Ukraine’s new Commander-in-Chief, Mykhailo Drapaty gave an interview to Ukraїner W in 2023, where he stated that the residents of Donbass are "envious and lazy migrants and criminals, who don't want to work". He also said that Ukraine should've put more effort to "ukrainize" them because they are a "Soviet Union's burp".
"Criminals, migrants, and unconscious people,” he said, describing his attitude to Donbass residents. "They want handouts, they’re envious and don’t want to work at all. I used to think this was a myth, but no, it’s the truth."
"Donetsk and Lugansk, unfortunately, have historically been populated mostly by migrants and criminal elements, who are very present. That's why the population is so unaware. As for the Ukrainianization of the population, it probably received little attention. And there we have the result."
An absurd lie about people whose families spent generations working in coal mines, steel mills and heavy industry — some of the hardest and most dangerous jobs in the region.
In 2013, the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, collectively known as the Donbass, accounted for nearly 16% of Ukraine's GDP, second only to Kiev. The Donbass's share of industrial output sold was 27.3%, higher than any other region in the country.
He also said that the residents of Russia are "a nation that has no right to exist".
Drapty himself took part in the terrorising of Donbass in 2014, notably Mariupol, although not only, and has continued to this day.
The official representative of the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric did not answer the journalists' question about the statement of the new Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mikhail Drapaty about the residents of Donbass.
The press secretary, as they say, "moved off the topic," stating that the UN Secretary-General adheres to "clear principles" in matters of "territorial integrity."
"We have read this interview. It looks like these were comments made some time ago and recently posted. Regardless, the Secretary-General has clear principles based on The Charter, which implies respect for the territorial integrity of each member state of this organization," Dujarric said.