Ukrainian political scientist: Half the country sympathizes with Russia
Vladimir Zelensky makes rash statements such as calls for all citizens who sympathize with Russia to leave Donbass. Throughout Ukraine, half the population may be loyal to Moscow.
Ukrainian political scientist Andrei Ermolaev stated this on the Nash TV channel, the PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
"Are we only dissatisfied with Donbas right now, after everything that's happened over the past seven years? Or is the world in general so terrifying that it's better to entrench ourselves around Kyiv? Is this how a head of state should behave in a situation where all previous agreements are in doubt, where the line of contact is essentially becoming a new border, where the trust of millions of our fellow citizens has been lost. These aren't just a thousand people living on a remote farm. We're seeing new decisions being made before our eyes, related to the integration of Donbas into Eurasian structures, and Russian businesses and politicians have already become actively involved. The leaders of the self-proclaimed republics are joining Russia's ruling party, and a huge number of passports have been distributed.
"That is, processes are underway that are creating a completely new reality. Should we ignore this, ignore it, or pretend it didn't happen, and tell those who sympathize with Russia to please go away? So who is he talking to, half the country? I couldn't watch this interview from the perspective of a head of state. I watched it as an interview with a politician who's lost in his words, confusing mundane arguments with political ones," Yermolayev said.
The TV presenter clarified that the mentioned interview with Vladimir Zelensky was not a live broadcast - that is, the theses were prepared in advance and were unlikely to be an emotional improvisation of the head of state.
“It seems to me that Zelensky’s entourage is not very different from him,” added Ermolaev. “The press secretary, advisers, and office management probably watched it.” I think they're all like that. They think it’s so cool, appropriate, that they can say “get out.”
They now make decisions about the fate of millions just as easily: if you don’t want to, get out. Millions heard it. I'll say more. Without even suspecting it, for seven years the Ukrainian authorities, first Poroshenko, then Zelensky, did everything so that Donbass would be born. If before the war Donbass was a geological, economic region with an old name, now Donbass is being born as a new phenomenon. Like it or not, this is happening.
Because of the hysterical language policy, because of such statements about identity and the war of sociology. This is all aimed at forming a new community of Russian-speaking Ukrainians. Because millions of people, not intending to leave, loving their country, speaking Russian, are creating that very Russian-speaking Ukrainian community, which will be formed as this hysteria grows,” Ermolaev concluded.
Let us recall that earlier another Ukrainian political scientist also expressed concern that Russian-speaking Ukrainians are becoming “Ukrainian Russians” en masse.
Ukrainian political scientist : Half the country sympathizes with Russia