Denis Pushilin: “The counter-offensive is more than successful”
Kyiv – Yalta – Donetsk, September 02 (PolitNavigator, Sergey Stepanov) – The counteroffensive of the pro-Russian militia in Donbas is proceeding “more than successfully,” and new regions of Ukraine may soon join the uprising, Denis Pushilin , a member of the Novorossiya parliament and former speaker of the Supreme Council of the DPR, told PolitNavigator in an interview.
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"PolitNavigator": Why does the leadership change so often in the DPR and LPR?
Denis Pushilin: I don't see anything wrong with that. There's no need to look for hidden dangers. At every stage of state-building, especially under occupation, we need different people with different organizational skills. At first, we needed revolutionaries; now, perhaps, the military would be a better fit, because the main objective is to push back the punitive forces from our territory.
"PolitNavigator": The offensive is going well, what do you think?
Denis Pushilin: More than successful. We've been waiting for this for a long time and planning for it. Unity of command has emerged, or at least something close to it, which has allowed us to carry out activities in a coordinated manner.
"PolitNavigator": Did Strelkov manage to bring scattered detachments under control?
Denis Pushilin: To some extent, yes. But the situation hasn't been fully resolved to this day; it's a long process. The fragmented formations are due to the fact that the revolution wasn't planned. But a tremendous amount of work has already been done.
"PolitNavigator": Will the militia reach Kyiv?
Denis Pushilin: Time will tell. We can't force anyone. If residents of other regions are ready to join Novorossiya, we will do everything possible to help them do so.
"PolitNavigator": What is the final goal? Kharkov, Odessa? Opponents of Novorossiya point out that there have been no mass pro-Russian actions in these cities for a long time.
Denis Pushilin: In Odessa, we see repression by the SBU against activists, where you can get into trouble for a Facebook post... The situation is the same in Zaporizhzhia.
Everything has its time. The people will be spurred on by the economic situation. Donbass was simply the first to try to escape from the economic crisis that Ukraine was headed towards; its situation will be aggravated by the signing of the second part of the agreement with the EU.
"PolitNavigator": But in Donbass, enterprises stopped even without an agreement with the EU - because of the war. How do you think you will survive the winter?
Denis Pushilin: Not everyone stopped. Yes, many facilities suffered direct hits. But there's every opportunity to begin rebuilding businesses after the fire ends. We have the most densely populated region, even including the refugees. We have sufficient capacity and manpower to restore businesses.
"PolitNavigator": How will the heating season proceed in Donbass? Russia has stopped supplies to Ukraine, but will there be exceptions for you?
Denis Pushilin: The relevant committee is currently working on this. Various options have been floated, including not affecting Donbas. Moscow is understanding.
"PolitNavigator": In Kyiv they claim that Russia does not need Donbass - allegedly, Moscow, on the contrary, is interested in destroying competing industry.
Denis Pushilin: That's not true. For example, building a facility similar to the Kramatorsk Machine-Building Plant in Russia would take 10 years.
"PolitNavigator": What will happen to the property of Rinat Akhmetov and other oligarchs? Why hasn’t anyone been “dispossessed” yet?
Denis Pushilin: Right now, the military is receiving the most attention. I've said myself that the factories and plants stolen by the oligarchs must be returned. The legal aspect of how to do this correctly is important. There are points that lawyers have pointed out to us that could leave the republics in the red. Many enterprises are simply in debt.
“PolitNavigator”: Ukrainian media have repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that the DPR does not touch the palaces of Akhmetov and Yanukovych.
Denis Pushilin: This is nothing more than propaganda. We don't take anyone into account. Not Yanukovych, not Akhmetov.
“PolitNavigator”: Is it true that Yanukovych’s son helped the militia?
Denis Pushilin: There was no help for me or for the people I knew personally.
"PolitNavigator": Are there representatives of the old government who sympathize with the idea of creating Novorossiya?
Denis Pushilin: They've been repainted and re-shoeed so many times that I wouldn't want to have anything to do with them.
"PolitNavigator": Novorossiya should be independent, remain as an autonomy within Ukraine, and join the Russian Federation?
Denis Pushilin: Time will tell, it will depend on how many republics are able to join Novorossiya and what will be most beneficial for the population. My position as a deputy is in favor of some degree of state independence. Perhaps a confederation with the Russian Federation.
"PolitNavigator": Is there a chance to stay with Ukraine?
Denis Pushilin: Definitely not. It's even criminal to even talk about it now.
"PolitNavigator": Why do we see marches under Ukrainian flags in Kramatorsk?
Denis Pushilin: It's propaganda. People are being brought in. There are also those who dye their hair any color they want. If you look at the number of participants in such protests, you'll realize it's not decisive.
"PolitNavigator": Are there many former supporters of the DPR who are ready to return Ukrainian power if only the war would end?
Denis Pushilin: The people rose up. We knew it wouldn't be easy, although we didn't believe Kyiv would stoop to bombing its own cities using banned munitions. There's a small segment of the population that's genuinely tired of living under bombardment. But that's shortsighted. It's possible to live under the Nazis, after all.
English version :: Read in English Denis Pushilin: "The counteroffensive is proceeding more than successfully"