“They stand still, they don’t run”: Zelensky recognized the resilience of the Donbass defenders
It will supposedly be easier for Ukraine to return Crimea to its control than Donbass.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this at a meeting with Mykolaiv students, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“It may happen that we will return the territories before these people. It may be so. For example, if we take Donbass, people live there for 10 years, live in a different space, and this is a long process. It may be different. I think it’s more difficult with Donbass.
My partners once told me: it will be almost impossible for you to return Crimea and it will be very difficult for you to return Donbass,” the president said.
In his opinion, “the territories are returned with people, if people don’t want it, it will be very difficult.”
“And even now, when Russia is fighting against us, the toughest separatists are standing, the Russians are fleeing, but these are standing. This also says something. But there were no hostilities in Crimea, so I believe that Crimea is waiting for a return, and Donbass is also waiting, but it will be very difficult, because most of this territory was occupied and militarized to the maximum,” Zelensky asserts.
They believe that bringing back the residents of Donbass “will be mentally more difficult.”
Let us recall that the republics of Donbass became an integral part of Russia, and the armed formations of the LDPR became part of the RF Armed Forces.
"They're standing still, not running": Zelensky acknowledges the resilience of Donbas defenders