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From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Defence Attaché, Embassy of Ukraine in Nigeria, Colonel Andrii Vasyliev, has said, in spite of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Ukraine will surely win the ongoing war.
In this interview with Daily Sun in Abuja, Vasyliev also expressed confidence that Ukraine would be developing as a rightful member of the European Union.
What is the operational situation regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
The 72nd day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a Russian military invasion continues.
Russian army continues to conduct full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine. Russian army does not stop conducting offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone in order to establish full control over the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk and maintain the land corridor between these territories and the occupied Crimea.
At the same time, Russian army provokes tensions in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova and in the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
In the temporarily occupied territories, Russian occupiers continue to steal the products of agricultural enterprises. Russian side continues to accuse the government of Ukraine of creating a humanitarian catastrophe in the territory controlled by the occupiers. Also, Russian invaders imitate humanitarian activities with demonstrative distribution of food kits and medicines to local residents.
Russian enemy continues to launch missile strikes on transport infrastructure to prevent the movement of humanitarian aid and military-technical assistance.
The use of mortar and artillery along almost the entire line of contact continues.
Administrative and police measures are underway in the temporarily occupied territories. Russian occupiers continue to carry out filtering measures against local residents, preventing evacuations to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. At the same time, Russian occupiers are taking measures to replenish personnel losses through accelerated training of military servicemen under contract.
What is the total combat loss of Russia from February 24 to May 6, 2022?
The figures are as follows: personnel about 24,700 persons were liquidated; tanks, 1,092; APV, 2,651; artillery systems, 500; MLRS, 170; anti-aircraft warfare systems, 83; aircraft, 196; helicopters, 155; vehicles and fuel tanks, 1,907; boats/cutters, 10; an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); operational-tactical level, 312; special equipment, 38; and cruise missiles, 90.
Russian enemy suffered the greatest losses in the Popasna direction.
Do you think there has been a sort of propaganda on the part of Russia in the war against Ukraine?
The Russian propaganda is preparing a false picture of the “victories” of the Russian occupying troops in Ukraine. To this end, leading Russian propagandists are arriving in the occupied territories, and the production of stated videos is underway. In Mariupol, in preparation for the May 9 Victory Parade, locals were forced to clean up the destruction in exchange for food from the occupying authorities. However, this applies only to those who remained in the ruined city.
In turn, thousands of Mariupol’s residents were forcibly deported by Russian authorities to remote and depressive regions such as Russia’s Far East. Local authorities view deported Ukrainian citizens as an additional labour force.
The Russian Foreign Ministry officials continue to exploit an outdated topic of the “world Zionist conspiracy.” Its spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, spread a new fake, saying that the so-called “soldiers of fortune” from Israel are fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Nazi formation “Azov” in the armed conflict in Ukraine. Moreover, she compared the reaction of Israel and many other countries to the anti-Semitic remarks of the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, with “meanness.”
In fact, even the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Berel Lazar, was forced to intervene in this scandal story by stating that he believes that Lavrov should recognize his statements about the Jewish origin of Adolf Hitler as erroneous.
However, nothing stops Russia’s absurd rhetoric. Sergei Glazyev, Putin’s economic adviser from 2012 to 2019, considers that the Ukrainian authorities will try to populate Donbas with Jews, and Russia should prevent this.
Efforts of the Russian propaganda are fully supported by the Russian Orthodox Church. Its head, Patriarch Kirill, also faithfully serves the Kremlin regime.
What is your take on the issue of war crimes and human rights violations in the war against Ukraine?
As of May 5, 2022, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 221 children have died and more than 408 children have been injured. Due to the active hostilities in affected regions, there is no possibility to inspect the areas of shelling and destruction. The actual data on dead and injured children in these regions are currently being established.
The occupiers created an extensive network of places for “filtering” Ukrainians.
Citizens who have been deported or who have left the settlements where hostilities are taking place or have been temporarily occupied are subjected to “filtration.” This procedure is carried out before the forced deportation to Russia. Residents who have passports of pseudo-state organizations “LDNR” and the Russian Federation are not subject to “filtering.”
The purpose of the “filtering” is to conduct a census of survivors to clean up the unreliable ones, according to the lists provided by collaborators of government officials, utility companies’ employees, Anti-terrorist Operation/Joint Operation Forces members, Ukrainian activists and check people for loyalty to the Russian authorities.
