MY NEXT GUEST SAYS IN A TWEET ABOUT PUTIN AND HIS CEASE-FIRE,
IMAGINE A RAPIST BROKE INTO YOUR HOUSE.
HE RAPES, KILLS, AND THEN HE GOT TIRED AND HE ASKS FOR A
CEASE-FIRE. WHAT WILL YOUR ANSWER BE?
OLEKSIY GONCHARENKO IS A UKRAINIAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
FOR THE ODESSA REGION, HE JOINS ME NOW VIA SKYPE, THANK YOU SIR
FOR JOINING US. YOUR COMMENTS, FRANKLY, SPEAKS
TO THE TRAUMA, THE FEAR, THAT YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR PEOPLE
HAVE EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST OF 11 MONTHS.
RUSSIA, IN THE MEANTIME, SAYS THAT UKRAINE MIGHT REJECTED THE
HEAD OF CHRISTMAS MERCY. I WANT YOU TO TAKE ME THROUGH
THIS MISTRUST BASED ON WHAT YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED.
>> YEAH, THERE IS A LOT OF MISTRUST BECAUSE IT IS NOT 11
MONTHS, IT IS MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS.
RUSSIA STARTED THIS WAR AGAINST UKRAINE IN 2014.
AND FROM THIS TIME, THEY ALL THE TIME, THEY ARE 24/7, FIRST
PUTIN SAID THAT IT IS NOT US WHO ATTACKED CRIMEA, IT IS SOME
PEOPLE, THEY ARE UNIDENTIFIED AND CERTAINLY IT WAS NOT
RUSSIANS. THEN HE LIED THAT HE SAID HE
DOESN'T CONTROL THE SECRETARIES IN THE EASTERN PART OF UKRAINE,
AGAIN HE WAS LYING, THEN HE WAS LYING THAT HE WILL NOT ATTACK
UKRAINE WHEN HE WAS BUILDING UP HIS MILITARY PRESENCE ON OUR
BORDERS, AGAIN HE WAS LYING. SO HE IS LYING ALL THE TIME.
AND THIS TIME HE IS AGAIN LYING, HE WANTS --
HE HAS TWO OBJECTIVES. FIRST IS TO WIN THE TIME,
BECAUSE YES HE NEEDS TIME TO REFRESH AND REPLENISH HIS
TROOPS AND TO RESTOCK HIS ATTACKS.
AND SECOND, OBJECTIVE, IS TO MAKE MASS IN THE INTERNATIONAL
TERRITORY IN A GENERAL RUSSIA, TO SHOW THAT PUTIN IS A
PEACEMAKER AND IT IS SO RIDICULOUS.
THE MAN WHO STARTED THE MOST BRUTAL WAR AFTER THE SECOND
WORLD WAR AND THE MASS GENOCIDE OF UKRAINIANS WHO KILLED
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, NOW TRIES TO SHOW
HIMSELF AS A PEACEMAKER. THAT IS THE JOKE.
>> ALEXEI, I HAVE TO ASK YOU YOU HAVE SAID THIS IN A TWEET,
PUTIN HAS ALREADY REVOLUTIONIZED FOOD, ENERGY AND
NOW CHRISTMAS. DOES YOUR GOVERNMENT HAVE
INFORMATION THAT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN ATTACKS ON CHURCHES
DURING CHRISTMAS, BECAUSE ONE OF YOUR OFFICIALS WARNED PEOPLE
FROM GOING TO CHURCH BECAUSE OF THIS POTENTIAL THREAT.
>> EXACTLY, AND WHEN PUTIN IS SAYING SOMETHING FIRST WE WILL
SAY WHAT WE WILL THINK WILL HAPPEN IS ABSOLUTELY OPPOSITE.
SO HE IS SAYING I WILL NOT ATTACK, THAT MEANS HE IS
PLANNING THE ATTACK. IF HE SAYS WE WANT TO GIVE
PEOPLE POSSIBILITY TO GO TO CHURCHES, IT MEANS FOR US THAT
HE WANTS TO MAKE SOME PROVOCATION AND KILL PEOPLE
FROM CHURCHES, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY WHAT HE MEANS, LAST
YEAR IN MY NATIVE CITY IN ODESSA DURING THE ORTHODOX
EASTER HE KILLED A FAMILY WITH A THREE MONTH OLD LITTLE GIRL.
