Broke “DPR-LPR”, totally dependent on Russia, announced the launch of the Program of assistance to compatriots living in the free territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. It can seem funny, but not for those who swallowed the bait and are ready go to the occupied territory through checkpoints and long queues... This is discussed in the review of Public Radio of Donbass with Serhiy Harmash.
On the one hand, the so-called "nationalization" in the “DPR-LPR” stopped the factories and mines - that is, the economy. And on the other hand, the authorities of these puppet pseudo-states are advertising the so-called "Humanitarian assistance program for compatriots" all the way, offering residents of free Donbass to go to the occupied territory for treatment, training and celebration of Soviet holidays.
I. Plotnitsky, the leader of the "LPR": Yes, we invite all our residents. We have not forgotten you. You do not have holidays on February 23 and May 9 anymore. Come to us. You will be able to celebrate with us those old holidays that historically took place on our land, in the Russian world. We also give you the opportunity for medical care. We give you the opportunity to educate your children and, in fact, these are our children, because we are reliant on the youth.
That is, the economy of the so-called republics is falling apart, and they are willing to spend money, which is not enough even to provide residents of the captured territories, on people from the free Donbass? Somehow this is not logical. But after seeing the live chat with the inhabitants of the Donetsk oblast, held by Alexander Zakharchenko last week, a lot of things became clear. First of all, that this program does not change anything essentially.
Zakharchenko, the leader of the "DPR":
- Many of our residents went to be treated and examined in Donetsk even without your program. There is simply nowhere else to go. Doctors issue documents with a stamp of the Donetsk People's Republic. And here our doctors do not accept these documents, sometimes even tear them because they fear the SBU. Is it possible to issue medical reports with Ukrainian seals for people from Ukrainian territory?
- Even with all the will to help these people, we cannot do it. First of all, we have no more Ukrainian formsheets. Secondly, not everywhere you can find those Ukrainian seals. And thirdly, why is this impossible? You see, we have our own state. We are not able to do this for one simple reason: we do not issue any documents in Ukrainian as a matter of principle... We are an independent state with our own rules, one of which is the issuance of medical documents in a state language, which is Russian, and with our seals.
That is, the program, allegedly aimed to help the people of Donbass, in fact, has purely political and propagandistic goals. For Zakharchenko, pieces of paper with the "DPR" emblem are more important than the fate of real people. This is how he answered the question about the hypothetical danger from the SBU for those who will go to the occupied territory for treatment or training.
A. Zakharchenko: Even before the announcement of this program for the reunion of the Donbass inhabitants, residents of Volnovakha, Mariupol went to our hospitals, applied for pensions, their children studied here. And for some reason, no one has detained anyone for their cooperation with the separatists... But in fact, I am not afraid if they put you in jail because you are the inhabitant of Volnovakha. Volnovakha is the DPR town and each of us is obliged to protect his native land. Each of us must be at the fighting post, including Volnovakha. The war is on. Therefore, each of us is a warrior and should help the front in any way he can.
In general, Zakharchenko prefers people to be detained rather than just living a peaceful life. Leave him to Heaven. But will this suffering of the elderly and needy people on the block-posts be justified? Will they really get what they were promised? This is what the former Minister of State Security of the DPR, the leader of the Vostok battalion, Alexander Khodakovsky, thinks about this.
A. Khodakovsky: - The DPR is implementing a program of assistance to compatriots in Ukraine. Should we really waste ourselves on such obviously propagandistic actions?
- We do not do anything. Do not be naive. Yes it is proclaimed from the point of view of propaganda and ideological struggle... No money is really spent on this assistance. This was simply a usual propaganda statement, which is aimed at solving the tasks of propaganda struggle between us and them.
It is interesting that Zakharchenko himself also admits that the financial situation of the "republic" does not allow providing the medical care even to the inhabitants of the territory seized by the DPR.
A. Zakharchenko: And this program implies the provision of medical care. And all the help that is needed to treat your granddaughter, will be provided completely free of charge. Although, I repeat, our Republic itself is in a difficult financial situation. Not even all our inhabitants can use it.
In general, it is scary when they are speculating on the health of people for the sake of propagandistic and political goals. It is especially disgusting, when they invite sick people to come for treatment, despite the fact that, objectively, this treatment cannot be provided.
For example, during the live chat, a cancer-stricken woman addressed the leader of the "DPR". Zakharchenko urged her to come to Donetsk for chemotherapy.
A. Zakharchenko: There is no queue for residents of the temporarily occupied territories. To be more accurate, if there are many appeals, it will consist just of these residents, not of ours.
Now let us see what the real condition of medicine is in the DPR. And let us see it with their eyes. Here are the fragments of video from Zakharchenko's meeting with medical professionals, held just six months ago. I do not think that something has changed dramatically since then.
