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Ukraine today. Interview with former MP Oleg Tsarev
by Liza Reznikova 
Oleg Anatolyevich Tsarev , engineer by profession, was born on 2 June 1970 in Dnepropetrovsk , is a former popular d and putatoof Ukraine for 4 terms, was deputy head of the faction of the Party of Regions in the Verkhovna Rada of the seventh legislation. He left the party in 2014 after the events of EuroMaidan due to differences with the moderate positions of the party. He was also a candidate for the office of President of Ukraine . After the start of the aggression on the Donbass regions and after the Odessa massacre, he sided with the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics . On 26 July 2014 he became the first president of the parliament of Novorossiya, the Confederation that includes the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In the 2002 parliamentary elections, he was elected people’s deputy for the Party of Regions in the Dnepropetrovsk region , with 30.26% of the vote. From February 2005 to 2010 he was President of the Dnipropetrovsk regional organization of the PDR . From 2011 he was also President of the Anti- Fascist Forum of Ukraine . He immediately denounced the events of the Euromaidan , accusing the organizers of being in the service of Western and US intelligence services, as he had documented in the Ukrainian Parliament a month before the start of Euromaidan. Tsarev had been in solidarity with the protesters themselves, who participated in the Maidan against poverty, corruption, lack of rights and illegality. He had repeatedly called on protesters to stop the violent protests, as Euromaidan organizers wanted to use Ukraine according to Yugoslavian scenarios, warning that, despite many correct Maidan slogans, they could ultimately lead to civil war and the collapse of Ukraine. On December 9, 2013, he sent an official request to the Security Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine with a request to ban “Euromaidan organizers and foreign politicians” from entering the country. “… Behind all the events there are foreign experts, whose profile is the organization of mass actions, the seizure of government buildings, aggressive information campaigns. Their experience and knowledge, which have been used on the Maidan, is a real threat to the national security of Ukraine. ”. During the worsening of the crisis in February 2014, Tsarev proposed the only way to restore law and order in the capital: the dispersion of demonstrators in Euromaidan, as the substantial solution to the crisis, also to avoid victims. During the negotiations of the President of Ukraine Yanukovych with opposition leaders, he stated that ” no government in the world can negotiate with terrorists, bandits and extremists “, clearly stating his position: ” it is necessary to clean up the streets, dismantle the barricades and free the occupied buildings ». He has always publicly defended the special units of the Berkuts , the Ministry of Interior , the Russian-speaking population of southeastern Ukraine and Crimea. After the Maidan coup he considered the imposed government illegitimate, and considered cooperation with it as criminal. 
In April 2014, Tsarev suffered assaults and beatings by neo-Nazi radicals, after continuous death threats and failed attempts, the issuance of an arrest warrant and a price on his head of $ 500,000 , Tsarev is forced to flee from ‘Ukraine by going to Donbass, to resist the coup junta in Kiev, becoming an exponent of the ” Southeast ” movement , and guiding humanitarian activities towards detainees and persecuted in Ukraine, later also founding the Union of Refugees of Ukraine in the Russian Federation . Tsarev was then sentenced to 12 years in prison in absentia for activities against the Ukrainian state. In March 2022, the Office of the Attorney General of Ukraine opened proceedings against the People’s Deputy on the basis of two articles: support for the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and collaborationism. With these charges Tsarev can be sentenced to life imprisonment. Thanks to his activities, to the positions expressed in these 8 years, and to his consistency with the risk of life, which made him popular and followed by many political parties, Oleg Tsarev is indicated as one of the most probable figures, who could represent a government of popular unity, of all the south-eastern regions of Ukraine, after the end of the Ukrainian crisis and military conflicts. Curated by Enrico Vigna, May 17, 2022 ***** “ Some senior Russian officials and politicians are confident that everything will work out by itself. And this is the biggest risk for Russia “. Interview by Oleg Tsarev with Antifashist . Oleg Tsarev has just returned from a trip to Ukraine, in the regions that are now de facto controlled by the Russian army. Antifashist contacted him to understand what the socio-economic situation is like there, what legal prospects these territories have, how staff are selected to work under the new conditions, and how Russian officials react to the rapidly changing world. We also asked about the events in the Kiev region and the allegations