AND SUCH EXAMPLES ARE UNFORTUNATELY A LOT OF THEM, SO
THAT IS WHY YES WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT SOME
PROVOCATIONS, FULL FLAG OPERATIONS FROM PUTIN, IT IS
ABSOLUTELY IN HIS KGB STYLE. >> RUSSIA CONFIRMED THE BIGGEST
ATTACK ON ITS FORCES, KILLING WHAT THEY SAID, 89 SOLDIERS.
UKRAINE SAYS IT IS MUCH HIGHER. THIS WAS, OF COURSE, WIDELY
DISCUSSED EVEN WITHIN RUSSIA INTERNALLY ABOUT HOW THEY COULD
HAVE BEEN TARGETED, IT WAS AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION TO
WATCH. HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE
RIGHT NOW WHAT RUSSIAN SOLDIERS, RUSSIAN TROOPS, OUR THINKING
AND FEELING IN TERMS OF HOW THEY ARE COPING WITH THEIR
AGENDA TO WIN THIS WAR? BECAUSE WITH A CEASE-FIRE, THE
IMMEDIATE QUESTIONS AROUND WHETHER THEY WANT THE
FRONTLINES TO FREEZE, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THEY FEEL
LIKE THEY ARE LOSING GROUND. >> ABSOLUTELY, THEY ARE LOSING
THE GROUND, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT FROM THE BEGINNING OF
SEPTEMBER, UKRAINE LIBERATED A BIG PART OF OUR TERRITORIES.
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF SQUARE MILES, AND THAT IS WHY
PUTIN IS NOW LOOKING FOR A POSSIBILITY TO STOP UKRAINE, HE
STILL HOPES FOR SOME UNREST IN THE WEST, I STILL HOPE FOR SOME
POLITICAL CHANGES IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
AND UNITED KINGDOM. HE IS DOING EVERYTHING HE CAN
TO MAKE THESE CHANGES TO PROVOKE SOME PROBLEMS IN THIS
COUNTRY, BOTH WITH FOOD CRISIS, ENERGY CRISIS, REFUGEE CRISIS,
THAT IS HIS HOPE. AND FOR A MILITARY POINT OF
VIEW HE UNDERSTANDS THAT HE CAN'T ISSUE THE GOALS THAT HE
HAD IN THE BEGINNING, AND HIS GOAL TODAY IS JUST TO HOLD THE
LINE, WHICH HE HAS FOR THE MOMENT.
BUT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR HIM.
RUSSIAN TROOPS HAVE TO IMPROVISE, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT
TO DO WITH UKRAINE, THEY ARE CLEARLY DEMORALIZED WITH THE
LOSS OF -- I WANT TO STRESS YOUR ATTENTION,
THAT AN ACT AGAINST A RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE WAS EXACTLY
PRECISE, NO ONE CIVILIAN WAS HURT DURING THESE ATTACKS.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY OPPOSITE TO HOW RUSSIA IS DOING THE WAR,
KILLING THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS, AND YES, OF
COURSE OF THESE ATTACKS AND HIDE LOSSES OF RUSSIANS PUTIN
IS NOW TRYING TO SHOW HIMSELF AS A PEACEMAKING INSIDE RUSSIA
TOO, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO SAY TO HIS PEOPLE, OKAY, I UNDERSTAND
THAT YOU ARE SUFFERING. AND I WANT TO MAKE SOME THINGS.
WHY -- >> YES, IN THE LOOT UP TO THE
NEW YEARS, THERE ARE BEEN MAJOR STRIKES AND ATTACKS, FRANCE AND
GERMANY SAYING THEY ARE GOING TO BE STANDING AND GIVING MORE
EQUIPMENT, ALEXEI I, WANT TO ASK HOW YOU ARE DOING AND HOW
YOUR FAMILY IS DOING? HOW ARE YOUR COLLEAGUES DOING?
AND WHETHER YOU FEEL YOU HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES, AND ENOUGH TO
JUST GET THROUGH A POSSIBLE SCENARIO WITH MORE AGGRESSIVE
STRIKES LIKE YOU HAVE LAID OUT, THAT IS HOW PUTIN RESPONDS.
>> MY FAMILY LIVES IN ODESSA, THEY DID NOT LEAVE THE COUNTRY
FOR A DAY DURING FEBRUARY 24TH, SO YES, IT IS DIFFICULT.
