Russian Jew Aleksandr Kofman is the leader of the pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), which was established in East Ukraine eight years ago. In an interview with Ynet, Kofman blamed the current tensions on Kyiv and said that a war between Russia and Ukraine is “inevitable.” “Last night, the Ukrainians bombarded us intensely” he claimed. “Besides Ukraine using weapons prohibited under the Minsk Protocol, terrorist groups have infiltrated us and we took them down, and some of our men were injured.” Kofman said that Kyiv is to blame for being provocative and trying to regain its former territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, which declared independence in 2014. “We won’t allow our wives, children, and mothers to become human shields. We’re worried that the bombardment from the border will reach our central roads. In that case, civilian victims are unavoidable. Therefore,  we made the decision to evacuate women, children, and men over the age of 55.” Kofman reiterated that there’s no escaping a war. “My prediction is we will celebrate Victory Day on May 9 in Kyiv”, he said, in a reference to the Russian holiday celebrating Nazi Germany’s surrender to the Soviet Union in World War II. Kofman said that he believes that after the war, Russia and Ukraine could become allies. “I see Ukraine as a future ally to us [Russia], after all the irresponsible individuals that instigated this inhumane war will be tried,” he said ominously. “When Soviet forces marched into Odesa, they gave the civilians a day to turn themselves in as Nazi collaborators. I’m sure Ukraine will be in a similar situation. We’re already receiving videos in which Ukrainian residents are seen cursing Ukrainian soldiers close to the border.” Kofman said about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: “He’s not the one playing, he’s being played. He’s just a puppet for those who want the conflict with Russia to escalate.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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