against Russia and her army in this regard. And, of course, we couldn’t help but talk about the use of nuclear weapons, an apocalyptic topic that is gradually moving from the category of something that can never happen to the category of acceptable and even possible. Oleg Anatolyevich, you have just returned from Ukraine, from those territories which are now under the control of the Russian army. What are the regions and what is the humanitarian situation in them today? I was in the Kharkov region, in the Zaporozhye and Kherson region. On the humanitarian situation. There are products in the stores, the assortment is not too rich yet. There is a drug problem, we are already solving it. I think that these problems will soon be solved, because now, according to a temporary procedure, customs on the border between Russia and these territories has in fact been abolished, thanks to which it has been possible to start trade. Had this not been done, the regions would have been hit by a humanitarian catastrophe. I have been talking about it for a long time and I am delighted that this decision has finally been made. Today the border is a “bottleneck”, a road of life that connects new territories with Crimea, and if customs declarations were started there too, everything would stop. There are problems with the passage of people and goods, I’m sure they will be solved. Now there are huge queues, the checkpoints built in Ukraine were not designed for such a flow of people and cars. Despite the fact that Sergey V. Aksyonov is personally involved in the border issue, and he is daily informed about what queues, what measures are taken to solve these problems, there are objective reasons that delay the movement. When I go there, I see that all the checkpoints are working, all the lanes are busy, the border guards are working, but it is objectively impossible to get so many people and cars through so many lanes. An inspection takes a certain amount of time, because saboteurs in the guise of civilians can escape from Ukraine, there is information on this. Weapons can be carried, so it is necessary to conduct inspections, despite the fact that women are selectively examined, men more carefully. All this takes time, huge queues are created. The checkpoints are located on a narrow strip of land, crushed by ditches. There are problems and they need to be solved. Something has already been fixed, the fuel. For a month the price of gasoline has been falling, now it is the same as in Ukraine, I hope it will get even lower. They took fuel and lubricants first, because there is a crop problem, for the sowing campaign. This problem has been fixed, everything else will follow. The heads of civil administrations have been appointed, the police and public utility services are raised. The commander’s offices are functioning very well. At the slightest complaint from the population, if something happened somewhere, accidents, the commander’s office goes there immediately and solves the problems. Discipline is very strict. Since May, the Russian ruble has been officially introduced, with which salaries and pensions will be paid. The trend is very good indeed. Peaceful life is improving rather rapidly, not like in Donetsk and Lugansk in 2014. All of this suggests that, although not de jure, de facto is advancing. You spoke of retirees, civil servants. Who pays these people now? The situation is similar to that of Donbass in 2014. For now, people are living off the money they have accumulated. The question of pensions and social contributions will be decided by Russia starting in May. The good news is that the war hasn’t actually touched these territories. There are hardly any buildings destroyed, with rare exceptions. People live in whole houses. There are no deaths or injuries. If it weren’t for the actions of Zelensky and the Ukrainian armed forces, all of Ukraine would look like this and we would have established a peaceful life very quickly. Do Ukrainian banks work? Can people receive deposits, transfer money? It is impossible to get cash, it is possible to make payments without cash. Local residents have arranged non-cash transactions, it costs about 10%. Transfer money to Ukraine from your card, a person who works as a money changer in your city gives you 10% less cash, as a commission than him: so you can go to the market and buy something. So it is for now. From next month, thanks to our Ossetian friends (the residents of Donetsk and Lugansk will understand me), a branch of an Ossetian bank will come into operation, which will provide services, so that the industrial sector can also start up. The issue, therefore, will be resolved at the state level, and not at the level of private money changers. Have industrial companies started operating? We are trying to start them but for now it is still very much at the beginning. In the Kherson region, in the part of the Zaporozhye region under our control, there are not many industrial enterprises, but mainly agricultural and tourist areas. Who governs the cities and districts? How are managers selected? Let’s look at the leaders of local authorities. If a person has not made any Russophobic statements, has