RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR FOR KURIR TV: Botsan-Kharchenko on retreat from Kherson, war propaganda, relations with Serbia, sanctions
Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Serbia, had a guest appearance in the TV show Flare-up, where he touched on some of the most important global issues, the war in Ukraine, as well as Serbia and the pressures it is placed under because of not imposing sanctions against Russia.
Editor and host Silvija Slamnig posed some of the most important questions to the Russian ambassador to Serbia, and HE Botsan-Kharchenko provided detailed answers regarding the retreat of the Russian troops from Kherson, the war propaganda, the relations with Serbia, and the possible imposing of sanctions.
The media has featured claims that Russian missiles are striking Kyiv. They have also been pointing out that this was Putin's revenge for Kherson. Is this a case of retaliation?
"Such strikes have taken place before as well – two weeks ago, to be precise. It is all part of the military plan, i.e. missiles striking the infrastructure. I wouldn't want people to see it as some sort of retaliation. This is a military plan that has many parts and, naturally, air strikes are always part of it," Kharchenko pointed out.
Was the retreat from Kherson a sort of defeat for Russia, as some analysts have interpreted it?
"Not at all. This interpretation is wishful thinking on the part of Kyiv and those who support it. (The US President Joe) Biden said that it was a very important victory, even though it was in fact a military decision made by the Commander of the Russian Armed Forces and the Minister of Defence, which was, incidentally, broadcast live on Russian television. Following the report made by Commander (Sergey) Surovikin and the suggestion that it was better for the troops to leave the area. It is an entirely military solution, and it was planned. There's a sense in which war is like mathematics, and there you have a mathematical sort of logic, i.e. what we can do, what forces we have at our disposal, and the logistics and infrastructure are taken into account," Kharchenko said.
The ambassador added that the civilian population was also taken into consideration.
"The most important thing was to ensure the evacuation of the civilian population, so over 100,000 people were evacuated. They have been taken care of, have a place to live, and children can even continue going to school. As regards the troops, they have retreated to the defence line. Russia's military leadership took account of the situation surrounding the dam – if HIMARS missile systems were to attack the dam in order to destroy it, there would be a great flood. Naturally, with grave consequences for the civilian population, so the dam has been secured," Kharchenko said.
At this point in time, the general public does not know what the Russian Federation's military goals are. On 24 February, there was talk about Russia's plan being to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine. What has changed since then?
"Such questions are almost invariably asked. I'm not aware of a single statement made by a Russian official to the effect that the reason for the special operation has changed. The tasks were set, namely, to protect Donbas, and denazify and demilitarize Ukraine. Furthermore, to create such conditions that the territory of Ukraine couldn't pose a threat to the Russian Federation," Kharchenko said.
Would you agree that there is war propaganda on both sides, and that the general public isn't well-informed about what is happening at the front?
"I agree, of course. It would be stupid to say that war propaganda doesn't exist. It's been around since the Roman Empire. I do need to say that our side is fighting hard against 'fakes'. Needless to say, we don't use what the Ukrainian side uses. It uses images and recordings from the past, which have nothing to do with what is going on in Ukraine. They are from Syria, Iraq, and there are even images of the bombing of Belgrade during the NATO aggression. You can search our side day and night, but we don't use such forms of news reporting," Kharchenko said.
How aware are you of the sensitive and difficult position that Serbia is in with respect to resisting to impose sanctions against Russia?
"It is no wonder that there is such pressure. As for our side, we have always taken Serbia into consideration. As far as Serbia is concerned, I'm not aware of a time during these past few decades when Serbia wasn't under pressure. Now the pressure over the sanctions against Russia and Kosovo is enormous," Kharchenko said.
The ambassador added that the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov is a very experienced man, and that he had witnessed all manner of situations in the course of his career.
"He is truly surprised at what sort of pressure some countries are placed under, especially Serbia. If Serbia was forced to do something, in our analyses we always take into account a range of factors and reasons, including being under pressure. Refusing to impose sanctions and, above all, with national standards as a starting point – which is the position of (Aleksandar) Vučić – is extraordinarily important and held in high regard in Russia. For us, it proves the relations between Serbia and Russia, as well as that Serbia's policy is pursued and implemented based on national interests. They ask us what Russia does to put pressure on Serbia, but to us the most important thing is that each country takes care of its national interest. That is the best foundation for development in the long-term," Kharchenko said.
If by any chance something were to change regarding the imposing of sanctions against Russia, what would be the Russian Federation's position towards Serbia in that case?
"I don't see that there can be a reversal in Serbia's position. This position was confirmed when the Government of Serbia was formed," said the ambassador.
When there was talk about imposing sanctions against Russia, there were claims that Russia had never imposed sanctions against Serbia. However, in a vote at the UN in May of 1992, as well as in November in the same year, the Russian Federation did vote in favour of imposing sanctions against Serbia. Was that a political, diplomatic, or friendly move, or something quite different?
"It was a different time, and it happened after the break-up of the USSR and the hardest situation in Russia. It is said that in a sense, that situation was even harder than during the October Revolution. President (Vladimir) Putin has completely changed Russia's foreign policy and returned it to its regular basis, seeking cooperation based on equality, egalitarianism, and mutual respect. This is why I think that it was a different time then. Back in 1992, when the sanctions were being imposed, Russia didn't have a good and well-planned foreign policy, but it was also under a huge pressure. That said, it was due to Russia that the sanctions were reduced and eventually lifted. We must bear this in mind," said the ambassador.
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