Video: This year we had 271 graduates. The state distribution was carried out. All are provided with workspaces. However, there is still a personnel deficiency in the DPP. It is about 40%.
But the saddest, and, one can say, dangerous, is that despite the hyped Russian assistance, Donetsk hospitals are provided with drugs for oncology patients just for 10% of the demand.
Video: We received chemotherapeutic agents for $386 thousand as of today (this is for all the time) thanks to the help of convoys from the Russian Federation. The demand is quite high as of today, the provision – about 10%.
Have you paid attention? - Russia brought chemotherapeutic agents to Donetsk for $386 thousand over two years. But it turns out that only a monthly demand for them is $526 thousand.
Video: A monthly demand for chemotherapeutic agents is about $526 thousand a month on the average.
The same situation is with hemodialysis. This was also mentioned at the meeting of medical professionals with Zakharchenko.
Video: – You said today that we have 122 patients who are in need…
- These are in desperate need – 102. There are 500 of those who need daily in fact. So it turns out that today we have a deficit of 382 patients. What will we do with them? That is the whole problem…
- How are we provided with drugs in general?
- In general, up to 20% of the demand.
The provision of drugs in the occupied territory of the Donetsk oblast was only 20% last summer. So where do you call people for the treatment?
Did anybody ever calculate the economic component of this program? Will it not be as with the Donbass Arena which was grabbed from Akhmetov? The light is turned on every night, and who will pay for this beauty – have not decided yet?
D. Pushylin, the head of the "People's Council of the DPR":
- What will be with the stadium itself? Will there be football matches and will we see a match in the Donbass Arena? And who will play?
– This is a question more to the Ministry of Sports. The Ministry of Sports still clutches the head because the expense side of the stadium is very, very large. Just for the electricity. I understand, it is very significant for me that we see this stadium now, that it is illuminated. It was not illuminated almost all these three years. And now a certain stage is probably marked that the Donbass Arena is illuminated. And when will the match be here? – Well, probably it will take the efforts of more than one ministry. Alas, the war is not over yet.
It should also be noted that the motorcade of generosity in the "DPP-LPR" was announced at the time when not only industry stopped, but also charity (the same humanitarian convoys of Akhmetov) was blocked by Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky. They distribute what was already in stock yet, but what next?
A. Khodakovsky: Objectively. Whatever this order comes laden with, but, of course, there is nowhere from which it can be taken with the reduction of supplies from Russia and the total refusal of supplies from the "We Will Help" Fund. And the problem will of course be after a while. But I think that we just have time now to stress this problem to Russia and ask for additional help, ask at least not to reduce the number of humanitarian convoys that came here because it will really lead to a specified load.
- This humanitarian aid is now a total dependence on Russia. The same situation is with the economy. But even if Moscow hangs up this burden towards itself, money for its humanitarian programs will unlikely to emerge in the republics. At least, not soon. And the propaganda around the Assistance Program for compatriots is being dispersed right now…
A. Khodakovsky: I know that even if the launch will be on the new rails oriented to Russia, there will still be no full loading of these enterprises because it will be necessary to appoint this production somewhere. I think that enterprises will earn just a certain percentage at first. I believe that this percentage will be sufficient to keep these enterprises at the level of profitability, so that we overcome the breakeven point, but no more.
But not only the lack of money makes this program of assistance to the compatriots of the poor "DPR-LPR" a propaganda fake, but also the attitude of the authorities of these entities to people:
Zakharchenko: You know, we were very lucky, because all the scum that lived with us went to the territory of Ukraine. And we were self-cleaned in fact.
So the residents of free Donbass should not rely on charity from Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky. Unfortunately, propaganda is very different from the real life where the "DPR-LPR" is more and more similar to the besieged Leningrad, which itself needs help.
V. Skorokhodov, the deputy of the "People's Council of the DPR": There is a war on and it is hard for the country now. It is necessary to survive. It is not necessary to demand everything and every minute. We need to remember, by the way, the Great Patriotic War and the besieged Leningrad, - how people operated machines just for bread, children worked to ensure that the Motherland and the country survived.
Well, if someone still decides to go for free lunch to the "DPR-LPR", - no one will condemn you. As the same Zakharchenko said…:
A. Zakharchenko: one of the military cunnings which all the belligerent countries used, - the economical destruction of the enemy. In other words, we weaken the economy of Ukraine by receiving double pensions. Come on, guys, get it all!
So, the residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, - come on, weaken the economy of the DPR-LPR. The main thing is to be under no illusion: is the promise which has been waiting for three years worth the efforts wasted?...
OstroV, Public Radio of Donbass