Dnipropetrovsk - Dnipropetrovsk governor Ihor Kolomoisky has said he thinks that the peace process in the Donbas started because a cold winter is coming.
However, by spring Ukrainians need to be prepared for any case scenario, he said at a press conference on Saturday, Sept. 27.
“Earlier, we were ready to hold negotiations. The question is with whom. With [Igor] Girkin [known as Strelkov] or [Alexander] Borodai, who have Russian passports? Girkin and Borodai were replaced by Ukrainian citizens [Andriy] Purhin, [Alexander] Zakharchenko and [Ihor] Plotnytsky. The peace process started with them. But we all clearly understand that in this process they are oriented to what Moscow says. And there are two parties there as well: party of war and party of peace. Today, the party of peace is apparently leading. The peace process began, but we need to understand that winter is coming and the 4.5 million people living on occupied territories must survive it. So this fear of winter made them sit down to talks. Although, I wouldn’t [be so quick to] relax. I’m waiting for spring, as it the spring, when we have to be armed and prepared for everything,” he said.
The Dnipropetrovsk governor said that the conflict in eastern Ukraine isn’t an intrastate matter; it’s caused by foreign interference.
“We aren’t at war with Donbas or Ukrainian citizens. We have an enemy that occupied Crimea and provoked the situation in Donbas. We must understand that our military success can’t be called a success. The leadership of the country will have to make some personnel changes anyway… What will the peace be like and what will everything be like in the future? I don’t know,” Kolomoisky said.
He said that the peace process was needed to preserve the lives of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers.
“During the liberation of Savur Mohyla and Snizhne area in 1943, 200,000 soldiers of the Soviet army were deployed. Real losses amounted to 50,000 people. We must understand that it’s impossible to hold such a territory with 50,000 people that have been sent to those regions, especially if the population is against it,” Kolomoisky said.
