Denis Pushilin, head of the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic, warned in an interview with Reuters on Feb. 7 that there was a high likelihood of a war that would bring huge casualties, although it would be “madness” to embrace such a conflict. “First of all, we rely on ourselves, but we do not rule out that we will be forced to turn to Russia if Ukraine, with the support of Western countries, passes a certain line,” he said, referring to whether the D.P.R. will ask Moscow for additional weapons.
Pushilin said the militias of the two breakaway republics had gaps in their weaponry when it came to electronic warfare, air defenses and the ability to counter the Ukrainian army’s Turkish-made drones. He said they were not in contact with Russia about providing weapons, but noted an “important statement” by a ruling party politician in the Russian parliament last month who said Moscow should supply certain types of arms to the separatists in Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk.
“I’m even talking about some kind of big war. Which I would like to avoid, because this war could be the last one for humanity,” Pushilin said, accusing the West of exacerbating the situation. He criticized “naive” statements by U.S. officials that the timing of any conflict would be influenced by whether the ground was frozen. “It could all start at any moment, regardless of weather conditions. Sometimes unfavorable weather conditions are good cover for launching an attack.”
