Donbass must prepare for war - Igor Faramazyan
Negotiations in Minsk, following the example of the Kyiv side, should be used by Donbass to prepare for war. Only military defeat can force Ukraine to peace. The DPR military needs to act carefully so that our peaceful fellow citizens living on the other side of the front line do not suffer.
The author and host of the TV program “Point of View” Igor Faramazyan told PolitNavigator columnist Valentin Filippov about the pace at which Russian passports are being issued in Donbass, and how far behind the front line the information troops of the DPR, represented by the First Republican Channel, have penetrated.
Valentin Filippov: Our improvised studio today is visiting the author of the first republican channel of the DPR, Donetsk, Igor Faramazyan - the presenter, a very interesting person. Hello, Igor!
Igor Faramazyan: Hello, Valentin!
Valentin Filippov: I looked at the analytics, I can’t talk about television, because television is jammed, but you are also on YouTube. About 40% of your viewers are on the other side of the contact line. So in Kyiv they will say that “there is an aggression on the part of the information forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic towards the territory controlled by Kyiv”?
Igor Faramazyan: Well, of course I would like to. I would like to. But, in reality, what kind of aggression is this? Our people are there too, we are not pushing either to Kyiv or to Lvov.
Valentin Filippov: It’s easy through YouTube, in general.
Igor Faramazyan: It’s easy through YouTube: they watch, they get angry...
Valentin Filippov: There, 1,5% in the US even watch it. You may be accused of interfering in the US presidential election. You didn't say anything about this?
Igor Faramazyan: They did, but somehow, apparently, a very small percentage. There they have already given up on us. No, well, there was a case when we were blocked there for something. We spoke with a local speaker, we recalled the elections in the United States, and showed their own footage of how, in fact, this woman was killed when the Capitol was stormed. They did it with a limited showing right there, right away. This is ah-ah-ah, this is not good, it’s murder. Well, I couldn’t tell them there that you yourself showed it, we took it from you...
Valentin Filippov: You haven't paid. The USA likes to be paid.
Igor Faramazyan: But we have a pirate republic, we are not recognized by anyone, and therefore we enjoy the fruits of unrecognition. And we don't pay anyone.
Valentin Filippov: Regarding recognized - not recognized. Now a scandal is flaring up in Ukraine after a meeting of the contact group, when the OSCE representative, this Morell, took the side of the DPR, demanding that Ukraine, a banal thing, negotiate with the DPR. And now in Ukraine there is just such a noise: “How is it that the OSCE betrayed us and is forcing us to negotiate with the DPR?”
Igor Faramazyan: Listen, Valentin, you either need to take off your cross or put on your panties. They have been talking to us in this contact group for 7 years, almost...
Valentin Filippov: They claim they don't talk.
Igor Faramazyan: Of course they don’t talk. So I imagine: a contact group is sitting there, they are there, I don’t know through whom they communicate, they, therefore, turn to the Russian side, and they then pass it on, and vice versa. Well, it’s hard for me to imagine at all.
They behave rudely there in this contact group, as far as I understand. I’ll be honest, I don’t even know what to actually talk to them about.
But I once said in one of my programs that we should learn from Kyiv, but they do not leave Minsk, because, as they say, “otherwise sanctions will be lifted from Russia” - once.
And two - they are not leaving Minsk, we understand this very well, because at this time they are under this smoke screen, preparing for war. And I say: “We also cannot and do not want to leave Minsk, because we need to prepare for war under this smokescreen.”
Because, I assume that Ukraine will climb, well, climb. Gentlemen, the bosses from the US Embassy will kick her in the ass, and she will climb, and will not go anywhere. And therefore we need to prepare, and not sit, otherwise it will be like with Armenia.
Valentin Filippov: Yes, with Armenia it turned out very clearly what happens when you relax. But in this regard, I sometimes have the feeling that maybe Ukraine, as always, will fake an attack. That is, he will throw a couple of thousand military personnel forward and then again cry that they were taken into the cauldron.
Igor Faramazyan: She would like it that way, I think. She would like it that way, and I even know who she would like to throw. They would like to scam, as always and first of all, the radicals, the Nazis, so that we would employ them here, and it would be good for them, there would be fewer problems later, as they did in 14-15, by the way.