not taken up arms, has not asked for illegal actions, we ask him to stay. These people had been elected, they had passed the elections, they know the peculiarities of the territory, they know their work, let them work in their place. When the question of the legal status of these territories is resolved, these people will submit to elections; the population, in the new conditions, will be able to confirm or change them. To be honest, after we leave Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, very often we have to face the fact that people who sympathize with us refuse to hold public office, ask to be appointed advisors to new leaders, promise to help not publicly, because they fear for their life. There are cases in which the mayor is an open enemy, is hostile, sabotages work and activities. Then a completely new person is nominated: we select, consult with local residents, choose among proposed candidates, nominate, help them with their work In your Telegram channel, you posted a video with Natalia Romanichenko, who became the acting head of the administration of the city of Vasilyevka, in the Zaporozhye region. Who is she? After what happened in the Kiev region, how to persuade people to publicly declare their position: promise them something, give them guarantees? The first business opened in Vasilievka after the hostilities was an auto repair shop. Natasha was the head of this laboratory. She said: “ I’m not afraid of anyone, I open and start working “. Although at the time she was still shooting herself. In this case we met a girl with character. Not all men have such a strong character as hers. She didn’t think about it much, she didn’t have to be persuaded, she became a manager of her city. Regarding the guarantees, I promised Natasha, in case of a threatening situation, to evacuate her business in Yalta. So you don’t have experience in the civil service? No, he has no experience in city government. But he has always worked as a leader, with responsibility on his shoulders. From what we have learned, there were only men under her direction and they always implicitly obeyed her. Did I understand correctly that people with experience in public administration are not in a hurry to go to the side of the Russian Federation? Many leaders have already taken our side, but have not yet publicly declared their position. Many of those who, under the new leaders, remained in the position of assistants, but in fact carry most of the burden of responsibility, remaining informal leaders. The village of Rozovka, in the Zaporozhye region, has announced its intention to join the DPO. What do you think of such an initiative? If you look at the map, then this area is clearly entered, as in a puzzle, in the Donetsk region. So why not? I think this desire is caused by the fact that people think that the DPR will soon become part of the Russian Federation. For my part, I will do everything possible to ensure that all these territories enter the Russian Federation as soon as possible. We understand that the People’s Republics may or may not be a transit station on the way to Russia and that their territories will immediately become part of the Federation What will this transition be from a legal point of view? Will it be a referendum? I think we should have referendums. It is entirely possible that the regions will need to be enlarged. The regions of Zaporozhye, Kharkiv and Dnepropetrovsk, it would be very logical to become a large federal region of the Russian Federation. And, for example, Kherson, Nikolaev and Odessa would form the province of Taurida. A referendum is a vote. Will the people living in these regions of Ukraine vote to join Russia? I can see that the older generation welcomed the arrival of the Russian army with a sense of satisfaction. It is more difficult with young people. But, in any case, the majority of the population, if a referendum is held at this time, will vote for membership of the Russian Federation. I have no doubts about it. Perhaps these will not be figures like Donetsk, Luhansk or Crimea, but there will be 65-75% in each region. Have sociological assessments been made on these data or are these numbers “by eye”? We had so much to do that we simply didn’t do thorough estimates. But I spoke to the locals, for example Volodya Saldo (the new head of the regional military-civil administration of Kherson, and former mayor of the city – ed), who has already publicly indicated that he is with us. I know him as a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, a colleague for many years. I said that many leaders have already been approved in their positions, but have not yet publicly identified themselves for a variety of reasons, including the safety of their relatives. And when you communicate with these leaders, they give a real picture of what is happening. We have been engaged in elections for many years, that when you are in the area, among the people, you can do sociology with great accuracy. You said that, unlike the older generation, young people support the transition of regions under Russian control to a lesser extent. How do you plan to solve this problem? Thanks to Sergei V. Aksyonov