Denis Pushilin: There are negligible numbers of people who want to return to Ukraine
The number of supporters of returning to Ukraine, even under conditions of broad autonomy, among residents of the DPR does not exceed 5% of the republic’s population. In Donbass, new aggressive actions by Kyiv are not ruled out after Vladimir Zelensky’s meeting with the leadership of British intelligence and announced plans to strengthen military cooperation with Turkey.
About this in an interview "PolitNavigator" said the head of the Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin.
"PolitNavigator": Ukraine is intensifying military cooperation with Turkey. Zelensky held a meeting with the head of the British intelligence service MI6. Donbass should prepare for a new round of conflict?
Denis Pushilin: Zelensky’s meetings with the leaders of foreign states, and even more so with the head of the British intelligence service on their territory, speak of one thing - he is completely dependent on Western influence, being a puppet in the hands of experienced manipulators. Moreover, the Ukrainian president himself understands little of this, happily advertising the fact of the meeting.
As for Zelensky’s political flirtations with the President of Turkey, everything is more or less clear here too. Erdogan is now pursuing an expansionist policy and, defending the national interests of his state, is ready to go against anyone who interferes with him. And the Ukrainian president, due to his political shortsightedness, believes that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” He had the feeling that in the person of the Turkish President he could acquire a loyal ally against Russia. But Türkiye pursues completely different goals. She is interested in the technical potential that still exists in Ukraine. To conduct military operations, the Turkish president really needs the engines of the still operating Yuzhmash in Dnepropetrovsk, Turboatom in Kharkov and Motor Sich in Zaporozhye.
And Zelensky is ready to provide it to him for next to nothing. In exchange, the Turkish President is ready to supply weapons to the army that is shooting at the residents of Donbass, promising both drones and weapons.
We are ready for any scenario and are constantly, as they say, on the alert, aware of what kind of aggressive neighbor we live next to.
There are more and more citizens on the territory of the DPR who have received Russian passports. How does this legally change the situation around the Donbass republics, which, let us remind you, continue to be shelled by the Ukrainian army?
The receipt of Russian passports by residents of Donbass is a natural process of restoring historical justice. Our region has always been Russian; people of Russian spirit with a common cultural and religious paradigm have always lived here. For six years we have been fighting for our right to speak our native language and live in the same space with Russia.
I would not put the number of passports received in direct relation to the legal recognition of the Republic. Everything is much more complicated and depends on many factors, mainly geopolitical.
But there is no doubt that we already feel part of Russia. Our currency is the Russian ruble, our universities receive Russian accreditation, and our students receive Russian-style diplomas, our legislation is oriented towards Russian legislation. Moreover, on absolutely legal grounds, our citizens who have received Russian passports have the right to take part in voting in Russia.
And legal recognition is a matter of time.
A truce has been established since mid-summer. It only helped to reduce the intensity of shelling, but it turned out to be a record-breaking duration.
In May, the Donbass republics brought their armies to a state of full combat readiness. Did this play a role? Is the Ukrainian side more receptive to the voice of force than diplomacy?
In May, the People's Militia of the Republic was transferred to "Full" combat readiness due to the escalation of the situation on the contact line - an increase in the intensity of shelling from Ukraine, which led to the death and injury of civilians and the destruction of infrastructure.
At a meeting of the contact group on May 27, representatives of the Donetsk People's Republic insisted on approval of a package of additional measures to strengthen and control the indefinite truce in force since July 21, 2019. But the Ukrainian side, as always, found excuses. A few months later, thanks to the persistent position of DPR representatives in the Contact Group and support from Russia, Ukraine was forced to sign additional control and ceasefire measures, which began to operate on July 27, 2020.
As in previous years, this ceasefire turned out to be relative. The Ukrainian side has once again failed to fulfill its obligations. Since the beginning of the additional measures, Ukrainian militants have fired more than 500 different-caliber ammunition across the territory of the Republic, and this does not include their use of small arms. More than half of them - 254 ammunition - were used by the enemy in the last 2 weeks alone. Unfortunately, our defenders are killed and injured by Ukrainian shells. Since the additional measures were signed, Ukraine has killed three Republic servicemen.
