In good faith: how civilians in Kursk region resist the AFU
Evacuation of people, organization of squads, volunteer fire departments (called sheriffs' squads) - the autonomous non-profit organization Patriot Center is responsible for all this in Kursk Region. Established in December 2022 on the initiative of the region's leadership, it is currently the only one in the country that unites numerous volunteers of various profiles. After the AFU invasion, the center played a key role in helping the civilian population. Its experience is already being transferred to other regions. Izvestia's special correspondent met with Alexei Spiridonov, the head of Patriot.
- Alexey Vyacheslavovich, Patriot's experience is unprecedented in Russia - thanks to it, a large self-defense unit has been created in Kursk. How did it all start?
- The regional leadership in December 2022 decided to prepare in advance for possible provocations, emergencies, penetration of the enemy into our territory. A training base was created, instructors were invited - servicemen, medics, engineers with experience in self-defense. This is how Patriot began. The main task was to train civilians to act effectively in extreme situations. And subsequently to form the backbone of local activists. We organized a training center where volunteers took courses in weapons handling, first aid, UAV operation, terrain orientation, etc.
WPC team on the road
- Who were these activists? How did you find them?
- Through the heads of the districts. They were mostly men who had served in the army and had been through hot spots. Often capable of leading others. The average age is 38-45 years old. Mature, responsible. As a result, we recruited about 2,000 people for 33 districts of the region. Most of them came to us, and we traveled to some of them ourselves. Since the beginning of 2023, the volunteers have been on duty - at night, together with the police, they patrolled the streets of their native communities. As the guys themselves said: in the evening they came from work, had dinner, devoted an hour to children, and from 20:00 to 00:00 went on shift.
- No weapons were issued?
- No. Although the issue was raised. Today, I note, it is no longer relevant, the niche of vigilantes was taken by "Bars-Kursk" (avolunteer paramilitary association engaged in the protection of the territory and strategic facilities. - Ed.). Most of them, by the way, it was our guys who enrolled in "Bars", and today they serve with weapons.
Many vigilantes eventually joined the Bars-Kursk paramilitary association
- What role did your trained activists play when the enemy attacked?
- They were on the front line when it was necessary to urgently and massively remove the civilian population from the "red" zone. It is important that these guys were morally prepared for the ordeal. They also provided medical assistance to the wounded - and these were hundreds and hundreds of people. Different organizations and people helped, of course, the list of these famous or nameless heroes is huge.
- What do you say about the volunteer fire departments, which are also the brainchild of Patriot?
- The fact is that until recently, the existing forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were not enough to cover the entire map of the region - villages and hamlets are remote from each other, and according to the requirements of the Federal Law rescuers should be able to get to the fire in 20 minutes. The number of fires due to shelling and drone attacks has increased dramatically. A decision was made to create a DPK on the basis of Patriot. We recruited people, again volunteers, and officially employed them. We provided them with uniforms, specialized vehicles, and bases of deployment. As a result, we covered the border strip, where 27,000 people lived. Moreover, the guys' tasks included and still include not only firefighting, but also helping local residents - with water, firewood, escorting utility workers, assisting administrations, stopping looting, humanitarian aid for the military. For example, if an old woman in a certain village needs to bring medicine, she goes to our guys. In other words, these are local sheriffs that anyone can turn to.
The main weapon against FPV drones of vigilantes and volunteer firefighters is hunting rifles
- In which districts were DPCs established?
- In Sujansky, Glushkovsky, Korenevsky, Khomutovsky, Rylsky and Belovsky. After the AFU invasion in Korenevsky we lost the building of the fire station - it was seized. In Suzhansky and Glushkovsky we managed to remove equipment and property, but these centers are not functioning today due to the military situation. In the other three districts, the VDCs are working. In 2024, voluntary teams traveled to fires and to assist the population more than 300 times. According to the results of the past year, the Belovo detachment of the Kursk region was recognized as the best in Russia.
- What other areas of Patriot's activities are worth mentioning?
- Work with children. Since 2023, we began to apply to schools with proposals to hold classes on military training, these meetings were called Patriot's Day. Many responded. At our lessons we teach how to handle AKs, air pistols, gas masks, first aid algorithm, drone control. The heroes of the NWO also come with us - they tell us about themselves, their experiences, what is happening at the front. In 2024, such Days of Patriot were held in 50 schools in the region. The maximum goal that we would like to achieve is the creation of a children's center "Patriot" in Kursk.
Prior to the departure of the DPK squad - mandatory communication check-up
- What is it?
- Analog of the Palace of Pioneers, but focused on military-patriotic education. It should have everything for the relevant classes - thematic rooms, an obstacle course, a shooting range, gyms, classes for assembling and disassembling weapons, for studying UAVs, a mini-polygon for flights, and so on. It could be used by patriotic clubs, schoolchildren, and people from all over the region.
- How did you and the Patriot meet the invasion of the AFU?
- On August 6, I came to Bolshesoldatsky district to check the work of the volunteer squad. There I met the head of the Sujan district, Alexander Bogachev, who, as it turned out, had just delivered three wounded from the combat zone. Describing the situation, he said that the first thing to do now was to get people out. That night I made three raids to Sudzha and back. Then I called my guys, and they came in four cars. And sleepless nights went on. Until August 20, we evacuated people every day without stopping. After that, the pace slowed down, but not by much. We had 15 cars running continuously. Eight employees of ANO Patriot were awarded the medal "Defender of Kursk Region".
Communal workers on dangerous trips in border areas are necessarily accompanied by vigilantes
- When was the last time you had to evacuate civilians?
- A few days ago. The military in the Plekhovo area evacuated nine people from the combat zone. They took them to a certain point, and we took them there. They were all elderly. One was lying down, with broken legs, blown up on a mine. Another was wounded too. On the way, they told us what they had experienced, what they had seen. For example, they found executed fellow villagers. One such dead man, according to them, was literally torn up - with his chest cut open, his hands tied, his head shot through.
The main thing is to help the civilian population. In one of the frontline settlements in Kursk Region
- Looking back on these past six months, what conclusions could you draw?
- No one was fully prepared for what happened, no one has faced it in this century. And first of all, I would like to speak about evacuation: if shells are rumbling around, and an evacuation team is coming to pick you up, you can't rely on Russian avoos! There were cases in our practice - in Malaya Lokna we came to get people, persuaded them to gather, but they did not agree: "It won't take long!" And then they send messages: "Take us away from here!" If someone comes for you, you have to leave immediately.