who created a TV. I think that if we now have figures like the ones I mentioned, in the future, thanks to television, they will be higher. Even without the availability of alternative information, people continue to support the Russian Federation. Also, we haven’t closed the Ukrainian channels there, so people watch, listen, Instagram and Facebook are working. In this way, people have the opportunity to confront each other, to access different points of view, because before there was only one. I have no doubt that the numbers will be higher. Obviously, the world does not recognize the separation of these territories from Ukraine and their accession to Russia, if that happens. Do you foresee an increase in sanctions and pressure on Russia in relation to this? It seems to me that the West has already done everything. The latest sanctions have hit the West more than Russia. It is no longer possible to elaborate new sanctions. We have to make those decisions that are beneficial to us and look less at the West. Russia is now under the most severe sanctions, the economy is going through extremely difficult times, perhaps the most difficult in its entire history. At the same time, the Donbass was destroyed, and this is only the beginning, because there are probably no less destructive battles in sight for a number of cities. There is destruction on the territory of Ukraine, which, presumably, will go on the shoulders of the Russian Federation. What do you think of the reconstruction? When we did not have sanctions or only partially sanctions, the ruble exchange rate immediately dropped. When the sanctions were introduced, the ruble became stronger and stronger. I have consistently criticized the activities of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation for many years. What we are seeing now shows that the ruble exchange rate depends on the mood of the head of the Central Bank. Russia has such large reserves that anything can be done quite easily, whether it be rebuilding destroyed cities or boosting the economy. Previously, excess liquidity was stored in gold reserves, which the West confiscated, if not stored there, but invested in the economy, perhaps tomorrow will be better than yesterday. What about the sanctions that prohibit access to new technologies, in the times of high technology? Invest in research institutes, develop your science, and work with that part of the world, the majority, that did not support these sanctions. With that part of the world that is developing faster than the United States. A question about events in the Kiev region. As of April 21, according to the Ukrainian national police, the bodies of 1,045 civilians have been found in the Kiev region. Kiev blames Russia. We are talking, among other things, about Borodianka, where you were. How would you comment on it? In Borodyanka, inside popular palaces, the Ukrainian armed forces had occupied the upper floors, from where they were firing at our militiamen. Because of the hostilities, of course, civilians have suffered. An accident happened before my eyes, in one of the settlements, there was a column of our tanks. The local district policeman assembled a group of seven people, they were considered there as a “ Teroborona ” unit . These hid behind the residential buildings and began firing at the tanks, the situation was very tense, the tank, of course, turned the turret and fired a barrage in their direction. There was a hit towards the house, a family of three died. The theroboronists , who hid among the civilians in the house, did not suffer losses, they all fled to the river. Everyone in the village knows how and why this family died, no one said a single word to the militiamen. There was a shooting, they were shooting at our forces, there were many dead. Shootings on one side, shootings on the other side and these innocent civilians were killed… As for Bucha’s events, I wrote a few days earlier that a large-scale provocation was being prepared there. I was informed by my friends in Kiev. Before the outbreak of hostilities, I wrote that if there was a confrontation between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, in this case, lists of people disloyal to the Kiev regime had already been compiled, which would be eliminated. Someone believed me and managed to leave, some did not, and became a victim of the SBU. Many people have been eliminated, the SBU has taken their bodies to the area of hostilities to legalize their killings. In particular, in the Kiev region, near Irpin. Then, when our forces left Bucha, they brought the bodies there, our own supporters! There are also people who died as a result of bombing by the Ukrainian armed forces, as well as those who were found on the streets. They are basically, as you have seen in the photos, people with white bracelets. I have already mentioned, that when we entered the settlements, the locals put white bandages on their hands, like us, they drew the letter V on the cars to show that they are not against us, that they are not enemies. And it is clear that when the Ukrainian Nazis entered it, they started shooting people with white armbands, as if they were their enemies. What, in