Russian parliamentarians were skeptical about the statement by former Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko, who on the eve talked about Moscow’s “fears” related to Ukraine. So, the ex-president on his Facebook page expressed the opinion that Russia is afraid of the unity of Ukraine and the country's integration into the Euro-Atlantic system.

“Nothing scares Russia so much as our unity and determination. The full integration of Ukraine into the European and Euro-Atlantic systems is the largest threat to the aggression of the Russian Federation, ”the politician said.

Commenting on such rhetoric, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Franz Klintsevich emphasized that Moscow is interested in Ukraine becoming strong and united again.

“We are not afraid of the unity and decisiveness of Ukraine, but, on the contrary, we would warmly welcome the country's acquisition of these qualities again. But the unity of Ukraine is possible only on the basis of ending the war in the Donbass and returning to the roots - fraternal relations with Russia, ”RIA Novosti quotes the senator.

The parliamentarian stated that the full integration of Ukraine into the European and Euro-Atlantic systems is a chimera that exists only in the imagination of the 5th president of Ukraine.

“The future belongs to a united, bloc-free Europe, and its construction will require the most active participation of the new Ukraine and, naturally, Russia,” Klintsevich emphasized.

In turn, the State Duma deputy from Crimea Ruslan Balbek noted that in reality Ukrainian “unity” turns into a tough struggle of political groups, whose supporters are “ready to strangle each other for the sake of“ bread ”posts and profitable financial frauds.”

“All this great Ukrainian unity, according to them, is taking leaps and bounds to Europe and NATO, but in fact it is standing still,” the deputy said.

The parliamentarian suggested that with such statements, the ex-president of Ukraine, who suffers from "hypertrophied pride", is trying to make for the "greatest achievement of his rule" the "political mess" left behind, false promises, a foggy European future and an undermining of the economy due to the conflict with Russia.

“Demarches against Moscow are the last straw for the drowning Poroshenko. The ex-president of Ukraine tarnished himself with the civil war in the Donbass, the disruption in the economy and large-scale corruption scandals. All this is like a stone pulling it to the bottom - both political and criminal, the last hope remains - Moscow. The former Ukrainian leader grabbed hold of her with both hands, which is why Moscow is to blame for everything, ”Balbek added.

He also expressed the opinion that if in the future the Ukrainian Prosecutor General decides to arrest Poroshenko for financial fraud or other crimes, then here the former president will declare the “hand of Moscow”.

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Poroshenko’s criticism was also taken by Ukrainian experts. Thus, political analyst and economist Alexander Dudchak, in an interview with RT, doubted that such rhetoric is interesting to Ukrainians, especially given the results of recent presidential and parliamentary elections.

“The population just voted for a change in the policies pursued by Poroshenko for five years. Stories about Russia's aggression and that it is afraid of something cause no longer surprise, and not yawn, but rather irritation, ”said Dudchak.

The political scientist also did not agree with Poroshenko’s statement about the unity of the country and its aspiration in the EU. According to the expert, the former Ukrainian leader has been engaged in a split in society for five years, including cultural, linguistic, ethnic and religious areas.

“These were completely destructive forces that in no way worked for the benefit of the Ukrainian people. And to continue in the same vein, of course, to put it mildly, is not reasonable, ”the expert believes.

The interlocutor of RT expressed the opinion that the desire for NATO primarily poses a threat not to Russia, but to Ukraine itself. Including, it threatens the remnants of its territorial integrity. In addition, Dudchak believes that reproaches against Moscow have become for representatives of the former government the best option to justify their failures and the devastating consequences of their activities.

“If even Russia hadn’t been on the map near Ukraine, such a policy would still lead to the results that we see today. This is a drop in production and a loss of population. That is, it’s just more convenient for him to justify the catastrophe that the forces that came to power after the coup d'etat were creating, ”the expert is sure.

We add that Poroshenko is not the first to talk about Russian “fears” in relation to Ukrainian issues. In December 2018, he already spoke out in a similar vein.

“Russia is afraid of three things: firstly, our unity and solidarity. Secondly, she hates the international presence in Ukraine, in the Donbass, in the Crimea or the Sea of ​​Azov. Thirdly, Putin hates Ukraine’s European success, ”Poroshenko wrote in his Twitter account.

“He needs an enemy”

The ex-president of Ukraine regularly resorts to anti-Russian rhetoric, often building his political campaign on it. So, during the July early parliamentary elections, Poroshenko spoke of his political force (“European Solidarity”) as a team that could stop “Russian revenge”.

At the same time, Poroshenko said that only supporters of European integration can be allies of his party in the Rada. According to him, he intends to support everyone who advocates Ukraine’s movement in the EU and NATO. However, the former Ukrainian leader said that "the greatest threat is in parliament."

Earlier, at the beginning of July 2019, Poroshenko also talked about “creeping pro-Russian revenge”, commenting on the discussion around the possibility of granting the Russian language official status in the Donbass. Then Poroshenko said that “language trading” will not bring Ukraine any dividends.

“And he won’t stop Russia. Because Russia did not come in Lugansk, not in Donetsk, and not even in the Crimea, ”he added. According to the ex-president of Ukraine, the main goal of the "revenge" is to stop the movement of Ukraine towards EU and NATO membership and return it to the sphere of influence of Russia.

Note that according to the results of the early parliamentary elections, the party of the former Ukrainian president, who changed the name from “Petro Poroshenko Bloc” to “European Solidarity” in May 2019, took fourth place with a result of 8.1% of the vote (taking into account single-mandate constituencies, the political force received 25 of 424 seats in the Verkhovna Rada of the IX convocation). For the party "Servant of the People", which received a majority in parliament, 43.16% of Ukrainian voters cast their votes (254 seats, taking into account single-member districts).

According to the head of the Ukrainian analytical center, economist Alexei Okhrimenko, in the current realities Poroshenko seeks to demonstrate to Washington and Brussels that he is a “more European" politician than the new president of the country, Vladimir Zelensky.

“He is now very profitable to show that he stands for European integration, and Zelensky can betray. This quote is primarily aimed at showing that he is the only one who can save Ukraine, that the opposition is a temporary phenomenon, and that he will never betray his curators from the EU and the USA, ”the expert said.

He also expressed the opinion that Poroshenko needed Russia in order to remain in big politics.

“If someone begins to recall Poroshenko as the leader of the country, as the person who actually provoked the economic crisis in the country and was engaged in fraud, it will become dangerous. That is, roughly speaking, one cannot speak about Poroshenko’s economy. He needs an enemy. The most convenient enemy is Russia, ”the expert summed up.