Yarosh and the Right Sector. Who are we working for?

Dmitry Yarosh

Not long ago, Dmytro Yarosh unexpectedly resigned as the leader of the Right Sector, while maintaining his position as a member of parliament and commanding the Right Sector's combat units. This event immediately sparked rumors that Dmytro Anatolyevich was plotting a coup d'état or a third Maidan. Furthermore, his resignation is linked to the disappearance of public funds from the Right Sector. what we wrote about earlierAnother version of his departure, voiced by himself, is that he allegedly did not want to be a “wedding general” in the nationalist movement of Ukraine, which we also wrote aboutIs this true? It's hard to say. Yarosh himself and his Right Sector have always been closed to the general public. It is precisely this secrecy that often becomes fertile ground for speculation and various conspiracy theories. So, let's try to unravel these intricacies of Ukrainian nationalism and understand who this man is and what he wants.

Dmitry Yarosh

Where did Yarosh come from?

Dmitry Anatolyevich himself claimed that the Right Sector appeared on the Maidan in December 2013, that is, simultaneously with the start of the protests in Kyiv. But the organization made its presence felt in mid-January 2014, when the protests escalated into clashes with the Berkut and the throwing of Molotov cocktails. By late January, the Right Sector had already begun making demands on the then-government and on Viktor Yanukovych personally. It was then that the country learned of Dmytro Yarosh, who led a militant organization comprising representatives of a completely disparate group, from football ultras to the Stepan Bandera Tryzub (Trident), from Patriot of Ukraine to the bizarre White Hammer (White Hammer). Just a month later, the Right Sector was demanding political consultations from the democratic coalition of Klitschko, Yatsenyuk, and Tyahnybok, while Yarosh himself met personally with Yanukovych and negotiated a ceasefire, although these negotiations were unsuccessful. At that time, political scientists and officials were baffled as to where this Right Sector and this Dmytro Yarosh had come from. He had no history, no relationships with other forces, not even anyone in the establishment who had ever heard of him. It seemed as if he had appeared out of nowhere. But that's not how it works. Such organizations are always backed by the secret services.

Dmitry Yarosh with Yaroslava Stetsko

Why the secret services?

Militarized organizations are quite expensive. They need gyms and training camps, uniforms, and ideological literature. Their leaders can't spend their free time organizing and training young people, which means they need a salary. All that money, and it has to come from somewhere. Perhaps they rely on public donations? Well, can any of us remember ever donating our own hard-earned money to an extremist organization? Then perhaps someone we know has? It's hard to imagine the average person donating even a single hryvnia to Tryzub or White Hammer.

So perhaps they are being funded by oligarchs? But the same question arises: for what purpose? Yes, oligarchs have their own paramilitary forces in the form of their companies' security services. But giving money to organizations that are guided not by the business interests of a specific Rinat Akhmetov or Igor Kolomoisky, but by incomprehensible ideals, is simply madness.

But such organizations are precisely what the secret services need. They can, if necessary, stage a terrorist attack, or cause mass unrest—in short, create the very "muddy waters" in which the secret services usually fish. Furthermore, only they can ensure that the entire chain of command, from the local police officer to the regional SBU office, turns a blind eye to the fact that young people are being trained in martial arts, shooting, and the use of bladed weapons right under their noses. Not to mention that such organizations require trainers with highly specialized knowledge and combat experience. Meanwhile, the Russian FSB may well support Ukrainian nationalist groups, and the SBU, Russian nationalists. Ideology has nothing to do with it; everything depends on the mission the special services currently face, or may face in the future. So, Dmitry Yarosh could be on the payroll of either security agency. Let's consider both possibilities.

FSB version

This theory is supported by the fact that Russian media made Yarosh a true hero in the eyes of Ukrainians. There was a deliberate campaign to create the image of "the most feared Ukrainian nationalist." Meanwhile, there were plenty of "bogeymen" for Russians on the Maidan—Oleh Tyahnybok, Andriy Parubiy, and a host of other nationalists. But Russian media reported nothing at all about them. Dmytro Yarosh, meanwhile, was constantly on TV, frightening Russians and raising the Right Sector leader's image in the eyes of Ukrainians to the skies.

