Tiraspol, 8 May. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. President Yevgeny Shevchuk has revealed his most difficult decision made as the president in an interview with the Pridnestrovie daily. According to the head of state, such was the period of increased tensions on the Pridnestrovian-Ukrainian border after a statement by the Ukrainian leadership about their intention to «defrost» the Pridnestrovian conflict.
«The then situation could have been deemed a regular media horror story had official Kiev not built up its armed forces near our border. These activities were accompanied with information leaks in Ukrainian media outlets about Pridnestrovie's alleged invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, there were cars equipped with louder-speakers which were driving across near-border Ukrainian villages, warning local citizens that Pridnestrovie was about to attack. Any war is known to be preceded by an information attack," said Shevchuk.
He underscored that the president had no right to rule out a variant of military provocations against Pridnestrovie.
«A military build-up of 5,000−7,000 servicemen near our border was a serious threat to us. That is why the authorities made decision to reserve resources, including material, to secure the army's defence capacity and the vital functions of state institutions in case of a conflict. Should the army be supplied with food? It should! Should medical facilities be supplied? They should! Should we supply the population? We should! It is the necessity to anticipate all these details that called forth the decision to withhold 30% of salaries and pensions," specified Yevgeny Shevchuk.
«You ask about the most difficult decision I’ve had to make? This one was the most difficult and painful. The Security Council considered different variants, made mobilisation decisions, including classified ones. Today we may debate whether they were efficient or not. But then these decisions were forced and necessary," added the president.
Today the opponents of the acting president are holding him to blame for these decisions and doubt that Ukraine was able to take extreme measures. «But who could guarantee back then that such a scenario was impossible in principle? Could we imagine some two years ago that Ukraine would plunge into a civil war? If they do not feel sorry about their own people, would they have felt sorry about us?» concluded Yevgeny Shevchuk.
