The ElitExpert publication continues to introduce you to people who volunteer, serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and conduct other activities aimed at fighting the enemy, contributing to the common victory of Ukraine.
Today we are talking to Denis Kartashev, a soldier of the Armed Forces with many years of experience, an instructor certified according to NATO standards at the European training center, the head of intelligence of one of the combat units, about service, war, volunteering, corruption in power and victory.
Until February 24, most Ukrainians did not believe that Russia could attack us. What were your thoughts on this?
I had only been in Ukraine for a little over a week at the time of the full-scale invasion. Came back from another continent, relaxed a bit, and even I had my doubts that this would happen. Although we understood and said that this would happen since 2014.
I remember how the "quilters" laughed at us, regarding conversations and rumors about a possible attack by the Russian Federation. But my brothers and I understood that sooner or later it would happen. Therefore, I was not particularly surprised. I was more impressed that in Dubai, at the beginning of February, a fairly high-ranking Emirati official confidently told me that we would have a war, I did not believe it - it was impossible, but February 24 came ...
You have been in the ATO since 2014, tell us about your combat experience, how our army lives today, in what conditions do you fight?
I serve in the marine corps. I cannot reveal the details of the service and combat missions, but I will dispel some myths. At the beginning of the war, there were situations when recruits said that they were being sent to tanks with machine guns. It's all from fear... You ask him: "Did you even see the tank?", - "No!". Then why do you claim that you were sent to a tank with a machine gun?
To avoid such excesses, our brigade commander decided to create an additional unit of instructors who train soldiers and help training centers.
It is necessary for our soldiers to be alive and healthy in all senses, mentally and morally as well, this is very important for the high morale of the fighters and victory. We worry about the personnel and do everything to ensure that they are combat-ready and perform combat tasks as efficiently as possible.
We do not have such a situation where a mobilized person is brought to the training ground for two hours, given 30 cartridges, one grenade, allowed to shoot once from a grenade launcher, and in two hours he is already on his way to the front.
Newcomers study from several weeks to a month, undergo additional training, and only then go on combat missions. Including, together with us - we drive with them, show and tell everything in practice.
Therefore, in my opinion, we have fewer combat losses than other brigades from other branches of the military. And God forbid that there should be as few of them as possible.
About corruption and politics
Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has received a lot of financial and military aid from Western countries. In this regard, there are many rumors about embezzlement and corruption. In your opinion, what part of the funds received by the country is "lost", and which part still reaches its intended purpose?
In my opinion, everything that goes to the defense of Ukraine comes as intended. We see it on the battlefield and in the provision of the Armed Forces. As for the funds that go to the restoration of destroyed buildings and infrastructure, there is probably both price gouging and corruption in these contracts.
I mentioned a pre-war example that clearly characterizes the activities of our officials - the "Danube Development Strategy" in the Odesa region. After signing this strategy with international organizations and countries, officials did nothing more. Although under the program there was an opportunity to send young people to study with grant funds to Europe, to develop our Bessarabia, but since it was controlled foreign money that cannot be stolen, the local authorities simply did nothing... No one went to study, the projects were never launched .
Regarding the signed agreements and memorandums with other countries regarding the reconstruction of the infrastructure of our cities after the war, I think that there will be no total corruption, because they will all be under serious control, even at the local level. However, all the same, someone will try to steal something - this is our mentality, which is very difficult to defeat.
President Zelensky is also talking about this now, by the way, has your attitude towards him changed over the past year and a half?
Definitely. I used to have a certain aversion to him - because he and his team are not statesmen, without experience in the civil service, solid athletes, cooks and photographers.
But after the Commander-in-Chief remained in his place, did not negotiate like Poroshenko, he really became my president. Many are now trying to arrange provocations, to compare him with other politicians, with some military men - in my opinion, this is unnecessary. He was at the right time, in the right place. It was in the role of commander-in-chief that he showed himself more than worthy. And he will definitely go down in history, unlike Kuchma and Tymoshenko, who robbed the country, looted and destroyed the army. Moreover, I hope that someday they will raise the issue of the bombers, who were exchanged by them for Russian gas, and who are now bombing our country. I'm sure I'll have to answer for that.
And what do you say about the officials who work under today's government? There are no fewer corruption scandals, on the contrary, we are learning more and more about the crimes of the authorities during the war. Will Ukraine ever solve this problem?
In my opinion, the main problem is that now a certain number of absolutely incomprehensible people, random people, have come to power, especially those who have gone through the lists of deputies of the Verkhovna Rada. Many of them should not be there at all, but they got into power, and we see the results of their work.
For example, the ex-head of the Odesa Regional State Administration Maksym Marchenko. He was not remembered for anything both in the army and as the head of the region. Marchenko came to the 28th brigade ready and did nothing good there. I personally know people who can tell a lot of unpleasant things about him.
When he was appointed head of the region in March 2022, I was with him. I go into the office, where Boris Voloshenkov and Serhii Hrynevetsky were sitting, and Marchenko asks me where one of the units of the Special Operations Forces is located - with these people! That says a lot about him.
