Ukrainian Nationalist Battalions Making Money From War - Deserter

Members of the Ukrainian nationalist volunteer battalions are people who are just trying to make money off the war, said Donetsk resident Darina Sokolova, stating that was she was a member of ‘Tornado’ and ‘Right Sector.’

“I left from Donetsk for Kiev last summer. There I met with the people who were members of the ‘Right Sector.’ They talked about their good intentions, the restoration of the Ukrainian culture; they blamed residents of Donbass for everything. After hearing all of that, I decided to go and join the battalion Tornado,” said Darina Sokolova.

According to her, after joining ‘Tornado’, she realized that she was wrong.

“I made an immature decision to become a sniper. The people there were rude people. Coming back was easier than leaving. To leave from Lisichansk, where the battalion was located was tough. I had to talk and persuade them to let me go,” Sokolova recalls.

Returning to Kiev, she became a volunteer for the ‘Right Sector’. She noted that all those who joined the volunteer battalions were just people trying to earn money from the war.

She said that people there are those who came from the streets and took a seat but they still have the street mentality.

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in November 2014 added extremist organizations such as ‘Right Sector’, ‘Ukrainian National Assembly — Ukrainian National Self-Defense’ (UNA-UNSO), ‘Brotherhood’, ‘Tryzub Stepan Bandera’ and ‘Ukrainian Insurgent Army’ (UPA) to the list of banned organizations.