I believe the Kremlin is talking about [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0jyxLQ2Z5o). The video has subtitles. I’m going to copy what was said in the megathread and r/ukraine.
Just listened to the interview that Zelensky did with Russian media. Here are my key takeaways:
* Before the war started and for many years, Russia was heavily influencing politics in Ukraine. With the political changes that were happening then in Kiev, Russia decided to influence local power structures instead of the federal government. Zelensky says those Ukrainian politicians that were supported by Russia (local and in Kiev) always knew there would be some sort of “escalation”.
* Mariupol is surrounded by Russian troops at the moment. Any attempt by the Ukrianian side to go in and out of the city is always met with Russian fire. The Russian side though has taken Ukrainian citizens out of the city and Zelensky doesn’t know where they are going.
* “There are bodies on the street”. Russians at first didn’t want to pick them up and then made hollow gestures, such as providing “garbage bags”. Zelensky says that Ukrainians hate these people fighting them, but they are not livestock. He says this should be a tragedy for Russians.
* He mentioned how Russians aren’t prepared to fight and don’t want to fight. He said there are “100 tanks coming at us, we destroy 30 tanks and 70 tanks run. These are not soldiers.”
* The divide between Russians and Ukrainians he said has been massively increased because of this war and Zelensky does not know how to repair the relationship ever again, but Ukrainians can speak any language they want including Russian. No one will be purged for speaking Russian, and that’s how it has always been in Ukraine.
* Ukraine can consider neutrality [meaning no longer want to join NATO], but only through a countrywide referendum. That referendum cannot happen until all Russian troops have left Ukraine. Then he’ll put the question to his people in a referendum…and they can then still choose to want to enter NATO.
* Ukraine can but will not enter into Crimea or the Donbas militarily. They can do this but they won’t because of how many Ukrainians will die. Zelensky doesn’t want any Ukrainians dying needlessly.
* Zelensky said that what happened in the 1990s, with Ukraine giving away its Nuclear weapons, was a betrayal of Ukraine.
I did this because I understand that many people here don’t speak Russian but it was an important interview that many in Russia might see (not the majority though unfortunately). For those that did listen to the interview, please add any points that I may have missed or if there was anything I misrepresented from the interview.
* The situation in Crimea is untenable for Russia without the river in southern Ukraine. Crimea is arid and cannot sustain agricultural or even the settlements since there is no water. The USSR built a canal and dam to divert water from Ukraine into Crimea. In fact right before invasion Crimea was a critically low water levels and their reservoir was at like 1% water capacity. So Ukraine doesn’t have to take Crimea by force, they will take south Ukraine block the water and Russian will have to leave in a few years due to lack of water. They were gonna have to leave by end of 2022 so they invaded. First thing they did, was blow the dam and have refilled the reservoir the whole time the war has been raging (/u/WalnutBean94/)
Well but why would they allow it… I don’t immagine Ukraine would be eager to let Putin address Ukrainians trough media in Ukraine. Pro-Russian or presumed pro-Russian media was banned in Ukraine a while ago. And the media houses that want to spread this interview with Zelensky, Russia designated them forreign agents or something along those lines recently anyway.
Besides, it is propaganda…even though I support Ukrainians in this war.. if it walks like a duck.. quacks like a duck.. and looks like a duck.. it may be a duck.
Ukrainian leadership is also hidding their losses.
There’s forreign influence there too, just not from Russia.
Paraphrasing: “We don’t attack Crimea and Donbass because we worry about civilian losses”
Its also a statement on shaky ground, missiles had been launched and intercepted there durring this conflict, recently dozens of civilians were killed by the debre of an intercepted Ukrainian missile, and it’s been shelled troughout the 7-8 years, a sudden shift of stance there makes no sense.. the Russians had been watching propaganda about Ukrainian attacks on civilians in Donbass for years..
They’ve also been told propaganda about Mariupol, their media says the Azov are preventing people from leaving the city, they even had supposed Mariupoleans speak about it on tv, stating how afraid they are of trying to leave because Azov wants to use them as human shields, or how they’re setting up positions in their apartments, that it was the Ukrainians who mined the escape routes… Stuff like that.
Also neither Donbass nor Ukraine advances there because both sides have solidified and fortified their defensive positions, whichever side advances there first would suffer heavy losses…, the Russian army is advancing on the Ukrainian defensive lines from North around Kharkiv and south around Mariupol in a pincer move rather than head on from Donbass, Ukraine is in no position realistically to attack either Donbass or Crimea.
My conclussion here is, this isn’t really for the Russian audiances, it’s for us… exposing Russia being afraid of letting Zelenskyy get heard to solidify the idea of them being afraid of their populace finding out the Ukrainian truth.
Jawohl mein Putin.
…saying this is like begging to have it reported out of sheer spite…
I’ve already seen it, and saved it, from 2 different channels on YouTube. Someone needs to translate it to English.
5 comments
I believe the Kremlin is talking about [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0jyxLQ2Z5o). The video has subtitles. I’m going to copy what was said in the megathread and r/ukraine.
