Strong Words on "Donetsk Republic" From Top East Ukraine Figure

Business Rinat Ahmetov has said that supporters of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic are terrorising the Donbas, whose residents are not going along with it.

Ahmetov was speaking in a new video (here in Russian) posted on the website of his company, System Capital Management.

“First, I’d like to express deep gratitude to everyone who took part in the ‘Voice of Donbas’ action [on May 20]. I know that many more people wanted to come out but they were intimidated by rifles and machine guns, and hit by vehicles – in short, by brutal means,” Ahmetov said.

“But I’m deeply convinced that rifles and machine guns will never feed the people, and never build a strong country with a strong economy, with defence work and decent pay. Against the odds, the voice of Donbas sounded out. And it will sound out still more forcefully,” said Ahmetov, who is Ukraine’s wealthiest man.

He said people would need to continue to “strive, strive and strive again” for their own happiness, for their present, and for their future.

“I am convinced that the Donetsk People’s Republic is deceiving people. It is deceiving the people of Donbas. They are troublemakers, they have taken the whole of Donbas hostage and they’re terrorising it. Who are they? What kind of people are they? Where are these geniuses from? What were they doing previously? They have not created a single workplace.

“I have served the people of Donbas, and I will continue to serve them. The people of Donbas will be in my heart for ever. And as for this bunch of troublemakers who are terrorising Donbas, I am convinced that in the very near future, they will be booted out,” he said.

“If any of you think they are leading us to success, that’s a mistake. A big mistake. They are leading us to collapse, poverty, hunger and cold. Through their actions, they are not defending Donbas, they are destroying it.

"I want to tell my fellow countrymen once again that I want my conscience to be clear before you. Time will tell who was right and who was wrong, who told the truth and who was lying, who made mistakes and who went the wrong way. We in Donbas and the Donetsk People’s Republic are not on the same path.

This article republished from Ukrainska Pravda with kind permission.

Original article in Russian.