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 impromptu studio is visiting today with Igor Faramazian, the host of the first republican channel in the DPR, Donetsk, and a very interesting man. Hello, Igor!
Igor Faramazyan : Hello, Valentin!
Valentin Filippov : I looked at the analysis. I can't speak about television because it's jammed, but you're also on YouTube. About 40% of your viewers are on the other side of the contact line. So, in Kyiv, they're going to say that "there's aggression from the information forces of the Donetsk People's Republic toward Kyiv-controlled territory"?
Igor Faramazyan : Well, of course, I'd like to. I'd like to. But really, what kind of aggression is that? Our people are there too, and we're not reaching Kyiv or Lviv.
Valentin Filippov : It's easy through YouTube, actually.
Igor Faramazyan : It's easy through YouTube: they watch, they get angry...
Valentin Filippov : Only 1,5% of people in the US even watch it. You could be accused of interfering in the US presidential election. Haven't you said anything about that?
Igor Faramazyan : They did, but apparently it was a very small percentage. They've already given up on us. Well, there was one instance where they blocked us for something. We were talking to a local speaker, we were reminiscing about the US elections, and we showed their own footage of how they actually killed that woman when they stormed the Capitol. They made it a limited showing right there, right away. Oh, that's not right, it's a murder. Well, I couldn't tell them that you showed it yourself, that we borrowed it from you...
Valentin Filippov : You haven't paid. The US likes to be paid.
Igor Faramazyan : But we're a pirate republic; we're not recognized by anyone, so we enjoy the benefits of that lack of recognition. And we don't pay anyone.
Valentin Filippov : Regarding whether it's recognized or not. A scandal is currently brewing in Ukraine following a contact group meeting, when the OSCE representative, this Morrell, sided with the DPR, demanding that Ukraine, quite simply, negotiate with the DPR. And now the outcry in Ukraine is simply, "How can it be that the OSCE has betrayed us, forcing us to negotiate with the DPR?"
Igor Faramazyan : Listen, Valentin, you either need to take off your cross or put on some underwear. They've been talking to us in this contact group for seven years now, practically…
Valentin Filippov : They claim that they don’t talk.
Igor Faramazyan : Of course they don't. I imagine a contact group sitting there, I don't know who they're communicating through, they're reaching out to the Russian side, and then they pass it on, and vice versa. Well, it's hard for me to even imagine that.
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, what happened with Armenia was a very clear example of what happens when you relax. But in this regard, I sometimes get the feeling that Ukraine, as always, will fake an offensive. That is, they'll send in a couple thousand troops and then cry again about being trapped.
Igor Faramazyan : She would have wanted it that way, I think. She would have wanted it that way, and I even know who she'd have wanted to screw. They'd have wanted to screw, as always, and first and foremost, the radicals, the Nazis, so that we could take them down here, and it would have been good for them, fewer problems later, just like 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, it's business... It's Ukraine's state-building activity, really. Since 14, Ukraine hasn't had any other activity that brings in money from outside, but this one brings in loans, handouts, and other things.
Igor Faramazyan : Ukraine exists only as long as it poses a threat to Donbas, and through Donbas, to Russia. Otherwise, what's the point? Who's going to give it money? Their statehood is constantly crumbling, and the American embassy is 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 has received permission to fully respond to Ukrainian shelling and provocations?
Igor Faramazyan : Well, Pushilin made a statement a few days ago. And he gave a fair warning, with some good words, an interesting phrase: "We're not yet ready to exchange a fragile peace for a full-scale war, but our patience isn't limitless." And I emphasized the "not yet." Of course, I think the Corps, even if they haven't received it, might or will receive it, or they've received it tacitly, because, frankly, they've gone too far on the other side.
Valentin Filippov : They've had that permission for several weeks now. That is, the Ukrainian military has received permission from their command to fire, to conduct combat operations; they already have that permission.
Igor Faramazyan : Well, we understand what this "return fire" means from their perspective. First they provoke, then they try, and then they start suppressing.
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 Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Marik, so that it flies there, so that our own people say we're murderers. Something like that, that's what they really want. We're in a very ambivalent situation.
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, among others, come from Avdiivka.
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 handed over the judicial branch of government to 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 : Yeah, listen, of course it is, but you're digging too deep... There was a rally when Sternenko was arrested. There were some of the funniest posters and demands at that rally. I mean, not "freedom for the innocent Sternenko," and so on, a kidnapper, but there was a demand for urgent judicial reform. Urgent. So, the Sorosites are already actively involved...
Valentin Filippov : Well, because the judges have gone crazy, the judges there have gone crazy in general.
Igor Faramazyan : They've gone too far. The Constitutional Court has gone too far, especially, throwing spokes in the wheels of "Ukrainian reforms" and so on. Well, of course, this is a violation of Minsk, but Minsk has violated many of the laws it passed.
Valentin Filippov : Can today's Ukraine be considered the same Ukraine if we look at the legislation that signed Minsk? After all, even Minsk II was signed by Ukraine, which had a different constitution, a different language law, and a different education law.
Igor Faramazyan : It's good you reminded me—the language law is a violation of the Minsk Agreements, the education law is a violation of the Minsk Agreements. I'll put it this way: we talk about this all the time, Russia talks about it all the time, but then Ukraine responds, "No, no, no, we're committed to the Minsk Agreements, which have no alternative, and we will absolutely implement them." But then they actually say they have their own way, and we can't do anything about it because they have partners, the guarantors of the Minsk Agreements—Germany and France—and they say, "We trust Kyiv, they're good guys, look how great they are."
