LENIN SQUARE—A bust of Stalin under the flag of the so called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), which was jointly created by the Russian Federation Communist Party and Putin's United Russia party.
02/15/2022
On February 15, the State Duma discussed two draft resolutions of the State Duma “On the appeal of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation “To the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin on the need to recognize the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic.” One project is from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the other project is from the United Russia party. Deputies of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation spoke on this issue, asked questions, and answered questions.
Taisaev K.K., First Deputy of the State Duma Committee on Affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasian integration and relations with compatriots, Communist Party faction:
— Dear Vyacheslav Viktorovich, dear comrades!
It’s time to stop the bloodshed in Donbass, which has been going on for eight years. To date, on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, according to official data from the United Nations, more than 10 thousand people have been killed and more than 50 thousand injured.
I often visit Donbass and know from other sources that the death toll has long exceeded 50 thousand people. More than 1.5 million people are displaced within Ukraine, and more than 2.5 million people have arrived in the Russian Federation in emergency numbers to seek asylum.
The population is tired of the constant bombing in the republics; adults and children continue to die. Every day the residents of Donbass are losing faith that the war will ever end.
In recent weeks, the situation around Ukraine has sharply deteriorated. There are accusations that Russia intends to act as an occupier. In fact, the reason for the crisis is that the Washington puppeteers of the Kyiv leadership and Bandera formations are persistently trying to start a war in Donbass. In solving their geopolitical problems, they are ready to organize another large-scale bloodshed. We know for sure
The people of Russia and Ukraine do not need war. We communists are convinced: guys from Kharkov and Sumy, Zaporozhye and Kyiv should not be at enmity with their same-blooded peers from Ryazan and Khabarovsk, Arkhangelsk and Moscow. These guys, like all of us, have the same first and last names, common roots and faith, relatives on both sides of the border. The time is coming to drive out all the enemies of our peoples.
Our party made its choice eight years ago. We have always maintained a clear position regarding the status of the DPR and LPR, advocated recognition of the results of the 2014 referendum, and built our work with the republics as sovereign states.
There is no alternative to the Minsk agreements. But, given the fact that Ukraine continues to ignore their implementation, we must take the solution of this issue into our own hands at the state level.
Russia and Ukraine are allied fraternal states with a common faith, history and culture. And we need integration. After all, only by strengthening the union of the Russian world, uniting and moving in one direction, are we able to protect our peoples.
We continue to actively help the residents of Donbass, who have not known a peaceful and calm life for eight years now. Our party has already sent 94 humanitarian convoys to Donbass - that’s over 13 thousand tons of medicines, construction materials and food.
On New Year's Eve, December 20, we sent another humanitarian convoy and handed over more than 150 thousand gifts to the children of Donbass for the holiday. We visited orphanages, schools, and met with the children of fallen servicemen.
I was amazed and seriously concerned by the number of orphans in orphanages; it is growing steadily. In one of the institutions, a modest girl approached me and tremblingly asked the question: “Do you remember me?” Taking a closer look, I remembered and was immediately stunned. Several years ago I already saw this girl and knew her parents. They both defended their right to independence, they fought for the Motherland, for freedom, the free future of every child, for a peaceful sky above their heads. It turned out that the girl’s mother and father died tragically on the front line, and she was left an orphan.
On the initiative of Gennady Andreevich Zyuganov and Joseph Davydovich Kobzon, the “Children of Russia for Children of Donbass” program was created, within the framework of which the best boarding house “Snegiri” near Moscow opens its doors to children who suffered in the south-east of Ukraine. More than 10 thousand boys and girls from the conflict zone have undergone rehabilitation at Snegiri.
In 2014, during the inauguration of the first head of the Donetsk People's Republic, I asked my friend Alexander Vladimirovich Zakharchenko what kind of help he expected from us, from the deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, for the residents of Donbass. He asked for assistance in resolving three issues: first, recognition of the results of the referendum on the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, second, simplified and accelerated acquisition of Russian citizenship by residents of Donbass, and third, integration of the Donbass economy into the economy of the Russian Federation.
The leader of our party, Gennady Andreevich Zyuganov, has repeatedly appealed to the President of the Russian Federation with a request to resolve these three issues.
The issue of acquiring Russian Federation citizenship by residents of Donbass in an accelerated, simplified manner has been resolved. Today there are more than 600 thousand of our citizens in Donbass, and our country bears direct responsibility for their safety.
At the end of last year, the President of the Russian Federation signed a decree that laid the foundation for the integration of the Donbass economy into the economy of the Russian Federation. But this is not enough, because the war in Donbass does not stop.
The official authorities of Ukraine stopped paying pensions, social benefits and established a complete economic blockade of the population and enterprises of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic.
The actions of the Ukrainian authorities can easily be compared to the genocide of their own people. The current leadership of Ukraine is being sold to Western oligarchs, turning a blind eye to the escalation of the conflict and the suffering of ordinary citizens. Zelensky openly supports anti-Sovietism and Russophobia, thus systematically pitting fraternal peoples against each other, organizing genocide against their native population.
We remember very well the events in Odessa, when in May 2014, in the House of Trade Unions, Bandera punitive forces burned more than 50 people alive just because they wanted to speak Russian.
We cannot allow reprisals against our brothers and sisters.
Our faction developed a draft resolution of the State Duma on the recognition of the results of the referendum, similar to the resolution adopted in 2008 on the recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Then they also frightened us with sanctions and the start of large-scale military operations against the Russian Federation. However, after the adoption of the resolution, peace and tranquility reigned in the land of Ossetia and Abkhazia.
We are convinced that the adoption of this document will be a serious support for our compatriots. We hope for support from all factions of the State Duma of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in adopting this resolution.