your opinion, should Russia do to neutralize these accusations? It is easy enough to prove that the case of the Boeing shot down in the Donbass in 2014 is a fake. We need to free Dnepropetrovsk and talk to Korban and Kolomoisky . They will tell everything and everything will become clear to everyone, but in the West I’m sure no one is interested. To investigate crimes in the Kiev region, it is necessary to occupy the Kiev region and, preferably, Kiev itself, then immediately there will be witnesses who will tell how they shot, how they killed their own people and precisely who committed all this. And to completely avoid other new cases, it is advisable never to leave the territories we have taken. The West accuses Russia of war crimes and even genocide, decisions on the matter have already been taken by the parliaments of the Baltic countries and Canada. How does this threaten Russia? How will events develop further? We need to be psychologically, economically, politically prepared that all the worst the West can do in relation to Russia, it will. Both large and small. An example. President Putin has instructed Russian banks to go to Crimea. So far, only VTBank and Promsvyazbank have answered, the rest have not. And I understand why. I have many friends among deputies, economists, officials, they still think that this situation will resolve itself. Soon everything will stop like a bad dream, everything will be as before, they think. The main thing is not to anger the West, not to irritate it, and then everything will be as before. But that won’t be the case. Banks are not coming to Crimea, because bankers are sure that soon all sanctions will be lifted and they will be friends with the West again. They refuse to accept that nothing will be the same again, the world will never be the same again. And the greatest risks that Russia faces now are related to the fact that a number of Russian officials and politicians are confident that everything will work out on its own. I come to Moscow from the front line of the conflict and I see that they are two completely different worlds. In a war, blood, bombings, victims, pain. In the other, a well-fed, calm, measured life, boutiques, restaurants, plans for travel abroad, peace and tranquility. Indeed, people still live in the past, refusing to accept the present. And this is the worst thing for us, as a country, as a people. Because time doesn’t work for us. We have everything in our favor, we can do everything. The only risk is a misunderstanding of the situation by some senior officials and politicians. Recently, messages about nuclear attacks have become more frequent in the public domain. What seemed impossible only yesterday is now presented as an almost normal phenomenon, as a completely acceptable passage. What do you think? I have never commented on the military agenda. I can only say that we often do not take adequate measures in time, they are postponed, and this leads to the fact that in the next stage we will have to take even stricter measures than we have not taken to date. About three weeks ago, I started saying that we should stop supplying arms to the Ukrainian army by rail and at the same time stop exporting Ukrainian products to the West. If the railways were blocked, the decline in Ukrainian GDP would not be 50%, as it is today, but 80-90%. And the West is expected to pay Ukraine far more than the $ 5 billion a month it appears to be willing to pay now. They would have to pay 10-15 billion and, of course, not everyone would agree with this. If the roads had been blocked, far fewer weapons would have arrived in the Donbass, fewer our soldiers would have died. We argued for a month that this should have been done. Personally I went around all the officials, I informed the reporters of this, and probably, it was this that played a decisive role, much more than all the behind-the-scenes conversations with the officials. There is a concept in economics, that when the price goes down, you must first bring your product down to sell it as well. The bottom line is that you always have to go a little bit ahead of the market. So, if we understand that escalation will increase, we must each time take measures a little firmer than what the situation requires of us. And then we will be adjusted to the situation. If we are late every time, our responses will be weak, inadequate to the prevailing situation. We know that in the future it will get worse: the escalation will increase, Ukraine will receive new weapons with which it will start bombing Russian territory, not only border settlements, but also large cities. They will try to transfer hostilities to the territory of the Russian Federation and we must react more firmly and reactively, more actively than we are reacting now. Here is my answer to your question. If we act more firmly now, the issue of the use of nuclear weapons will not even be on the agenda.
* from Antifashist – Curated by Enrico Vigna
May 20, 2022-
© Reproduction possible BEHIND EXPRESS CONSENT of COUNTERPIANO EDITORIAL
Last edit:May 21, 2022, 11:13 am
Subjects: donbass maidan Nazis opposition Ukraine
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