Russell Bonner Bentley - The Donbass Cowboy: A War Journal

The D O NBASS

COWB O Y

A W A R J O U RN A L

by

R u ssell T e x a s B e n t l ey

Me m oirs of an U n -C i v i l W a r

E d i t or s: P . N a s h , S a r a M e g e r

Al l Ri g ht s R e s e rv e d . N o p a r t o f t h i s p ub li c a ti o n may b e r e p ro d u c e d o r t r a n s mi t t e d i n a n y for m o r b y a n y me an s, e l e c t ro ni c o r m ec h a n i ca l , i n c lu d i n g ph o t o c o p y , r e c or din g , o r a n y o th e r i n f or ma ti o n s t or a g e a n d r e t r i e v al s y s t e m, w ith o u t p r i o r p e r missi o n i n w r itin g f r o m th e a u th or .

C o p y right 8 Russell Bonner Bentley

Contents

In t roduc t ion

T ow a r ds t h e en d o f I w i tn es s e d a c o u n t r y be g in to t e ar it sel f a p a r t. Ju s t an o t h e r w a r , w ith a l l t h e u s ual t r adema r k s . H ow e ve r, t h is c on fl ict h ad a t w i s t

w h ich drew my att en ti on . A t t h e c en t r e o f t h e burg e o n i n g U kr a i n ian v i o l en c e , we re

o pe nl y f as c i s t n a t i on a l i s tic gr o ups w h o v i e we d St e p a n Band e ra, t h e N azi c oll a b o ra t o r re s p o n s ib l e fo r t h e V ol h y n ia M as s ac r e , (a m on g many o t h e r s ) as t h e ir h e r o . I t s e e m e d t h e s c o urge o f ne o - N azi s m w as again risi n g i n Eur o pe.

A t f i r s t W e s tern m e dia c ove r e d e ven t s w ith t h e ir u s ual bia s . A rtic le s in t h e Wa s h i n gt o n P o s t, N e w Y o rk T i m es , D ie Wel t , t h e G ua r dian a n d c o u n t le s s m e dia o ut le t s , s cruti n i ze d t h e riots f r o m v a r i o us a n g l e s , so me a ll e g e d ove r l y fo rc e f ul cr a ckd own s by se curity s e r v ic e s , w h i l e a fe w o t h e rs c r iticiz e d radic a l ele m e n ts am o n g t h e p r o te s ter s . Fi n a ll y, t h e Eu r o maid a n d e m o ns t r a t i o n s reac h e d t h e ir peak w ith t h e o u s ting o f P r e s id en t Ya n u kov y c h . W ith t h e h el p o f n e o - N azis in t h e upri s i n g.

An d t h en , as c o u n t e r -p r o te s ts b e gan in C rim e a a n d so ut h e ast Uk r ain e , t h e p a radigm s h i f ted.

Ch a n g e s we re s ubt l e at f i r s t. Wh at may h ave on ce b ee n w ritt e n w ith so me d e gree o f i n t e grity ab o ut t h e da n g e rs o f a r e acti on a r y up r i s i n g , i n cr e asi n g l y sl ant e d t ow a r ds s upp o rting an i n t e rim go v e r n m en t w h ich wen t f ar b e y on d i t s p r e d e c e s so r in t e rms o f ban n i n g p o l itic a l p a rtie s , c o rrupti o n to t h e p o i n t o f o utright l oo tin g , and w o r s t o f a l l , t h e u s e o f f o rce again s t its o w n pe o p le .

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I w a t c h e d w ith i n crea s i n g di s b el ief t h e a l ter a ti o n o f l a n g u age u se d by j o u r n a l i s t s , at le ast th os e re p o rters permi t ted to remain in t h e c o u n t r y o r w h o h ad no t be e n murd e r e d. Et h n ic Ru ss ia n s b e came M os ca ls . An t i -c o up p ro te s ters b e came ter r o ri s t s . R e i n te g ra t i o n b e c ame a nne x a ti on . I t w as a d el i b e ra t el y s l ow , i n imical manipu l a t i on , s t r aig h t f r o m t h e p a g e s o f O r we l l s .

Y e t t h is e mbr y on ic c i v il w ar h ad a no t h e r imp o rt a n t di s tin c ti o n . I t w as on e o f t h e f i r s t w h e re a l m os t e v e ry on e i n vol v e d h a d a m o bi l e d ev ice ab l e to take imag e s and m ov ies o f w h at o cc u rr e d, and p os t t h e m as i t was ha p p en in g .

