Zakharchenko’s Warns of Three-Pronged Attack: Plans to Retake All of Donbass if Pushed

— The President of the Donetsk People's Republic, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Zakharchenko is on a direct line from Donetsk. Mr. Zakharchenko, what's the current situation in the Republic? How much border tension is there at the moment?

Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of DNR: The situation remains the same. Unfortunately, we've detected an increase in shelling, artillery, tank and infantry units, deployment of makeshift hospitals. I believe that our enemies are preparing a large provocation.

 

— Are the Ukrainian Forces powerful enough to be able to execute a broad operation? Do you expect actual combat or a series of provocations in some locations?

— It will most likely be a series of provocations in three locations. They are the Svetlodarsk Arc, the Avdeevka region, and probably Dokuchaievsk in the south.

— Are the DPR Armed Forces capable of defeating this attack?

— You know, considering that we've been at war for over four years, and we've been preparing for this for months, even years, we're not just prepared to defeat it, we'll make them pay for the Battles of Ilovaisk and Debaltseve. The people of the DPR and Armed Forces just want this to be over. Everyone wants the war to stop, so we can finally start the recovery of our country.

— Do I understand correctly that you haven't deployed heavy armor to the field yet? Do you still follow the Minsk Protocol, keeping your heavy armor at a distance? How much longer do you intend to comply with the Minsk Protocol?

— We have great intel, so we'll probably know about the operation several hours in advance. Since our territory isn't as large as we'd like, unfortunately, we can redeploy in 2-3 hours, so we're waiting until the last moment.

— What kind of leader are you? Do you prefer to stay in the headquarters or do you personally go to the frontline? Do you prefer to set a personal example for your soldiers with your attitude? How much are you in control of the situations on the border and in the Republic?

— Two weeks ago, I began inspecting the frontline units, I just finished four days ago. Thus, I'm in full control of the situations on the locations that are less than 400 meters away from the opposition. However, working from headquarters is essential when ruling a country and an army. The information must come in from different sources, so I'm a diverse leader.

— What are the chances of subversive activities prior to broad provocations?

—This is a possibility, and a highly likely one. Thus, all of our establishments like the Ministry of State Safety, the MIA, and the counter-intelligence, have been on full combat alert for over two months. We're prepared to handle and defeat anything they throw our way. However, they may use some surprising tactics which we haven't yet seen. Nonetheless, our response will be normal and calm, all the consequences will be eliminated immediately.

— There was unexpected information about a potential assassination of Mr. Basurin. Also, a rather unusual spy had been selected for this. Nobody would suspect a Jordanian citizen of being a Ukrainian spy.

— You know, there are many Jordanians who reside in the DPR and in Ukraine. I'm not surprised that this man may be responsible for a terrorist attack if he was bribed or coerced into doing it. Either way, we learned about Basurin's assassination attempt six months ago, and we were ready for it.

— Meanwhile, you have recently shown direct, clear initiative that was, however, surprising at the time. You suggested your own plan for bringing peace to Ukraine. You proposed a direct dialogue with the Ukrainian authorities, speculating that it would resolve all the issues. Do you think it will scare Poroshenko? Would he be up for a man-to-man talk?

— He'll probably be scared of a man-to-man talk, he might agree or refuse to come to the negotiations table. But, if he refuses, he won't be able to sit behind any table ever again.

— It's rather harsh but we get the hint. People are still dying, Mr. Zakharchenko. The situation is extremely tense. It seems that the world prefers to ignore it or blame the DNR and LNR for everything. Tell us, who is to blame? Who is responsible for the escalation of the conflict? You or the Ukrainian military?

— The whole world is also blaming Russia. The DNR is just an excuse. Russia's the one that started this conflict. They even blame Russia for natural disasters. That's first. I'd like to remind the whole world, and especially the people on the other side of the frontline that we weren't the ones who started this war. We didn't invade Kiev, we didn't or Dnepropetrovsk. We've never shot anyone in Odessa, Nikolayev, or Kherson. We've never killed a child or a pregnant woman. You did that. Our will to decide what is right for us to defend our freedom and independence the graves of our ancestors, our language, and our faith is the will of every reasonable person. They haven't realized who they're fighting. They would be shocked. The whole world would be shocked.

— Mr. Zakharchenko, the Ukrainian troops are invading settlements by "leap-frogging" through the neutral zone. Have the DNR troops ever moved forward? Have the DNR troops ever invaded a single village in the neutral zone?

— No, we never violate the Minsk Agreements. I'd like to remind you that even though it's true that the Agreements didn't cover the "grey zone" it did specify the red line that no one was allowed to cross. Any attempt to cross the red line directly violates the Minsk Agreements. There's no "grey zone", we don't even consider it. Ukraine violates the key article of the Minsk Agreements. They crossed the very line where those agreements were signed. Don't tell us about the "grey zone", we never cross it anyway. It's a neutral line that allows civilians to feel safe. By crossing it, the Ukrainian troops violate the Minsk Agreements. Tell somebody else about the "grey zone." I personally signed the Agreements. We never cross the red line. Ukraine does. The conclusion is simple: there'd be no war if everyone stood their ground. They can do their leap-frogging all they want.

— And the last question, Mr. Zakharchenko: How are the people doing? For five years, they've been living under immense pressure in that never-ending hell. Are they suffering? How's their morale? How are the cities doing? Is the industry working? Are you gradually restoring your economy?

— Come see for yourself. The city's blooming, there are roses everywhere. The streets are being cleaned up and repaired, new universities are opening new plants are being opened, the old ones are being restored. Some of them were closed during the combat phase. The only major plant that's not yet operational is the Khartsyzk pipe plant. All other plants are more or less operational. Yes, not at 100% capacity, but at least they're working. People get paid, go to movie theaters, and go out with their kids. Our birth rate is increasing.

— Thank you very much, Mr. Zakharchenko.