Ukrainian Ambassador: We are not beware of Belarus
“If Russians love their Motherland they are called patriots. But they would be called Bandera followers if they were Ukrainians,” he said.
“You need sedatives to be able to watch Russian news about Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Ambassador to Belarus complained at a briefing. He explained his desire to talk to Belarusian journalists by the necessity to tell the truth. The newly-elected government in Kiev is legitimate and diplomats representing Ukraine abroad support it, he said. But you cannot say the same about the Crimean authorities. The Ambassador called their activities anti-national.
Mikhail Yezhel: “I can imagine the Russian Federation’s reaction If the head of some Russian autonomy announced that the Army must obey him. It would be even worse if he asked someone for help.”
Russia has been conducting activities aimed at destabilizing the political situation in Ukraine since February, the diplomat said. The Kremlin also started getting ready for the intervention into Crimea back then. The Ukrainian ex-Minister of Defence is indignant at Russian soldiers’ actions.
Mikhail Yezhel: “Russian troops are blocking roads, the airports Simferopol, Belbek and Kirovskoye and others strategic objects. They are creating obstacles to radio and phone communication and are trying to seize Ukrainian military units and towns.”
Ukrainian diplomats are doing everything possible to make Russia stop the provocations in Crimea, the ambassador said. However, Russia has not only refused to take part in the bilateral negotiations suggested by Ukraine but has also adopted the new law On Annexation of Objects to the Russian Federation.
Mikhail Yezhel: “Russia is getting ready to annex part of Ukraine.”
Ukraine is hoping that Russia would listen to the international community and refuse from its plans in Crimea.
Despite the information distributed by Russian mass media, no ‘Bandera’ provocations were conducted or planned in East Ukraine or Crimea, Mikhail Yezhel said.
Mikhail Yezhel: “It turns out that if Russians love their Motherland, they are called patriots. But they would be called Bandera followers if they were Ukrainians. In fact, they should better read more about Bandera and learn who he was and what he struggled for.”
The Ukrainian diplomat is sure that Kiev does not expect any lowdown acts from Belarus.
Mikhail Yezhel: “We do not need to beware of Belarus despite the fact that Belarus and Russia are members of the Union State. I cannot imagine Belarus having territorial claims in Ukraine. All those milk wars are everyday life.”
When Euroradio asked Yezhel about the level of diplomatic relations between the new government and the official Minsk, he replied that the government had not had enough time to establish relations the previous week. A Belarusian-Ukrainian commission will meet next month. Contacts will be restored.
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Mikhail Yezhel refuted the information about thousands of Ukrainian refugees trying to get to Russia and Belarus distributed by Russian mass media earlier. Not a single Ukrainian has asked the Embassy for help in getting asylum or a job in Belarus so far, the diplomat noted.
Photo and video: Zmitser Lukashuk