The voice of millions of residents of the DPR and LPR was clearly expressed in the 2014 referendum, and it must be heard. This is the only way to avoid war.
Thank you for your attention. (Applause.)
Kalashnikov L.I., Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, Communist Party faction:
- Thank you.
Dear Vyacheslav Viktorovich, dear colleagues! I must report as chairman of the committee on the implementation of this appeal, these two draft resolutions, which should have been turned into a certain technology. In fact, for the first time in the history of the State Duma we are faced with the fact that two draft resolutions have to be adopted for the same appeal. And this is really due, among other things, to the fact that all factions treat the text of the appeal itself, its motives and its spirit in the same way, recognizing the problem that exists.
Therefore, we at the committee, having first received the appeal, sent all our necessary letters, including to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without receiving a response to them, just like the factions of the State Duma, in fact, none of those sitting here in the hall did not send us a written request on how she felt about this request.
At the same time, the day before we received the second text of the resolution, we also held the necessary consultations and made a decision at the committee, with divided votes, essentially speaking, not in essence, but equally, to come up with two resolutions, the texts of draft resolutions to the Duma Council, and the Duma Council adopted the decision to hold such a discussion at the plenary meeting today and vote on both draft resolutions.
The authors covered in sufficient detail their approaches to the appeal and to the texts of the draft resolutions. And I, as the chairman of the committee, must talk about the motives that guided the authors and the committee, and, in fact, highlight one discrepancy or difference in approaches, which Artyom Viktorovich has already spoken about here, but I must also say about what the first side is guided by when approaching to the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Essentially speaking, aggravating the situation, who is “on the hook” of these Minsk agreements and does this appeal destroy this “hook” (so we will talk about it in quotation marks) for Ukraine, or is Russia still “on the hook”, they say the authors of the appeal, insofar as they have given the Ukrainian authorities a free hand for seven years so that, while they are in the world, they destroy civilians on the other side. And this is also true, yes. And the Minsk agreements, which presuppose its destruction if a decision is made later, however, by the president on whether we recognize the DPR, LPR, yes, they are destroyed. But the question of who is “on the hook” remains, yes, for some, including those sitting in the hall.
And, recognizing this approach outlined by the authors, we, of course, do not encroach on the fact that, in fact, this is the exclusive competence, of course, of the president. And, of course, the President yesterday, talking with the Minister of Foreign Affairs... we can already, even in this room, understand the answers that we heard here two weeks ago, on the one hand.
But, on the other hand, we see that every day the situation changes, every day it becomes different, and this is connected not only with screams and shouts about a Russian attack, but with the change of deadlines and so on. But at the same time, we did not receive an official response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and this is also true, but we should have received it, because those equivocations to the minister’s speech here at “government hour” do not seem to be an argument for us. And in this sense, the second members of the appeal, the authors, have the truth, despite the fact that I myself am a co-author of the first appeal, it also exists, because the fact is that, in fact, the referendum held in the spring of 2014, he addressed not only to the individual areas that are discussed here in our resolution, as they are called today, and to the whole of Donetsk and Lugansk. It was then that they controlled a much larger part of it. But the Minsk agreements, according to which Poroshenko persuaded, as is now clear, together with the Germans and the French, representatives of Donetsk and Lugansk to join us, led to the fact that, in essence, this referendum was frozen, both the LPR and DPR.
How to get out of this situation today, when we are told that if Russia violates the border, you will be subject to sanctions and, moreover, some are threatening war there? This means, formally, from a legal point of view, recognition of the LDPR, as the authors of the first resolution, the draft resolution say, will not be a violation of the border, and this also has a certain legal snag, which Kazbek Kutsukovich said, referring to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which ...we've already been through this.
But I say again that neither the first nor the second draft resolution implies recognition of the LDPR by us today, like many, so I read today, I read Nezavisimaya Gazeta and they quote the words of the speaker of the Ukrainian Stefanchuk there that they can’t wait , when the Duma votes, it will be the destruction of the Minsk agreements, because, I say again, recognition or non-recognition is carried out by the President of the Russian Federation, this is his exclusive competence. Only today in this hall we are forming the position of the Duma and the Duma’s approaches to this or that issue.
Therefore, the possibility of appealing, by the way, for such a decision, the possibility of the leaders of the DPR and LPR themselves appealing to the president, is also not excluded. We, by our resolution, this or that resolution and today’s appeal, define our position that we do not agree that you received a respite under the Minsk agreements, essentially speaking, being surrounded near Debaltsevo means that you are in a state of peace, your Nazis This means that people are being destroyed both on the territory of Ukraine and on the territory of the LDPR, the same Sasha Zakharchenko, I personally knew him well and was friends with him, and many other commanders and those about whom Kazbek spoke today, their children. This means, but at the same time, the possibility of such an appeal remains, and the possibility of our today’s discussion and return to it, it also remains.
Therefore, I urge the audience to decide on your decision. We, the committee, have done everything to ensure that legally everything takes place in accordance with our Regulations and the laws that fall under our jurisdiction.
Bessonov E.I., Communist Party faction:
— Question to Artyom Viktorovich and Viktor Petrovich Vodolatsky.
This means, as you say, the fighting on the territory of Donbass has already been going on for eight years, and this is already more than twice as long as the Great Patriotic War.
And Viktor Petrovich Vodolatsky was definitely there. And you know what troubles and suffering there are among the common population. And they also speak Russian, they also think in Russian - they are people just like you and me.
And in May 2014, in a referendum, they accepted self-determination, but in accordance with Article 80 of the Constitution, our president determines the main directions of foreign policy. Why don’t you want to support the President of the Russian Federation in this difficult international situation and give the same people living in Donbass the opportunity... (Microphone muted.)
