Even Russian liberals are amazed why Poroshenko refuses federalization
Kyiv, August 07 (Navigator, Yuriy Kovalchuk) – There is a civil war in Ukraine, during which Ukrainian troops are shelling peaceful cities with heavy artillery, although the fight could well have taken place without casualties.
The station's editor-in-chief Alexey Venediktov spoke about this on the air of the Ekho Moskvy radio station.
Subscribe to Navigator Kyiv news on Facebook , Odnoklassniki , or VKontakte
“The bombing of a peaceful city by your own troops is not forgotten. And I fully admit that there will remain some – let’s call them “detachments”, “rebels”, “partisans” who will continue to resist. Of course, without the support of a certain part of the population in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, they would not have lasted long. Their number, I mean the combat units of rebels, separatists, militias - whatever you want to call them - is estimated by experts at 12-15 thousand people in total. Therefore, of course, there is an element of civil war there, including between citizens of Ukraine,” says Venediktov.
Alexey Venediktov believes that Ukraine could do without shelling of residential areas, which only strengthens the hatred of the local population towards the aggressor.
Human Rights Watch, for example, has made statements many times regarding Kyiv, that Kyiv is hammering the city with Grads, heavy artillery - this is an absolutely fair remark. And I believe that when the government hammers at its city with a “Grad” type weapon, this is not a selective weapon, these are not sabotage units that pick out people with weapons, illegal armed groups. Actually I have the answer. This answer was given to me by saboteur officers of the Russian army, and you know them, they come here. Officers-saboteurs of the Israeli army, the American army. Develop sabotage units. Destroy points. It takes longer and is more expensive, but it saves the population. But ironing it out is pointless, it breeds a new generation of fighters,” says the editor-in-chief of Echo of Moscow.
Venediktov is also confident that bloodshed could have been avoided by federalizing the country back in the winter.
“In January, when I was in Ukraine, I said that the federalization of Ukraine is necessary. Although Ukraine is a unitary state. I didn’t mean organization, not transfer of powers – this is a matter for Ukrainians. I meant that in reality Ukraine is, as it were, made up of several civilizations. This is all Ukraine, this is the entire Ukrainian state, but it is made up of several huge different civilizational pieces, it was formed in this way.
But then, I remember, they laughed at me, called me “the hand of Moscow,” I said that if it is not flexible, if it is rigid, then it will break. Either it bends or it breaks. People told me: no, it doesn't bend or break. It doesn't happen that way. And now we see how it breaks down. And there is a large share of responsibility in this, including the previous team of Yanukovych, to whom I actually said the same thing. I still tell everyone the same things. And of course, this post-Maidanov transition team, which allowed its nationalist wing, let’s say, to detonate this story,” said Alexey Venediktov.
English version :: Read in English Even Russian liberals are amazed why Poroshenko refuses federalization