Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard
18:35:07
28/01/2018
kp.ru
The former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada and former candidate for the presidency of Ukraine Oleg Tsarev commented to “KP” about the statements that were sounded by Kiev in relation to Donbass and Crimea…
KP: The Interior Minister of Ukraine Arsen Avakov said that it is time for his units to get ready to work on the territory of Donbass and for the Ukrainian traffic police to prepare for work in Crimea and Sevastopol…
“There is a Crimean Prosecutor’s Office as a part of the General-Prosecutor of Ukraine. Well, and why doesn’t Avakov create a police for Donetsk, Lugansk and Crimea?”
KP: Who needs these statements, and why – in order to receive quick money from the Ukrainian budget?
“Well, the Prosecutor’s Office of Crimea is, maybe, not the best example. This structure is overloaded with work for the International Court of Justice. It seems to me that they are in Kherson and are collecting materials for the International Court of Justice in the Hague, where Ukraine has submitted a claim against Russia. In general, Avakov creates such units for PR.”
KP: He says that the Ukrainian police will have to oversee order in the “liberated territories” in the nearest future.
“Ukraine now lives as such… in a distorted reality. It is difficult to comment on the actions of its officials.”
KP: I.e., you don’t connect all these statements to the fact that the Interior Minister of Ukraine just needed new injections into his department from the budget?
“Avakov has long been a billionaire. As for the budget of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, Ukraine increases them every year. I don’t think that the Interior Minister lacks money for something – it is just more PR.”
KP: Does Donbass expect a resumption of military operations in the near future?
“This was the probing of a reaction of the Russian Federation – by those who express the interests of Europe and the US. But in recent times the attitude towards Ukraine in Europe and America changes. There was hope that there the actions of Ukraine will be condemned. But this didn’t happen. But I consider that it has no relation to the aggravation of the military situation in Donbass. We see manoeuvres connected to politics.”
KP: Direct question: Will Ukraine try to take Donbass shortly in a military way?
“It is difficult to say for sure, but I don’t think so. Events now develop in a slightly different way.”
KP: Not in a military way, but rather, in a political one?
“Yes.”
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