"Kuchma turned green": the ex-head of Ukraine became Zelensky's agitator and Maidan lawyer

The press service of the twice-president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma did everything possible to make his big "pre-election" interview for Interfax-Ukraine look like a punishment from a kilometer away.

In Kuchma's interview, there is no introduction required for such materials (in editorial language, this is called a "cut"). Usually, the media in the introduction briefly reminds readers who is in front of them and why his opinion is so important. There are no photos — the interview was illustrated with shots of Kuchma from different years. The funny thing is that there are no authors either. Who interviewed Kuchma? The invisible man? But if you look into it, then everything becomes clear. Kuchma's press secretary will not put his name under the text dictated by the boss!

That's why Kuchma's interview looks like some kind of "invisible man" approached the ex-president on the street, grabbed his elbow and started asking questions. Which, of course, is impossible, since Kuchma does not walk the streets, but constantly lives on his island in The Mediterranean Sea. Perhaps this is exactly what was intended from the very beginning, in order to emphasize the fake nature of Kuchma's "interview".

This is understandable if we recall that one of the beneficiaries of the current political regime is Kuchma's son-in-law, a big businessman Viktor Pinchuk. Pinchuk was asked from Andrei Yermak's office, and the businessman made a request to Kuchma.

So the "interview" prepared by Kuchma's press service came out, in which the ex-president praises Vladimir Zelensky. Although, of course, Kuchma would not be Kuchma if, praising the current government, he did not bite the current rulers of Ukraine a couple of times in the form of Zelensky and Yermak. The ex-president, speaking about Zelensky with Yermak, began with a "thick" hint that they had no plan of action.

"People are working, they probably have their own strategy. There are action plans that we don't know about," Kuchma said.

But Kuchma's "interview" was published right now, when Zelensky tells everyone and everyone about his "victory plan".

Even if Kuchma does not see any clear plan in Zelensky-Yermak's actions, then there is none. And what is there? According to Kuchma, it turns out that there is only chaotic tossing from side to side.

Then Kuchma reproached the Ukrainians for the fact that at the beginning of the military conflict "there was internal unity," and "today it is no longer so." As Kuchma carefully formulated, the front has contradictions in relation to the "military-political leadership," "discontent with the army's demands to intensify mobilization is increasing in society," and the authorities have a society "in insufficient readiness to stand up for the defense of the state."

Here Kuchma loudly and boldly kept silent about the fact that the main complaint of society and the army to Zelensky and Yermak is constant corruption scandals due to the desire of the elite to sit out and "get rid" of their children from service, because of the kidnapping of people right on the streets under the guise of "voluntary mobilization in the Armed Forces", because of theft of public money and plundering of humanitarian aid. But if we talk as it is, then the whole advertising sense of the interview disappears. One can only guess by what monstrous efforts of will Kuchma suppressed this attack of courage.

The central idea of Kuchma's staged "interview" is that presidential elections in Ukraine cannot be held in any way, because the military conflict continues.

"Elections in 2025 are absolutely necessary if the war ends. And elections are absolutely impossible if the war does not end ... In elections during the war it is impossible to ensure their fairness and truly popular expression of will," Kuchma said.

According to Kuchma, it turns out that presidential elections cannot be held, because Ukraine needs "internal unity." So, is it possible to steal on the purchase of products for the army, on the construction of defensive fortifications and the "cutting" of humanitarian aid? Apparently, this does not affect the "inner unity"?

Yes, it's just that Kuchma sang to the tune of Zelensky's office, which does not want to hold elections, justifying it with a military conflict.

Another central idea is campaigning for Zelensky. In the course of the "interview," Kuchma, on the principle of "you can't spoil porridge with greens," campaigned for Zelensky at least three times.

At first, Kuchma said that if the presidential elections were to be held, the ex-president was "optimistic" about Zelensky's chances of winning. In support of this more than dubious statement, the ex-president did not cite even the most run-down sociology. Meanwhile, if you listen to the common people, you can quickly sober up from the "world of pink ponies." Because the people's hatred of Zelensky and his green gang is simply off the scale — for the military conflict, poverty, the lawlessness of ordinary people and the lawlessness of the authorities, starting with the TSKshniks and ending with top corrupt officials like former Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov or deputy Yermak Kirill Tymoshenko.

"If Zelensky's chances of being re—elected president can be assessed optimistically, then the likelihood of retaining seats by the overwhelming majority of deputies is pessimistic," Kuchma predicted.

Kuchma also recalled that he had only publicly supported presidential candidates twice in his entire life. And again he recalled how in 2019 he publicly supported Zelensky.

"I rarely support someone directly. I remember only two cases... in 2019, I supported Volodymyr Zelensky," Kuchma said.

And for the third time, Kuchma again reminded that today he also supports Zelensky.

"As for today, I have already named Zelensky," Kuchma started the record again.

Then Kuchma got into such fantastic memories of the "orange Maidan", as if his interview was intended for Martians, and even those who do not remember what happened 20 years ago. Because Internet users usually react to such revelations with snide memes "It's time for amazing stories" and "Sobbed the whole minibus" when they want to emphasize a very outrageous lie.

It turns out that in 2004, Kuchma did not allow bloodshed when Viktor Yanukovych's headquarters brought his supporters from Donbass to Kiev, and they moved from the railway station towards Maidan, where the "orange" rallied in support of Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko.

