roman Landik, who beat up a girl in a café, his father, Vladimir Landik, Mykola Pesotsky, and separatist Sergei Zhevlakov.
Nikolai Pesotsky, one of the founders of the "USSR," held racist views and became famous for erecting billboards in Luhansk with the slogan, "Slavs, let's cleanse Luhansk for ourselves." The protest was directed against Caucasians Manolis Pilavov and Zaza Zukhbai, who were then deputy mayors of Luhansk, Sergey Kravchenko.
The prosecutor's office and the SBU were interested in the boards.
Naturally, such a wonderful man didn't go astray. Pesotsky later joined the Ukrainian Choice party and began harassing Caucasians under Medvedchuk's brand.
The "USSR" organization was essentially created for the 2009 local elections, where it ran against Mayor Sergei Kravchenko. However, it all ended rather ingloriously: the Serpokrylov brothers and co. nominated a "doppelganger"—Vladislav Kravchenko—to run against Kravchenko. They failed to thwart the front-runner.
After the 2010 elections, "USSR" naturally became irrelevant, so it was quickly forgotten. The Serpokrylov brothers joined the promising UDAR party, which was just being formed at the time. Interestingly, Vladislav Kravchenko, along with the Serpokrylovs, also joined Klitschko's party, but fortunately, he was not accepted into Solidarity at the BPP and UDAR congress.
It's not entirely clear why the founder of the "USSR," Vitaly Serpokrylov, was so pompously received there in front of the entire country.
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