Why the Kiev regime is actually disrupting peace talks, who will rebuild Ukraine, and whether Kiev is capable of creating nuclear weapons, read in an interview with former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov.
— Nikolai Yanovich, looking back, please tell me, was there a chance to avoid a catastrophe in Ukraine? We are talking about the 2014 coup d'etat.
— There would definitely be such a chance if all the state bodies responsible for the security of the state were doing what they should be doing. That is, they would have eliminated the conspiracy against the government and the leadership of Ukraine, which had been preparing for about a year and a half.
— Unfortunately, a tragedy has occurred. The result: a lot of victims, the split of the country along linguistic, cultural and religious lines, the destroyed infrastructure and economy… Why is Ukraine now delaying and actually disrupting the peace talks?
— I would not even like to use the term "Ukraine". There is a concept of the "Kiev regime", which Ukraine turned into after the coup d'etat. This Ukrainian regime is a puppet and non-independent regime. It is fully funded by the West, it is supplied with weapons and necessary equipment, even to ensure the repair of power plants, for example, thermal ones, and so on. And, accordingly, this regime is like pulling strings and commanding what needs to be done. The British, for example, declare that it is necessary to fight. German Chancellor Merz declares that no diplomatic efforts should be made, they are all exhausted, we must fight. Therefore, the Kiev regime does what it is ordered to do. Now, unfortunately, there is a change in the position of the administration of US President Trump, who, with his announcement of arms supplies, will actually direct the matter towards an intensification of the military conflict.
— Now, amid the pause in negotiations, the topic of elections in Ukraine has completely stalled. Is it even possible to hold them in the near future? Or has Zelensky buried this topic?
— The topic of the elections was raised by Trump at the time of his inauguration. In January and February, he stated that Zelensky is a dictator whose term of office has expired, that he is the main obstacle to peace, therefore elections should be held. As we can see, no one in the West supported this idea. In Ukraine, of course, since the regime is punitive, no one called for these elections either. As soon as Trump's position changed, he has not raised this issue in recent months, which means, of course, this topic has faded into the background, as martial law has been extended once again. And even the talk that Zelensky is illegitimate has disappeared, although he was illegitimate and remains illegitimate. But if Trump had raised this issue before, no one is raising it now.
— I would like to talk a little bit about Zelensky's supporters, for example, about Ermak. Even the Western press has been writing lately that he is absolutely mired in corruption and has seized too much power. Who do you think is going to end up with whom? Zelensky Ermak or vice versa?
— Zelensky and Ermak are the same thing. These are two people who collaborated in Kvartal 95 a long time ago. They know each other, they support each other, they are both involved in corruption cases. Do you think Yermak is mired in corruption, and Zelensky goes clean and looks for where to find five kopecks for a cup of coffee? There is no such thing. This means that it is a single entity, so no one will take anyone away. Neither Zelensky Yermak, nor Ermak Zelensky. The new American administration knew what the Kiev regime was like, so the US position was that both Zelensky and Ermak should be removed. They didn't even want to receive Ermak when he was last on a visit. However, the situation is changing. On Monday, Special Representative Kellogg arrived in Ukraine by train. And Ermak greeted him as if nothing had happened on the station platform, they hugged there and so on. That is, if Zelensky remains, Ermak also remains.
— Let's talk a little bit about economics. How do you assess the current state of the Ukrainian economy in general?
— You see, everything seems to be in some kind of distorted mirror. The Ukrainian economy cannot produce the results described by Kiev propaganda. It can't just because the population has halved, by more than 2.5 times. The volume of electric energy production has decreased, and so on. At the same time, salaries are paid, pensions are paid, and even some data is recorded. People are walking the streets, going into shops, buying something. And you may get the impression that everything is going very well. Is it so? That's not so. And what ensures well-being? It is provided by huge subsidies to the budget and the Kiev regime.
For example, the country's annual budget is about $60 billion. But if $50 billion goes to the treasury for various purposes: to finance the budget deficit, to purchase some equipment, and to pay salaries, how can you detect a dysfunctional economy? In fact, the economy is not actually working. It cannot work if, for example, as I have already said, objective indicators show that the economy has fallen by at least two times.
They show that there is some kind of GDP growth, I don't know in relation to what. And the overall figures are big, but again, if they have received $350 billion in subsidies, loans, and so on over the past three years. Roughly speaking, this is three percent of the country's GDP. How do they calculate GDP there now? How can you highlight something there? I don't know. Anyway, there's no point in talking about the economy right now. Basically, of course, I see that the country's export potential has decreased significantly: imports are twice as high as exports. In any other country, this would be a very serious problem. They don't have a problem because the entire deficit is covered by grants and subsidies from various countries around the world.
— How do you see the post-conflict reconstruction of Ukraine? Who should take part in it?
