Former Ukraine's Opposition Leader Viktor Medvedchuk Shares Perspective on Country's Future
11:52 26.01.2023 (Updated: 12:10 26.01.2023)
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Viktor Medvedchuk, 67, is the leader of Ukraine’s 'The Opposition Platform - For Life' political party.
Former Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk said on Thursday that not all Ukrainians support an anti-Russian narrative and Russophobia, President Volodymyr Zelensky's claims that he represents a united nation are untrue.
Who is Viktor Medvedchuk?
Viktor Medvedchuk, 67, was placed under house arrest without the possibility of bail by a court in Lvov, days after being detained by the Ukrainian Security Service as part of Kiev’s effort to put pressure on the country’s opposition.
In January 2023, Medvedchuk, who was freed in a prisoner swap in September 2022, was deprived of the Ukrainian citizenship in a move initiated by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Medvedchuk spent years criticizing Ukraine’s pro-Western politicians and expressing the view that the country’s interests would best be met by forging closer ties with its Russian and Belarusian neighbors.
In a recent interview with RT, Medvedchuk speaks about the causes of the Ukraine conflict and its implications.
'West Turned Ukraine Into Testing Ground for Showdown With Russia'
RT: You came [to Russia] after an exchange of POWs. What is your status now, what documents do you have, if I may ask?
Viktor Medvedchuk: Well, my current status is not a simple affair. I have been a citizen of Ukraine. I even have a Ukrainian passport. However, Zelensky is determined to destroy me as an opposition politician in his uncompromising fight against me.
I have never had Russian citizenship. And there was no need to, because I am a Ukrainian politician, I have always been one.
While the war is being waged in Ukraine, this war is not for Ukraine, but for the interests of the West, the US, the UK, and many other countries, which are having it out with Russia.
And we know for sure there is this other Ukraine. Zelensky claims to represent a united nation but that is a myth invented out of thin air. This unity has been built thanks to bayonets. He represents Ukraine, claiming the Ukrainian people have come together and stand strong in terms of anti-Russian narrative and yobbish Russophobia.
© Photo : RT
So I continue to fight. There are people who represent a different Ukraine. Not the Ukraine run by Banderites. The other Ukraine, which has nothing in common with the statements and policy of neo-Nazism pursued by Zelensky.
RT: You are a proponent of a new Ukraine. In your article, you ‘ve said Ukraine needs a new movement to save it. You’re against it being a stage for geopolitical struggle.
With the current situation, no future Ukraine is possible. It’s unreal. And it will remain unreal if the current policy is maintained. But that’s what Zelensky is trying to do, trying to pit the entire West against Russia and using Ukraine to wage war in the interests of the West. Because the war in Ukraine today is not about Ukraine. It is about the interests of the West and is only waged in the interests of the West. We need to make this clear to people, we need to show them the facts that prove it.
RT: Do you think it’s possible to change things in Ukraine? Even if a new leader is elected, another oligarch or someone else, would they be able to solve the issue with the anti-Russian sentiment in Ukraine?
Viktor Medvedchuk: Your question contains two questions actually, two layers. First off, it is possible to reverse the anti-Russian sentiment. There are already people in Ukraine who don’t share it. I can’t tell how many, but I know for sure that these people exist. They are afraid to speak up or do anything, because they will be destroyed by the repressive machine, this lawless regime that has dismantled democracy and rule of law. There are no courts, there is nothing but instructions from Zelensky and his criminal inner circle. This can be changed if we work on it and explain things to people.
Here is an example. Let’s say a person left Ukraine and came to Russia. What do you think his or her views are? Do they consider Russia an aggressor? Of course not. Before February 24, about 2.5 million Ukrainians lived in Russia – studying, working, etc. This is official data. Do you think they listened to Zelensky, left Russia and returned to Ukraine? Maybe some of them did. But very few. The rest have stayed. And how many millions arrived after February 24? How? They were forced to flee. I was forced to leave my country. Why do I have to forget about my home? The land where my parents are buried. The country that is so meaningful to me. Yes, I was born in Russia, near Krasnoyarsk. But when I was in second grade my family moved to Ukraine, and we have lived there ever since. It became my country. And I have done a lot for that country. When I was a government official, when I was a politician.
I don’t consider myself an enemy of the Ukrainian people. They wouldn’t have elected an enemy to the parliament. And was elected as an MP four times. I served four terms in the parliament. So it can be done. We need to reverse the trend that started in 2014 – the “anti-Russia” strategy, escalation of the anti-Russian hysteria and boorish Russophobia. And we can break this trend, I am sure.
Now as for your remark about another oligarch being elected to the highest office. States hold elections. And I already explained to you why there is no state in Ukraine right now. What kind of elections can we talk about? Yes, he can schedule a vote. But it would just mean that he will appoint himself as president and appoint MPs from his list. People who will listen to his every word and not think about what he is saying. And most importantly, not think critically about his actions. Everything is possible. But it is not an election.
Yes, unfortunately, some of our party members switched sides and now they support Zelensky, our enemy. But it doesn’t mean that we should give up. As you can see, I didn’t give up. Maybe I should just stop, considering my story and everything else that happened in my life. But I am not going to give up. I believe that it’s possible. Not only that, I think it must be done.
RT: What about your new movement that you wrote about in the op-ed that we will discuss later on? What has been the response by the Western media? What will Ukraine do under these circumstances?
Viktor Medvedchuk: This is a new political movement. It is a bid to demonstrate that Zelensky is, politely speaking, wrong. He claims that he is supported by a consolidated force of Ukrainian people, he claims that Russia should be destroyed and the West should be part of this effort. To this I say: no, it is not the real picture.
