PRESS RELEASE : If Ukraine loses, Russia will dominate in Europe and impose its values on it – Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview with Le Figaro [October 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 12 October 2022.

The only way to win the war unleashed by the Russian Federation is to stop being afraid of Russia and multiply Ukraine’s tactical victories. This was stated by Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro.

He believes that mass shelling, similar to the one Ukraine experienced on Monday, enables the current President of the Russian Federation to retain power in his country. After all, he lied when he said that the Russian army was the second in the world, and now the world has seen that Russia is weak.

“The only way to win this war is to stop being afraid,” said Mykhailo Podolyak.

According to him, in order to weaken Vladimir Putin and his entourage, it is necessary to multiply Ukraine’s tactical victories.

“We compensate for the fact that we have fewer numbers and fewer weapons with our strategic advantage and better planning. Russian elite soldiers are already dead. Russian recruits are poorly prepared. Russia bets only on artillery. We are not looking for parity with it, but unblocking the battlefield by hitting the rear. Now we need more tanks and long-range MLRS. It’s math: each arrival of weapons accelerates our liberation. Our victory is possible only under three conditions: Ukrainians – civilians and military – must maintain high morale, as now; weapons must continue to arrive, and Russian elites must be punished even more. And we should not listen to pro-Russian propagandists who are now talking about peace proposals. Russia is trying to buy time,” the Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine emphasized.

He also called for an end to speculation on the nuclear issue, because Ukraine is not a nuclear state. And if Russia does not follow the protocol in this sphere, other nuclear powers should respond accordingly.

“In the near future, we need to strengthen our air defense to protect the civilian population. And the Europeans are still wondering: “Should Ukrainians receive weapons?” he noted.

Mykhailo Podolyak emphasized that Ukraine must return all the territories it had as of 1991.

“Russian war criminals should be tried not only for Ukraine, but also for all past wars: in Georgia, in Syria and in Donbas since 2014… Ukraine’s victory would cure Russia of the chauvinism from which the whole of Europe suffers,” he is convinced.

The Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office drew attention to the fact that Russia supports extremes in Europe – both far-right and far-left political forces – and also caused the energy crisis that is affecting the entire region.

“If Ukraine loses, Russia will dominate in Europe and impose its values on it. Ukraine has shown that it is capable of waging war, but we need help. It’s time to go the whole way – without fear,” Mykhailo Podolyak emphasized.