NoBC4U Note: This article is a follow-up to the previous post and will make more sense if you read that previous post first!
On the Issue of Berezin's Account of the Ukrainian Rape and Murder in the Village of Saurovka (and on the matter of the response by some readers of the Vineyard of the Saker Blog thereto)
by Gleb Bazov
First, apologies for the mayhem caused - it certainly was sufficient to provoke two response notes from you. And, for a good reason. My own initial reaction to Berezin's "essay" (damn the [reader] who called it that - the fact that the man is a published writer and can put two words together on paper (and so can his translator) should not count to his detriment or deter from his voice; on the contrary, the effect of an exploding bomb is caused precisely by the effectiveness of conveying such information in a compelling manner) was utter stupefaction.
I waited some time before publishing it. In the end I decided that I would not forgive myself for not publicizing his words simply because the story sounded too horrific (to be true? - no, not at all, too horrific not to be censored as false by a human mind, like mine, so used to self-censorship as a means of survival in a society that abhors non-mainstream accounts and points of view and denigrates (I am using that purposefully) them in order to silence dissent). I could go on for some time, with reference to post-modern, systems analysis and continentalist philosophers on the flaws of our social organization and expression models, but the point is self-evident without that kind of verboseness.
Let us put it this way: Berezin is Strelkov's deputy. He spent some time in Slavyansk, and it was there that Strelkov chose him to act in his stead in Donetsk, at the seat of the DPR government. Inasmuch as I know Strelkov and his character by now (his harsh, but fair, decision to execute two kidnappers among the militia, the type of men he has surrounded himself with, to wit, Motorola, and the impossible success of his rag-tag coalition of patriots in Slavyansk, all being prime reference sources for my opinion of Strelkov), I doubt sincerely that he would have chosen a man (I mean Berezin) who did not conform to the highest standards Strelkov expects of himself.
Strelkov may be wrong, he probably often is, but he is nothing if not a man of the highest calibre. He admits his errors freely, rejects platitudes and undeserved praise, and insists that his talents, which have been sufficient to hold off over 10,000 Ukrainian troops, not be aggrandized (see his earlier statement I translated). Above all, Strelkov is a military man, who understand the importance of building a winning cadre. And, as such, in choosing a man to act in his stead (and I must emphasize - his deputy, not a mere common soldier), Strelkov would likely have selected someone who also matches these characteristics.
Now, all that is supposition. Strelkov could well have made a mistake. And, I am sure, that, in many ways, he would have preferred Berezin to be more active and help Slavyansk beyond the meagre assistance they are currently receiving. But was he wrong about Berezin's moral qualities? Did he choose a man who would lie, and lie in a way that Strelkov would obviously never permit himself (do I need to refer to the body of tempered, measured reports, cautious and conservative, that we have to date received from Strelkov?).
Complete story at - The Vineyard of the Saker: On the Issue of Berezin's Account of the Ukrainian Rape and Murder in the Village of Saurovka
On the Issue of Berezin's Account of the Ukrainian Rape and Murder in the Village of Saurovka (and on the matter of the response by some readers of the Vineyard of the Saker Blog thereto)
by Gleb Bazov
First, apologies for the mayhem caused - it certainly was sufficient to provoke two response notes from you. And, for a good reason. My own initial reaction to Berezin's "essay" (damn the [reader] who called it that - the fact that the man is a published writer and can put two words together on paper (and so can his translator) should not count to his detriment or deter from his voice; on the contrary, the effect of an exploding bomb is caused precisely by the effectiveness of conveying such information in a compelling manner) was utter stupefaction.
I waited some time before publishing it. In the end I decided that I would not forgive myself for not publicizing his words simply because the story sounded too horrific (to be true? - no, not at all, too horrific not to be censored as false by a human mind, like mine, so used to self-censorship as a means of survival in a society that abhors non-mainstream accounts and points of view and denigrates (I am using that purposefully) them in order to silence dissent). I could go on for some time, with reference to post-modern, systems analysis and continentalist philosophers on the flaws of our social organization and expression models, but the point is self-evident without that kind of verboseness.
Let us put it this way: Berezin is Strelkov's deputy. He spent some time in Slavyansk, and it was there that Strelkov chose him to act in his stead in Donetsk, at the seat of the DPR government. Inasmuch as I know Strelkov and his character by now (his harsh, but fair, decision to execute two kidnappers among the militia, the type of men he has surrounded himself with, to wit, Motorola, and the impossible success of his rag-tag coalition of patriots in Slavyansk, all being prime reference sources for my opinion of Strelkov), I doubt sincerely that he would have chosen a man (I mean Berezin) who did not conform to the highest standards Strelkov expects of himself.
Strelkov may be wrong, he probably often is, but he is nothing if not a man of the highest calibre. He admits his errors freely, rejects platitudes and undeserved praise, and insists that his talents, which have been sufficient to hold off over 10,000 Ukrainian troops, not be aggrandized (see his earlier statement I translated). Above all, Strelkov is a military man, who understand the importance of building a winning cadre. And, as such, in choosing a man to act in his stead (and I must emphasize - his deputy, not a mere common soldier), Strelkov would likely have selected someone who also matches these characteristics.
Now, all that is supposition. Strelkov could well have made a mistake. And, I am sure, that, in many ways, he would have preferred Berezin to be more active and help Slavyansk beyond the meagre assistance they are currently receiving. But was he wrong about Berezin's moral qualities? Did he choose a man who would lie, and lie in a way that Strelkov would obviously never permit himself (do I need to refer to the body of tempered, measured reports, cautious and conservative, that we have to date received from Strelkov?).
Complete story at - The Vineyard of the Saker: On the Issue of Berezin's Account of the Ukrainian Rape and Murder in the Village of Saurovka
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