Turov A.V.:
— Colleagues, I repeat once again, in terms of the text of the appeal and the situation, we have no differences with any, it seems to me, party that is now in this room. We are talking about the form of submission - first consult with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because they work within the framework of our... represent our country within the framework of international relations.
Thank you.
Wasserman A. A., faction “A JUST RUSSIA – FOR TRUTH”:
- Well, it is clear that our decision will serve as a reason for another attack of agitation about the aggression of evil Muscovites against white and fluffy Ukraine. In this regard, I would like to know whether any countermeasures are envisaged for propaganda aimed at bringing the Russian majority of Ukrainian citizens to their senses. Well, if such measures have not yet been prepared, then we need to take care of their prompt preparation, because, in my opinion, they will undoubtedly be needed very soon. I repeat, they will be needed regardless of which of the options currently being discussed we approve.
Kalashnikov L.I.:
— Well, probably, this can be counted not as a question, but as a speech, but, of course, we must work not only with the Russian-speaking part, but also with the Ukrainian-speaking part living in Ukraine. And I think Russia’s opportunities here have not yet been exhausted. You, Anatoly Aleksandrovich, correctly formulated this task, including Rossotrudnichestvo, which today, essentially speaking, does not work in Ukraine, and many others, whose methods, perhaps, from this rostrum should not be clarified now, but should be used for this work.
Let me just say that in the answer to the previous two questions, one question was formulated there that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and, strictly speaking, not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, should not forget about. We are talking not only about the implementation of the Minsk agreements, but also about the implementation of the decision of the Security Council and the United Nations, for which Russia voted. This is often not taken into account in certain decisions. As colleague Taisaev correctly said, we, the authors of the appeal, have, in fact, long ago decided on our position. But there is one nuance here, which also applies to those sitting here in the hall: the implementation of international treaties, which Russia still must comply with in accordance with its legislation. Yes it is. And it was the Security Council Resolution, which is often referred to, which you and I, as a member of this permanent body, was, in fact, legally legalized in this sense. And in this sense, the authors of the second draft resolution also use this argumentation.
Thank you.
Tkachev A. O., “NEW PEOPLE” faction:
— Thank you very much, Vyacheslav Viktorovich.
The question is probably closer to the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Today it has been said more than once that Western countries have expressed their readiness to impose even more serious sanctions on issues of violation of agreements that will be created with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And the government has already done quite a lot of work regarding stabilization of the economy. Yes, and a catastrophe may not happen, but damage to the economy and the well-being of citizens can happen in any case.
Are you sure that Russian citizens (according to experts, as already written in the media) are ready to give up another third salary and part of the capacity of their refrigerator? Because if serious sanctions are adopted against the financial sector and other industries, well, it won’t be very good, and this will be taken for the sake of the non-obvious prospects for recognition of the LIR and DPR as... (Microphone is muted.)
Taisaev K.K.:
“I am sure that the people of Russia today fully support our resolution and are ready to give up not only the 13th salary.
The point is that more than 600 thousand people in Donbass are already citizens of the Russian Federation. We have a constitutional obligation to protect and ensure the safety of these people.
Thank you.
Chairman. Thank you.
Yushchenko A. A., Communist Party faction:
— I have a question for deputy Vodolatsky as a person who has been to Donbass more than once. He and I were together and saw appeals from citizens who had tears in their eyes and asked for quick, clear, concrete decisions.
If at one time in South Ossetia and Abkhazia we had not made a quick decision, clear, extremely concrete, if there had not been a quick political decision in Syria, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
It is known that in order to bury any issue, it must be raised for discussion and consultation. Our version of the resolution was introduced quite a long time ago, and everyone had the opportunity to make their proposals, which, I assure you, were taken into account. Gennady Andreevich issued a statement in which it is clearly written that this issue is not political - it is supra-party, and an appeal to all deputies.
Question: what is the purpose of the red tape that is inevitable when adopting your resolution, which duplicates ours, but softens its principles?
Thank you.
Vodolatsky V.P., UNITED RUSSIA faction:
— Dear Alexander Andreevich, you are really right that Kazbek and I (and you too) visit the Donbass every month. Every month we see the tragedy that happens there.
As for South Ossetia, again, Kazbek and I were the very first there on August 7, and not on the 8th, it happened in life. And I have always said and now I can say my point of view, as a former ataman of the Great Don Army, why is Russian land there, why is our gene pool there? Because these are lands that were illegally seized and transferred to the Ukrainian SSR. And the flags of Bandera and Shukhevych will never fly there.
And my decision has always been the proposal that we need to cancel the illegal decision and return our lands. These are our lands, the lands of the Don Cossacks, Russian lands.
As for this resolution, which we introduced with Turov. The President, in any case, will consult with all executive authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for the Minsk agreements, for the Normandy format, and Artyom and I are trying to speed up this process so that the resolution is formulated correctly and A presidential decree was issued recognizing the Republics of the DPR and LPR to the extent that every resident of Donbass needs today.
Therefore, today, when we vote, we must, pressing the buttons, think about those 3 million 860 thousand citizens of our compatriots, of which (Kazbek Kutsukovich was a little mistaken) there are already 860 citizens of the Russian Federation. Every day this number increases. And we are obliged to protect the citizens of the Russian Federation, which is what we are doing today in the State Duma.
And I am confident that today we will make the decision that is necessary for Russian citizens living in Donbass and our compatriots. But I remain of my opinion - these lands are ours and they need to be returned.
Chairman. Thank you.
