Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin during the show “Interview” on the TV channel Crimea 24 answered questions about the military situation in the Republic, the Minsk talks, the economic situation and the further course of the country’s development, the press service of the Administration of the Head of the DPR reports.
The Head of State stressed that despite all the truce agreements, despite all the loud statements by Ukraine about the desire for peace, all that remains mere words.
“If heavy weapons are not used, then small arms are used. From the military point of view, the Minsk agreements made it possible to end chaotic, mass attacks on residential areas, blocks and populated localities. That made it possible to ensure the security and safety of our citizens in some measure, what cannot be said about the line of contact, where is always dangerous,” the Head of the Republic said.
Speaking about the role of the Minsk venue, Denis Pushilin noted that the hopes placed on it are not fulfilled through the fault of Ukraine.
“It is entirely Ukraine’s fault. Or maybe the guarantor countries have not done enough work yet. That is, Germany, France are not doing everything that should have been done with respect to Ukraine. In fact, now it is possible to negotiate only at this venue. There is no other, since the other was not approved by the UN Security Council,” the Head of the DPR stressed.
Answering a question about the future of the Republic, Denis Pushilin said that it is impossible to return to the past, to Ukraine.
“Ukraine itself is no longer exists. There is the remainder of Ukraine, with which we need to coexist. How to coexist is exactly what is being worked out at this venue, which is the only one now. Yes, it is the Minsk venue. Time will show how the situation will turn out and what will happen next. So far, we are very skeptical about Ukraine,” Denis Pushilin stated.
The Head of the Republic focused on the issue of economic relations with other countries. He noted that the easiest thing to do is build relations with Russia.
“Although we interact with other countries not at the state level because of our non-recognition, there is progress in terms of business contacts,” the Head of State said.
As for the living standards of the Republic’s residents, Denis Pushilin said, “This year I instructed the Government to reach the level of the neighboring Rostov region within two years. Therefore, by January 1, 2022, we must equalize pensions, social benefits, public sector salaries with the Rostov region. This is our task, so far we are moving towards this goal, even the coronavirus did not interfere with these plans. We are moving forward now, I hope all this will work out.
Moreover, the Development Program of the Donetsk People’s Republic is already being implemented by the Government, of course.
The Head of State also noted that against the background of the pandemic we do not have enough medical workers. But at the same time, it is planned to allocate 600 million rubles for the purchase of equipment for medical institutions of the Donetsk People’s Republic this year.
Concerning the housing and public utilities sector, Denis Pushilin said that the cost of public utilities had been practically not raised in the Republic since 2014.
“That has already been hard enough for people, the financial component leaves much to be desired. But at the same time, we realize that the housing and utilities sector has deteriorated over the years. You know and remember how it was under Ukraine, nothing was invested. These six years, during which we did not raise the costs, also added to it.
Therefore, now a certain amount has been pledged, about three billion rubles, to compensate for the difference in the rates. It, of course, will also go to the development of the housing and public utilities sector. This is the repair of elevator facilities, this is the repair of roofs, this is the restoration of residential buildings and a number of other areas that are planned within the Development Program on the improvement of various aspects of life of our citizens,” Denis Pushilin explained.
According to the Head of the DPR, the coal industry of the Republic is aimed at modernization and development.
“Now we can say that it will be difficult to make progress without applying modern technologies, without involving our specialized institutes. Therefore, they have already been tasked with developing technologies for coal upgrading and a number of other areas. That is, involving a scientific component and attracting additional investment will bring our coal industry to the pre-war level, then we will plan out further development,” Denis Pushilin said.
The Head of State also highlighted the issue of integration with the Russian Federation.
“For us, the vector has been the same for all these six years, it is directed towards Russia. In practical terms, it is carried out in such areas as the accreditation of higher education institutions, the acquirement of Russian Federation passports by our citizens, as well as integration processes in scientific and educational terms. It’s a whole range. We are going to bond with Russia to the maximum, and the more Ukraine shoots, the more it does not fulfill its obligations under the Minsk Agreements, the closer we are with Russia.
But a full-scale integration would be desirable. We see only the Big Russia in the future, we are interested in it,” Denis Pushilin summed up.