Regarding the greater receptivity of the Ukrainian side to coercion by force than to diplomacy, I would like to remind you about the Debaltsevo and Ilovaisk cauldrons, the liberation of the Donetsk airport. Ukrainian politicians sat down at the negotiating table and signed the Minsk agreements only after they realized complete defeat on almost all fronts.
There is a possibility that Ukraine’s Western curators did put pressure on our opponents to comply with the ceasefire. But, as always, the Ukrainian security forces could not comply with it for long. Zelensky does not have the political will to stop the bloody war in Donbass.
We are committed to the diplomatic path to resolving the conflict. I recommend that the Ukrainian side follow our example and resolve the conflict peacefully at the Minsk site.
Nevertheless, our military personnel are ready for any development of events. We protect our people, our land. We are at home and will do everything in our power to protect our citizens and their interests. Be it a peaceful area or a military field. I think the Kyiv authorities understand this.
Local elections were held in Ukraine. According to the voting results, the leading places are again occupied by anti-Russian forces. Why is the Ukrainians not seeing the epiphany that many were counting on?
In essence, these elections became an indicator of Ukrainians’ trust in the government. And judging by the low turnout in local elections, people are tired of the false promises of Ukrainian politicians. They are disappointed in everything: in parties, their leaders, loud slogans, endless reforms that are carried out in anyone’s interests, but not in the interests of ordinary people. On the contrary, their standard of living is deteriorating every year.
The turnout at polling stations was especially low in the Donbass, where people have been experiencing so-called care from Ukrainian politicians for the seventh year now.
It is not surprising that in south-eastern Ukraine, local elections showed a loss of confidence in the party in power, while opposition forces strengthened their positions. For residents of Kharkov, Odessa, Mariupol, Nikolaev - cities that did not support the illegal coup in Kyiv in 2014 - the Russian language has always been and will remain native; forced Ukrainization and neo-Nazi psychosis are alien to them. Therefore, it is not surprising that Vladimir Zelensky and his Servant of the People party failed this electoral exam.
Ukrainian media like to refer to sociological data, according to which, supposedly, the majority of the population in the LDPR dreams of returning to Ukraine. Is it really? What is the real distribution of votes, according to your data?
I will not say that there are no such people at all, that would be untrue. According to our sociological research, the number of citizens of the Republic who want to return to Ukraine or live within it under special conditions is negligible, about 5%.
People understand perfectly well who is firing at them and who is to blame for their difficulties. Those who are mostly loyal to the Ukrainian authorities are those who were not here during the fiercest battles. Who returned at the moment when the truce concluded within the framework of the Minsk agreements was in effect.
Residents of the Republics are united in the fact that we are not on the same path with today’s Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine is giving more and more reasons to distance ourselves from it every day.
How can you comment on the Ukrainian side’s unilateral opening of borders on the line of contact with the People’s Republics?
We see that almost all of Ukraine’s actions are aimed at destabilizing the situation in the People’s Republics. One of such provocative actions on the part of the Ukrainian authorities was the alleged opening of all checkpoints on the contact line. It is when we almost daily observe in Ukraine anti-records for the incidence of coronavirus infection, when Kramatorsk, Novogrodovka, Ugledar, Slavyansk and other cities of the Donetsk region controlled by Ukraine are in the “red zone”, and there is a shortage of beds in hospitals, we see such steps from the Ukrainian side.
I would like to emphasize once again that such steps cannot be taken without agreements. Moreover, the Ukrainian side knows the position of the Republics - not to open checkpoints at the moment, based on security measures and care for their citizens.
Zelensky does not even stop at such cheap and cynical hype to hold a telephone conversation with Germany and again try to blame the Republic for disrupting non-existent agreements. This issue was not agreed upon within the Contact Group, so such unilateral steps could lead to irreparable consequences.
Almost all countries are closed from Ukraine. They see what's happening there. And it is precisely during the difficult epidemiological situation in Ukraine that the Kiev authorities are opening checkpoints on the line of contact with the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Now it is unsafe for our citizens and this is not the time to discuss reducing forced restrictions.
We see that Zelensky’s current cynical policy is much worse and more ill-conceivedthan it was under Poroshenko. Unfortunately, Zelensky stops at nothing.
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