Goryacheva K. A., “NEW PEOPLE” faction:
— More than 7 years have passed since the start of the conflict and the situation has changed greatly both in Ukraine itself, and in international relations, and in the east of Ukraine, people in these territories may also have changed their opinion and perception of what is happening in general. Don’t you think that before making any serious decisions that will definitely entail serious diplomatic problems, it is necessary to find out the opinion of the residents of these territories themselves, to vote again on what they want now?
Taisaev K.K.:
— We are well aware of the opinion of the residents of Donbass. Vodolatsky said that when we go there, hundreds of thousands of people turn to us asking us to finally make this decision. Therefore, there is no point in holding a new referendum now. We need to make this decision today, especially since I understand that everyone in the room agrees that such a resolution needs to be adopted.
Kolomeytsev N.V., Communist Party faction:
— Dear Vyacheslav Viktorovich! Dear Colleagues!
Well, first of all, Artem Viktorovich, the difference in our approaches is in two things.
Well, first of all, you didn’t say that our appeal was also in your resolution. Only you offer two different things. We propose to the one who is supposed to make a decision under Article 80 of the Constitution, and, please note, the US Congress and Senate make hundreds of decisions, but the most reactionary, the most flashy, which are, among other things, an instrument in the negotiations of their president.
Today, in about half an hour, our president will meet with another representative of the Normandy Four, Scholz. If we adopted a resolution, we would give an additional tool to the president, which he could present at a meeting with a representative of the Normandy Four and say: you see, my deputies already, in general, demand that I make a decision every day.
What do we see today? Two rounds of completely fresh Paris and Berlin contact group meetings. Zero result. Even a minus. During this time, dozens of planes with hundreds of tons of lethal weapons arrived in Ukraine. In Ukraine, I personally saw, on the contact line, in the area of Lugansk and the village of Mityakinskaya, Rostov region, a Polish flag, Polish special forces on that side. In the area of Mariupol, on the line of contact - “Gray Wolves”, Turkish special forces. British special forces are in the Shirokino area. On what basis? Or do you not know that in the eight years that we have been mumbling here and not wanting to make a decision, the construction of three largest US and NATO military bases is underway on the territory of Ukraine. In the Nikolaevo area, a base is almost ready, the military, those who are there, they know about it, and a powerful base at that. Construction of a seaport has begun in the Mariupol area. What do you think this is aimed at? In order to legitimize provocations regarding the Crimean Bridge. In the area of Kharkov and Chernigov there are two biological laboratories, which, including, as in Georgia, Ukrainian scientists do not go there and do not have the right, which... Ukrainian generals, including the heads of the SBU, are on one of the floors of the SBU, only by invitation there there are. If you don't know this...
Well, the most important thing. Our party has consistently taken this position since 2014. Understand that a military coup took place in Ukraine. Moreover, the Americans came to power in the name of the desire to implement Brzezinski’s stratagem, if anyone has not read Brzezinski’s three books translated into Russian, I recommend that we have them in the parliamentary library.
“The Great Chessboard” - it is directly written: if the triune Russian people in the person of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine are not united, Russia will never be great, and this is our main task - to push these peoples together. And this is being realized today. Why are the Banderaites, convicted by the Nuremberg Tribunal, supported? Exactly for this purpose.
Therefore, at the congresses of our party, including at the XVIII Congress, we adopted an appeal to the Ukrainian people. We work with the underground Communist Party of Ukraine, which conveys, among other things, our appeals to ordinary Ukrainians. The big one, I’m telling young liberals, most Ukrainians can’t wait for this bedlam to end.
10 million Ukrainians left Ukraine over these eight years. Donbass, if anyone doesn’t know, in the Donetsk region there were 5.5 million, in Lugansk there were 2.5 million. Did you count? Today there, including here we have a fellow deputy sitting, who was elected by 6 thousand votes of citizens of the Russian Federation included in the lists, Viktor Petrovich, how many are there now is still unknown. You have one data, I have another.
But the problem is different. The Americans have repeatedly violated all international treaties and UN charters, invading the territories of independent states because of one or two of their citizens. The military, the generals present here, will confirm this to you many times, and it is also in the public space. I emphasize, we have 600 thousand citizens who have been suffering for eight years.
Therefore, the difference in our projects is obvious. We want to give the president an additional trump card in his difficult negotiations, which he has been conducting over the past six months.
Can't you see what's happening? The West is implementing the “Anaconda Loop” strategy in order to create a completely unfriendly space around Russia, for this there were provocations in Kazakhstan, for this very reason, in Kazakhstan, if anyone doesn’t know, militants from Central Asia participated on the other side, having undergone or been seasoned in combat actions on the other side in Syria, do you understand? They also implemented American plans.
Today we have sleeper cells in the Caucasus, controlled by the intelligence services of the West and Turkey. A monument to whom was unveiled in Turkey? And not alone, you know?
So I would like to encourage you. Please understand, we do not want war, on the contrary, we want to prevent it. And Kazbek Kutsukovich very competently and calmly told you what would have happened in South Ossetia, in which, by the way, 170 of our peacekeepers were killed, you know, if we had not announced and General Gurulev had not taken responsibility at that moment, then there would have been tens of thousands of corpses, you understand? But we went there, and, by the way, our special forces were already in the foothills, that is, at the Tbilisi airport, do you understand? But then we moved away from there. But still it calmed down. Do you understand, right? And today you want to leave it again for further mockery and not give the president additional trump cards. Well, why are you all against the president?
We propose to adopt this resolution, it is correct, the appeals are well-reasoned, and not to delay the issue, well, as your resolution suggests.
And the second difference. We propose to send an appeal to the Parliamentary Newspaper so that people can read it, and check Vyacheslav Viktorovich’s reaction on the telegram channel, which many envy. You will immediately see that there will be 92 percent in favor.
Thank you. I propose to vote for our resolution. (Applause.)