AS FOR BILLIONS OF UKRAINIANS, WE ARE DEPRIVED FROM
ELECTRICITY, FROM TIME TO TIME AND IT CAN BE UP TO THREE DAYS
IN -- WITHOUT ELECTRICITY, YOU CAN
IMAGINE SOMETIMES WE ARE DEPRIVED FROM RUNNING WATER, IN
SOME CITIES LIKE MYKOLAIV IT IS DEPRIVED FROM RUNNING WATER
FROM APRIL, THAT IS HOW -- AND NOW HUMANITARIAN CENTER IS
OPENING THERE, HE IS DELIVERING WATER THERE FROM APRIL AND WILL
DELIVER WATER THERE BUT JUST IMAGINE A CITY WITHOUT PLANNING
WATER FOR SO MANY PEOPLE. SO YES, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT,
BUT THE MOST DIFFICULT IS FOR OUR FIGHTERS, FOR OUR MEN AND
WOMEN ON THE FRONT LINES. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ALEXEI,
FOR JOINING US. >> THANK YOU.
>> ALEXA GONCHARENKO, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.
AND I KNOW THAT SO MANY UKRAINIANS ARE CELEBRATING
CHRISTMAS, WE WISH YOU ALL WELL AND WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
YOUR INSIGHTS. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF
STRIKES SINCE RUSSIA ANNOUNCED THIS CHRISTMAS CEASE-FIRE.
I WANT YOU TO TAKE US THROUGH THE LATEST.
>> SURE, SO AS YOU MENTIONED OUR COLLEAGUES ON THE GROUND,
BENVIE TIMON, SAID THAT HE HEARD NOT LONG AFTER THAT CEASE
FIRE THEY HEARD AND WITNESSED BOTH INCOMING AND OUTGOING FIRE
ACROSS THE FRONT LINES IN EASTERN UKRAINE.
AND SO IT APPEARS THAT IT IS BUSINESS AS USUAL, OF COURSE
THE RUSSIANS BLAME THE UKRAINE FOR BREAKING THIS CEASE-FIRE.
THE UKRAINIANS SAY THE RUSSIANS HAVE CARRIED OUT SHELLING IN
KRAMATORSK IN, EASTERN UKRAINE AND IN KHERSON IN THE SOUTH AS
WELL, WHERE THERE ARE DEAD AND WOUNDED.
THEY SAY, ALTHOUGH WE DON'T HAVE NUMBERS ON PRECISELY HOW
MANY. BUT THE REALITY IS THAT THIS
CEASE-FIRE WAS DOOMED FROM THE GET-GO.
IT REALLY NEVER HAD A CHANCE, BECAUSE THE UKRAINIANS NEVER
SIGNED ON TO IT. THEY NEVER AGREED WITH IT
BECAUSE THEY VIEWED IT AS SIMPLY A CHANCE FOR THE
RUSSIANS TO IMPROVE THEIR POSITION ON THE BATTLEFIELD TO
GET MORE WEAPONS, AMMUNITION, TROOPS TO THE FRONT LINES, TO
TRY TO GET THE UPPER HAND IN A BATTLE THAT UKRAINIANS FEEL
THAT RIGHT NOW THE RUSSIANS ARE LOSING.
AND YOU WOULD BE HARD-PRESSED TO FIND MANY PEOPLE IN UKRAINE
WHO ACTUALLY BELIEVED THAT ANYTHING WOULD CHANGE ALONG THE
FRONT LINES, IN FACT I MET ONE WOMAN THIS MORNING AT A PRAYER
SERVICE FOR THE MILITARY AT THIS SAINT MICHAELS CHURCH
BEHIND ME WHO SAID LOOK, SHE READ AT THE WORDING OF THE
KREMLIN DECLARATION QUITE CLOSELY AND NOTICED THAT IT
SAID IT WOULD BE A CEASE-FIRE ALONG THE LINE OF CONTACT, IT
DID SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.
SO IN HER MIND, SHE FIGURED THERE WOULD BE MISSILE STRIKES
LIKELY IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.
THIS IS HOW LITTLE FACE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE HAVE IN WHAT
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND WHAT THE KREMLIN ACTUALLY SAYS.
I ALSO SPOKE TO THE HEAD OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF UKRAINE WHO
LED THE PRAYER SERVICE EARLIER TODAY, AND HE SAID WE DO NOT
TRUST WITH THE RUSSIANS HAVE TO SAY.
YOU JUST HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE AIR RAID SIREN THAT WENT OFF
DURING THE CHURCH SERVICE, AND IT TELLS YOU EVERYTHING YOU
NEED TO KNOW, ELENI.