We must unite these people and find out what they really think. For some reason I am sure that they stand against the government and against Zelensky. This movement will debunk the fact that Ukraine has been whole-heartedly backing Zelensky and his criminal regime. That's our main goal today.
As for specific actions by this social movement or its representatives, that depends, I am sure, on millions of people in Russia, Ukraine, Europe.
These are millions of people who disagree with Zelensky's policies.
We need to bring them together. They need to be united by common ideas. They need to be united by common representation. And then we can talk and argue about the future of Ukraine and about their specific contribution to a bright and trouble-free future, as they used to say. I admit, though, that it is an uphill battle.
RT: So what’s next? What should the opposition do? An idea is not enough. What actions need to be taken?
Viktor Medvedchuk: I gave you an example. Ukraine has a leader but no idea. We have an idea. That means there will be a leader and there will be action. We must make it happen. As to how we’re going to do it – you will see. But we will do it, or at least try, there’s no doubt about that.
RT: So the Izvestia article is a first step?
Viktor Medvedchuk: Yes, it’s a first step. It is a first step. That’s certainly a first step.
RT: What’s the most important point in that article? And what do you think about the response from Western media? As far as I know, they focused on your mentioning nuclear war. They’re concerned about that.
Viktor Medvedchuk: Yes, that's what interests the West most of all. And I think it’s very valuable that they’ve heard it. Because it’s my point of view also – that we have two paths before us today. Either we defuse the tension, and that’s possible if everyone’s interests are taken into account – Russia and all other countries – including security interests. Or we escalate the tension, which may lead to a world war. Because how else can you call the current situation, when practically all 30 NATO countries, including those who only aspire to attain this high status, are sending weapons and military equipment, shipping them to the launch pad that the West, the US and the UK, are renting from Zelensky.
For some reason, this launch pad is called “Ukraine”. And everything is happening there. How else can you call this? This is why I’m speaking about this: because it may all end in a nuclear conflict. We cannot rule that out. Seeing as the West now serves as an obedient resource for Zelensky, who mentors Western politicians in his appeals, instructing them on how to bring their countries to poverty, as he helped do in Ukraine. Now he “inspires” the West to wage a war against Russia, urging it to destroy Russia. They must understand what this will lead to. So it wasn’t just a random reference. It is my point of view, and I stated it openly.
And that wasn’t the only thing they paid attention to. They also noticed Medvedchuk talked about the other Ukraine, that’s important. And this term can be heard in the discussion in Ukraine. Medvedchuk… And the talks began. The government. Almost like in your question. A government in exile. No problem. But when established, it always stays in exile. It has always been this way. That’s not what we need.
We need to destroy Zelensky’s ideology. He thinks Ukraine is united and everyone supports him, the war and there’s no one who wants peace or a different future, while we believe that these people exist and they’re Ukrainians as well. They have the right to speak their minds. They have the right to speak and be heard.
RT: Before the interview you’ve noted quite curiously that Zelensky listens to the UK even more than it does to the US. Why so?
Viktor Medvedchuk: I can answer that. Based on the analytical data, not wartime, but before, since 2019, especially after his visit to the UK and everything else. The UK’s influence is greater than that of the US and the rest of the West. It’s the UK that pulls the strings in Ukraine and is a major external controller.
And they know, I mean Zelensky and his entourage, they’ll be fine no matter what happens in Ukraine. They’ll go away and have a happy life. That’s why they didn’t hesitate to let their country be torn apart and drained of the last drops of prosperity. They let it become an arena for battle between Russia and the West.
RT: And what was their plan?
Viktor Medvedchuk: They have only one plan. This clash was meant to weaken Russia. Today, we witness how it goes. The victory of Ukraine… We all know it’s impossible due to certain objective reasons. But it could ignite internal struggle, fuel processes that could weaken Russia and its leadership – that’s the West’s plan which Zelensky and his team are trying to pull off.
RT: There’s been no internal struggle in Russia yet.
Viktor Medvedchuk: Thank God!
RT: Do you believe Zelensky could hold on to his power for long?
Viktor Medvedchuk: His fate is unknown to me. But I must say, I’d very much love to see him answer for all he’s done to Ukraine and its people. He’s destroyed the country. He’s thrown it into the fires of war. This is his fault. I’d like to remind you what many forget these days, unfortunately. About what’d happened just before February 24.
I was giving interviews a lot and I talked about that as well. About the need to avoid war, to do everything we can to prevent it. Could Zelensky do something? I’m positive: he could. And moreover, he had to. He had to follow the Minsk Accords. You’ve heard Merkel’s and Hollande’s revelations. And even Poroshenko’s trying to play along.
RT: No one was going to abide by them.
Viktor Medvedchuk: Yes.
RT: Well, how do you make sure that the next leader would not do the same thing?
Viktor Medvedchuk: We have to eradicate... The op-ed I wrote focused heavily on causes. They account for more than half of the story. What happened after the end of the Cold War...
RT: Building something new, a new world.
Viktor Medvedchuk: Yes. And the evolution of those events. So, we must eradicate the causes that led to what we have today, and this is how we can rule it out in the future.
We can only do it when neo-Nazism no longer dominates state policies, when there is no militarist state, when people in Ukraine, I emphasize again, would be able to talk about the future of Ukrainians, not the future of the country. There will be a different future. That is the main area that we want to focus on today.
RT: An independent Ukraine.
Viktor Medvedchuk: I did not say so. I said the future...
RT: The future of Ukrainians…
Viktor Medvedchuk: The future of Ukrainians. The future Ukrainians. As to what country and how they will live that shall be decided by Ukrainians who represent a different Ukraine today.
RT: Mr Medvedchuk, thank you very much.
