Former DPR Defense Minister Igor Khakimzyanov announced his decision to participate in the elections of the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, which are expected to take place in the fall. He stated this on air on the Roy TV Internet channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Khakimzyanov predicts that he will compete not only with the current leader of the republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, but also with the ex-commander of the Vostok battalion, Alexander Khodakovsky, who was also previously named in the press as one of the contenders for the post of head of the DPR.
“I said I would run, and I will. Khodakovsky announced his desire to run for office. Well, he’ll do it, for God’s sake,” said Khakimzyanov.
At the same time, another ex-Minister of Defense of the DPR, Igor Strelkov, who was present in the studio, criticized Khodakovsky’s activities, but called on the opposition politicians of the DPR to create a unified movement.
“My attitude towards Khodakovsky, I have never hidden it. After he actually sabotaged the joint defense against the offensive of enemy troops during his 40-day stay in Donetsk, he simply sabotaged, withdrew from interaction, I will never forget this to him. I believe that a person who, for the sake of personal ambitions, is capable of such disregard for the common cause cannot be the head of the republic. But I have a question: can the division of various opposition candidates to Zakharchenko, in general, claim to be successful? In order to have any claim to success, you need to create a united front,” Strelkov said.