Serhiy Pashynskyy, a former MP of four convocations and chairman of the National Association of Defence Industry Enterprises, will continue to coordinate enterprises for the development of Ukraine's defence industry.
Pashynsky said this in an interview with LB.
"I have radically decided not to return to public politics. I see myself as a lobbyist, organiser and coordinator of the development of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine. Of course, public politics offers some advantages. But at the same time, I am well aware that after the victory we will have to build another state. And if I want to be an effective manager of the military-industrial complex development, I will have to cooperate with different political camps, with people who have different political views. Therefore, subjectivity in politics will harm me. I have made this decision. And I am not going to change it in the near future," he said.
Pashynsky emphasised that he would focus his work in the defence industry.
At the same time, he added that he had not spoken to his former political colleague from the People's Front, former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, for three years. And the fifth President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, asked him to provide him with advice at the very beginning of the great war.
"He was starting his volunteer work then. He simply asked me: what does the army need most? Then I advised him - and I saw in the media that he was implementing my advice - to supply trucks, trucks, and more trucks. This was at the time of the war. And even now we need vehicles. You know that vehicles are consumables. And the problem remains very relevant now," he said.
Pashinsky stated that he "had no communication with President Zelenskyy or anyone from his entourage."
"I communicate with officials in the defence and security sector... As for our President, like everyone else, I cannot but note that since 24 February, President Zelenskyy has done a tremendous work. In terms of mobilisation, both inside and outside the country. And you know, this work will be appreciated. As of today, thanks to the efforts of the state of Ukraine, including Zelenskyy, we have launched such armed programs that, unfortunately, for many reasons, we have not been able to implement since 2014. I am confident that these programs will now be implemented. I have no doubt that this will happen. We will see it on the frontline, in terms of the number of our killed enemies," he said.
Before the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Serhiy Pashynskyy, in agreement with the head of the state-owned Kyiv Design Bureau Luch, organised the disposal of a large number of anti-tank missiles produced by the plant. With the assistance of the Luch Design Bureau, he also began training 50 Stugna and Corsair ATGM teams from among volunteers.