-4 Kyiv
By Tatyana Orel
The chairman of the Western Choice party Konstantin Borovoy considers that only determination both in military operations and in the information war against Russia can save Ukraine. He has recently addressed Ukrainians from his Facebook page, convincing them "not to play into Putin’s hand" and not to listen to his appeals for inaction.
He began his address with the words, "Dear idiots in Ukraine..."
– Konstantin Natanovich, why do you insult Ukrainians?
– I do not want to insult anybody in Ukraine. I addressed only those who yield to the appeals "not to irritate Putin" in order to avoid large-scale military operations. It is a provocation of Putin’s agents. I called "dear idiots" those who believe them. Russia used all possible resources to impose the thought that Putin should not be angered on the Ukrainian government. It is voiced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Lavrov and Putin's press secretary Peskov.
Powerful resources are used for Putin’s propaganda, including resources in Ukraine where his agents are still active. The Ukrainian president and the public are persuaded not to resist the Russian aggression. It is a characteristic feature of the war waged by Russia in Ukraine that it combines force, aggression and very powerful propaganda.
– "Not to anger Putin" even if Armed Forces are sent to Ukraine under the guise of a humanitarian escort…
– Russia delivered the same ultimatum in the Crimea that was taken without a single shot. Putin took it with information aggression thanks to which the number of the inhabitants of the Crimea who were really dreaming of accession to Russia and that were only 27% (it is a well-known figure), increased almost to 100%. These people were stimulated by Putin’s propagandists and agents – you should never forget about it.
– People with characteristic Russian accent also "turned on" inhabitants of Donbass starting from the first pro-Russian demonstrations. They came to Donetsk and other cities by buses with Rostov numbers; when they got off they asked the locals how to get to the central square. Everything was quite transparent. Kiev did not pay due attention to is, and the press did not raise the alarm though all Ukrainian channels were broadcast in Donbass then…
– Ukraine loses the information war to Russia even today, and it is very dangerous.
– And what does Russia win if it spends 20 million dollars a day for the maintenance of fighters of "DNR" and "LNR"? If the Russians know this figure, why do they forgive the president this senseless wastefulness, to put it mildly? How many roads could be built for this money and how much could pensions and salaries be increased…
– Russia spends 30 million dollars a day on the maintenance of the Crimea – on pensions and salaries to officials.
– The price of the "toy" for Putin is rather high for the Russians.
– He does not begrudge this money as they work for strengthening of his own power.
– 30 million dollars a day on the Crimea, 20 million dollars a day on the war against Ukraine… And the rouble is falling. If Russian financial experts are right, one dollar will cost 200 roubles by March. Will Russians put up with it, too?
– I believe that life is conceived through the stomach in the conditions of rigid propagandist campaigns. Not because the human consciousness is primitive, but because the person is disaccustomed to think critically and analyze. No matter how much the pensions and salaries to officials are increased, the quantity of imported or produced food will be less than necessary all the same.
It means that there will be less goods on the shelves, and figures on price tags will be higher, and people will be able to get convinced of the "durability" of Putin’s policy without any logical conclusions. I think that Putin’s ruling will not last long. Russians see the obvious, grotesque contrast between how it felt in Russia and how it feels now.
– Perhaps, the power of the Russian army as well as the Russian economy is only a show provided the fallen rouble?
– In 2008, when the Georgian conflict began, the Russian army was in an awful state. Rockets would not shoot, tanks would not start, cars would not go, and poor Russian soldiers stole clothes and even toilet basins from local houses. Then the task was set to re-equip and re-weapon the army by 30% within several years.
According to the estimates of military experts, this task has been carried out only halfway. The efficient decorative part of the Russian army, that is trained, re-equipped, and provided with modern weapon and bullet-proof vests that Ukrainian fighters lack so much, makes only 20-25 thousand soldiers. The strength of the Russian army is only 60 thousand people including those who were thrown to the east of Ukraine and who are called "meat".