Why did Marchenko stay in his position for so long? Because no one wanted to rock the boat last year, there was an unspoken command not to touch it. But when they steal like that...
I have an acquaintance who is a masseur specialist, to whom Marchenko was brought for procedures. So at this time his security covered the whole block, you know the level?
Somehow I go up to the 5th floor of the ODA, and his own cook is carrying his lunch on a trolley. Well, what is it anyway? And I am not the only one who can confirm this.
And, of course, corruption: he did not control the processes, I think Hrynevetskyi managed everything, as before. When he was asked a question about this, he said - I take over experience, he introduces me to the course of affairs, I am a military man.
I hope that after our victory they will catch up. I am convinced that the relevant structures have a "folder" for everyone, and they work for everyone. It's just not the time to deal with this, we have another task - to defeat the enemy and protect our country.
If we are talking about politics, do you think there will be a military political party after the war?
I think something similar will happen, but it will come from the Office of the President. Under Poroshenko, they tried to create a military party, but, as we can see, it did not grow. In my opinion, such a political force will be created in the orbit of the president. We have earned the party with our blood and have the right to vote like no one else. And even if that's my guess, I think that's the way it should be. People who were able to lead the army, were able to win - they should be in power. That way we will definitely be able to restore order under the dome of the Verkhovna Rada.
About volunteering
Let's talk about volunteers. How do you rate their contribution to our victory? Has the volunteer movement in Ukraine changed after February 24?
I have never been a volunteer, my wife does this, although I am the founder of a charitable foundation that helps the Armed Forces.
In general, in terms of mutual aid, our country has clearly changed, and not even during the year of the war, but within months. Who fled, fled, but those who remained consolidated and united. Even some "quilters" changed their shoes, sincerely changed their shoes - I watched it myself.
There is an opinion that many began to get tired of the war, of the help, but the true patriots of Ukraine continue to help and understand that you have to work for victory, it is still ahead, and you have to be patient.
There are different types of volunteers and volunteering. In 2014-2015, there was nothing in the army, and then we survived thanks to volunteers.
The volunteer movement was transformed. He divides into those who have been working for many years, who decided to volunteer last year, and those who are just creating the appearance of work. Unfortunately, many volunteers steal or use this status for personal purposes. It was time for some of them to join the ranks of the Armed Forces.
It is important to understand the essence and tasks of volunteering. For example, my wife is a volunteer with experience, she perfectly understands when and what is needed, before spring she buys raincoats, etc. And it does all this very effectively.
And young volunteers often do not understand that there are things that a simple soldier or sailor does not need. Before handing something over, it is necessary to understand in which unit the soldier serves and what tasks he performs.
They often ask for things that are not really necessary. Here, for example, a simple ordinary fighter requires 11 radios. Why do they need him? Volunteers don't think about it and just hand them over. There are many such cases. And then these notorious walkie-talkies pop up on internet sales sites.
Or the favorite fairy tale of the rank and file: if you give us something officially, the officers will take it away from us. If you hand over the car to us under the act of acceptance and transfer, it will be driven by people at the General Headquarters. Having bought into it, people collect money, transfer it to nowhere, because they do not even understand the real needs of the part.
There are other problems in the volunteer movement, when people like Serhiy Prytula or Sternenko simply deceive the people...
But leaving all this aside, I can confidently say that, in my opinion, we already have a new army, it is #1 in Europe, and the whole world sees it. A new generation of officers and specialists who have gained combat experience has already grown up.
A language issue
Today, the issue of languages in Ukraine is quite acute, and the mass media often feature resonant materials on this topic. In your opinion, such a problem exists in the army, including, is it enemy propaganda and manipulation?
In my opinion, it is absolutely unacceptable for people like Irina Farion to tell us soldiers what language to speak. They have no moral right to it. As one fighter said in an interview (and this is what most think), if all Russian-speaking soldiers leave the Armed Forces, then the next day, Farion and others may wake up in a colony of the Russian Federation, and that's it.
In fact, there are no problems with the language issue at all - in the army at least. In Donbass, it doesn't really matter what language to speak and fight in.
Now a new manipulation has appeared: they say that this does not apply to military personnel, but the rest must change the language of communication, because in Europe Russian-speaking Ukrainians shame us, and Poles cannot understand where the Ukrainians are and where the Russians are. In my opinion, this is nonsense.
In fact, there are quite a few "quilters" among those who escaped, but no one thinks about it. You can't recycle quilts anymore, this issue had to be dealt with since 1991. And they should not be confused with those who left for need: single women, mothers with children, the elderly.
The constitution protects our rights, and we speak in our daily life the language we are comfortable with. And language manipulation is stupidity, rocking the boat in a very difficult time for the country. Does it matter what language I speak while fighting in Donetsk region? I once had a heated argument on Facebook about this topic - the "couch experts" were not interested in what I eat, where and how I sleep, but only in what language I speak in the trenches. Let all these comrades who are "discussing" this matter come here and live with us for at least three days.
When I served as an instructor in the special forces, I taught soldiers military science in Russian, and it did not interfere with anyone. We understood each other and successfully performed combat tasks.
