PolitRussia– translated by J. Arnoldski

The Chairman of the National Council of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, stated in an interview to Lente.ru on Wednesday that Ukraine will completely cease to exist if it goes on a large-scale offensive in Donbass.

“If Ukraine attempts to resolve the conflict by force and goes on the offensive, then it will only get new cauldrons. If Kiev fails to realize the Minsk Agreements, then more than just Mariupol will come under DPR control. An attempt at a large-scale offensive would be the final point of existence of Ukraine as a state,” Pushilin said.

According to him, the Donetsk People’s Republic is currently under heightened security measures.

In early August, DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko stated that Ukranian forces would have to retreat all the way back to Kiev if they tried to attack Donbass. In his opinion, the resumption of hostilities in the region is becoming the only way for President Poroshenko and his team to stay in power and avoid responsibility for their crimes.

Just the other day, Ukraine’s representative to the Minsk Contact Group, Olga Ayvazovskaya, stated live on the Svoboda Slova (“Freedom of Speech”) talk show that Kiev can not let the question of Donbass breaking away go to referendum, as this would be the beginning of the legal collapse of the country.