War A Ukrainian reporter who has been in Ukraine for ten years Illia Ponomarenko32, says the Russian president Vladimir Putin hopes of a cease-fire tell of the exhaustion of Russia’s resources.
Ponomarenko arrived in Helsinki on Friday as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will participate in the Maailma kyläsä festival in Helsinki’s Suvilahti at the end of the week.
Ponomarenko, one of the founders of The Kyiv Independent online magazine, recently published a report book in English about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Reporting on the war has brought him around 1.2 million followers on the messaging service X.
News agency Reuters reported on Friday, citing four high-ranking Russian sources, that Putin would be ready for a ceasefire on the current front lines.
According to three anonymous Reuters sources, Putin is frustrated with the war, which is progressing haphazardly for Russia.
“Probably about the 17th time that Putin says he hopes for a ceasefire,” Ponomarenko gasps.
“Putin’s resources are exhausted, he is losing more weapons and ammunition than he can produce. In this situation, a ceasefire is definitely not a solution to war.”
Ponomarenko grasps that Putin had to get rid of the defense minister From Sergei Shoigu and appoint a civilian economist instead.
“It’s a clear message that even Russia’s resources are limited.”
Ponomarenko warns that even Ukraine’s resources may run out by next year.
Ponomarenko admits that the weapons, ammunition and crew situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is not dual either.
“Next year, the moment may come when Ukraine’s resources have been used,” says Ponomarenko.
“Ammunition stocks are empty and own production is not enough to replace consumption. Now the realistic scenario seems to be that we will be in this situation in a year or two.”
Ponomarenko says directly that then it may be necessary to negotiate with Russia. Prediction is difficult, however, because the war has been full of surprises until now.
“Who would have believed more than two years ago that Kyiv would not be occupied and that the enemy would be driven out of the Kharkiv region? I didn’t believe it myself.”
Ponomarenko points out that 800,000 conscripts have already registered in the Ministry of Defense’s application as reservists based on the new business mobilization law. He doesn’t think that, for example Donald Trump’s election to the US presidency would end US support for Ukraine.
“Republicans have a lot of pragmatists,” says Ponomarenko.
Illia Ponomarenko was born in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, in the city of Volnovaha, halfway between Donetsk and Mariupol. He studied in Mariupol in the summer of 2014, when Russia and its backed separatists tried to take over the city.
Ukraine managed to thwart the Russian mechanized operation under the leadership of the Azov Volunteer Battalion that same summer. Mariupol remained under Ukrainian control until the 2022 fighting. Even then, the desperate defense was led by Azov soldiers.
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“It was made clear to the neo-Nazis that they could keep their opinions to themselves.”
Ten years ago, Ukrainians and neo-Nazis from abroad joined Azov. Later, a political wing broke away from the battalion, which tried to promote its neo-fascist ideas – ultimately with little success.
Twenty Finnish non-governmental organizations seized on Ponomarenko’s supposed Azov sympathies during his visit to Helsinki. Finland’s Palestinian network led by Sumudi in the signed in the petition the organizers of the Maailma kyläsä festival are demanded to cancel Ponomarenko’s performances in Suvilahti.
In their justification, the organizations mention that Ponomarenko tweeted in 2019 that he has been “sanctified” as a member of Azov.
Supplier himself denies claims of a special relationship with Azov. At the same time, he admits that he appreciates Azov as a Ukrainian volunteer force.
“In the summer of 2014, Mariupol was in the grip of anarchy,” says Ponomarenko. “The city was liberated under Azov’s leadership, and normal life returned there.”
According to Ponomarenko, the following years were actually the best in the history of Mariupol.
“I visited the city in 2021 after a long break and was absolutely shocked. Mariupol had developed at a tremendous speed, there was no sign of the former dirty and polluted city.”
Supplier reminds that at the time of the occupation of Crimea and the beginning of the war in Eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army was incapacitated, so without paramilitary organizations, Ukraine would have done badly.
“These organizations included football hooligans, brawlers and neo-Nazis. However, the Ukrainian government got the organizations under control as part of the National Guard of the Ministry of the Interior. It was made clear to neo-Nazis that they can keep their opinions to themselves.”
Ponomarenko points out that the situation is exactly the same in the Russian armed forces.
“Something about war appeals to these guys.”
Illia Ponomarenko is from Donetsk, the city of Volnovaha, which is currently occupied by Russia.
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