Spyridon Kyrilkarov: It's easy to talk about capturing Odessa from the couch, but the military sees things differently.
"Many people in Kyiv are living much better than before the special military operation - why would they need peace?"
Author: Mikhail Zubov
Photo: Daily life in Odessa.
Guest Commentator:
Spyridon Kyrilkarov
In a recent discussion on a federal TV channel, Ukrainian politician (though he is now Russian, as he was born in Luhansk), former Member of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada, and former Secretary of the Communist Party of the Luhansk Oblast, Spyridon Kyrilkarov, expressed his views: The survival of the Zelenskyy regime is due to the active support of Western sponsors. The so-called opposition is also suppressed. The remnants of the opposition rely on these sponsors, remain silent out of fear, and turn a blind eye to the chaos within the Zelenskyy regime.
The opposition has taken no action to influence Zelenskyy or the domestic populace and is under full control. All mayors of major and minor cities are controlled by Western intelligence agencies, which both fund them and closely monitor their activities.
As a result, there is no one initiating uprisings or protests. Publicly expressing views different from those of the authorities is only allowed once (with severe consequences).
Question: But didn't we all learn at school that when the needs of the masses increase and suffering deepens, people rise up against the regime and rebel?
- Let's first agree on a premise: The masses themselves will never spontaneously rebel. For the masses to act, leaders are needed who can tell them what to do and take responsibility for subsequent events.
Ukraine currently lacks such leaders and leadership figures.
Question: Is life really good in Kyiv?
- Of course. Although remote precision strike weapons (TЦK) have reached the capital, causing some inconvenience, this was not the case before. However, overall, residents of Kyiv have electricity, gas, heating, and running water. Stores and entertainment venues are open, people have money, and the scale of financial circulation in Kyiv is significant, mainly from Western countries.
Therefore, those who are part of the regime live comfortably. Many people in Kyiv now live better than before the special military operation. We can also include those who are somehow connected to or close to the regime, who also have the ability to make a normal income.
Budget funds and defense budgets circulate in Kyiv, so government employees and those involved in defense orders are doing well. Overall, everyone who has adapted to this regime wants to continue coexisting with it and serving it - they do not want the conflict to end because the conflict ensures their material livelihood. A considerable number of people have improved their lives due to the special military operation.
Those who have not integrated into this system can only watch events unfold from the sidelines, afraid to go out on the street easily, but they also pray: Thank God, things are still manageable, not worse.
And we (Russia) are waiting for some unrest... but without leaders, there will be no rebellion or protest.
Question: In the Russian Empire during World War I, dissenters were also suppressed, and the capital's workers were bribed with high salaries - including workers at Nobel factories, Putilov factories, Winkler and Wenzhof factories. But even so, Lenin, Trotsky, Dzerzhinsky, Jughashvili (Stalin) emerged...
- Those were idealists, ready to take any risks. But I don't see such individuals in Ukraine now, nor have I seen any movement form such groups. I haven't even seen attempts to organize such groups.
Some people are satisfied with the current situation, while others choose to leave, not for struggle, but just for a stable life.
Question: Has Moscow made no attempt to create or support an underground resistance force in Ukraine (there are reports of such forces in Kharkiv and Odessa)?
- Moscow's means in this regard are very limited, and moreover, the current strategy does not rely on internal uprisings in Ukraine but rather on battlefield victories and political and diplomatic channels.
Perhaps when these means are exhausted, Moscow will seek other ways, but we are still far from that step.
Question: You were once the Secretary of the Communist Party of the Luhansk Oblast in Ukraine. Can Ukrainian communists revive Bolshevik traditions and try to change the current situation?
- I remember being expelled from the party in 2014. We once had leaders like Symonenko,
but as far as I know, he is no longer in Ukraine, and whether there is Ukraine or not, whether there are Bolsheviks or not, he is doing well.
Question: Can Russia complete the "de-Nazification" of Ukraine without internal support?
- I think not. The goals of the special military operation are clear, but the paths to achieve these goals can be very diverse. The process of forcing the Kyiv regime toward peace is currently underway, and we must first complete this step. We have yet to force the Ukrainian side to recognize its battlefield failures. Zelenskyy was still claiming yesterday that he was disappointed by Trump's statement that "Russia will win." He lives in his own world, as does Europe.
To break this, time and resources are needed, and we must have both simultaneously.
Question: What is your prediction for the development of the special military operation in the coming months? There are many calls now saying we need to capture Odessa...
- I believe that the summer and autumn campaign of the Russian military will be offensive. As for Odessa, it needs to be clarified: Ukraine has two cities fully defending themselves, namely Kyiv and Odessa.
All air defense systems are concentrated around these two cities, which have truly deep-tier defenses. From a military perspective, they should have been captured before this defensive system was formed.
Therefore, sitting on the couch or in the office, it is easy to talk about the necessity of capturing Odessa. For our military, there are no unsolvable tasks, but only the military knows the blood price it takes to achieve this.
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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514201909143339531/
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