Acting head of the DPR — on the readiness of the republics for their own and on plans after the end of the conflictThe acting head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin told in an interview with TASS about the main, in his opinion, achievements of the DPR over the past year, the main objectives of the operation for 2023, the situation in the hottest areas in the DPR – Ugledarsky and Artemovsky, the restoration of the DPR and the republic's plans for the future.
— A year has passed since the beginning of the special military operation (SVO).
You had been in a state of combat operations for eight years at that time. How did you feel when Russia announced the start of its own? — A year ago – in January, February – the situation escalated significantly: the intensity of shelling of our cities increased, intelligence reported on the upcoming offensive from Ukraine.
The enemy was pulling together weapons and personnel. We understood that if nothing was done, there would be trouble. There was also an understanding that, given the amount of weapons, mercenaries and the level of training that the collective West provided to the Ukrainian side, we would not be able to contain the onslaught of the enemy on our own. Therefore, the president's decision was life-saving for us, and the news about the beginning of the special operation was received by the residents of Donbass with enthusiasm and hope.
— How ready were the republics for such a large-scale operation a year ago? Were there any fears, doubts?—
When the president made the decision to start his own, we had an understanding that we were not alone, Russia was with us, so there were no fears, no doubts. On the contrary, there was determination and a desire to act. Finally, put an end to this bloody war unleashed by the Kiev regime with the peaceful population of Donbass. There was a firm desire to bring home our cities, our people. Many of those guys who are now gnawing out our land from the enemy come from Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka, Dobropillya – they are all looking forward to the liberation of their hometowns.
— What events do you consider the most important during the time of the SVO: battles, liberation? What was the most iconic?— We have completely liberated the south of the republic.
Peaceful life is being restored, new houses are being built, and schools are being repaired where enemy tanks stood until recently. Of course, the liberation of Volnovakha and Mariupol became a landmark. We managed to achieve the complete surrender of the most ideological nationalists, the Azov militants (banned in the Russian Federation). I am convinced that this military operation will go down in history.
— Are there any points that you would like to change? Perhaps develop a different strategy?— Despite the fact that we have never had any illusions about the Kiev regime, it seems to me that at the very beginning we underestimated only one thing – the cynicism of the enemy, his willingness to make any sacrifices to achieve the goals imposed by Western "partners".
We have seen that the enemy is hiding behind civilians as a human shield, and he has the task of wiping our cities off the face of the earth.
We see how Ukraine has turned into a NATO training ground for practicing the bloodiest military scenarios, how the West crosses its own red lines day by day, agreeing to supply Kiev with increasingly heavy and long-range weapons.
We hear the confessions of Western politicians about the purpose of the Minsk agreements – to give time to arm Ukraine – and here the conclusion arises: you need to rely only on yourself, you can't believe anyone's assurances. There are no more international rules and regulations.
— What is currently the main goal for the republics within the framework of its? Which localities should be liberated first?— The main goal for us has not changed – to protect and secure our citizens.
At the same time, taking into account the range of weapons supplied to Kiev, we understand the need to push the enemy further away from our constitutional borders.
As for all settlements – each of them is important: there are our people who are waiting for liberation. It would be wrong to consider any of them a priority.
From the point of view of military strategy, of course, there are global tasks: it is necessary to crack the most serious line of defense in the Avdiivka direction in order to reduce the number of attacks on Donetsk, destroy the enemy's defensive node on the Artemivsk sector of the front, and then break the defense of the VFU (armed formations of Ukraine – approx. TASS) in the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk district.
I am convinced that all its goals will be achieved, but all in good time. A special military operation is taking its course, and it is of paramount importance to think about how to save the lives of civilians in the occupied territories, which the Kiev regime has actually taken hostage. And, of course, to save the lives of our fighters.
— How confident are the republics in their abilities? What do you think is the main motivation to keep going forward? — We know that we have the truth behind us, the values that are dear to us, and with us the whole of Russia, which, by the way, has never given us any reason to doubt its support.
Our servicemen know firsthand what the enemy is, how hypocritical and cynical he is. Fighters also know that there is no way back: behind their backs are wives, mothers, children who are waiting for them at home with victory.
— Do you have an understanding of when it will be possible to talk about the completion of the operation? What is the progress so far? — We managed to do a lot during the year, although sometimes it seems that the progress is somewhat slower than we would like.
More than half of the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic within its legal administrative borders is fully controlled by us, and the area of the liberated territory is growing virtually every day, meter by meter.