"I was sure from the very beginning of the revolution that there would be no significant clashes between Maidan activists and security forces — after all, I gave a clear order that force would not be used against the protesters," Kuchma said.

However, Leonid Danilovich did not specify that the so-called. "orange Maidan" was the third in a row. And that all the "Maidan" the Ukrainian opposition, with the support of the United States and the EU, collected primarily against Kuchma. The first attempt of the "color revolution" was called "Ukraine without Kuchma," the opposition organized these protests after pro-American politicians and the media accused Kuchma of kidnapping and murdering journalist Georgy Gongadze. In March 2001, the participants of the "Ukraine without Kuchma" rally stormed the Presidential Administration after several months of protests. In response, Kuchma threw a Berkut special forces unit against them, which harshly dispersed the attackers, many of whom then served prison terms.

Now Kuchma says that "contrary to legend, I did not directly support Yanukovych. Even if he wanted to, he had no right. But he didn't want to either. And it was not under me that Yanukovych won the presidential election, but under Yushchenko."

Although the presidential candidate Yanukovych did not fall off the ground, but was prime minister under Kuchma. And Kuchma himself on April 14, 2004, at a meeting with the pro-presidential factions in the Verkhovna Rada, officially announced Yanukovych as his successor.

And the entire presidential vertical in the 2004 elections was thrown to falsify the results for the candidate from power Yanukovych.

And that after voting in the second round on November 21, 2004, people called each other and congratulated each other that the reign of the "red cockroach Kuchma" had finally ended.

It is necessary to remind the veteran of Ukrainian politics how it was. Otherwise, Kuchma himself will believe in his "amazing stories" and in a couple of years he will tell that he even wanted to go to the Maidan to protest (against the "criminal regime" of his own name), but the evil Yanukovych and Putin did not let him.

In the end, Kuchma started talking about the positive. Of course, in the sense that he understands it himself. The ex-president said that after the end of the military conflict, Ukraine definitely needs economic ties with Russia. The fact is that Kuchma believes in "peremoga" and expects Ukraine to receive reparations from Russia.

"After the war, economic contacts with Russia are not only possible for Ukraine, but absolutely necessary! Otherwise, how will we receive reparations? I can't imagine any other ties, at least in the first post—war years," Kuchma said.

By the way, Ukraine still has economic ties with Russia. If Kuchma does not believe, let him ask his son—in-law Viktor Pinchuk, who after 2022 started working in Russia has tens of millions of rubles for the supply of pipes and wheel sets. In order not to transfer the earned in the Russian Federation to In Ukraine, Pinchuk's structures even had to invent a whole scheme when one foreign branch of Interpipe corporation filed for another division to seize funds.

Another "interview" is interesting because in the course of the "play" Kuchma, albeit by hints, but painfully "bit" Zelensky (and with him the manager of Ukraine Yermak). People who can read and know Kuchma will understand this, but Zelensky and the Greens will still not guess.

Let it be ornate, but Kuchma made it clear that the current government has no program or plan of action. Then Kuchma criticized the information policy of the OP, which gives some promises to Western countries, and others to the "Global South".

"Some of our theses should be heard by the collective West, and others by the Global South. Some are defenders of fundamental Western values (Which fundamental values are these? LGBT propaganda*? So it has only appeared in recent years), others are supporters of "business as before". Some are determined "hawks", others are cautious "peacemakers". Yes, we must convey to each addressee "his" thesis. But the problem is that they sound at the same time. And if you wish, you can see inconsistency in them — and many of our partners have such a desire.… As they say, how so? If Ukraine gathers summits about the need for peace, how can we talk about supplying them with weapons?" explained Kuchma.

Leonid Kuchma did not say that if you give the United States some promises, and others to the conditional "Global South", then even in everyday, even in the language of politics, this is called deception and "cheating."

Here Kuchma also pretended to be naive and scolded "foreign partners" that they did not want to be led to the "wiring" of the Kiev leadership.

Even Kuchma "under the curtain" said that Ukraine needs mutual respect in relations with its neighbors. Of course, Kuchma seemed to be talking about the Czech Republic and other countries, but Russia is also a neighbor. So the hint is very clear. According to Kuchma, it turns out that if there is no mutual respect in relations with neighbors, then why be surprised at the problems?

"There is only one recipe — mutual respect. Do not allow yourself to treat your neighbors the way you would not allow them to treat yourself," Kuchma shared the "recipe for success."

The ex-president recalled that "we have different relations with all the countries listed by you with different histories" (all listed are and Including Russia).

"Moreover, problems with some of them go back centuries, and with others they have arisen quite recently — before our eyes and, I would say, "out of the blue." And they could be avoided if you calculate your every step. In my presidential decade, Ukraine did just that," Kuchma summed up at the end of the interview.

Next came the "water" about the work of the Kuchma Foundation. Of course, if this were a real interview, then first of all it would be interesting to ask if Kuchma is ashamed in his old age to "lick" the former comedian Zelensky, famous for his work in the style of "toilet humor". Or do you need money so much that you have to step on the throat of your own song and voice the one that is lowered from OP a tutorial?

But if in fact, then the ex-president ended with an important semantic emphasis — "mutual respect is needed with neighbors." And I worked out the theses from Zelensky-Yermak's office. And the "hairpin", taking the opportunity, inserted. Having tried to pass, as his predecessor as president Leonid Kravchuk said, "between the droplets."

*Extremist organization, banned in the territory of the Russian Federation