All this talk about elections in Ukraine is a rather bogus because, first of all, the Ukrainian Communist party was made illegal, the other big party was forced to disperse - the Party of Regions. There is a good deal of violence against anyone who speaks out against Maidan. I do not really think that one can speak of genuine elections in what I consider to be fascist Ukraine. I think it is just a show.

I do not think the elections are legitimate. They are only legitimate within the Maidan group and who knows what president Poroshenko might do to rig them or cancel them. It is hard to say. Anyone outside of Maidan is basically excluded.

Fascist elements in Kiev government

There is a fascist regime or strong fascist elements in Kiev that make it possible for Poroshenko to survive. These fascist elements essentially dominate Kiev government, and threaten the national security of the Russian Federation on all its southern frontiers.

I don’t quite understand why there has not been more internal resistance, armed resistance against the so-called government in Kiev. There must be a lot of angry, discontented Russian people in Ukraine. Frankly, what is the big difference between a Ukrainian and a Russian? The history of the Ukraine and Russia are integral parts of the one and it goes back more than a thousand years.  Are the instruments of repression in Ukraine so powerful that no one can raise their head except the anti-fascist resistance in the Donbass?

The fascist regime in Kiev would be gone by now, if it were not for the financial support and other forms of support they get from the European Union and the United States.

Sparks to ignite a war?

I think that Poroshenko would love to involve the United States and NATO in a war with the Russian Federation and it’s a bit like the tail wagging the dog. The international dimensions of his conduct are more important for western media than the domestic ones, the so-called elections.

But Mr. Trump does not really control his government and there are a lot of very reckless people in the Unites States government. Wars do not necessarily need to be planned, they can happen by accident. I think that the Russian government has to protect its security and interests and cannot be intimidated by threats coming from NATO or the United States.

Potential target for destruction

Ukrainian army and militia have been constantly probing Donbass to find a weakness to exploit. What would happen if there were an attack on the Crimean Bridge? The Bridge is a potential target for destruction and it is an easy target - what is to stop Ukrainian fascists from putting a ship with explosives underneath the bridge to try to blow it up?

All these things, all these threats come from the fact that there is a strong fascist movement in Ukraine and something has to be done about it. I do not see how the Russian government can go on taking a very soft line towards Kiev.

US warships in the Black sea

It’s not illegal for US or foreign warships under the Montreux agreement to be in the Black Sea. They can only be there for 21 days. Russia knows what to do if the Americans get too close to their borders. If they try to force their way through the Kerch Strait - that is another matter and the Russians will have to stop them. The Kerch Strait is Russian territorial waters and I do not think the Americans would be reckless enough to try to do that.

What it takes to respond?

The Russians always need to be on the right side of the International law and they should never ever start a military confrontation with the Ukrainian military units. They should let the Ukrainians start the fight, just as the Georgians started the fight.

Then Russians will have the right to respond in defense. But they should never take the initiative on military action. So, if the Ukrainian army and fascist militia attack Donbass again Russia can send volunteers to help the region.  Or if they attack the Crimean Bridge Russia will have a reason to respond appropriately. But Russia should never initiate military action under any circumstances. Let the other side start it.

The Russian border guards handled the violation of its territorial waters by the three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait with restraint and professionalism. I think that Ukrainians were testing the Russian resolve, because if the Russians had let them pass through the Strait, the next week or month an American warship would have been doing exactly the same thing. They had to act as they did.