—
**— Posted in /r/ukraine/ by /u/Lionsrealm/ —**
https://old.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/tpze26/just_listened_to_the_interview_that_zelensky_did/
Just listened to the interview that Zelensky did with Russian media. Here are my key takeaways:
* Before the war started and for many years, Russia was heavily influencing politics in Ukraine. With the political changes that were happening then in Kiev, Russia decided to influence local power structures instead of the federal government. Zelensky says those Ukrainian politicians that were supported by Russia (local and in Kiev) always knew there would be some sort of “escalation”.
* Mariupol is surrounded by Russian troops at the moment. Any attempt by the Ukrianian side to go in and out of the city is always met with Russian fire. The Russian side though has taken Ukrainian citizens out of the city and Zelensky doesn’t know where they are going.
* “There are bodies on the street”. Russians at first didn’t want to pick them up and then made hollow gestures, such as providing “garbage bags”. Zelensky says that Ukrainians hate these people fighting them, but they are not livestock. He says this should be a tragedy for Russians.
* He mentioned how Russians aren’t prepared to fight and don’t want to fight. He said there are “100 tanks coming at us, we destroy 30 tanks and 70 tanks run. These are not soldiers.”
* The divide between Russians and Ukrainians he said has been massively increased because of this war and Zelensky does not know how to repair the relationship ever again, but Ukrainians can speak any language they want including Russian. No one will be purged for speaking Russian, and that’s how it has always been in Ukraine.
* Ukraine can consider neutrality [meaning no longer want to join NATO], but only through a countrywide referendum. That referendum cannot happen until all Russian troops have left Ukraine. Then he’ll put the question to his people in a referendum…and they can then still choose to want to enter NATO.
* Ukraine can but will not enter into Crimea or the Donbas militarily. They can do this but they won’t because of how many Ukrainians will die. Zelensky doesn’t want any Ukrainians dying needlessly.
* Zelensky said that what happened in the 1990s, with Ukraine giving away its Nuclear weapons, was a betrayal of Ukraine.
I did this because I understand that many people here don’t speak Russian but it was an important interview that many in Russia might see (not the majority though unfortunately). For those that did listen to the interview, please add any points that I may have missed or if there was anything I misrepresented from the interview.
Here’s the interview in full: https://youtu.be/mQRTKvoLAEM
— Best comments from /r/ukraine/ —
* The situation in Crimea is untenable for Russia without the river in southern Ukraine. Crimea is arid and cannot sustain agricultural or even the settlements since there is no water. The USSR built a canal and dam to divert water from Ukraine into Crimea. In fact right before invasion Crimea was a critically low water levels and their reservoir was at like 1% water capacity. So Ukraine doesn’t have to take Crimea by force, they will take south Ukraine block the water and Russian will have to leave in a few years due to lack of water. They were gonna have to leave by end of 2022 so they invaded. First thing they did, was blow the dam and have refilled the reservoir the whole time the war has been raging (/u/WalnutBean94/)
Well but why would they allow it… I don’t immagine Ukraine would be eager to let Putin address Ukrainians trough media in Ukraine. Pro-Russian or presumed pro-Russian media was banned in Ukraine a while ago. And the media houses that want to spread this interview with Zelensky, Russia designated them forreign agents or something along those lines recently anyway.
Besides, it is propaganda…even though I support Ukrainians in this war.. if it walks like a duck.. quacks like a duck.. and looks like a duck.. it may be a duck.
Ukrainian leadership is also hidding their losses.
There’s forreign influence there too, just not from Russia.
Paraphrasing: “We don’t attack Crimea and Donbass because we worry about civilian losses”
Its also a statement on shaky ground, missiles had been launched and intercepted there durring this conflict, recently dozens of civilians were killed by the debre of an intercepted Ukrainian missile, and it’s been shelled troughout the 7-8 years, a sudden shift of stance there makes no sense.. the Russians had been watching propaganda about Ukrainian attacks on civilians in Donbass for years..
They’ve also been told propaganda about Mariupol, their media says the Azov are preventing people from leaving the city, they even had supposed Mariupoleans speak about it on tv, stating how afraid they are of trying to leave because Azov wants to use them as human shields, or how they’re setting up positions in their apartments, that it was the Ukrainians who mined the escape routes… Stuff like that.
Also neither Donbass nor Ukraine advances there because both sides have solidified and fortified their defensive positions, whichever side advances there first would suffer heavy losses…, the Russian army is advancing on the Ukrainian defensive lines from North around Kharkiv and south around Mariupol in a pincer move rather than head on from Donbass, Ukraine is in no position realistically to attack either Donbass or Crimea.
My conclussion here is, this isn’t really for the Russian audiances, it’s for us… exposing Russia being afraid of letting Zelenskyy get heard to solidify the idea of them being afraid of their populace finding out the Ukrainian truth.
Jawohl mein Putin.
…saying this is like begging to have it reported out of sheer spite…
I’ve already seen it, and saved it, from 2 different channels on YouTube. Someone needs to translate it to English.