As part of this procedure, representatives of pseudo-republics, FSB officers, interrogate citizens, conduct fingerprinting procedures, check mobile phones, contacts, correspondence, photos, videos, activity on social networks for “likes and reposts” of pro-Ukrainian pages. The body is also examined for tattoos.
Some people have to wait several days for this procedure. If passed “filtering,” a person is issued a “pass,” which gives the right to move through the territory of the self-proclaimed “LDNR.”
In the future, citizens of Ukraine are sent to economically depressed areas of Russia. At the same time, Ukrainians receive documents banning them from leaving Russian regions for two years.
Citizens who have not passed the “filtration” are taken away in an unknown direction. There is no information about them.
Conscription men are placed in “filtration camps,” most often members of the Anti-terrorist Operation/Joint Operation Forces, former servicemen and law enforcement officers, and pro-Ukrainian activists. One of the purposes of keeping men in these “camps” is to replenish the exchange fund. There, all men are tortured and abused, held in inhumane conditions.
What is the situation in the social sphere as of today?
The World Health Organization (WHO) will consider the situation in the health care system of Ukraine at a special session of the European Regional Committee. The special session of the Regional Committee of the World Health Organization held on May 10-11, 2022, with focus on the health care system of Ukraine and the wider consequences of Russia’s ongoing large-scale invasion of health care systems in the region and beyond.
The European Center for Modern Languages, under the Council of Europe, has created a website to support the language integration of immigrants from Ukraine. The European Center for Modern Languages, under the Council of Europe, has developed a page to support the language integration of immigrants from Ukraine. The site presents tools for children to adapt to the new environment and schools. Some materials have been developed specifically for the new realities that have arisen as a result of the Russian Federation’s aggression on the territory of Ukraine. Others are adapted from a set of tools for adults developed as part of the Council of Europe’s project on the Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants.
How do you feel that Ukraine that was loved by many and known to be a peaceful country has been torn apart due to conflict with Russia?
Today’s war is a tragedy for all Ukrainians and for me personally, because Russia is killing the civil population and destroying civil infrastructure. At the same time, I am confident that Ukraine will win and will be developing as a rightful member of the European Union.
Many people are optimistic about the end of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Is the end in sight?
Ukrainians are confident in their victory over Russia, as the good always overcomes the evil. Today, Russia is the world evil and global terrorist with nuclear weapons. Russia only knows how to kill, steal, rape and destroy.
The West is generally believed to have contributed to the escalation of the crisis. Why did Ukraine allowed itself to be used by the superpowers against Russia?
The declarations that the West promoted escalation of the crisis and that the Ukraine allowed the superpowers to use it against Russia are propaganda of Putin’s regime. That is how during the entire period of the Ukraine’s independence, the Russian propagandists are trying to persuade the Russians, as well as some leaders of foreign states, that there is such a problem.
Currently, the international community is helping Ukraine to defend itself from the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation and the Ukrainian people are grateful to our international partners.
Before Russia launched its war on your country, did Ukraine engage in diplomacy with Russia? If no, what did Ukraine do to avert the war?
Russia started the war against Ukraine in 2014 by occupying Crimea and part of the east of Ukraine. Before then, we had had diplomatic relations. After 2014, the diplomatic relations were minimized.
Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state. Ukraine has always warned about Russia’s imperial ambitions. Ukraine has never agreed and will never agree to Putin’s demands to surrender.
Russia is an authoritarian state in which the Putin regime is trying to restore the former Soviet Union. For Putin, the collapse of the Soviet Union was a personal tragedy, that is why he is trying and will continue to try to take over all the former Soviet republics at any cost. Today, Ukraine and the whole civilized world are trying to stop Putin, to prevent him from attacking and destroying other countries.
Looking back, what could Ukraine have done differently in the ongoing war with Russia?
Putin does not respect international law and rules, he has no respect for the rights of independent neighbour countries, such as Ukraine, for their own external policy. Putin understands only the language of force. Ukraine understood it, especially after the beginning of the war in 2014, and was preparing to defend its territory by strengthening its armed forces. Ukraine did everything correctly.
What is the extent of the damage or havoc wrecked in Ukraine by Russia?
As of today, the Ukraine’s losses are estimated at $600 billion, which includes destroyed civil buildings, hospitals, schools, bridges, roads, factories, etcetera.