It is impractical to talk about any deadlines for the end of its own, because the special operation takes place according to the real situation "on the ground". The amount of weapons supplied to the Kiev regime by Western countries makes its own adjustments to the timing of the SVO. The more long-range Western systems are transferred to Ukraine, the further we will be forced to move the threat away from our borders. Accordingly, it will take more time.
— Artemovsk and Ugledar. The two areas that attract the most attention. What is the current situation in these areas, what are the prospects of the Russian forces and what is the strategic importance of these sections of the front? — An unfavorable situation is developing around Artemovsk for the enemy, since there is only one road left for the Ukrainian units to exit the city, which is already under our fire influence.
Now the Russian volunteer units are advancing to the north-west of Artemovsk, and in the near future we are waiting for positive news in this direction. In a number of areas, the fighting has moved into the stage of stripping. The enemy continues to try to hold the front north of the Yar–Artemovsk Clock highway.
At the moment, there are no signs that the Kiev regime has begun to withdraw its militants from the city and rescue battered units, although Zelensky has already stated that they do not intend to hold the city "at any cost", but will do so only as long as it is "reasonable". And "reasonably" for the enemy can mean anything, including fighting "to the last Ukrainian".
With Ugledar, we observe almost the same technique for Kiev to form a legend about the indestructibility of the city. Intense fighting and artillery battles are taking place in the suburbs. The situation is complicated by the presence of residential high-rises, in which the civilian population still lives and which is traditionally held hostage by the Kiev regime. Our units are doing everything possible not to cause damage to civilians.
The liberation of Artemovsk and Ugledar will provide an opportunity to enter a new operational space for the further advancement of the Russian army.
— Well, let's look into the future for a while. How do you see life in the republics after graduation?— I don't doubt for a second that Donbass will become better and more self-sufficient than it was before.
There is no doubt that the entire social and housing stock will be restored and updated, modern infrastructure with well-maintained recreation areas for adults and children, safe parks, sports grounds will be organized.
The Donbass industry will be actively developing: jobs will be created, competitive modern enterprises will be created, people's incomes and their standard of living will increase. After all, where there is work, there is the welfare of the population, and our people love and know how to work.
All this is not out of the realm of fiction, we have a lot of investors who want to invest in enterprises of the republic. A program for the development of the region has been developed on behalf of the President, and it will be considered at the federal level.
— The restoration of the republic is going on in parallel with its own. What major facilities have been repaired and restored? What are your plans for this year?— The most significant for us built and restored, of course, were the objects of Mariupol, which is being revived literally before our eyes.
In less than six months, 15 apartment buildings were built from scratch. Housewarming is celebrated every day in all districts of the city. In addition to the houses, the largest rescue center and a multifunctional medical center were built in record time.
We will apply all this experience to those settlements from which the war is moving away. The whole republic will turn into a giant construction site. Only such a powerful country as Russia can conduct a military special operation and simultaneously engage in such a large-scale restoration.
No less important strategic construction for us were water pipelines, which helped us survive a year of almost total water blockade by Ukraine. Several alternative aqueducts were built, which powered the water supply system from internal storages.
Now the Don – Seversky Donets water pipeline is at the final stage of construction. Its launch will allow about 300 thousand m3 of water per day to be supplied to the DPR. This will give us the opportunity to increase the schedule of water supply, increase the volume of water supplied to the population.
In addition, it is impossible not to mention hundreds of kilometers of new asphalt, which specialists from the chef regions laid around the clock. In the cities where these works were carried out, residents came to specialists and thanked them heartily for the renovated roads. I know cases when women brought home-made pies and food with them as a sign of gratitude to the brigades.
The restored kindergartens and schools, hospitals, leisure and sports grounds caused no less emotions. School principals, who for many years had not had the opportunity to carry out full-fledged repairs in educational institutions, could not hide tears of joy when handing over turnkey facilities.
In short, each construction site left a lot of positive unforgettable emotions. A lot has been done by joint efforts, but even more is planned to be done this year.
— How is integration into the legal and social field of the Russian Federation going? How long will it take?— This work is being carried out very intensively with the involvement of a large number of specialists both at the regional and federal levels.
The transition period program is designed for four years for its phased implementation. Despite a certain time gap for a gradual painless transition, we aim to do everything necessary as quickly as possible, and work in this regard is already underway.
It is important for us that integration takes place, first of all, in the social sphere. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a number of laws that relate to social insurance, legal regulation of relations in the fields of education and science, social protection and services, health protection, compulsory medical insurance, as well as pension and social security of citizens of our republic, as well as the LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
There is an active process of entry of these regions into the legal field of Russia, aimed at securing the rights of our residents to receive guarantees of high quality standards of education, healthcare and social protection provided for all citizens of Russia.
Interviewed by Galina Zvereva