LENIN SQUARE—A bust of Stalin under the flag of the so called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), which was jointly created by the Russian Federation Communist Party and Putin's United Russia party.
02/15/2022
On February 15, the State Duma discussed two draft resolutions of the State Duma “On the appeal of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation “To the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin on the need to recognize the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic.” One project is from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the other project is from the United Russia party. Deputies of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation spoke on this issue, asked questions, and answered questions.
Taisaev K.K., First Deputy of the State Duma Committee on Affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasian integration and relations with compatriots, Communist Party faction:
— Dear Vyacheslav Viktorovich, dear comrades!
It’s time to stop the bloodshed in Donbass, which has been going on for eight years. To date, on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, according to official data from the United Nations, more than 10 thousand people have been killed and more than 50 thousand injured.
I often visit Donbass and know from other sources that the death toll has long exceeded 50 thousand people. More than 1.5 million people are displaced within Ukraine, and more than 2.5 million people have arrived in the Russian Federation in emergency numbers to seek asylum.
The population is tired of the constant bombing in the republics; adults and children continue to die. Every day the residents of Donbass are losing faith that the war will ever end.
In recent weeks, the situation around Ukraine has sharply deteriorated. There are accusations that Russia intends to act as an occupier. In fact, the reason for the crisis is that the Washington puppeteers of the Kyiv leadership and Bandera formations are persistently trying to start a war in Donbass. In solving their geopolitical problems, they are ready to organize another large-scale bloodshed. We know for sure
The people of Russia and Ukraine do not need war. We communists are convinced: guys from Kharkov and Sumy, Zaporozhye and Kyiv should not be at enmity with their same-blooded peers from Ryazan and Khabarovsk, Arkhangelsk and Moscow. These guys, like all of us, have the same first and last names, common roots and faith, relatives on both sides of the border. The time is coming to drive out all the enemies of our peoples.
Our party made its choice eight years ago. We have always maintained a clear position regarding the status of the DPR and LPR, advocated recognition of the results of the 2014 referendum, and built our work with the republics as sovereign states.
There is no alternative to the Minsk agreements. But, given the fact that Ukraine continues to ignore their implementation, we must take the solution of this issue into our own hands at the state level.
Russia and Ukraine are allied fraternal states with a common faith, history and culture. And we need integration. After all, only by strengthening the union of the Russian world, uniting and moving in one direction, are we able to protect our peoples.
We continue to actively help the residents of Donbass, who have not known a peaceful and calm life for eight years now. Our party has already sent 94 humanitarian convoys to Donbass - that’s over 13 thousand tons of medicines, construction materials and food.
On New Year's Eve, December 20, we sent another humanitarian convoy and handed over more than 150 thousand gifts to the children of Donbass for the holiday. We visited orphanages, schools, and met with the children of fallen servicemen.
I was amazed and seriously concerned by the number of orphans in orphanages; it is growing steadily. In one of the institutions, a modest girl approached me and tremblingly asked the question: “Do you remember me?” Taking a closer look, I remembered and was immediately stunned. Several years ago I already saw this girl and knew her parents. They both defended their right to independence, they fought for the Motherland, for freedom, the free future of every child, for a peaceful sky above their heads. It turned out that the girl’s mother and father died tragically on the front line, and she was left an orphan.
On the initiative of Gennady Andreevich Zyuganov and Joseph Davydovich Kobzon, the “Children of Russia for Children of Donbass” program was created, within the framework of which the best boarding house “Snegiri” near Moscow opens its doors to children who suffered in the south-east of Ukraine. More than 10 thousand boys and girls from the conflict zone have undergone rehabilitation at Snegiri.
In 2014, during the inauguration of the first head of the Donetsk People's Republic, I asked my friend Alexander Vladimirovich Zakharchenko what kind of help he expected from us, from the deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, for the residents of Donbass. He asked for assistance in resolving three issues: first, recognition of the results of the referendum on the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, second, simplified and accelerated acquisition of Russian citizenship by residents of Donbass, and third, integration of the Donbass economy into the economy of the Russian Federation.
The leader of our party, Gennady Andreevich Zyuganov, has repeatedly appealed to the President of the Russian Federation with a request to resolve these three issues.
The issue of acquiring Russian Federation citizenship by residents of Donbass in an accelerated, simplified manner has been resolved. Today there are more than 600 thousand of our citizens in Donbass, and our country bears direct responsibility for their safety.
At the end of last year, the President of the Russian Federation signed a decree that laid the foundation for the integration of the Donbass economy into the economy of the Russian Federation. But this is not enough, because the war in Donbass does not stop.
The official authorities of Ukraine stopped paying pensions, social benefits and established a complete economic blockade of the population and enterprises of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic.
The actions of the Ukrainian authorities can easily be compared to the genocide of their own people. The current leadership of Ukraine is being sold to Western oligarchs, turning a blind eye to the escalation of the conflict and the suffering of ordinary citizens. Zelensky openly supports anti-Sovietism and Russophobia, thus systematically pitting fraternal peoples against each other, organizing genocide against their native population.
We remember very well the events in Odessa, when in May 2014, in the House of Trade Unions, Bandera punitive forces burned more than 50 people alive just because they wanted to speak Russian.
We cannot allow reprisals against our brothers and sisters.
Our faction developed a draft resolution of the State Duma on the recognition of the results of the referendum, similar to the resolution adopted in 2008 on the recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Then they also frightened us with sanctions and the start of large-scale military operations against the Russian Federation. However, after the adoption of the resolution, peace and tranquility reigned in the land of Ossetia and Abkhazia.
We are convinced that the adoption of this document will be a serious support for our compatriots. We hope for support from all factions of the State Duma of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in adopting this resolution.