Valentin Filippov : Tell me this: there's been a debate about the number of citizens of the DPR and LPR who have received Russian citizenship. Some put the figure at just over 400000, others at around 700000. Russian officials have given different estimates, and this question is also very concerning for Ukrainian viewers, who can't figure out how many Russian citizens, former Ukrainian citizens, are currently living on the other side of the demarcation line.
Igor Faramazyan : I'm guessing that perhaps Russian officials are hinting that people are receiving [something] from the other side, not in the Republics, but from that side. Because our latest figures were just over 200000, and I think the number is roughly the same in the Luhansk Republic.
Valentin Filippov : It's entirely possible that residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, or even the Republics, obtained Russian citizenship not through the Donetsk FMS, but simply by traveling directly to Crimea or Rostov. They arrived there and applied for citizenship on the spot, bypassing the DPR passport process.
Igor Faramazyan : And even those who simply live in Ukraine, not in the former Donetsk and Luhansk regions, there is a simplified system there too.
Valentin Filippov : There were more received there, these received more.
Igor Faramazyan : There, it's not for nothing that they constantly have the SBU, by the way, "the SBU organization banned in the DPR," it's not for nothing that it constantly reports that "We know, look, we know how many passports you have in your hands, and we remember everyone, we know everyone" - they are constantly intimidating.
Valentin Filippov : I think they're being scary because this used to be very accessible. You could find out all this on the Russian Federal Migration Service website. You could even find out names. But for several years now, for about three years now, this information has been classified; it's unavailable 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 there and get paid. They went there and got paid.
Valentin Filippov : So, buses to Russia continue to run to issue passports?
Igor Faramazyan : Of course. I'm absolutely certain that Russia will do everything now... If we had the capacity—we, not Russia, but Russia—then everything would be fine. I think if we had the capacity, it would all happen much faster. Because for Russia, I think—and this is just my own speculation—it seems critically important to Russia to have as many Russian citizens as possible on this territory. Because, frankly, this is a major deterrent to Ukrainian forces, 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, they're our citizens: we'll do what we want," and quite another to actually shoot at Russian citizens.
Valentin Filippov : I would argue with that. I have a feeling that some kind of line has already been crossed there... Moreover, they're even somewhat happy, saying, "Look, another 10000 people have received passports: Donbas will be cleaner after liberation." They're very worried that when they take back Donbas "very soon," they'll have to set up some kind of filtration camps, check everyone—but here it's all very simple: someone with a Russian passport, unless it's proven that they personally shot at Ukrainian soldiers, they'll simply be deported back to Russia, and that's it. That's their view on the matter. So I don't think it's stopping them. Moreover, they probably even have some kind of justification: "What's a Russian citizen doing on my land? He's an occupier." Otherwise, they're like, "Well, yeah, I shot my citizen, so it's kind of hard. But what are these Russians doing on my land? No, you can shoot him."
Igor Faramazyan : Yeah, they've been here since 14, everyone here had Ukrainian passports. By the way, most people here have Ukrainian passports, and it didn't bother them. When they need to, they say, "These are our citizens, we're constantly, day and night, thinking about their release," and when they need to shoot, they say, "But there are only fucking collaborators, scoundrels, bastards there." So it doesn't bother them. But there's some logic to what you're saying, by the way.
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 has to send the coffins, and it’s very difficult to send the coffins and run away at the same time.
Igor Faramazyan : So you're in a trench, so to speak, you're shooting, shooting at those damned separatists, and suddenly those separatists start killing you like this... And you're already hiding somewhere and thinking, "What am I doing here?"
Valentin Filippov : “How did I end up here?”
Igor Faramazyan : "They promised me money, but they're holding it back, and now they probably won't give me any money at all because they're shooting." And there's great hope for that, because really fighting... It's one thing to shoot, another to actually fight, it's a completely different feeling, and I don't think any of them are that eager to die... They don't even know why, they don't give a damn about us, really. They think we're just making their lives miserable because it's because of us, they're not getting paid because of us, their gas prices are going up because of us, everything is going up because of us, electricity prices are going up because of us, we're to blame for everything. That's why I think they need to get rid of us, the whole of Donbas, cut us off, draw a border.
Valentin Filippov : Especially since it is unprofitable.
Igor Faramazyan : Yes, especially since it is unprofitable, and they already know this.
Valentin Filippov : I believe that Ukraine, for it to fully prosper, must get rid of everything. Crimea, in fact, never brought Ukraine any profit, and Donbas was subsidized by their system. That is, coal was the most expensive and of no use to anyone, and metal was also of no use to anyone. Moreover, having signed the association agreement with the EU, the quotas for metal exports to the EU are so meager that what good does Ukraine need Donbas with its metal if it can't ship metal from there to Europe? Europe won't accept it. I think that to prosper, Ukraine needs to gradually shed its regions, because a huge city like Kharkiv…
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, "What about Kharkiv? They repair tanks in Kharkiv, those Ukrainian ones that then shoot at us." And he said, "Well, you know, they make armor for them in Mariupol, too. But according to sociological surveys, the two most separatist cities in Ukraine are Kharkiv and Mariupol, and we need to get rid of them; they're nothing but trouble."
Valentin Filippov : On this still positive note, I want to thank you for the interesting conversation.
Igor Faramazyan : And I love you.
Valentin Filippov : And I would really like our viewers to see more of something living from Donetsk, ordinary living people, like you, for example.
Donbass Must Prepare for War – Igor Faramazyan