Moscow nights turn out to be not so safe for those whom the Kremlin once used to kindle war in Ukraine. Russia has announced that Yevgeny Zhylin, head of the terrorist organization Oplot (“Bulwark”), was shot dead at a restaurant in Moscow’s elite suburb of Gorki-2. It is he who clamored for distributing assault rifles and forming a militia in Kharkiv in the spring of 2014. A little later, Russia really distributed assault rifles free of charge among the asocial element of the Donbas in an attempt to pass off its aggression as an internal conflict. The people like Zhylin are not only perpetrators of but also witnesses to the Kremlin’s crime. Undoubtedly, the Kremlin has repaid their “favor” – first with money and then with bullets.
A version says that the murder of Zhylin is linked to business interests. In reality, this race of provocateurs was only able to set on fire, not to build, something. Among those who have “joined the majority” are Mozgovoi, Dremov, Bednov, Ishchenko, et al. In the summer, an abortive attempt was made on the life of the Luhansk top bandit Igor Plotnitsky. Experts claim that the intention clearly was to intimidate, not to kill, Plotnitsky. A typical bureaucrat who would make a good collective farm manager in a different situation, he so far quite suits the Kremlin as “head of the republic.” But the ones like Zhylin are already a waste matter. But this murder is particular in that it was committed in Moscow, not on the occupied territory. This means the Kremlin cannot guarantee safety to its loyal servants even in its close proximity. Another illustrative point is that, while representatives of the “Luhansk wing” were usually killed earlier, now it is the turn of those from Kharkiv and Donetsk.
As always, there will be countless versions of Zhylin’s murder and, taking into account the particularities of communication in social networking sites, still more interpretations. A certain Yevgeny Shabayev, representative of the “Donetsk Republic” in Russia, says that the murder of Zhylin may be of benefit to the leader of “DNR” militants Oleksandr Zakharchenko, for Zhylin allegedly knew “some unpleasant facts from Zakharchenko’s life story.” Besides, Zhylin was “out of favor with his masters.” The latter point of this statement is particularly noteworthy. It would be silly to believe that the alcohol-dependent Zakharchenko could eliminate Zhylin in Moscow without an FSB sanction. Zhylin belonged to the “consumables” which are disposed of as soon as possible. He was one of the “gofers” who were gradually groomed as a “striking force” that will do the dirtiest work at a certain moment. Oplot consisted of former law-enforcers, outright Ukrainophobes, and bandits. This grouping, which carried out pogroms, kidnappings, and murders, was formed with participation of Russian special services. Zhylin himself was a former law-enforcement officer in the rank of police captain. During the Euromaidan, Oplot men were the militant core of the so-called “anti-Maidan.” Taking into account the bloody events of that time, one can only guess what sins these bandits committed.
Having discussed the subject of the murders of pro-Russian bandits, we can draw one more, this time philosophical, conclusion: an alliance with the Kremlin will end at a bitter cost. Such is the philosophy of a butcher.
Zhylin’s parents came to Kharkiv from Belgorod. In other words, this family belonged to the Kharkiv that cannot be called Ukrainian. They had Russian roots. There are two Kharkivs. One is the Ukrainian Kharkiv with the “executed Renaissance,” the House of the Word, Berezillia, Les Kurbas, and Khvyliovy. And the other Kharkiv is the people who came here from Russia to settle. These people do not consider themselves Ukrainians and, when an opportunity presents itself, will always favor Russian occupation.
Whence is the name of the organization – Oplot? The Kharkiv Malyshev Plant produces Oplot tanks. Zhylin’s father worked at this plant. I can say that many have complained that this strategic enterprise employs an enormous number of pro-Russian-minded workers. I emphasize that it was a strategic facility with a workforce that consisted of not only “Soviet blockheads” but also people who just came from Russia. In fact, people like Zhylin were once squeezing Ukrainians from the Kharkiv region. This tendency is to be reckoned with, for it potentially still exists. Besides, the Zhylin situation shows the way Kharkiv was criminalized. For Zhylin served in the Organized Crime Police Department…
There was once a dispute between Zhylin and Kernes, as a result of which the former went down. When Zhylin was freed, he was reinstated in the police, served until he was entitled to a pension, and then formed Oplot. There is every reason to say that it was a grouping which, disguised as a sport club, in fact trained militants. In other words, it was a merger of criminals with pro-Russian forces. Zhylin was closely linked with, among others, Yevhen Muraiev who sits easily in the Ukrainian parliament now and regularly appears on television. At the time, funds were generously spent to make Kharkiv a true bulwark of Russian influence – it might have been a second Donetsk.
It is important for us, journalists, to note that our colleagues have also begun to be “bought” for the purpose of laying a pro-Russian informational groundwork. At the same time, in 2010, a Kharkiv journalist, Vasyl Klymentiev, was killed. His murder was put down to Zhylin. We must say that the pro-Russian Kharkiv that raised Zhylin still exists and is an essential danger to be reckoned with. This “buffer Kharkiv” is more dangerous than the enemy, for the enemy will use it during his aggression under the guise of a societal conflict.