On the Ukrainian side, media support for Dmitry Anatolyevich personally and the entire Right Sector is provided by Artem Skoropadsky, a Russian citizen and well-known former Kommersant journalist. He permanently replaced Boryslav Bereza when the latter embarked on a political career. A strange choice for a national-patriotic force, isn't it? Couldn't they have found a single Ukrainian journalist? Or was this an order from their superiors in Moscow? The very timing of the Right Sector's rise to prominence also supports the FSB theory. They began throwing Molotov cocktails and setting fire to police buses not in the first days of the Maidan, when students were being beaten, nor when the Berkut and its thugs were pushing and beating peaceful demonstrators. It all happened like this: on February 17, the then government launched an amnesty process for Euromaidan participants, and on the same day, Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Vitali Klitschko flew to Berlin to speak with Angela Merkel. That same evening, the German Chancellor announced her readiness to provide financial support to Ukraine. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the United States was attempting to impose a Western development vector on Ukraine as the only correct one.

Artem Skoropadsky and Dmitry Yarosh

Nevertheless, life in Kyiv is getting better. Administrative buildings and Hrushevsky Street are being vacated. It seems the Europeans have finally put the squeeze on Yanukovych. And the very next day, a group of Right Sector activists sets fire to buses on Hrushevsky Street, and the standoff flares up anew. And already on February 20, Dmytro Yarosh appears on the scene, holding secret negotiations with Yanukovych. On whose behalf was he conducting these negotiations? On behalf of the Maidan? Or on behalf of the Russian secret services? That is the question. And one more argument. Among the dead of the Heavenly Hundred, there is not a single representative of the Right Sector. This is strange, since they should have been at the forefront of the Maidan. But perhaps it was on that very day that Dmytro Anatolyevich gave the order to his men to withdraw from their positions.

The SBU (and therefore pro-American) version

This theory is supported by his long-standing friendship with Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, who twice headed the SBU. Dmytro Yarosh was his assistant and consultant, and according to some reports, they are godparents. As head of the SBU from 2006 to 2010, Nalyvaichenko personally supported Tryzub. Moreover, the situation on Euromaidan was advantageous to him. After all, the leader of the Self-Defense, Andriy Parubiy, was considered the main "security official" of the Maidan. But after Yanukovych fled, he received the symbolic sinecure of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. The position of SBU chief went to Nalyvaichenko. For what achievements? Apparently, he was the only one at the time with a more or less effective combat unit – the Right Sector. Alpha, Berkut, and other professional combat units were demoralized and feared for their lives and freedom. The army was in disarray, and volunteer battalions were only just forming. But the "PS" DUK was ready for combat and quickly received weapons, apparently facilitated by Dmitry Anatolyevich's friend. However, after some time, with the help of volunteers and businessmen, the army and volunteer battalions were brought to a normal state of combat readiness, and the need for both Nalyvaichenko and Dmitry Anatolyevich disappeared, so they were quickly "bunkered."

Preferences

Oddly enough, of the powerful Right Sector organization, the scourge of Yanukovych's criminal regime, only three people received preferential treatment after the Revolution of Dignity: Dmytro Yarosh, Andriy Biletsky, and Boryslav Bereza, who became members of parliament. The rest of the organization roughly split into two wings. The first engaged in ordinary banditry and racketeering, such as Oleksandr Muzychko, who began actively raking in amber mining, and the Transcarpathian Right Sector, which engaged in smuggling protection. The other wing, such as Andriy Sharaskin (call sign Bogema), went to fight in eastern Ukraine, aided cyborgs, and generally distinguished itself in combat, and remains there to this day. It's difficult to say which of these wings Dmytro Yarosh controls himself. Most likely, the organization has slipped out of his control. If such control ever existed. It's entirely possible that Dmitry Anatolyevich was merely the face, the spokesman, the talking head of this organization. Behind it, and still behind it, were others. Which ones, you'll read above. Yarosh himself, as a reward for his work, received a cushy and lucrative seat as a people's deputy. Moreover, his image as a Maidan hero will likely be enough to secure him another term in parliament. And if necessary, he could easily be "reactivated" and placed at the helm of the next extremist project, should that be necessary.

People's Deputy Dmitry Yarosh

Thus, in the context of all the above, the reasons for his departure become clear. The situation in eastern Ukraine is normalizing, and the need for combat units is fading. Where will these heroes of yesterday, so vital to the country, go? What actions are they capable of? Anything, even the most inappropriate. And thus, those who until recently were the pride of the country and the people are transformed into criminals, dealt with by the police. Just remember Muzychko, mentioned above. And who will be held accountable for them? Anyone but Yarosh, who no longer leads them. Today, Dmytro Yarosh is quietly accused of embezzling money from the Right Sector. So, perhaps the "comandante" has decided to pursue a more peaceful and, at the same time, more profitable endeavor? In any case, he will remain a beautiful legend, the man who brought down the criminal Yanukovych regime. At least, that's what's believed.

Denis Ivanov, for SKELET-info

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