Though the Ukrainian army was also very weak at the beginning of war, it became much more capable of fighting thanks to volunteers and new armament. Besides, the general patriotic upsurge in the country makes it stronger. It is quite capable of resisting the Russian army in a direct armed conflict and avoiding what happened in the Crimea and at the beginning of the conflict in the east of Ukraine.
– Fighters of the Ukrainian army are very resolute, they are not going to retreat and say: "if only higher-ups would not let us down". And the European Union urges Ukraine to continue peace talks…
– Of course, any possible negotiations! But when the Armed Forces of another country cross the border or violate the air space, you should respond. Being afraid to protect your own territory is a crime against the people. I have been in Poltava recently, I talked to people – they understand that the situation is very difficult, but they do not want to be a poor colony of Russia.
If Petro Poroshenko continues waiting that a kind man will come and start solving Ukrainian problems, it will not do. I understand that it is much more pleasant to be a diplomat, to solve economic problems, to ensure welfare of the citizens, but he must first of all safeguard the country today. There is nobody to rely on – Americans and Europeans will shed tears concerning the situation in Ukraine, they will express their sympathy and support, but nobody will help.
– Even after the Republicans who are more willing to help Ukraine won the majority in the Senate after the elections in the USA?
– The most what, for example, senator John McCain, a person pleasant to me in every respect, says is supplies of arms from the USA to Ukraine. The USA will not take any other part in this conflict. And they cannot – there are too many negative memories from Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. When I was in the USA not so long ago, I was discussing the Ukrainian problem. One of my interlocutors told me, "You are too close to the conflict zone so it seems huge to you. From the point of view of international policy, the problem of Syria or Iran are incomparably more dangerously".
– The atmosphere of rejection of Putin by the world leaders during the recent G20 summit can be regarded as "humanitarian" aid to Ukraine. Stephen Harper, the prime minister of Canada, told Putin to get away from Ukraine when he was shaking hands with Putin, nobody wanted to sit down at the dining table near Putin. And the president of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite openly called Russia "a terrorist state" on the TV the other day. Can it be considered the beginning of "cold war" against Russia?
– Putin’s early departure from Brisbane is a very good signal. It was a psychological breakdown, he could not keep the face anymore. The international leaders let him understand that they do not wish to suffer abuse from him anymore. This is the beginning of "cold war" – as an aspiration to protect universal values.
I have recently read Churchill's speech delivered in Fulton in 1946 that, according to Soviet historiographers, provoked "cold war". Though there is no hint on it in the speech. "Nobody knows," he said, "that the Soviet Russia and its international communistic organization intend to do in the near future and whether there are any limits to their expansion…" Stalin, who considered that he as the winner had the right for territorial claims, had to retreat after all – to leave Austria and to move with Yugoslavia…
It occurred thanks to the opposition of the consolidated world community and to calling things their names. Putin considers that he will continue achieving everything by psychological pressure upon the world community as he already managed to do it twice in the Crimea and in the east of Ukraine.
– Especially when the presidents of the neighboring countries – the Czech Republic and Hungary – maintain friendly relations with Putin …
– You should not think that it happens incidentally. It is a consequence of more active work of the Kremlin intelligence service that works at facilitation of Putin’s military missions in Ukraine.
– How can the first person in the state be influenced or excited?
– And how can the leading journalist of a British newspaper be influenced when he writes that the European Union makes a mistake if it does not cooperate with Putin or recognize the Crimea as the Russian territory? How can a European Parliament deputy be forced to vote against sanctions towards Russia? With bribery and blackmail.
– Journalists and European Parliament deputies are one thing, and the president of the whole country who has everything is a different thing…
– Are not they people? Or do not they have children who are engaged in business? Or secrets? The Soviet agents that worked for KGB (State Security Committee) were everywhere in the Eastern block countries. All confirming documents were taken out to Russia. By the way, the main mission of Putin who was on the intelligence service in Dresden was evacuation of the appropriate documents from Germany. I will repeat, there are Kremlin agents in Ukraine, too.
I try to inform the Ukrainian leaders that they should be more resolute both in the battlefield and in the information war with Russia. If Putin used such a tool as the presidents of Hungary and the Czech Republic, it is certainly his last resource.
