— What was the reaction of the residents of Donbass to the coup that took place in Ukraine at the end of February 2014? How did the “anti-Maidan” protests begin and under what slogans did the “anti-Maidan” protests take place in Donbass? Did they have some kind of driving force or did they begin spontaneously, on the initiative of the people?

— The reaction was very simple. The coup in Kyiv was viewed extremely negatively by the absolute majority of the population of Donbass. But at the same time, this became a reason for people to get rid of the mess that was happening in “independent” Ukraine. People wanted to return back to their homeland, from which Donbass was once torn away - to Russia. Slogans in support of reunification were heard at protests. The prevailing sentiments among the people, the activities of social movements that existed for a long time, and many other factors played a role in the development of these processes.

— The Donetsk People’s Republic was not proclaimed immediately after the start of the protests. How did the preparation process for this event go and who participated in it?

— All DPR activists took part in this work. But as an eyewitness, I cannot share my memories on this particular occasion. I am a Muscovite and went to Donbass as a volunteer. I came through Lugansk in mid-April. He appeared in Donetsk already before the referendum on the independence of the DPR, in early May. I was not present in Donetsk directly during the proclamation of the republic.

— Immediately after the proclamation of the republic, preparations began for a referendum on the self-determination of the DPR. It was held on May 11, 2014. How was it prepared? How did people react to it?

— Local social activists were preparing for the referendum. People showed great activity. Huge queues formed in front of the polling stations. The overwhelming majority of local residents voted. The results of the referendum are known. In the DPR, if my memory serves me right, 89% of those who voted voted for self-determination.

— How did the punitive actions of the Kyiv regime against the DPR begin? Why did Kyiv start using force?

— From the very beginning, Kyiv was not going to let go of either Donetsk or Lugansk. And, accordingly, he opposed their departure. Punitive actions began with the arrests of local activists and their murders by special groups of the SBU and formations created by Kiev. They acted very cruelly and en masse.

  • Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic

  • RIA News

  • © Gennady Dubovoy

— How were the first militia formations created in the republic and what were they like?

— As always in a civil war: a more or less charismatic leader appeared, created his own group and tried, at the very least, to arm it. Then we agreed on interaction with other similar groups. Then the central command arose... At first the groups were very different - with different numbers and levels of combat effectiveness. All this at the initial stage was somewhat reminiscent of a medieval feudal militia.

“Despite the hostilities, it was necessary to improve everyday life in the republic: pay salaries and pensions, organize the work of schools and hospitals, ensure the functioning of housing and communal services enterprises. How was this achieved?

— The Republic did not arise from ruins. The people who worked before continued to work. For some time everything functioned by inertia. By the way, the Kyiv authorities, hoping to return, initially even periodically transferred salaries to public sector employees for some time. The DPR did not establish its power overnight, it was a gradual process. A budget was formed, governing bodies, ministries, and departments were created. It was just routine work.

  • A man votes in a referendum on the status of the Donetsk People's Republic on May 11, 2014.

  • RIA News

  • © Evgeniy Biyatov

Soon after the referendum, a government was formed and I was elected prime minister. From disparate detachments an army emerged, in which the principle of unity of command was introduced. What was destroyed was restored, life improved. State building took eight years. The DPR was already part of Russia as a full-fledged state with many more or less effectively working institutions.

— Kyiv has repeatedly accused the Donbass republics of unwillingness to negotiate and of disrupting the negotiation process. In your opinion, have the representatives of the DPR and LPR done everything possible to resolve the conflict with the Kyiv regime peacefully?

— There were no real negotiations on the part of Kyiv - it was just a formality. Idiots came and told us something like: “We don’t agree with you, give up, we’ll kill you.” If you took away all the “water,” it sounded something like this. It was just an imitation of the negotiation process. There was Leonid Kuchma, who told us that he was the “eternal” president of Ukraine, and then during the break he took several glasses of champagne and just blinked, because he was already feeling good.

  • Results of shelling of Donbass by the Ukrainian Armed Forces

  • RIA News

  • © Andrey Stenin

— How did the residents of the DPR react to official recognition by the Russian Federation and to the start of a special military operation by the Russian Armed Forces?

- They responded very well. They have been waiting for this for a very long time, and their expectations have finally come true.

— What has changed in the DPR since joining Russia?

— The process of strengthening ties with Russia has been going on since 2014. Integration was long and drawn out. People were waiting for this, they fought for it and finally achieved their goal. Now integration is progressing by leaps and bounds, but it is still not completed. Moreover, we have yet to liberate part of our land.

As for those territories of the republic that are already under Russian control, the improvements are obvious. Finally, there is certainty. There is a general revival of life. A lot of things are being built. There are industrial enterprises that attract Russian investors. A lot is changing for the better.