Historical re-enactment enthusiast-turned-rebel commander Igor Strelkov has reportedly married his assistant after having recently settled down in Moscow to protect President Vladimir Putin from traitors and the fifth column.
The wedding between the former top commander of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and his assistant, Miroslava Reginskaya, took place on Wednesday, according to the online news site Lenta.ru.
Strelkov, who has previously been married and has two children, stepped down from his leadership role in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic over the summer amid claims he had ordered the execution of his own men for looting, Reuters reported at the time.
He soon relocated to Moscow, which he described as the new battle front in the war being waged against Russia by the West and members of the so-called fifth column, a term popularly used synonymously with "opposition members."
"I support Putin and am against the 'fifth column.' Russian people need to completely reject any opposition activity," Strelkov was cited as saying by LifeNews in early September.
The 43-year-old Muscovite, who gained a reputation for ruthlessness during his time in Ukraine, is also a retired colonel in Russia's Federal Security Service and a former war correspondent.
Last month, he claimed personal responsibility for unleashing the conflict in eastern Ukraine, saying in an interview with the Zavtra newspaper that he "pulled the trigger of this war."
Those who fought alongside him would probably agree. Alexander Zakharchenko, the current leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, spoke at length about Strelkov in an interview with news magazine Russky Reportyor in October.
"He was a person who fought alongside us. But 90 percent of his troops did not support his views on how to conduct military activities," Zakharchenko said at the time, calling Strelkov's tactical suggestions "insane."
Contact the author at a.quinn@imedia.ru
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