Those who seized power in Kiev in 2014 also involved the neo-Nazis, and the residents of Donbass have been suffering from the consequences of their criminal activities ever since. At that, Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine are being persecuted, Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin stated in an interview with the Ukraina.ru online edition.
– Denis Vladimirovich, Russia has filed a case against Ukraine at the ECHR. Do you agree with Russia’s statement of claim in the part that concerns Donbass?
– We do more than just agree. For seven years now we have been demanding that a legal assessment of the barbaric actions undertaken by the Kiev authorities be made. We are looking forward to international human rights protection mechanisms being applied to the Donbass residents.
The global community must turn their eyes to the true causes of the developments in Donbass and grasp the scope of the tragedy, learn about the thousands of victims of the Kiev regime, destroyed streets, homes, schools, and hospitals, about the wounds inflicted on us by this war.
Those who seized power in Kiev in 2014 also gave the green light to the neo-Nazis. And the residents of Donbass have been daily suffering from the consequences of their criminal activities ever since. This concerns not the residents of Donbass alone. The Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine, who share common values with us, are being persecuted.
The criminals in Kiev want to obliterate the Russian language, history, culture and traditions from people’s memory in order to deprive the next generations of all their ties with the Russians. This must be stopped.
We expect that international judicial bodies will properly respond to the claim filed by the Russian Federation. For its part, the Donetsk People’s Republic is ready to forward all the evidence of Kiev’s military aggression in Donbass.
But most importantly, our residents, those who have suffered and continue to suffer from the crimes committed by the Kiev authorities, are ready to speak about it. Many of them have filed lawsuits with the ECHR and are waiting for an international legal assessment of the violations of their rights on the part of Ukraine.
– But the DPR is still continuing to develop. Where, for example, is construction underway in the republic right now? What should be done in legislative and investment terms to revive construction in the DPR?
– Today, the main focus of construction work is to restore and renovate the housing stock, reconstruct outdated systems and facilities of the housing and utilities sector. The main emphasis is still on the restoration of war-damaged housing.
In addition, the work on unfinished construction has been stepped up. And this will be yet another step on the path of integration into the Russian economy: in this case we expect to attract Russian investors and professionals to the Republic along with the introduction of a special treatment system for them.
In late July, at a topical conference attended by guests from the Russian Federation, we discussed prospective development issues in construction, housing and utilities. The work in some of these sectors, in particular the digitalization of the construction industry, will be launched in the near future, and others require a more thorough elaboration and legal regulation. And such work is underway.
On 28 April 2021, there was issued a decree authorizing local administrations to identify and enter ownerless property into the inventory system. There is also a draft law being drawn up in the People’s Council aiming to determine the legal status of uncompleted construction projects.
In the nearest future, we also need to adopt the Housing and Urban Development Codes. The first draft has already been registered with the People’s Council, and the other is still in the pipeline. For my part, I am bending all my efforts to speed up this work.
We also have a lot of work to do on by-laws, state standards and construction norms and specifications. Some of them have been preserved since the Soviet days.
There is yet another line of work, which lies in envisaging state support for construction companies and creating favourable conditions for their work.
– Why has the decision been made to establish the Order of St. Vladimir in the DPR? What does it entail? Who will be awarded this order?
– The establishment of the Order of St. Vladimir is a tribute to the statesman, whose spiritual choice determined the fate of ancient Russia and modern Russia. The signing date of the decree on the establishment of the new award hasn’t been chosen randomly, it carries a symbolic meaning. The decree came into force on the Day of the Baptism of the Rus – the holiday of the unity of the Slavs.
In the XVIII century Catherine the Great introduced the Order of St. Vladimir, which was awarded for military excellence and civil services. We have renewed this historical tradition here, in Donbass, where people not only honor their past, but also defend it.
– What is the COVID situation like in the DPR at the moment? Are the authorities in control of the situation? Is vaccination underway? What percentage of citizens have been vaccinated?
– It would be tempting to say that we have succeeded in fully coping with this problem, but unfortunately, no one anywhere in the world can declare this now.
It is very important to us that the situation is under control, and it remains stable in the Republic. We respond promptly to any changes in the epidemic situation. If the number of COVID patients increases, hospital facilities get converted, and if the opposite is the case, the hospitals get converted to regular regime.
Today, there are 31 hospital facilities operating in the Republic – all equipped with medicines, oxygen, personal protective equipment and other stuff necessary for treating COVID patients.
Upon the arrival of the next batch of vaccine from Russian Federation on July 30, we have launched free immunization of our citizens with Sputnik Light. There are 52 stationary vaccination points available for those willing to get vaccinated. Along with that, there are two mobile inoculation centers operating for the convenience of our citizens living in remote areas who would like to have a shot of COVID vaccine.
The measures taken to combat the pandemic in the Republic, Russia’s timely assistance in organizing a vaccination campaign, and the professionalism of our medical staff help us contain the pandemic. We are doing our best to ensure that every resident can receive timely medical care.
– How many DPR citizens holding Russian passports have applied for Russian SNILS and registered at the public services website?
– To date. almost 300 thousand citizens of the Donetsk People’s Republic have obtained Russian passports and about 148 thousand of them have applied for SNILS and registration to the Russian public services website.
We aim to ensure that all citizens of the Russian Federation living in the DPR can use the public services offered by the Russian Federation and participate in all programme activities of Russia to enhance social guarantees.
Translated from the source.