Recruiter, Head of Sverdlovsk Foundation of Special Forces Veterans revealed how he was sending Russian militants to Donbas in humanitarian convoys. PHOTOS

Head of the Sverdlovsk Foundation of Special Forces Veterans Vladimir Yefimoev confessed that he recruited and sent Russian militants to the Donbas in humanitarian convoys.

As reported by Censor.NET, he told it in an interview to Russian medium "Ekaterinburg online".

"We have found the man who organized the awards. As he claims (and as confirmed by some relatives of the guys who perished there), he also helps in sending Sverdlovsk men to the civil war. According to him, he started sending mercenaries to Ukraine "after the Maidan events, even before annexation of Crimea." "The veterans have called me themselves, asking "Dmitritch, what's going on there?! Let's go, we have to put things in order!" I took time to weigh everything. And they could not resist and went there at their own risk. There is a great saying - if you can't prevent a mess, you should lead it. After that, I started to prepare the first group to Crimea," Yefimov said.

"The very first were the guys from Khanty-Mansiysk, Special Forces veterans, Cossacks. They have prepared themselves a camp truck GAZ-66, three jeeps on inflated wheels, and equipped from top to bottom. They've done everything with their own money. They picked me up and we left ... When we reached Kerch, I have organized everything - I have transferred the guys to responsible people who tied them to the base, and as a result they have become the "polite people" [general reference to Russian soldiers who seized Crimea in March 2014 - ed.], he said. Earlier, Russian and Crimean pseudo-authorities stated that these were Crimeans. "When Crimea has become Russian, we came back. From that moment I began to seriously engage in sending volunteers to Ukraine, including to Luhansk and Donetsk," Yefimov confessed. According to him, volunteers usually file an application: "Please assist in sending me to help the struggling people of Novorossiya (New Russia)."

"Together with the application, a person fills in a questionnaire with the following data: who he is, where from, where did he serve, combat experience... After reviewing an application, we conduct an interview. If a person's fighting qualities fit, I include him into the group to be sent. All these people get a "volunteer's certificate." Volunteer, not militia. This is an official paper with the seal of the Foundation, so that they do not accuse us of being mercenaries," he said. "Since June, I have sent six groups of 15-30 people to Donetsk and two groups of 30 people to Luhansk ... Special forces and elite go to Donetsk. The Cossacks and recruits without battle experience go to Luhansk," he said. "I'm not the only one who sends them - Afghan and Chechen veteran organizations are engaged in the same. Of course it is impossible to stop the flow of volunteers: the border is open", he said.

"When answering the question whether active military can go there while on vacation, he did not exclude it. "But you know, the state has foreseen everything - if someone "gets into a fix " there, he would be dismissed long before it, and perhaps there would be even a pre-written discharge application. This is what I think," he said. Yefimov hopes to be able to pay salaries to Russian militants. "Now there are even unofficial regulations on the salary. As I was told by Pyatigorsk Cossacks, the pay is somewhere around 60-90 thousand rubles per month ($1,055-$1,580) for rank and file, higher ranks get 120-150 thousand ($2,100-$2,600). Now they say the salary has grown up to 240 thousand ($4,200)... I think it is necessary to pay the people since they are risking their lives. If you pay, you can involve professionals into the war," he said. Responding to question on how volunteers get to the Donbas, Yefimov said: "The first time went under the guise of the Red Cross. They received papers from local branch that we are a convoy. When we arrived, the people stayed there. They were given weapons and got combat missions."

"The same now: we put the guys into trucks with humanitarian aid and they go. They're going for a period of one month on average. Some go on vacation, some want to earn. I ask them not to tell me how much they get - I don't care," he said. When answering the question why the mercenaries go to Ukraine, he said: "Our press and television present glaring facts. Russian people cannot tolerate the terror that the fascists organized there. Dead women, children, and old people. Most of those going there are sympathetic and want to help ... My blood boils when they show a shell-burst woman with a child. What are they, bastards, doing?! Such feelings were especially spurred by the events in Odesa, where many people were burnt alive. Some also go for adrenaline. Especially those who have already fought once and they want to go back to fighting." Yefimov has two sons, both are military officers, but he doesn't want to send them to the Donbas.

"I didn't let them go. I said to them: "You guys have fought in the Caucasus, you better bring my grandchildren up. When it will be absolutely unbearable, you will come in handy." Responding to question if there are any new groups of volunteers, he said: "Recently, Russian volunteers have been squeezed out of Novorossia under various pretexts. Even the guys who are already there were told by their commanders, "Go home, you're not needed here." Therefore, I don't prepare new groups - they are simply not needed. But we have the reserves." Earlier Censor.NET reported that the former head of SBU (National Security Service of Ukraine) Yakimenko recruits terrorists from Russia in Crimea.