Kazarin: Russia annihilates Black Sea Fleet, people of Sevastopol do not believe in the city's revival

03.02.2011 Being politically off-the-road, former vice governor of Sevastopol Vladimir Kazarin appeared again and gave an interview to Russian newspaper The Security Index.

Kazarin pictures the situation in Sevastopol and describes public sentiments.

The ex-politician says Russia refuses to develop its Black Sea Fleet. As for him, at the times of Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov there was an illusion that the Kremlin "is aware of Sevastopol's problems and will start resolving them in the next few days".

However, now there are no illusions any more, emphasizes Mr. Kazarin.

"In fact, current Russian military reform dots a full point in the history of smallest but the most famed fleet of Peter the Great's inheritors", he says.

"The fleet has become the biggest debtor of Ukraine's superannuation fund; wage non-payments to civilian employees became chronic; disbandment has enveloped not only military units (which, by the way, had a quite obscure and socially unconspicuous nature) but creative teams of the Officers' Club, the Navy's oldest library, famous naval museum, theater, globally known Black Sea Fleet song-and-dance company, one of the best newspapers in defense ministry… Alongside with that, staff reductions were in progress.

In 2009 the city of Russian glory for the first time saw protest actions opposite the Black Sea Fleet HQ building. Those actions were arranged by former Black Sea Fleet officers and dismissed employees deprecating military reforms in Russia and their social impact on Sevastopol", specifies Kazarin.

"Today's Sevastopol does not believe its military past could really revive some day. The city loves its history and is proud of it, but spiritually Sevastopol has almost waved good bye to its glorious past. Through recent 20-30 years appeared two generations of youngsters who treat talks about this past like nothing more than nostalgic recollections of 'square' people", says the ex-politician.

Kazarin underlines that Sevastopol residents "begin to realize they would never get back to 20th century".

"Sevastopol seeks a new place in the modern world. It wants to keep former significance, although no longer as a military fort but a globally influential port; a scientific center integrating intellectual resources of entire Black Sea region; a cultural capital of olden Byzantine state", concludes Mr. Kazarin.