The voice of millions of residents of the DPR and LPR was clearly expressed in the 2014 referendum, and it must be heard. This is the only way to avoid war.
Thank you for your attention. (Applause.)
Kalashnikov L.I., Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, Communist Party faction:
- Thank you.
Dear Vyacheslav Viktorovich, dear colleagues! I must report as chairman of the committee on the implementation of this appeal, these two draft resolutions, which should have been turned into a certain technology. In fact, for the first time in the history of the State Duma we are faced with the fact that two draft resolutions have to be adopted for the same appeal. And this is really due, among other things, to the fact that all factions treat the text of the appeal itself, its motives and its spirit in the same way, recognizing the problem that exists.
Therefore, we at the committee, having first received the appeal, sent all our necessary letters, including to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without receiving a response to them, just like the factions of the State Duma, in fact, none of those sitting here in the hall did not send us a written request on how she felt about this request.
At the same time, the day before we received the second text of the resolution, we also held the necessary consultations and made a decision at the committee, with divided votes, essentially speaking, not in essence, but equally, to come up with two resolutions, the texts of draft resolutions to the Duma Council, and the Duma Council adopted the decision to hold such a discussion at the plenary meeting today and vote on both draft resolutions.
The authors covered in sufficient detail their approaches to the appeal and to the texts of the draft resolutions. And I, as the chairman of the committee, must talk about the motives that guided the authors and the committee, and, in fact, highlight one discrepancy or difference in approaches, which Artyom Viktorovich has already spoken about here, but I must also say about what the first side is guided by when approaching to the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Essentially speaking, aggravating the situation, who is “on the hook” of these Minsk agreements and does this appeal destroy this “hook” (so we will talk about it in quotation marks) for Ukraine, or is Russia still “on the hook”, they say the authors of the appeal, insofar as they have given the Ukrainian authorities a free hand for seven years so that, while they are in the world, they destroy civilians on the other side. And this is also true, yes. And the Minsk agreements, which presuppose its destruction if a decision is made later, however, by the president on whether we recognize the DPR, LPR, yes, they are destroyed. But the question of who is “on the hook” remains, yes, for some, including those sitting in the hall.
And, recognizing this approach outlined by the authors, we, of course, do not encroach on the fact that, in fact, this is the exclusive competence, of course, of the president. And, of course, the President yesterday, talking with the Minister of Foreign Affairs... we can already, even in this room, understand the answers that we heard here two weeks ago, on the one hand.
But, on the other hand, we see that every day the situation changes, every day it becomes different, and this is connected not only with screams and shouts about a Russian attack, but with the change of deadlines and so on. But at the same time, we did not receive an official response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and this is also true, but we should have received it, because those equivocations to the minister’s speech here at “government hour” do not seem to be an argument for us. And in this sense, the second members of the appeal, the authors, have the truth, despite the fact that I myself am a co-author of the first appeal, it also exists, because the fact is that, in fact, the referendum held in the spring of 2014, he addressed not only to the individual areas that are discussed here in our resolution, as they are called today, and to the whole of Donetsk and Lugansk. It was then that they controlled a much larger part of it. But the Minsk agreements, according to which Poroshenko persuaded, as is now clear, together with the Germans and the French, representatives of Donetsk and Lugansk to join us, led to the fact that, in essence, this referendum was frozen, both the LPR and DPR.
How to get out of this situation today, when we are told that if Russia violates the border, you will be subject to sanctions and, moreover, some are threatening war there? This means, formally, from a legal point of view, recognition of the LDPR, as the authors of the first resolution, the draft resolution say, will not be a violation of the border, and this also has a certain legal snag, which Kazbek Kutsukovich said, referring to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which ...we've already been through this.
But I say again that neither the first nor the second draft resolution implies recognition of the LDPR by us today, like many, so I read today, I read Nezavisimaya Gazeta and they quote the words of the speaker of the Ukrainian Stefanchuk there that they can’t wait , when the Duma votes, it will be the destruction of the Minsk agreements, because, I say again, recognition or non-recognition is carried out by the President of the Russian Federation, this is his exclusive competence. Only today in this hall we are forming the position of the Duma and the Duma’s approaches to this or that issue.
Therefore, the possibility of appealing, by the way, for such a decision, the possibility of the leaders of the DPR and LPR themselves appealing to the president, is also not excluded. We, by our resolution, this or that resolution and today’s appeal, define our position that we do not agree that you received a respite under the Minsk agreements, essentially speaking, being surrounded near Debaltsevo means that you are in a state of peace, your Nazis This means that people are being destroyed both on the territory of Ukraine and on the territory of the LDPR, the same Sasha Zakharchenko, I personally knew him well and was friends with him, and many other commanders and those about whom Kazbek spoke today, their children. This means, but at the same time, the possibility of such an appeal remains, and the possibility of our today’s discussion and return to it, it also remains.
Therefore, I urge the audience to decide on your decision. We, the committee, have done everything to ensure that legally everything takes place in accordance with our Regulations and the laws that fall under our jurisdiction.
Bessonov E.I., Communist Party faction:
— Question to Artyom Viktorovich and Viktor Petrovich Vodolatsky.
This means, as you say, the fighting on the territory of Donbass has already been going on for eight years, and this is already more than twice as long as the Great Patriotic War.
And Viktor Petrovich Vodolatsky was definitely there. And you know what troubles and suffering there are among the common population. And they also speak Russian, they also think in Russian - they are people just like you and me.
And in May 2014, in a referendum, they accepted self-determination, but in accordance with Article 80 of the Constitution, our president determines the main directions of foreign policy. Why don’t you want to support the President of the Russian Federation in this difficult international situation and give the same people living in Donbass the opportunity... (Microphone muted.)