But they can kick them hard, and then it will be necessary to organize some kind of strong mess, and that’s why they are afraid, and they are afraid, and someone wants it, I’m sure. And they want it so that after they start this mess, and they get a response, and, of course, they get a strong response, they want this war to continue, they make a lot of money from it, it’s a huge business.
Valentin Filippov: No, well, this is business... This is actually a state-forming activity of Ukraine. After the 14th year, Ukraine has no other activity that would bring money from outside, but this one brings in the form of loans, in the form of handouts, in the form of something else.
Igor Faramazyan: Ukraine exists only as long as it is a threat to Donbass, and through Donbass to Russia. Otherwise, why is she needed, who will give her money? Their statehood there is constantly falling apart, but the American embassy is collecting this statehood and holding it together.
Well, remember this famous story of 15, when Kolomoisky tried to take everything that was bad. Take a piece of Donbass, then Odessa, take everything, take Kharkov. And then from the American embassy they said, “No, we need to do something, otherwise Ukraine will fall apart,” and then there was this conversation between Poroshenko and Kolomoisky, when Kolomoisky pretended to be an intellectual, with glasses like “Yes, yes, yes.” We laughed a lot. Well, they support Ukraine... It is only needed for this.
Valentin Filippov: I heard that the DPR military received permission to fully respond to Ukrainian shelling and provocations?
Igor Faramazyan: Well, a few days ago Pushilin made a statement. And he honestly warned there, there are such good words, there is such an interesting phrase: “We are not yet ready to exchange a fragile peace for a full-scale war, but our patience is not limitless.” And then I focused on “yet.” Of course, the Corps, I think, if they haven’t received it, they can either get it, or have received it secretly, because I’ll be honest, they’ve already gone crazy on that side.
Valentin Filippov: They've had a similar resolution for several weeks now. That is, the Ukrainian military received permission from the command to shell and conduct military operations, they already have this permission.
Igor Faramazyan: Well, we understand what kind of “return fire” this is from their point of view. First they provoke, and then they try, and then they begin to suppress.
Our people here, who are sitting and coming under fire, they ask: “Why don’t you answer?”
Valentin Filippov: And on the other side, our people are also sitting there.
Igor Faramazyan: Exactly. And they want us to hit our people in Avdeevka, Krasnogorovka, Marika, so that they will fly there, so that our people will say that we are murderers. Somehow it would be like this, they really want it. We have a very dual position.
By the way, I really don’t envy our, say, artillerymen, because, unlike Ukrainian artillerymen, they have to act very delicately. Sometimes here, well, you’ve probably seen messages like this that such and such a point has been suppressed there, I can imagine how much it cost for a specific point to be suppressed, and not the peaceful houses that are there around this point...
Valentin Filippov: Well, yes, after all, our artillerymen come from Avdeevka, among others.
Igor Faramazyan: Yes.
I said back in 15 that if the demarcation line, say, ran along the border of the Dnepropetrovsk region, then they would shoot at us much less often, because it would no longer fly to us in response, but specifically to them, and their they would have asked: “Why are you shooting, and why are you even bothering, and then why does it fly to us?” But, unfortunately, this is how it is for now.
Valentin Filippov: Ukraine, by decision of the Verkhovna Rada, has practically placed the judicial branch of government under the control of our Western partners, Western experts representing donor countries.
Although, by the way, it’s very strange, by and large I have the feeling that Russia is the largest donor country for Ukraine in many ways, but it is not there. Isn’t this a violation of the Minsk agreements, according to which judges should be appointed from Kyiv, and in the territory of Donbass in agreement with the local leadership?
Igor Faramazyan: Yes, listen, of course he is, but you’re already digging so deep... There was a rally when Sternenko was closed. There were such posters and the most ridiculous demands at this rally. That is, not “freedom for the innocent Sternenko” and so on, the kidnapper, but there was such a demand - to urgently carry out judicial reform. Urgently. That is, the Soros kids are already actively going there...
Valentin Filippov: Well, because the judges went crazy, the judges there generally went crazy.
