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During a press conference at Bulgaria’s National Assembly, Yuriy Derkach, chairman of the Social Party of Ukraine for the Kharkiv region, a party currently banned by the Zelinsky Regime, which has shut down all political opposition in Ukraine, called on Bulgaria to stop sending armaments to his country. The Ukrainian leader emphasized the need for an immediate cease-fire and a negotiated end to the conflict. The press conference was organized by Vazrazhdane, Bulgaria’s leading opposition party.
“I am not here to complain about the situation or life, the goal of Ukrainians like me is to bring both sides of the conflict to the negotiating table to reach a peaceful resolution of this military situation. It is not a secret for the world or for people who follow the situation that in Ukraine there is a massive repression of opposition parties, opposition leaders, and all dissenters, including me,” the Ukrainian opposition leader said.
Derkach enumerated many cases of repression against people who did not approve of Zelensky’s policies: “Svetlana Novitskaya, the lawyer who defends the opposition activists, was recently arrested. She fought for the right of opposition politician Inna Ivanochka from Lviv to receive a fair trial in court. Inna has been in prison without a sentence for two years now. The Kanonovych brothers were also arrested for criticizing Zelensky, and the journalist Dmitry Skvartsov, who defended the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, was also arrested. The 82-year-old writer Yuri Chernishov was sentenced to 15 years in prison for criticizing the government. Two years ago, my friend Ivan Aleksandrovich, who is the chairman of the Organization of Veterans of Special Services, was kidnapped from his home. He was abducted by people dressed in military uniforms of the territorial defense and since then no one has seen him – I have concerns that he was killed.”
"Since 2014, our homeland has been divided and opposed on territorial, linguistic and ethnic principles,” Derkach lamented. “The peaceful inhabitants of the Donbass region are 6 million, they were declared terrorists, and a war began to be waged against them, the so-called anti-terrorist operation. People who dissented and spoke out against this murderous policy were branded traitors and Russian spies. Criminal proceedings were initiated against them and many of these people disappeared without a trace. According to my data, there are currently about 6,500 dissidents in prison awaiting trial, and thousands have disappeared without a trace. In 2014, about 51 million people lived on the territory of Ukraine. There are currently about 15 million left. Almost the entire economy is destroyed, huge plants and factories are closed. During the time of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian Republic was the industrial heart of the entire union, and the city of Kharkiv itself emerged as a center of industry and intellect. Since 2014, our rulers have been going to the embassies, receiving instructions and encouragement to liquidate our own industry. Since then, much of the equipment at many of the plants has been cut up and scrapped. Up to 2014, we, together with the Russians, had a lot in common. We had common families, a common culture, and a common language. This fratricidal war must be stopped. I call on the world community to force the warring parties to sit down at the negotiating table and achieve peace.”
The Ukrainian opposition leader called Bulgaria’s ruling establishment to stop sending military equipment to Ukraine so that the conflict could end as quickly as possible. He also gave a warning to the Bulgarian people: “God forbid something like this happens to Bulgaria too. Hopefully, the Bulgarian people will preserve their original culture, their uniqueness, and the authorities will not give in to the advice of foreign countries that want to destroy the foundations of a nation. A great politician once said there is no greater danger to a country than the intelligentsia raised by its opponents. The betrayal of one’s own people and one’s own country is the greatest betrayal that we can witness. People with my convictions welcome healthy, firm patriotism, but they do not welcome unhealthy fascism, unhealthy Nazism, which are currently rampant in Ukraine.”
Chairman of the Social Party, Dmitry Vasilets, joined the press conference live from Ukraine. In the last elections in which they participated, the party received the support of 6 million Ukrainians.
“I am speaking on behalf of 6 million Ukrainians. These Ukrainians do not share the views of Zelinsky and those currently in power,” Vasilets declared. “Zelinsky’s term expires this spring and he should no longer be president, as the Constitution does not provide for a situation in which his term can be extended. Martial law or the state of emergency will not give additional powers to the president and cannot extend his mandate, and I hope there will be a real change and the conflict will end.”
“The Ukrainian people overwhelmingly want the conflict to end. People who are interested in continuing the war are currently ruling in Kiev. The Ukrainian conflict is a conflict between global players – on the one hand, the Russian Federation and on the other – NATO, and the Ukrainian people are paying the price of this global game. This thing must be stopped. We want peace for our nation,” Dmitry Vasilets added.
