Donetsk, Jan 31 - DAN. The initiative on providing Russian military assistance to enhance the defense capability of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics shows that Russia will prevent a threat to the lives of its citizens living in Donbass, State Duma lower house of the Russian parliament deputy from the “United Russia” Party faction, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Viktor Vodolatsky told the Donetsk News Agency.
On January 26, First Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council upper house of the Russian parliament, “United Russia” General Council Secretary Andrey Turchak said that Russia had to supply certain kinds of weapons to the DPR and the LPR to enhance the Republics’ defense capability for containing the military aggression which Kiev was obviously preparing. Leader of the “United Russia” faction at the State Duma lower house of the Russian parliament Vladimir Vasilyev stated that the party had appealed to the country’s leadership over the issue.
“His (Andrey Turchak’s - eds Donetsk News Agency) statement's only aim is that if hostilities begin, our citizen may get killed, and we cannot permit that. Consequently, we have to supply the defensive weapons to LPR and DPR militia units which will fully destroy the armaments the West is currently sending to Ukraine. We have means to counter these weapons which will make their use against the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics impossible. So the statement is based on these facts and our duty to protect our citizens living in these areas. This task will be fulfilled,” Vodolatsky said.
The initiative was brought forward amid the massing of forces and weapons at the contact line, including nationalistic battalions and gunmen of private military companies of the United States, Canada and European countries which “have come to replenish their budget,” he added.
Answering DAN’s question on how far Russia was ready to go in defending its citizens in Donbass, and if there was a line Russia would not cross, Vodolatsky answered that there was no such line.
“Such a line does not exist, because Russian President Vladimimr Putin said that we would defend our citizens and compatriots, and Andrey Turchak, during his visits to Donbass repeatedly said that we would not permit the destruction of our citizens and compatriots by the neo-Nazi, by the fascist regime which is currently ruling in Ukraine. So Russia will give an adequate response to any moves from that side. We will protect Donbass will all means available to us in order to prevent it,” the Russian lawmaker said.*jk