Separatist Republics in the east of Ukraine believe they will soon become part of Russia
According to Commander of the separatist Legion battalion and “Member of Parliament” of DPR Sergey Zavdoveev, the self-proclaimed DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) and the LPR (Luhansk People’s Republic) will be incorporated into Russia in the near future, separatist media reports.
In his opinion, only Russia is preventing Kyiv from realizing the "Croatian scenario" in the Donbas.
"I think that no one is taking on Russia. The LPR and DPR – this is Russia. We are now legally being integrated into Russia. And after the elections next year, we will achieve integration into the Russian Federation. In the course of three years, a lot of work has been done, at the political level as well as at the military and economic levels. Therefore we will 100% be part of the Russian Federation, and they will support us 100%," Zavdoveev said.
The “MP" noted that if the Ukrainian military go on the offensive, then "as usual, Russia will help with humanitarian aid and medicine, as it has helped thus far, but it will not get involved in the conflict itself."
"If Ukraine crosses this Rubicon, by doing so, they will dissolve all agreements. There is an unofficial agreement between the US, Europe and Russia, that whoever is the first to go on the offensive is the aggressor, and is to blame for this war. Honestly, if the Armed Forces of Ukraine decide go on the offensive, then the very same America and Europe will turn against them, and will give us the ability to act openly,” the “MP” stressed, adding that “the separatist army will have enough strength to repel the attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. "
According to Zavdoveev, separatists would only be happy about Ukraine's offensive, as this would allow the war to end.
On March 2, the Head of DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, expressed the belief that "Ukraine [would] not exist in 60 days." This period ended on May 2, 2017.