I believe that now is not the time to divide people and hunt witches. This will certainly not bring the victory closer.
On the other hand, there are really many people in the country who switched to the Ukrainian language on their own, and this is correct. It is clear that even in state authorities, we must communicate exclusively in the state language, because we live in Ukraine.
The issue of compensation and payments to the Armed Forces
Several times information appeared in the mass media that a person was injured or even died, but neither he nor his family received payments and compensation from the state. The bureaucratic circles of hell begin. What do you say about this based on your experience?
Everything depends on the brigade in which a person serves and on the circumstances under which he was injured or wounded, or, God forbid, died. After all, few people know what actually happened. Maybe he just got drunk, got scared and was taken prisoner, drunk or asleep - then this is negligence.
Of course, there are other examples, such as our guys at Azovstal. Those who wanted to surrender, surrendered from the very beginning, and the rest fought to the end. Well, how can the family of "Azov" not be given proper payments? So these are always different situations, so you need to take into account absolutely all the circumstances, and not listen to moans and gossip. An official investigation is always conducted, the facts and reasons for what happened are established. If they are established and objective, then there are no problems with payments.
In your opinion, the process of rehabilitation of soldiers in Ukraine is well established, because the bill for injured soldiers is already in the thousands?
This work is carried out by the state. I personally know guys who have been fitted with state-of-the-art prostheses, even eye prostheses. But again, there are people who volunteered, already having health problems. Someone got sick in the service, and the medical board cannot always say - the person was injured as a result of being directly on the collision line, or had a congenital defect, or a chronic disease. Therefore, this issue also has nuances.
"Aggressive" mobilization
In social networks, videos are multiplying in which military commissars take everyone in a row on the streets.
Of course, there are many questions for military leaders regarding corruption and bribes. There are decent guys among them, but they are the exception to the rule. In my opinion, most of the heads of TCCs "earned" normally last year. Starting with schemes for going abroad, ending with the distribution of "white" tickets.
And now they were told that if you don't mobilize 500 people a month, you will go to zero yourself. So they catch people on the streets. It is necessary to expel the old military commissars completely, because what they are doing is a complete mess.
At the same time, many Ukrainians do not understand why they should go to fight - they say, let others serve. But they forgot that others are already starting to expire, many guys are wounded. Every citizen of our country should benefit and contribute to the victory. Who can - with a machine gun in his hands. Someone in the rear will help, but the main thing is to do something. And in our country, it turns out that someone is sitting in Bukovel and thinking about the language and the army, while someone is fighting.
Regarding those who ran away and left. I would deprive many of them of their citizenship and simply say goodbye, for example, to those who calmly crossed the border, because his dad repaired the training ground for the border guards... By the way, if you write about it, this "someone" will understand what I mean. Of course, this does not apply to women and children who have left, because it is quite natural to be afraid of death.
But I am very angry when people call from other countries and tell how our compatriots behave in aid centers, how they demand something there. These glamorous aunts are in the same Poland. In order to demand something, you need to ask yourself: what did I do to deserve it?
I stayed in Ukraine, my wife supports the army, and today, I tell many people around me that my wife has much more spirit than they do. Protecting the homeland is a very important moral aspect, an indicator of how much you have fulfilled as a citizen and as a person.
About the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Russia
In your opinion, should we underestimate the capabilities of the enemy and how do you generally assess the Russian army?
Humiliating the enemy's army is very convenient and even necessary for the purposes of propaganda and information warfare. But everyone should remember that the Russians have enough professional and experienced units that create serious problems for us.
So, on the one hand, they just throw meat at us, they don't even take away the corpses of their soldiers. But it is not worth talking about the fact that they do not know how to fight. Mobilized - yes, more often than not, this is stupid "meat", but the Russians have strong and combat-ready units that went through the wars in Syria, Chechnya and Georgia. That they are all bastards is a fact — without honor and dignity. But they have good modern models of equipment and small arms. Still, the rest are just puffy cheeks.
On our side, there are many talented commanders who showed their best qualities during the war, true professionals. I think that nobody on our continent today has such armed forces as in Ukraine, because the experience we have gained, even if it is in such a difficult way, is priceless. Books will be written about it, and our tactics will be included in textbooks.
Has the war changed your attitude towards life, people, business or politics?
My attitude has changed only towards certain people who have convinced me for many years that they are patriots, but at a difficult moment showed themselves differently. The attitude towards some politicians has changed – the last masks have flown off.
Sometimes it's just a shame to see how some people profit from someone else's grief. Someone resells generators, a humanitarian woman - there is no decency and values. I think that such money will not bring happiness and they will pay for it with the health of loved ones. Such a war, which was felt by almost every family in Ukraine, had not happened for 70 years. And those who profit from it are simply criminals. They will definitely be prosecuted. I am sure of that.
Fortunately, there are many decent people, businessmen, and volunteers in the country who support the army and at the same time do not shout about their help at every corner. They silently help, do everything to bring our victory closer. And she will definitely be!
Olena Ovchinnikova spoke
Photo from the personal archive of Denis Kartashev