Turov A.V.:
— Colleagues, I repeat once again, in terms of the text of the appeal and the situation, we have no differences with any, it seems to me, party that is now in this room. We are talking about the form of submission - first consult with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because they work within the framework of our... represent our country within the framework of international relations.
Thank you.
Wasserman A. A., faction “A JUST RUSSIA – FOR TRUTH”:
- Well, it is clear that our decision will serve as a reason for another attack of agitation about the aggression of evil Muscovites against white and fluffy Ukraine. In this regard, I would like to know whether any countermeasures are envisaged for propaganda aimed at bringing the Russian majority of Ukrainian citizens to their senses. Well, if such measures have not yet been prepared, then we need to take care of their prompt preparation, because, in my opinion, they will undoubtedly be needed very soon. I repeat, they will be needed regardless of which of the options currently being discussed we approve.
Kalashnikov L.I.:
— Well, probably, this can be counted not as a question, but as a speech, but, of course, we must work not only with the Russian-speaking part, but also with the Ukrainian-speaking part living in Ukraine. And I think Russia’s opportunities here have not yet been exhausted. You, Anatoly Aleksandrovich, correctly formulated this task, including Rossotrudnichestvo, which today, essentially speaking, does not work in Ukraine, and many others, whose methods, perhaps, from this rostrum should not be clarified now, but should be used for this work.
Let me just say that in the answer to the previous two questions, one question was formulated there that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and, strictly speaking, not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, should not forget about. We are talking not only about the implementation of the Minsk agreements, but also about the implementation of the decision of the Security Council and the United Nations, for which Russia voted. This is often not taken into account in certain decisions. As colleague Taisaev correctly said, we, the authors of the appeal, have, in fact, long ago decided on our position. But there is one nuance here, which also applies to those sitting here in the hall: the implementation of international treaties, which Russia still must comply with in accordance with its legislation. Yes it is. And it was the Security Council Resolution, which is often referred to, which you and I, as a member of this permanent body, was, in fact, legally legalized in this sense. And in this sense, the authors of the second draft resolution also use this argumentation.
Thank you.
Tkachev A. O., “NEW PEOPLE” faction:
— Thank you very much, Vyacheslav Viktorovich.
The question is probably closer to the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Today it has been said more than once that Western countries have expressed their readiness to impose even more serious sanctions on issues of violation of agreements that will be created with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And the government has already done quite a lot of work regarding stabilization of the economy. Yes, and a catastrophe may not happen, but damage to the economy and the well-being of citizens can happen in any case.
Are you sure that Russian citizens (according to experts, as already written in the media) are ready to give up another third salary and part of the capacity of their refrigerator? Because if serious sanctions are adopted against the financial sector and other industries, well, it won’t be very good, and this will be taken for the sake of the non-obvious prospects for recognition of the LIR and DPR as... (Microphone is muted.)
Taisaev K.K.:
“I am sure that the people of Russia today fully support our resolution and are ready to give up not only the 13th salary.
The point is that more than 600 thousand people in Donbass are already citizens of the Russian Federation. We have a constitutional obligation to protect and ensure the safety of these people.
Thank you.
Chairman. Thank you.
Yushchenko A. A., Communist Party faction:
— I have a question for deputy Vodolatsky as a person who has been to Donbass more than once. He and I were together and saw appeals from citizens who had tears in their eyes and asked for quick, clear, concrete decisions.
If at one time in South Ossetia and Abkhazia we had not made a quick decision, clear, extremely concrete, if there had not been a quick political decision in Syria, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
It is known that in order to bury any issue, it must be raised for discussion and consultation. Our version of the resolution was introduced quite a long time ago, and everyone had the opportunity to make their proposals, which, I assure you, were taken into account. Gennady Andreevich issued a statement in which it is clearly written that this issue is not political - it is supra-party, and an appeal to all deputies.
Question: what is the purpose of the red tape that is inevitable when adopting your resolution, which duplicates ours, but softens its principles?
Thank you.
Vodolatsky V.P., UNITED RUSSIA faction:
— Dear Alexander Andreevich, you are really right that Kazbek and I (and you too) visit the Donbass every month. Every month we see the tragedy that happens there.
As for South Ossetia, again, Kazbek and I were the very first there on August 7, and not on the 8th, it happened in life. And I have always said and now I can say my point of view, as a former ataman of the Great Don Army, why is Russian land there, why is our gene pool there? Because these are lands that were illegally seized and transferred to the Ukrainian SSR. And the flags of Bandera and Shukhevych will never fly there.
And my decision has always been the proposal that we need to cancel the illegal decision and return our lands. These are our lands, the lands of the Don Cossacks, Russian lands.
As for this resolution, which we introduced with Turov. The President, in any case, will consult with all executive authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for the Minsk agreements, for the Normandy format, and Artyom and I are trying to speed up this process so that the resolution is formulated correctly and A presidential decree was issued recognizing the Republics of the DPR and LPR to the extent that every resident of Donbass needs today.
Therefore, today, when we vote, we must, pressing the buttons, think about those 3 million 860 thousand citizens of our compatriots, of which (Kazbek Kutsukovich was a little mistaken) there are already 860 citizens of the Russian Federation. Every day this number increases. And we are obliged to protect the citizens of the Russian Federation, which is what we are doing today in the State Duma.
And I am confident that today we will make the decision that is necessary for Russian citizens living in Donbass and our compatriots. But I remain of my opinion - these lands are ours and they need to be returned.
Chairman. Thank you.