In an a t tempt to ret a in a n e utral per s pecti v e o n e ven ts I s u b s crib e d to fo r e i gn n ew s s ite s , s t a rted t r aw l i n g t h r o u g h Ukr a i n ian a n d Ru ss ian Y o u T u be and VK on t a kte c h an nels . W h at I w itn e sse d w a s s h o c k i n g. I t w as n t t h e s c en e s o f ne o - N azi thu g s b e a ting up t h e ma n agers o f T V s t a ti ons , o r Ukr a i n ian p ol itic i ans b e i n g a ss au l t e d and t h r ow n i n to d u m p s ter s . N o t t h e f o o t a ge o f ci v i l i a n s h avi n g b o dy p a rts b low n o f f , t h e ir l ast mo m e n t o f l i f e f adi n g as p as se r s -by t r ied to h el p. . . no r e v e n t h e h o rr o rs o f t h e burn e d and r a ped co rp s e s f r o m the Ode ss a T rade Un i o n m a ss ac r e . Sad l y I h ave s e e n s uch a b h o rr en t t h i n gs b e f o r e .

N o . W h at rea ll y ap p a lle d m e w as t h at Wes tern main s t r e am m e dia was n o t s h ow i n g b o th s id e s o f e ven t s . In iti a ll y t h e re wo u l d be a f oo t n o te o r f i n al p a rag r a p h at t h e b o tt o m o f a page, re l a t i n g t h at s uch a t h i n g mi g h t h ave h a p pe ne d but it w a s l os t amid i n crea s i n g diatribes aga i ns t R u ss ia. It w as n o lon g e r t h e batt l e o f o utraged citiz en s s t r u g g l i n g to ret a in t h e ir l an g uage o r p r o tecti n g t h e m sel v e s aga i n s t pi ll ag i n g Band e ra f anatic s . I t w as b l a t a n t on e s i d e d rep o rtin g , t ow i n g t h e off icial l i n e o f t h e ne w Ukr a i n ian gove r n m e n t.

A t on e ti m e , it w as t h e r ol e o f j o urna l i s t s to cha l len g e p owe r. N o w I w as w itn e s s i n g no t ju s t l ies by o mi s s i o n . I t w a s ba r ef aced p r o p a ga n da. I n te n ti on al and o utright li e s .

I f i r s t n o ted R u s s e l l B en t le y in 2015 w h e n h e s t a rted gi v i n g i n tervi ews . I t h o u g h t no t h i n g mu c h ab o ut h im o t h e r t h an so me w ry h um o r t h at h e w as an A m e rican f igh t i n g f o r t h e S e p a ra t i s t s s i d e w h i ls t another American h ad be e n f i l m e d f ighti n g fo r t h e Ukr a i n ian ne o- N azi g r o up s . R u s s el l h owe v e r, w as l u c ki e r. Des pi t e h is a g e h e s urvi ve d f r on t l i n e p o s ting and attempts to u n d e rm i n e h is di s sen ting o pini o ns .

A s time p as se d I v ie we d t h e man as a typic a l Te x a n . A t times ab r asi vel y o u t s p o k e n , but s tead f ast a n d pa s s i o n a t e ab o ut h is c o nv icti o n s . H e e a r n e d re s pect by t r av el i n g to t h e w ar zon e and c h a lle n gi n g main s t r e am m e dia in a way m any o t h e rs da r e d no t. When t h e BBC ev e n tua l l y l o w e r e d it se l f to w rite a hit piece a g ain s t R u ss e l l i n Ju l y

, it b e came a p p a r en t t h at t h i n gs h ad g on e t o o f a r . E ve n r e b el s h ave t h e rig h t to vo ice an o pini o n .

T h is b o o k l ac k s t h e s e ns a t i on a l i s m w h ich a f f l icts o t h e r w ar m e m o i r s . I ns tead it i s a b l u n t acc o u n t s h ow i n g t h e U kr a i n ian C ivil W ar f r o m t h e p e r s pecti v e o f an o ve r - se as v ol u n te e r w h o c o u l d ba r e l y c o mm un ica t e w ith t h o s e h e w as f ighti n g fo r, but s ti l l fo rg e d f rie n d s h ip with h is fe l lo w s o l di e r s . R u ss e l l Te x a s B en t le y ma k e s n o b one s ab o ut h is e x p e ri e n c es , and as s uch, this ac c o u n t i s a v a l uab l e i ns ight i n to t h e D on ba s s re s i s t a n c e d u ri n g i t s f i r s t year o f c o nfl i ct.