- Konstantin Valentinovich, two years will soon pass since the special operation began. The question regularly arises: why aren’t we advancing? You believe that there is no political solution. Why? And what will it lead to?
- The logic of conducting the operation, its strategy, is refined politics, and has nothing to do with military art. It’s purely political. And it is quite understandable, because NATO is waging a hybrid war against us. Ukraine is not our enemy — our enemy is the West. In hybrid warfare, the actions of traditional armed forces are entirely subordinated to politics.
Joe Biden and Lloyd Austin explained very well why we are acting this way. Biden said, «We will not allow the defeat of Ukraine, but if such a threat arises — we will begin direct military action with Russia». Austin at the meeting warned American congressmen: «If you don’t allocate the money, we will have to send your sons, your husbands, your fathers to the front».
That’s to understand why there is such a delay. Plus, we should not forget that there is a “fifth column” operating in Russia. It is pushing its interests. This is primarily big business, some representatives of which spoke at the beginning of the operation with a demand to stop it. In the early days of March 2022, a letter was prepared by top leaders of academic institutions also demanding to stop the special military operation. None of these persons has yet been prosecuted. None of them has been deprived of their authority.
This complex of factors — the West’s threats to start a full-scale war with Russia, plus the activities of internal opponents — explains the fact that the special military operation is being conducted as it is.
This situation has led to the fact that over the past two years in the Russian Federation a rather powerful layer of people has formed, mainly from the majority of the population, who are beginning to think about the need to abandon the capitalist market and switch to the functions of state regulation. The understanding of this is rising even to the level of the government, which is beginning to introduce elements of such regulation.
Therefore, the main front is here, inside the country. When will this happen? This is not a quick process. It happened in Russian history from 1914 to 1917. We have only had two years.
- How threatening for us is the enemy bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper?
- Of course, this bridgehead is unpleasant. The enemy has an opportunity to potentially build up forces there and launch a flank attack on our troops from this direction. But at the moment the enemy does not possess the opportunity to build up its forces. Therefore, this bridgehead is an object that makes us divert forces, means and resources to maintain its unitary status. So it’s a diversion and at this stage it’s an unpleasant thing.
- Do you think that if a ceasefire with Ukraine is concluded, then a new conflict will erupt elsewhere — for example, around the Zangezur corridor?
- A conflict will develop there in any case. The ceasefire can be concluded in order to take time to restore the combat capability of Ukrainian troops and to deploy full-fledged NATO military infrastructure on the territory of Ukraine. And at this point, our adversaries will develop conflicts in other zones.
- The President of Azerbaijan has announced early elections. What do you think is behind this?
- The reason is as follows. Aliyev formally observes the principles of democracy. Now he is at the peak of his authority because he ensured the integration of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan. He did not succeed in a military victory, but succeeded in a political hybrid victory against Russia when Nikol Pashinyan was brought to power in Armenia. Now Ilham Aliyev wants a mandate of confidence for a long time, because the Zangezur corridor and a number of other events are ahead.
- The world community puts forward various proposals on how to resolve the Middle East crisis. For example, recognizing Israel’s 1967 borders. In your opinion, if we proceed from what Henry Kissinger said in September 2013 that Israel has exactly 10 years to live in the world, can the situation come to the point where there will be just the city of Jerusalem with a special status?
- That’s the way it will be. But the point is different. This whole operation now underway in the Gaza Strip is aimed at a radical solution to the Palestinian question. Already even The Washington Post and The New York Times openly write that Israeli intelligence services knew about the forthcoming Hamas operation a year in advance, knew the details. To say that no one knew anything is idle talk. That is why they did not prevent Hamas from preparing this operation in order to justify the brutal measures to radically solve the Palestinian question. The point is very simple: solving the Palestinian issue — one, and the second component is religious, namely the building of Solomon’s Temple. In order to do that, the Al-Aqsa Mosque must be moved. This is a key point, which is of great global importance, affecting the interests of the entire Muslim world and is the main condition for the enthronement of global power of the world elites.