Goryacheva K. A., “NEW PEOPLE” faction:
— More than 7 years have passed since the start of the conflict and the situation has changed greatly both in Ukraine itself, and in international relations, and in the east of Ukraine, people in these territories may also have changed their opinion and perception of what is happening in general. Don’t you think that before making any serious decisions that will definitely entail serious diplomatic problems, it is necessary to find out the opinion of the residents of these territories themselves, to vote again on what they want now?
Taisaev K.K.:
— We are well aware of the opinion of the residents of Donbass. Vodolatsky said that when we go there, hundreds of thousands of people turn to us asking us to finally make this decision. Therefore, there is no point in holding a new referendum now. We need to make this decision today, especially since I understand that everyone in the room agrees that such a resolution needs to be adopted.
Kolomeytsev N.V., Communist Party faction:
— Dear Vyacheslav Viktorovich! Dear Colleagues!
Well, first of all, Artem Viktorovich, the difference in our approaches is in two things.
Well, first of all, you didn’t say that our appeal was also in your resolution. Only you offer two different things. We propose to the one who is supposed to make a decision under Article 80 of the Constitution, and, please note, the US Congress and Senate make hundreds of decisions, but the most reactionary, the most flashy, which are, among other things, an instrument in the negotiations of their president.
Today, in about half an hour, our president will meet with another representative of the Normandy Four, Scholz. If we adopted a resolution, we would give an additional tool to the president, which he could present at a meeting with a representative of the Normandy Four and say: you see, my deputies already, in general, demand that I make a decision every day.
What do we see today? Two rounds of completely fresh Paris and Berlin contact group meetings. Zero result. Even a minus. During this time, dozens of planes with hundreds of tons of lethal weapons arrived in Ukraine. In Ukraine, I personally saw, on the contact line, in the area of Lugansk and the village of Mityakinskaya, Rostov region, a Polish flag, Polish special forces on that side. In the area of Mariupol, on the line of contact - “Gray Wolves”, Turkish special forces. British special forces are in the Shirokino area. On what basis? Or do you not know that in the eight years that we have been mumbling here and not wanting to make a decision, the construction of three largest US and NATO military bases is underway on the territory of Ukraine. In the Nikolaevo area, a base is almost ready, the military, those who are there, they know about it, and a powerful base at that. Construction of a seaport has begun in the Mariupol area. What do you think this is aimed at? In order to legitimize provocations regarding the Crimean Bridge. In the area of Kharkov and Chernigov there are two biological laboratories, which, including, as in Georgia, Ukrainian scientists do not go there and do not have the right, which... Ukrainian generals, including the heads of the SBU, are on one of the floors of the SBU, only by invitation there there are. If you don't know this...
Well, the most important thing. Our party has consistently taken this position since 2014. Understand that a military coup took place in Ukraine. Moreover, the Americans came to power in the name of the desire to implement Brzezinski’s stratagem, if anyone has not read Brzezinski’s three books translated into Russian, I recommend that we have them in the parliamentary library.
“The Great Chessboard” - it is directly written: if the triune Russian people in the person of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine are not united, Russia will never be great, and this is our main task - to push these peoples together. And this is being realized today. Why are the Banderaites, convicted by the Nuremberg Tribunal, supported? Exactly for this purpose.
Therefore, at the congresses of our party, including at the XVIII Congress, we adopted an appeal to the Ukrainian people. We work with the underground Communist Party of Ukraine, which conveys, among other things, our appeals to ordinary Ukrainians. The big one, I’m telling young liberals, most Ukrainians can’t wait for this bedlam to end.
10 million Ukrainians left Ukraine over these eight years. Donbass, if anyone doesn’t know, in the Donetsk region there were 5.5 million, in Lugansk there were 2.5 million. Did you count? Today there, including here we have a fellow deputy sitting, who was elected by 6 thousand votes of citizens of the Russian Federation included in the lists, Viktor Petrovich, how many are there now is still unknown. You have one data, I have another.
But the problem is different. The Americans have repeatedly violated all international treaties and UN charters, invading the territories of independent states because of one or two of their citizens. The military, the generals present here, will confirm this to you many times, and it is also in the public space. I emphasize, we have 600 thousand citizens who have been suffering for eight years.
Therefore, the difference in our projects is obvious. We want to give the president an additional trump card in his difficult negotiations, which he has been conducting over the past six months.
Can't you see what's happening? The West is implementing the “Anaconda Loop” strategy in order to create a completely unfriendly space around Russia, for this there were provocations in Kazakhstan, for this very reason, in Kazakhstan, if anyone doesn’t know, militants from Central Asia participated on the other side, having undergone or been seasoned in combat actions on the other side in Syria, do you understand? They also implemented American plans.
Today we have sleeper cells in the Caucasus, controlled by the intelligence services of the West and Turkey. A monument to whom was unveiled in Turkey? And not alone, you know?
So I would like to encourage you. Please understand, we do not want war, on the contrary, we want to prevent it. And Kazbek Kutsukovich very competently and calmly told you what would have happened in South Ossetia, in which, by the way, 170 of our peacekeepers were killed, you know, if we had not announced and General Gurulev had not taken responsibility at that moment, then there would have been tens of thousands of corpses, you understand? But we went there, and, by the way, our special forces were already in the foothills, that is, at the Tbilisi airport, do you understand? But then we moved away from there. But still it calmed down. Do you understand, right? And today you want to leave it again for further mockery and not give the president additional trump cards. Well, why are you all against the president?
We propose to adopt this resolution, it is correct, the appeals are well-reasoned, and not to delay the issue, well, as your resolution suggests.
And the second difference. We propose to send an appeal to the Parliamentary Newspaper so that people can read it, and check Vyacheslav Viktorovich’s reaction on the telegram channel, which many envy. You will immediately see that there will be 92 percent in favor.
Thank you. I propose to vote for our resolution. (Applause.)
