Governor of Lugansk: “If we don’t stop Putin in Ukraine, he will march to Poland and the Baltics”


Serhiy Haiday attended this newspaper last Friday from a hidden bunker in an unidentified place. He wears military clothes and a Ukrainian army cap. Is he Governor of Luhanskthe eastern province of Ukraine that together with the neighbor Donetsk make up the donbasthe mining and industrial region that the Kremlin it has been trying to control since 2014, when its local allies declared the independence of the two provinces and took up arms to defend their new breakaway republics. “I am in the Lugansk region, although there is very little territory left in our hands & rdquor ;, says Haidai by videoconference. “The whole region is under fire and there are no safe places. They attack us with artillery, mortars, missiles and aviation. The Russians are trying to break our lines in the direction of Rubizhne, Popasna and Severodonetsk & rdquor ;.

Two weeks ago, the Russian Defense Ministry declared Donbas as the main objective of the second phase of its offensive in Ukraine and, since then, the assault has intensified. “If we take into account our administrative borders and the territories occupied since 2014, practically the 90% of Lugansk is now under the control of Russian troops”, says Haidai at 46 years old, a former businessman who has been working in politics for almost three decades with different positions at the municipal and regional levels.

How is this Russian offensive different from the war of the last eight years?

In 2014 our army was not as prepared as it is now. The war started in 2014, but it did not reach my region until 2015. During these years it has been more a war of position, close to the borders, and there were not so many civilian deaths or so much destruction of infrastructure. Now they have removed their mask and are showing their true colors. They are using heavy artillery and phosphorous bombs, and there is much more destruction and death.

Atrocities have been committed in the Russian-occupied areas. Bucha is the best known example. What is happening in Lugansk?

Let me give you two examples. We had a pro-Ukrainian volunteer who had been helping us for a long time. Unfortunately he was also disabled, he was missing a leg and a hand and was in a wheelchair. When the Russian orcs entered his house, they shot him to death sitting in his wheelchair. Another example: the Russians are kidnapping children to use their mothers. They force them to go to the Ukrainian military positions under the pretext of seeking humanitarian aid so that they report our positions, our weapons and the number of soldiers guarding them. If they resist doing so, they threaten to kill their children.

They basically blackmail mothers. Do they return the children?

Yes, they return them, but they are torturing and doing horrible things to the mothers. Do you know how we found out? Our military entered a village and saw several children wandering alone. They were told that their mothers had disappeared. The soldiers took the children to a hospital in Severodonetsk. Two days later a woman arrived at a Ukrainian position, began to inspect it and ask questions, and upon finding out her name, the soldiers realized that she was similar to one of the children. They then questioned her and she explained that they had taken her son and was being held in a basement.

Why is Donbas so important to Putin?

Neither Putin nor the Russians care about Donbas, they care nothing. Let’s look at the number of civilian casualties: in Mariupol alone it is estimated that there are about 25,000 dead. But for Putin it is important to present his people with some kind of victory. That is why they are trying to take over all of Donbas. Thus he will be able to say that he has liberated the ‘people’s republics’ of Lugansk and Donetsk.

Is it also possible that he is also interested in the resources of the region?

No. Since they began to occupy the territory in 2014 they have not built anything or modernized the industry. In fact, they chose to flood many of the mines that had not yet closed.

Do you think Russia will try to annex Donbas?

Putin’s main objective is to ensure that the ‘people’s republics’ of Lugansk and Donetsk control the entire territory of the region because, if he does not succeed, he will not be able to claim victory. Putin had plans to take kyiv, Kharkov and Odessa in three days, but failed. He has lost hundreds of tanks and planes, tens of thousands of soldiers and even some warships. Strategically he has lost everywhere, although he has had some tactical victories. If we don’t stop Putin in the Ukraine, he will march to Poland, the Baltics and Germany. Putin will only stop if we can stop him.

Do your forces have enough weapons and men to prevent the taking of Donbas?

Regarding weapons, our president is constantly pressing in this regard. Unfortunately so far we have not received the amount of weapons that we expected, but our people are extremely motivated to protect their land, their families and their houses. A very different motivation than that of the Russians, who are only interested in stealing washing machines.

Putin justified the invasion of Ukraine by stating that there is a genocide in Donbas and the Russian-speaking population is being oppressed. Is there any truth in your reading?

Regarding the language, it is very interesting because, as the occupied area in Lugansk increased, the Russians hung up posters with the slogan “Don’t be afraid to speak Russian.” It amuses me quite a bit. I was born in Severodonetsk and until I was 10 years old I didn’t even speak Ukrainian. I have traveled all over the country and never had a problem with the tongue. I wonder, if the Russians are really persecuted, how can it be that their tourists, who filled the restaurants and clubs of Odessa or kyiv, are still alive and return every year?

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We have been at war for 75 days in Ukraine. What message would you send to Europeans and their leaders?

I will explain it to you with an allegory of the Soviet era. When the secret police came for my neighbor, I did nothing. When he came for the upstairs neighbor, either. Same with the one below. So when they came for me, there was no one left to help me… It is true that the war is now in Ukraine, but if we don’t stop Putin, he will go for other European countries. We have to unite and end this evil together.


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