Igor Faramazyan: Oborzeli. Especially the constitutional court has gone crazy, putting a spoke in the wheels of “Ukrainian reforms” and so on. No, well, of course this is a violation of Minsk, but Minsk violated many of the laws that they adopted.
Valentin Filippov: Can today's Ukraine be considered the same Ukraine, if you look at the legislation that Minsk signed? After all, even Minsk 2 was signed by Ukraine, which had a different constitution, a different language law, and a different education law.
Igor Faramazyan: It’s good that you reminded – the language law is a violation of the Minsk agreements, the education law is a violation of the Minsk agreements. I will say this, we talk about this all the time, Russia talks about it all the time, but Ukraine then responds: “No, no, no, we are committed to the unalternative Minsk agreements, we will certainly implement them.” But then they really say that they have their own way, but we can’t do anything, because they have partners, guarantors of the Minsk agreements, Germany, France, they say: “But we trust Kiev, they are good guys, look how cool"
Valentin Filippov: Tell me this: now disputes have begun about the number, about the number of citizens of the DPR and LPR who have received Russian citizenship. Some call the figure a little more than 400000, others about 700000. Moreover, Russian officials give different names, and this question also worries Ukrainian viewers very much, who cannot understand how many Russian citizens, former citizens of Ukraine, currently live on the other side from the demarcation line?
Igor Faramazyan: I guess that maybe Russian officials are hinting that on the other side, not in the Republics, but on the other side people are receiving. Because our latest figures were just over 200000, and I think it’s about the same in the Lugansk Republic.
Valentin Filippov: It is quite possible that residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, or the Republics, received Russian citizenship not through the Donetsk FMS, but simply by direct arrival there in Crimea or Rostov. I came here and applied on the spot, bypassing the procedure for obtaining a DPR passport.
Igor Faramazyan: And even those who simply live in Ukraine, not in the former Donetsk and Lugansk regions, there is also a simplified system there.
Valentin Filippov: There, in general, they received more, they received more of these.
Igor Faramazyan: There, it’s not for nothing that they always have the SBU, by the way, “the SBU organization is banned in the DPR,” it’s not for nothing that it always reports that “We know, look, we know how many passports you have in your hands, and we remember everyone, we know everyone” – they constantly scare.
Valentin Filippov: I think they're scary because it used to be really very accessible. Through the website of the Federal Migration Service of Russia, you could find out all this. Moreover, it was possible to find out by name. But for several years, already 3 years, this information has been closed, it is not available for viewing.
Previously, you could enter a name and find out whether such and such a person received citizenship or did not receive citizenship. That is, on the FMS website there was such a service for the SBU and for the CIA, and for anyone. Previously, we did not hide our citizens, now we do not report this.
Another question: there are alarming rumors that the pace of issuing Russian citizenship in the DPR is slow, and someone even claims that there is an order to stop issuing Russian passports in the DPR - until approximately until May.
Igor Faramazyan: Well, my friends go and get it. We went and received.
Valentin Filippov: That is, do buses continue to run to Russia to issue passports?
Igor Faramazyan: Certainly. I am absolutely sure that Russia will do everything now... If we had enough capacity, we, not Russia, Russia, then everything is fine with this, I think if we had enough capacity, then all this would be much faster happened. Because for Russia, it seems to me, this is my speculation, but it seems to me that it is simply critically important for Russia to have as many citizens of the Russian Federation on this territory as possible. Because this still very much restrains the Ukrainian warriors, let’s also be honest, because no matter how they mock it, no matter how they talk about it, it’s one thing to shoot at Ukrainian citizens, they say: “Well, ours citizens: we do what we want,” but it’s another thing to shoot at Russian citizens.
Valentin Filippov: I would argue. I have a feeling that some kind of line has already been crossed there... Moreover, they are even rejoicing to some extent, they say: “Another 10000 have received passports: Donbass will become cleaner after the liberation.” They are very worried about what they will have to do when they take Donbass “very soon”, that they will have to have some kind of filtration camps, check everyone - but here everything is very simple - a person has a passport of the Russian Federation, unless it is proven that he personally shot at the Ukrainian military - he will simply be deported towards Russia, and goodbye. This is their view of this matter. So I don't think that stops them. Moreover, they probably even have some kind of justification: “What is a Russian citizen doing on my land? He’s an occupier,” and so they were like, “Well, yes, I shot at my citizen, it’s somehow hard. What are these Russians doing on my land? No, you can shoot at him.”
