First Deputy Foreign Minister of the LPR Anna Soroka gave an extensive interview on TNT Radio to American journalist George Eliason
18 June 2022
First Deputy Foreign Minister of the LPR Anna Soroka gave an extensive interview on TNT Radio to American journalist George Eliason, speaking in detail about the reasons for the Russian special operation, the humanitarian situation in the liberated territories, and the facts of crimes committed by the Kiev regime and the AFU against civilians in Donbass.
- [On the premises for the beginning of the Russian special operation to protect the Republics of Donbass]: We all expected that during eight years of the Minsk negotiations, peace would be achieved without any aggressive actions... But, unfortunately, peace did not occur. In February 2022 we realized that Ukraine's program was only aimed at killing...
We were forced to defend ourselves, to ask the Russian Federation for help, and thank God, we received it and now people in the towns we liberate are really happy that peace and freedom of speech and thought are coming and the truth will finally prevail...
All these eight years some part of the Lugansk region has been under illegal occupation of Ukraine, the regime that came to power illegally in 2014. Now, leaving these territories, Ukraine is destroying cities following the principle "If I can't have you, no one can!" - [On the crimes of the Kiev authorities and Ukrainian fighters]: Now, when we enter the liberated cities we find facts that confirm torture and cruel treatment of civilians by the Ukrainian armed formations...
The civil interests were never protected [by the Ukrainian authorities]. Thus, every fact we are discovering now speaks of the crimes that Ukraine and its armed formations have been committing against its own population for eight years. - [On the humanitarian situation in the liberated territories]: The humanitarian situation is difficult at the moment. For our part, we are taking all necessary measures. However, in retreating from cities and towns, the Ukrainian army blew up bridges and destroyed infrastructure. This applies to water and gas pipelines, the power distribution system...
There were situations when we restored bridges within 2-3 days, realizing that the population was suffering from the lack of medical care, food and water.
Moreover, indiscriminate shelling by the Ukrainian army caused heavy casualties. For example, in Rubezhnoye, each courtyard, kindergarten, and school has spontaneous burials of people who died as a result of mortar and artillery shelling. - The most frequently encountered crime in the towns of Rubezhnoye, Popasnaya, Severodonetsk is the shooting of civilians by snipers. We also receive evidence of violence against civilians, illegal detention and beatings. In addition, Ukrainian troops retreating simply leave behind scorched earth, burning towns, forests and villages.
- [On Ukraine's attitude towards prisoners of war]: Once the special operation started, we received a lot of videos made by the Ukrainian military and sent to families and relatives of people who defended our land. The videos showed footage of prisoners of war being mocked, their legs being shot through, young men being castrated, their eyes being burned out. This is probably the least that our soldiers were subjected to by Ukrainian servicemen.
For its part, the Lugansk People's Republic fully complies with international humanitarian law with respect to prisoners of war.