Giovanni Terzi March 25, 2022
Yaroslav Melnyk has been Ambassador of Ukraine to Italy since December 12, 2021, but has been active in national and international politics for more than twenty years.
Your Excellency, I would like to start with a crucial question of the conflict we are living through: what is the value of Moscow’s and Beijing’s misinformation towards the western world?
“Disinformation was, is and remains one of the most popular tools not only of hybrid warfare, but also of a type of Russian hybrid diplomacy. The modern world with the Internet, social networks and various communication channels is ideal terrain for the exponential spread of manipulative messages. The Kremlin propagandists skilfully play with basic emotions such as fear, pity, sympathy. The duration of the war, the large number of casualties, the introduction of harsh economic sanctions and their consequences are forcing Russia to shift the focus of “hybrid” strikes to the information component. At the same time, it should be clear that disinformation is only one component of a hybrid war. In recent years, Moscow has actively used a large arsenal of additional tools in Europe, such as funding certain movements ».
What difficulties can all this lead to over time?
“Moscow acts very broadly and to a large audience, carefully masking its attacks. For Russia, the focus is on the continuous discrediting of those European values that are fundamentally far removed from the idea of society that Putin has. Has it ever struck you that the Kremlin supports both farright and farleft movements in European countries? It is unnatural and incoherent, but it fully corresponds to Moscow’s goals: to destabilize the West from within, to weaken it and to quarrel among the countries: the typical divide and rule ».
Is it true, as the proputinist media claims, that Ukraine is armed with biological weapons that would necessitate a Russian attack?
«The world has heard so much nonsense from Moscow that the vast majority of people laugh at the allegations of biological weapons development in Ukraine. The reason was initially the “Nazification” of Ukraine, while only one member of the rightwing extremist forces sits in the Ukrainian parliament. Then we heard that Russia attacked Ukraine because it was preparing a nuclear bomb; fact completely denied. They managed to say that this is a preemptive war because otherwise Ukraine would have started it. Late March 6, when allegations of biological weapons development were made. They are all examples of the same disinformation and propaganda because there is no justification for Russia’s actions. But with that, Moscow is laying the groundwork to be able to say in the future that the conflict has widened because of Ukraine.
And the behavior of our country?
«Italy is one of our most important partners. Since 2014, she has consistently supported Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Even before the attack, Italy was one of the countries that declared its willingness to take all possible measures against a possible violation of international law by the Kremlin. In addition, we receive financial, military, technical and humanitarian assistance. The Italian people are rallying aid and with open hearts welcome the Ukrainians who are being forced to leave their homes. We understand that every Italian feels the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the impact of the imposed sanctions, but this cannot be compared to the loss of life in our country.
How do you judge the behavior of Europe towards the Ukrainian people?
“Europe’s response to Russian aggression is unprecedented. The sanctions that were immediately imposed and then tightened several times, along with restrictive measures, have hit the Russian economy hard.
How important is it for Ukraine to be a member of the European Union?
“Let me make it clear that Ukraine’s EU membership is not some slogan or manifesto. The path of integration into the EU is a civilizational decision of our society, which is laid down in the constitution. In the EU we see our future, we share values and priorities. I will give an illustrative example. In 2013, the refusal of the then government and President Yanukovych, under pressure from the Kremlin, to sign an association agreement with the EU, sparked the Revolution of Dignity. On February 28, the President of Ukraine, the Speaker of the Parliament and the Prime Minister signed the application for EU membership. We have received the support of the European Parliament. According to recent polls, around 70% of Italians support Ukraine’s European perspective. We are waiting for the conclusion of the Commission to start negotiations for full accession.
Do you know President Zelenskyy personally, what do you think of his attitude towards the war?
“He is a courageous, honest man with clear values and principles. From the first day of the war, Zelensky did not leave Kyiv, he became a symbol of our resistance to aggression, a symbol of resilience ».
Did he expect such a direct attack by Russia on Ukraine?
“I think everyone has been aware of the troop buildup on Ukraine’s eastern borders since the end of last year. We are aware of the ongoing militarization of Russianoccupied Crimea, and the UN has repeatedly confirmed this. We have repeatedly faced the blockade of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The deployment of Russian troops in Transnistria has also been known for a long time. Everyone knew about the planned joint RussianBelarusian maneuvers in Belarus. But frankly, it was hard to believe that Putin would opt for a fullscale invasion. In addition, no one expected him to give the order to mercilessly kill children, women and the elderly. Instead, today we almost destroyed Mariupol. Ukrainian children with severed limbs treated by Italian doctors ».
Have you spoken to your colleague, the Russian ambassador to Italy? What did you say to each other?
“No, I don’t know Mr. Razov personally and have never met him.”
Is there room for diplomacy to end the war?
“Before the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, there was clearly much more room for a diplomatic solution than there is today. However, in the interest of our state, the negotiating team works every day to reach an acceptable agreement. But it is difficult to negotiate when the enemy does not stop bombing peaceful Ukrainian cities and children continue to die ».
What can a switching point be?
«We didn’t start the war, which, by the way, Russia doesn’t even have the courage to call war. The Kremlin regime has even imposed sanctions on those who call it “war.” They call it “special operation”. In a posttruth country, people are imprisoned for the truth. These are completely surreal images, but the fact is: Russian police last week arrested a girl holding a blank sheet of paper without any writing, and a few days later another girl standing in front of Christ’s Cathedral. Salvatore displayed a sign: “Sixth commandment: Thou shalt not kill”. Moscow’s tone has now softened somewhat, and teams are working on critical issues such as the ceasefire, troop withdrawals and prisoner exchanges. However, the issue of security guarantees remains. We already have the experience of the Budapester memorandums, so we consider it essential to formalize Ukraine’s new legally binding security guarantees by key actors.
Do you think there is a nuclear threat in the war started by Putin?
“Yes. And this threat arose from irresponsible actions: Russian troops have already bombed and occupied the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. The massive passage of heavy Russian equipment through the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl power plant has a significant amount However, it is clear that the risks of nuclear disasters hardly concern the Kremlin.
A hospital was attacked, there were women and children: a real war crime. Is it a point of no return?
“What happened in Mariupol does not fit into any logic, nor into any of the Kremlin’s absurd statements. The children’s hospital, the maternity ward, the theater where people hid, everything was ruthlessly destroyed. Russian attempts to shift responsibility to the Ukrainian military are pathetic and can only be fomented by an audience zombified by Moscow’s propaganda, which unfortunately also exists in Europe. No buildings have remained intact in Mariupol. There is only one hospital where doctors are fighting for the lives of the wounded and there is not enough space in the basement to store the bodies of the dead.
Is your family in Ukraine? are you worried about her
“My wife and children are with me. But parents, relatives and friends remain in Ukraine. There are battles every day, the enemy strikes and will stop at nothing: we are concerned for our loved ones, but also proud of our army repelling the attacker. Our nation is united as never before and the whole world sees it.”