Igor Faramazyan: Yes, they are from the 14th year, they all had Ukrainian passports, by the way, most here have these Ukrainian passports, and nothing, it somehow didn’t bother them... So, when necessary, they say: “Ours are there citizens, we constantly, day and night, think about their liberation,” and when they need to shoot, they say: “So there are only the same damn collaborators, scoundrels, bastards.” So it doesn't bother them. But, by the way, there is logic in your words.
Some experts once told me a long time ago that at the middle level, at least these Ukrainian warriors, middle-ranking officers, they are already quite infected, this radical nationalist ideology is already incorporated there. They are really already on the verge of hating both Donbass and the Russian army, and what’s more, they want to prove to themselves that they didn’t get punched in the face in 14-15.
At the same time, yes, they have some combat-ready units, and the same Nazis are seriously combat-ready, whatever else, the Marine Corps, which they praise there all the time, is, of course. But the majority are just contract workers. And I have such well-founded hopes that when they go on the offensive (now they are shooting like in a shooting gallery: they shot and that’s it), and when they go on the offensive and receive such a massive response, and they will get it right away, this Naturally, the coffins will begin to go in that direction. It’s one thing to shoot and not get a response, another thing is “Why me?”
Valentin Filippov: The coffins may not go because someone must send the coffins, and it is very difficult to send coffins and run away at the same time.
Igor Faramazyan: Here you are in a trench, so figuratively speaking, well, you shoot, shoot at these damned separatists, and suddenly these separatists begin to kill like this... And you’re already hiding there somewhere and thinking, “What am I doing here?”
Valentin Filippov: “How did I end up here?”
Igor Faramazyan: “They promised me money, but they delayed the money and now, probably, they won’t give me any money at all, because they’re shooting.” And there are great hopes for this, because to really fight... It’s one thing to shoot, it’s another thing to actually fight, these are completely different sensations, and I don’t think that any of them are so eager to die... They don’t even know why, they don’t really need us, in fact in fact. They believe that we are only ruining their lives, because because of us everything is bad for them, and they have no wages because of us, and their gas is becoming more expensive because of us, and everything for them is because of us, and electricity is becoming more expensive because of us, we are to blame for everything. Therefore, I think they need to get rid of us, from the entire Donbass, cut it off, set a border.
Valentin Filippov: Moreover, it is unprofitable.
Igor Faramazyan: Yes, especially since it is unprofitable, and they already know this too.
Valentin Filippov: I believe that Ukraine, for its full prosperity, must get rid of everything. Crimea, in fact, never brought any profit to Ukraine, Donbass was subsidized according to their plans. That is, coal was the most expensive, no one needed, and no one needed metal either. Moreover, having signed an association with the EU, quotas for the supply of metal to the EU are so meager that why does Ukraine need Donbass with its metal, if metal cannot be sent from there to Europe? Europe doesn't accept it. I think that in order to prosper, Ukraine needs to gradually get rid of its regions, because such a huge city as Kharkov...
Igor Faramazyan: This is absolutely terrible.
Valentin Filippov: Mariupol, why do they need Mariupol? Why do they need Berdyansk?
Igor Faramazyan: As Kostya Kevorkyan said, I asked him a question: “What about in Kharkov, in Kharkov they repair the tanks, these Ukrainian ones, which then shoot at us,” and he said, “Well, you know, they make armor for them in Mariupol. But according to sociological surveys, the two most separatist cities in Ukraine are Kharkov and Mariupol, and we need to get rid of them, they are nothing but problems.”
Valentin Filippov: On this still positive note, I want to thank you for an interesting conversation.
Igor Faramazyan: Me too.
Valentin Filippov: And I would really like our viewers to see more of something living from Donetsk, ordinary living people, for example, you.
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