The Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov addressed the residents of the temporarily occupied Russian districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He assured that Ukraine continues to consider them its citizens and called not to become complicit in the crimes of the Russian occupiers.
Reznikov addressed the residents of Donetsk, Luhansk, Makiivka, Horlivka, Yenakiyevo, Alchevsk, Chervonyy Luch, Krasnodon and other cities of the Ukrainian Donbas.
"The Kremlin has waged a full-scale war, hiding behind the words that "you need to be protected". You know better than me what this "protection" really turned out to be, not only for Ukraine in general but for you, for your relatives and neighbours. You know better than me hundreds from your cities have been killed in the past three weeks of the escalation. These were ordinary people taken from factories and mines, handed a machine gun and thrown under bullets," said the Defense Minister.
He noted that in recent days the Ukrainian army is increasingly capturing people who the Russian occupiers forcibly mobilized and threw into battle as cannon fodder. The scale of forced mobilization is increasing.
Reznikov stressed that the mobilized from the CADLR are not included in the losses statistics of the Russian army because they are only expendable material for Moscow. "You do not exist for them. Soon the number of killed residents of CADLR will reach thousands," the minister added.
He stated that the occupiers had already wiped out Volnovakha and many other cities. "Moscow hordes "liberate" the region from schools, hospitals, roads, enterprises." They "liberate" the Donetsk and Luhansk regions from Donetsk and Luhansk residents. They will be pretty satisfied if there is a dead desert instead of the flourishing Ukrainian Donbas. And will you be happy?" asked Reznikov.
The Ukrainian Minister of Defense is convinced that Russia will lose this war and fall into chaos. It will not care about those who live in the Ukrainian Donbas.
"We still consider you citizens of Ukraine. We consider you our citizens. You are safe if you have not committed crimes," Reznikov said.
He called on the inhabitants of these regions to avoid violent mobilization. If they are mobilized to the Russian troops, try to side with the Ukrainian army as soon as possible.
"Everyone who has already laid down their arms is safe. We will deal with all the formalities. The main thing is to avoid the irreparable and save lives. If you have committed a crime but want to save yourselves, run away or surrender. Only very quickly," Reznikov added.
According to the head of the Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian side will take genuine remorse into account.
"If you surrender with the equipment or help capture a Russian officer, you can count on the mitigation of punishment. It will be a fair trial, not a trial you have been taught for these eight years. Those who committed crimes after the sentence will be able to return to everyday life. We will need labour to restore Donbas after its cleansing from the occupiers. And your own families and your loved ones need you, too. This is your chance," said Oleksiy Reznikov.
He called on the mothers, wives and friends of those who may fall into the hands of Russian invaders to hide their loved ones. "Don't believe Russian propaganda. It only brings grief and death. Listen to your heart. Ukraine will ensure peace and prosperity for all our regions currently suffering from the war. Together we will do it faster," he explained.
The Ukrainian Defense Minister urged Ukrainians in the occupied Donbas, "Remember, time goes by. After the Russian atrocities in Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, our soldiers are set to burn all the invaders and their accomplices with red-hot iron. Do not be among them. Do not make a mistake".