Nikolay Starikov: “Federalization is the rescue for Ukraine!”

Very popular writer and publicist today, the author of more than ten best-sellers, Nikolay Starikov is able to write simply about the most complex problems of history and policy. There was no vacant place at his next meeting with readers in Novosibirsk in Pliny Senior! There were many questions and were they the most different. But first of all Nikolay Starikov was asked to give an assessment to events in Ukraine:

- In Ukraine there are victims and, unfortunately, will be while the order won’t be brought. In what way Russia can help Ukraine? It is necessary to say that Ukraine is part of the Russian civilization. It is not any abstract country, but the part of us. It is we! Only today it is the certain state …

But it was not always: 25 years ago we were the united country and 100 years ago too. Then many inhabitants of Ukraine didn’t know that it is Ukraine, simply it weren’t aware. Nobody wrote in history textbooks that it is Ukraine; it was the provinces of the Russian Empire. They were centuries its part, and there was no any national discord. And all together protected the homeland! Therefore, the question of frontiers is very tactical and changeable.

We don’t know what will be farther, but we know that the Ukrainian people are the part of our people. Therefore the relation to Ukraine has to be careful! And when our president says that Russia is against the division of Ukraine is an honest truth! I agree with him and always told it too. We are against disorder of Ukraine: prospering, united, indivisible Ukraine is necessary to us! It is necessary as a component of the Russian World, it is necessary in the Customs Union and Eurasian union.

Let it don’t break up at all. Let no chaos will exist there. That is the desire of our country! But, unfortunately, there is a geopolitical game on territories of Ukraine in which not only we participate. Other party has opposite desires: chaos, disorder is necessary to them, war and victims are necessary. And therefore they support those who disorganized the state.

Ukraine can be helped only if it helps itself! And Russia can’t carry out any hostile actions against Ukraine. Why? There is a lot of reasons.

Firstly, it is the part of us and we can’t wage fratricidal war. Secondly, any hostile actions against Ukraine are impossible for the reason that it can become the trigger mechanism of big war which is necessary to the West. The West waits that from us — war is very necessary to it! It simply asks us to make it… But we can’t make such gift to it by no means!

Therefore if the citizens of Ukraine, for example, come on May 9 for multimillion demonstrations with the federalization requirement … But what is such federalization? It is when people choose authorities on places and these authorities possess big powers. Certainly, the part of powers remains in the Center, but the lion’s share — in areas. And then it won’t be able to impose many things to them: for example, that the Russian language would be under a ban. Here, let us assume, people chose the power in the Kharkov and Donetsk areas, and it decided that Russian language is the second state language and in Zakarpatye — also the Hungarian language … But people have to make it! And we can help only to those who will help himself.

Russia can’t and isn’t going to prevent elections in Ukraine. It can’t recognize their results if it is visible that the will took place under pressure and there were serious violations. If the democrats in masks with bits and boards would stand on polling stations … But Russia won’t interfere with internal affairs of Ukraine — it will attentively look how there is an electoral process. If there are serious doubts in honesty of elections, Russia can’t recognize them.

Our western friends don’t like the idea of federalization. In my opinion, it is the most reasonable line today, but to the West it isn’t pleasant, of course. It is a question not that the Crimean scenario repeats and that the authorities in Kiev lose control and opportunity to press the Southeast of Ukraine. Let people will be able to define a format of the power which suits them! The Russian language will be there, it will be impossible to forbid the Russian channels. There can be economic conditions, other than other areas. Russia can sign any contracts with separate areas directly, giving any economic preferences, giving the chance of economic orders.

And at once there will be a difference: the life will become normal and it won’t be in other areas of the country. It is as in a case with the Crimea. The Crimea was a part of Russia and social payments will increase many times there at once and in Ukraine they decrease on the contrary! Gas prices grow in Ukraine and in the Crimea no … There is a difference! And the people living in Ukraine, everything see it and ask a question: why the people in the Crimea live well and we have to live badly?! It is the different standard of living… Here therefore they dig the ditches and send the armored troop-carriers to border.

They are going to restore the Berlin wall with a barbed wire that nobody could pass there! At once forbade citizens to go there and channels disconnected. Also it is possible to say now that the Russian soldiers eat the Crimean Tatar babies for breakfast … Here for the sake of what everything becomes!

This situation will change not during one day, but it will change quickly enough. Because the today’s economy of Ukraine is destroyed by that revolution which happened. Nobody forbade to do business, but revolution is such piece which all this stops at once. Shops start being closed, nobody does an investment for the next day … After all it is unclear what will be?! On the contrary, all take money away from banks. That is, economic life stops.

And the more the revolutionary rush, the more it stops. And further the irreversible processes begin as there is no something new in economy and there are mass reductions. All this starts extending and one only words and spells won’t stop it!

Well, will take the credit from the IMF, but after all will reduce social payments — it will make destitute still any part of the population of Ukraine. It won’t be able simply to buy something in the country. What the trips abroad? About what we are speaking about?! On what money?! Here this process is started; it starts developing.

And in this sense stability which is in the Crimea, is very dangerous to all authorities which will look at it from Ukraine. And federalization is just that will help to avoid split of Ukraine! But just it isn’t wanted categorically by the West.