Donetsk Oblast Governor Serhiy Taruta is convinced that the Abkhazia or Transnistria break-away states are not acceptable models for Ukraine.
Under no circumstances can Ukraine accept to recognize any statehood for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) or to give them any special status in the country, Taruta said during a recent interview with Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (September 12 issue).
“The overall territory of the DNR and LNR represents no more than 25% of the territory of the Donbas. What kind of state is this? What is there to talk about? How could it even survive?” he said.
Furthermore, the liberated cities of the Donbas do not need any DNR or any Novorossiya, Taruta said. Mariupol is a good example, since “people have made their choice. They are coming out to demonstrations and preparing for battle. The country must prepare for battle. No one will give up these territories without a fight. Everyone will have to fight — the residents of Mariupol and the Ukrainian army,” he said.
Taruta said he is confident Mariupol would be able to repel an attack
“Truth is on our side. We have to win. Perhaps all this will drag on. Certainly we will suffer more than anyone else. But the Abkhazia or Transnistria option will never work here. There is a line before the military recruitment office in Mariupol. It’s not always the number of tanks and troops that guarantees victory. I think they understand that on the other side as well. Besides, an endless war will affect not only Ukraine,” he said.
“There are enough resources in the city — patriotic, human, military-technical — to repel an attack,” Taruta said, adding that both soldiers and steel industry workers are taking care of installing defenses for the city.
“We are going through a tragic time. It is important not to panic but to calmly and honestly learn from the mistakes that have been made,” he concluded.
As previously reported, on August 24, regular military units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation invaded Ukrainian territory, seizing the town of Novoazovsk, 20 km east of Mariupol. The Russian occupiers said Mariupol would be their next target.
[hr] Sources: dt.ua, dt.ua, translated by Anna Mostovych
