“Donbass is no longer enough for us, southern Ukraine must return to Russian space” – Corriere.it

from our reporter
MOSCOW – “How we are shortened. All Asian, Japanese, Arabic, French Caucasian cuisine. It is now impossible to find a real Russian restaurant here ». People also understand each other when it comes to food. And perhaps Italy was excluded from the list of gastronomic inclusions only because the conversation, in fact quite harsh, took place in front of a dish not entirely typical of these latitudes. Margherita pizza, which the interviewer shows he loves very much. under the tight shirt, Dmitriy RodionovD., 41, director of the Institute for Innovative Development’s Geopolitical Research Center, which provides studies and analyzes for the Department of Defense, displays bulging biceps and chests, in keeping with a fairly strong view of international diplomacy. “If Ukraine is not completely demilitarized and demilitarized, this special military operation will be remembered as a failure. We just have to keep going.”

To where?

“A few months ago we received the task of studying various theoretical projects for the partition of Ukraine. But the first, this is The simple liberation of Donbass is now overtaken by events And by the intransigence of the Kyiv regime in delaying the surrender.”

Are Ukrainians also guilty of the crime of resistance?

“Call it what you will. For us it is evidence that this country is steeped in Nazi philosophy. Southern Ukraine should return to Russian space, and we will see later in what format. The western part of the country should be left to its fate ».

2022 revenge 2014?

“The existence of both is no longer at stake pro-Russian separatist republicsAs you Westerners call them, but the very existence of Russia as evidenced by the verbal escalation these days. This is a defensive process. I am among those who for eight years have been begging Putin to intervene by sending troops to Ukraine. But he still had some hope in the West. Now, finally, we are on a complete break.”

Is the Donbass no longer enough?

“A political party is pushing for this compromise in exchange for weakening the sanctions. I can say with some certainty that the military leaders hope to get the job done.”

In which way?

It is no longer a question of preventing Ukraine from joining NATO. But in order to create a new nation that will protect us from Western maneuvers.”

Guided from Moscow, I think.

“There are two different projects. The first, which was proposed by Crimean politicians, is related to the creation of the Taurid province that includes the Kherson region, which is part of the Mykolaiv region, up to Zaporizhzhya. They are regions now under our control. They will, of course, be combined with the Crimea and Sevastopol, which is a separate administrative entity. The second is the birth of a federal region in Crimea that includes the same regions, in addition to the Donbass in both cases, of course.”

Where will the difference be?

“On the legal basis of the new subject. In the first case it is the Crimean-led management. In the second, the new district can be driven directly from Moscow ».

Is the option of returning the occupied territories to Ukraine no longer on the table?

At first it would have been if the Kyiv government had left the camp. Now, it seems to me that this is unlikely to happen. Anyway, this is the most likely scenario. All we need is a political decision.”

What happened to the promise not to undermine the territorial integrity of Ukraine?

“In this regard, it was initially said that we do not want a regime change in Kyiv. However, today it is clear that achieving our security goals means the dismantling of the pro-Nazi state and the removal of the current Ukrainian power ».

And how should it be new?

“Ukraine is a federation, a union of people’s republics or perhaps a Ukrainian republic within Russia. This must be decided in the first place by the inhabitants of the liberated lands. What concerns us is the south and its reunification into one economic and social complex. How will time tell?

Don’t you think you’re too involved to be a researcher? “Partial question. I consider myself a patriot. When I was a boy, under Yeltsin, we were told that our values ​​mattered more, and that the old Soviet mentality should be abolished. On the other hand, I never moved from those positions. Now, the Kremlin itself says that those The men at the time were right. Better late than never.”