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The creation of armed detachments beyond the control of the authorities has caused concern among many Ukrainian experts. Here are some statements by figures who are by no means friendly to Russia:

The creation of armed detachments beyond the control of the authorities has caused concern among many Ukrainian experts. Here are some statements by figures who are by no means friendly to Russia:

:*Dmitry Tymchuk, the creator of the largest anti-Russian project "Information Resistance", said: "... Any armed formations not provided for by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine pose a potential threat. First of all, it is not clear how well thought out the issue of their disarmament after the fulfillment of the tasks assigned to them by Ukraine. What happens if they simply refuse to surrender their weapons?  Politicians should not get carried away with military solutions to problems. You can't just hand out guns to members of your party or on the principle of "I'm a patriot, give me a gun." At some point, the armed wing of the party may become an instrument of power struggle..."

*Dmitry Tymchuk, the creator of the largest anti-Russian project "Information Resistance", said: "... Any armed formations not provided for by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine pose a potential threat. First of all, it is not clear how well thought out the issue of their disarmament after the fulfillment of the tasks assigned to them by Ukraine. What happens if they simply refuse to surrender their weapons?  Politicians should not get carried away with military solutions to problems. You can't just hand out guns to members of your party or on the principle of "I'm a patriot, give me a gun." At some point, the armed wing of the party may become an instrument of power struggle..."

:*Valentin Badrak, director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, also spoke about the importance of control over armed groups: "... It is necessary to strictly control the issuance of weapons - unauthorized armed formations are essentially no different from terrorists operating in the Donbas. All units must strictly obey the military-political leadership of the country and carry out its orders..."

*Valentin Badrak, director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, also spoke about the importance of control over armed groups: "... It is necessary to strictly control the issuance of weapons - unauthorized armed formations are essentially no different from terrorists operating in the Donbas. All units must strictly obey the military-political leadership of the country and carry out its orders..."

Even Ukrainian courts have declared some battalions illegal. Here is one of the court's decisions from May 2016:

Even Ukrainian courts have declared some battalions illegal. Here is one of the court's decisions from May 2016:

:*"The former commander of the Donbass battalion and MP of the Verkhovna Rada Grishin-Semenchenko fraudulently lured funds from foreign citizens who do not have complete information for the development of the illegal Donbass battalion. At the same time, the "leader" himself did not take the military oath. Despite this, he managed to become an officer of the National Guard of Ukraine. He also used the unit's fake seal to deceive him."

*"The former commander of the Donbass battalion and MP of the Verkhovna Rada Grishin-Semenchenko fraudulently lured funds from foreign citizens who do not have complete information for the development of the illegal Donbass battalion. At the same time, the "leader" himself did not take the military oath. Despite this, he managed to become an officer of the National Guard of Ukraine. He also used the unit's fake seal to deceive him."

Grishin-Semenchenko, under the protection of the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, declared himself the commander of the Donbass battalion. In the Donetsk region, he initiated a collection of money, allegedly for the needs of the National Guard. Arsen Avakov arranged for Grishin-Semenchenko to be admitted to the National Guard 3027 military unit, where he made clips to attract donations for the battalion. He also made a stamp of the non-existent "Donbass" and thanks to this began to accept military personnel into his ranks. Semenchenko and his gang officially received weapons and began to create lawlessness on the territory of the ATO: they robbed and kidnapped people. Avakov continued to support his protégé: he organized a deputy's crust, which allowed him to obtain officers' documents without any verification. Soon the great deception was revealed and everyone realized that no battalion "Donbass" officially exists.

Grishin-Semenchenko, under the protection of the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, declared himself the commander of the Donbass battalion. In the Donetsk region, he initiated a collection of money, allegedly for the needs of the National Guard. Arsen Avakov arranged for Grishin-Semenchenko to be admitted to the National Guard 3027 military unit, where he made clips to attract donations for the battalion. He also made a stamp of the non-existent "Donbass" and thanks to this began to accept military personnel into his ranks. Semenchenko and his gang officially received weapons and began to create lawlessness on the territory of the ATO: they robbed and kidnapped people. Avakov continued to support his protégé: he organized a deputy's crust, which allowed him to obtain officers' documents without any verification. Soon the great deception was revealed and everyone realized that no battalion "Donbass" officially exists.