Andrey who was a coalminer and who organized first coalminers strikes in Donbas now is known as Syvy, the deputy commander of OUN battalion… In his interview to Informator.lg.ua Syvy told about the situation in the battalion now and why the authorities are afraid of volunteers…

• For today, I’m the deputy commander of batallion and officially have my post. My officer rank wasn’t recover. We filed documents, but you know we have a huge bureaucratic apparatus and it’s not the most important question in the scales of war  to come to Syvy the rank of the captain of Armed Forces… Here is the other questions… God knows how long it will continue and when it is going to end. I was on the account in Horlovka, which is captured by terrorists now.I don’t know if my rank will be approved… I was applied for the position of commander of company of the first batallion of brigade #93.
• Will guys from OUN serve in the first company?
• We gather people, while forming is still going, in general it’s contracts now. According to president’s order term of mobilization ends on September 18, that’s why we take guys only on contract… It usually takes more time, because there is a big package of documents. I don’t know what for? It’s needed to be formed nearly 30 documents… If you have passport of citizen of Ukraine, TIN, military certificate, so that’s all! If person is reservist, please, formalize him. There must be only one document — contract! That’s all!

And when here begins some certificates, all that stuff… It’s understood that it is necessary to know if a person is registered psychiatric               or a person is not registered with a psychiatrist. Nevertheless, it’s state documents and let’s state collect them… Why member of OUN               (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists), who is on the advance, now must jump out and to go to Kryjopol district (for example) of                     Vinnitsa region in district recruitment office and begged there old imbecile for not so important certificate? Let state do this for                           soldiers. People, who are with arm i their hands defend their land, don’t have to loosen advance positions and to go to recruitment                     offices…

• Tell us please, mr. Andrei, does OUN batallion as independent military unit stop its existence?
• No, we can’t say in this way. The case is in fact that we have unit in batallion, which continues to fight on the basis of independence. This unit is under commanding of friend Ivan, also deputy commander of batallion. They’re continuing their work, they stay in Peski and Karlovka. We decided to enter in 93rd brigade, because we had eaten enough salt with them. We have never had disagreements or conflicts. We always found the same language with them. We recognized the commanding of 93rd brigade, because we were at the site of their responsibility. We followed their instructions and orders. Only one time we didn’t obey, when there was an order to enter airport through the checkpoint of separatists. We hadn’t done this order and came in weather station and held it without permission of separatists till the order about leaving it. So, they also didn’t break their words given to us. We consider them true guys…

• There is always some part of risk not to go back from this site… If 93rd brigade will get an order to go back, we would be forced to go with them or to conflict with the law. Here is enough of dreads. But, I want to say to you that now to struggle for Ukraine, for its integrity we are ready to cooperate with anyone and with Somalia pirates, and with “al Qaeda”, because we don’t have another choice. We have taken the path of struggle and don’t want to step off it. I understand and it looks like that my brothers-in-arms think in this way too. We can elect power, we can vote for it a lot of times and gather Maidan… But in a case that Ukraine will be our land, when Ukraine will be integrity and independent state. When Ukraine loses its territory, its integrity, no Maidan, no public activity will help us. Yes, by today we consider that we don’t have Ukrainian authority. Here we have the regime of the inside occupation, because nor necessary people, nor necessary political system in Ukrainian state… We’re struggling with this power today. But first of all alpha and omega is to keep the whole state, it’s the priority by today. That’s why part of OUN batallion came under legalization to 93rd brigade. If everything is alright, if we don’t have any significant differences with the command of Armed Forces, of course, we will come in AFU to have an opportunity to struggle with enemies of Ukraine.
• Did batallion feel any pressure from the side of the state, official structures?
• Of course we feel it. It’s very bad that state power doesn’t monitor the situation. It doesn’t speak with anybody. General HQ decided to move out all volunteers from advance line… You can ask in AFU the commanders how they fight without us, they will answer you… Before doing something… It’s better something stupid, but smartly, than smart stupidly. I understand that Global Society and European Union don’t understand the situation: how it can that people fight who are not official unit? This means that de facto and de jure they are the armed formations of unknown direction. Of course, international community wants state to establish order in it. But international society doesn’t understand that military units, who are supposed to be disciplined, don’t carry out their task. They don’t have motivation. Mobilization is closer to be disrupted and all state legal formations are staffed on 20-30%. They can’t carry out combat missions as pure staff. And biggest part of those people, who are in them, are trying to be closer to kitchen, far from front.
• This means that there are a lot of people who don’t want to fight, but they are mobilized and made to do it from the one side and from another there are a lot of people who want to fight…
• But they don’t provide with weapon and machinery…
• 

• Why is it so?
• It’s not a question to me. I think that it’s to today’s Ukrainian power which come to top of the country with help of the alike illegal formations, “gangs” as they call us. And also today they are afraid to give weapon to motivate people, only because one reason. People who are sincerely stand for Ukraine, they don’t like today’s authority, because power behaves in a wrong way. It doesn’t carry out all, that they had talked about two years ago. All this people, who made protest actions, drove column of people, they said in their performances one thing: there is a big need to change the system. Who today speaks about changing the system of power? The system is the same as it was. It’s because it is ideal for power itself, but useless for society. By today system of power is very bad and everyone see it and knows about it and authority and people. But power keeps this system, because it allows them to steal, it gives them an opportunity to lie and it also allows them to do nothing. Simply by today, being in power, you can do nothing. Anyway you will get your money, get your privileges and you are not responsible for anything. That’s all.
• What about your injuries? Do you have any circumstances?
• I don’t have time to feel them at all. We will listen to our sores after the war and now God knows. I’m running now, walking. i don’t have to listen and feel where is that splinter in my body. Whatever about it. God see that I’m trying to something to my people, to my nation. He doesn’t make me ill, he assigns sores from me and I thank God for it.
• Interviewed by Constantin Reutsky for Informator.lg.ua