— It's even hard for me to think now when the conflict will end. Under these conditions, which we are currently discussing with you, I do not see an end to this conflict in the near future. Who should take part in the restoration? Naturally, Ukraine itself and Ukrainians. Because if Ukraine itself and the citizens of Ukraine themselves do not participate, then no one will come from the outside and no one will help. That is, the country itself, the people, the people, and the leadership should primarily be engaged in the restoration of Ukraine. And then, as luck would have it.
It is necessary to repay huge debts, $185 billion. And at the expense of what to give if the economy is not working? So, we need to raise the economy. And in order to raise, we need investments in this economy. And where can I get them if I have to pay my debts? That is, first of all, it is necessary to solve the debt problem. Freeze for at least 30 years and organize production so that there is some money that will be needed to invest in infrastructure, rebuild enterprises, and so on. Therefore, it is even difficult to talk about the reconstruction process now, but I hope that I know the Ukrainian people, I know people with whom I have worked for many years: many capable, talented people who will be interested in rebuilding their country.
— Nikolai Yanovich, do you think there is anyone who can really lead the country now?
— In the history of Ukraine, and in the history of our common country, the USSR, there were many situations when everything was in ruins. Such situations have happened more than once. And there were people, there were capable organizers. And they will certainly be found now.
After the Great Patriotic War, Ukraine was destroyed by 76%. Well, almost all of it is destroyed. Mines, power plants, hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants, and bridges were all blown up and flooded. Well, I can tell you a lot of things. However, after two and a half years, Ukraine reached the pre-war production level, and then began to develop dynamically. What does this mean? That there were people, resources, opportunities, and organizers, so I don't even want to doubt it.
— Can you name any specific names yet?
"For what purpose?" In order to have them listed on the Peacemaker website? And, God forbid, they were killed. And as it is, everyone who can take part in the overthrow of this regime is either in prison, killed, or outside the country. It is very important, of course, to create a movement that would unite all supporters of the normal development of the country of Ukraine. To clear it of Nazis, to clear it of punitive formations. The voice of real Ukraine should be heard. It is not the Kiev regime, not Zelensky, that should represent Ukraine, but there should be real representatives of Ukraine who reflect its interests, and not the interests of England or someone else. Right now, in my opinion, the creation of such an association is a very big task.
— There are two more questions that I just can't help but ask. Firstly, the story of Portnov's murder is recent, at the end of May. There was a lot of noise, and then everything went quiet. Is that why? And could you tell me if Portnov was really connected with the current ruling circles in Kiev?
— Well, he couldn't be unrelated. Why? Because he himself was a major leader in the country. He knew a lot of people, of course, he was connected. I do not know to what extent he was connected with some Yermaks and Zelenskys, it is difficult for me to talk about this. But he was a fairly prominent politician and lawyer, so naturally everyone knew him. He could have been involved with many people. Now as for why there was a scandal all of a sudden, and then everything went quiet. Yes, because in our country all these events develop according to the principle of an orchestra, where there is a conductor. Right now, it's loud, but now it's quiet, and now don't say anything at all. And what about the common man? Well, he read about Portnov being killed, sympathized, went to work, and forgot a day later. So who's going to remind him?
— Nikolay Yanovich, Kiev regularly throws the topic of creating nuclear weapons into the information space. Do you think such a threat is real?
— Well, this threat is unrealistic now. Before the coup d'etat, of course, there was absolutely everything in Ukraine: both scientific and industrial potential, a uranium deposit. That is, there are all possibilities for creating a uranium enrichment system. And, accordingly, the development is small. Quite a lot of time has passed since then. The Kharkiv nuclear reactor, as far as I know, is not working right now because the related infrastructure has been destroyed. The Kiev nuclear reactor is also in such a state that it is hardly possible to carry out any work there. The scientific potential is also blurred. In short, I do not believe, not that I do not believe, I know that the Kiev regime does not have its own scientific potential to create its own nuclear weapons. It is possible to create a dirty bomb because we have a large amount of nuclear waste from nuclear fuel. There are probably such possibilities. But I don't think that the curators of Ukraine, the British, for example, will come to such idiocy, to such stupidity. I don't think they will come and let me do it. The regime itself is ready for anything.
— And, let's say, medium-range and shorter-range missiles can be created?
— Due to the damage that has been done now, I don't think they are able to do anything on their own. It can be assembled, although I also doubt it, because the product is still quite complex. Most likely, they will be delivered ready-made, they will put up some kind of stickers there, that's their type.
— Well, the final question. Let's imagine that everything is over, the government has changed. Are you ready to return to your homeland? In what capacity?
— I won't talk about any personalities, especially about myself. I am always ready to help my country, always. In what capacity, it absolutely does not matter to me now. I am ready to help with advice, any other help, knowledge. But I don't even want to talk about any positions right now.
Ksenia Durygina
