watch our broadcast e-e on cable networks subscribe to our social pages so, friends , we are on m. now is the time for a conversation with ihor lapin, an officer of the armed forces of ukraine, commander of a special purpose battalion of the armed forces of ukraine, a major of the armed forces of ukraine, mr. major , good day, good day to you health, glad to see you on our broadcast. i wish you health, but i would like to inform you that at the moment i am busy with other issues and the battalion commander is another person, so life goes on and we continue to work on on different fronts, thank you. i thought you wanted to correct that you are already a lieutenant colonel, so i wanted to apologize, let's hope that you will soon be a lieutenant colonel. to the war and

the explanation of the ukrainian leadership m.m. i remember our broadcasts at the end of last year you talked a lot about a possible russian attack from the side of belarus, since large exercises were held there the event of 20-21 was concentrated on the russian great power and the great power of russia. there were units there that participated in these exercises. how do you now perceive the investigation of the washington post and especially zelensky's explanation that he specifically did not want to tell people about a possible attack about which the ukrainian leadership was warned back in september 2021, well, look, now this topic is quite popular to discuss, but if we had been warned or if we had not been warned, but i wanted to warn or not and i, what would it lead to? well, i tell you i will say this for me personally, nothing has changed, and i am sure that for the lion's share of the population of

ukraine, these warnings would lead to absolutely nothing, so it is said that there could be a fire or not a panic. well, let's speak frankly at that time, for example, those people who they believed me to whom i told that there would be a war, they did not leave, no one left, no one left, nothing went anywhere, because you know how they still hope that and here it is, and in fact, to my deep conviction, there are the public statements of the president that we are preparing for war and that they would allegedly cause panic. to be honest, i don't believe that, because our people are such that they don't panic until the end. as for the other points, which i drew attention to right away, the question is not the same. why didn't i warn someone else about that question? were preparing. this is the main question that ukrainians should solve now, not what. here's what he did there. what

did he do well or badly? we would be there nothing would have changed, i would like to emphasize once again the main thing that we spent this time on, i remember very well the statement of the minister of defense that there was no need for money for the armed forces of ukraine, there was 50 billion left at the end of the year on the 21st, it had to be redistributed, so here is reznikov from the tribune told the parliament about this that we have enough for everything and the money went to the roads, but you know, that's exactly what i paid attention to, you know, asphalt and bitumen from belarus do not fit into the 152 caliber and they did not help me near popasna under bakhmut to destroy the enemy because there were one and a half thousand projectiles that the russian e-e battery placed in positions on my platoon base point where there were not many people sitting, this i will tell you. it is possible for the listeners, it will be interesting for the audience, it is somewhere about one and a half kilometers. well, maybe two on two

such square large ones, there are one and a half thousand shells of 122 caliber, for example, or 152 caliber of the russian artillery. do you understand why we should have spent time instead of warning or not warning, it is possible not to warn, it was the same as what made the president, did he do well or badly, it is not important for today, history will tell, but what did we spend this time on, that is the second again, you know the question. i know that the economy depends very much on heavy industry. i know that the production of tanks requires metal, and metal is metallurgy, and metallurgy is the economy. it was easier for people to find their way around, this is what starts the economy, and buying bitumen in belarus starts the possibility of quick returns, and that's why

today's phrase about 7 billion lost money, you know, it's a bit cynical, because i met this war near the gustomel airport. to exchange us for lost billions, maybe some profits, and i emphasize once again that starting the economy is not only bitumen from belarus, starting the economy - this is production, this is heavy industry, this is jobs, not foreign jobs companies involved in the construction of roads or suppliers of materials for these for this construction, the 152nd caliber was purchased en masse, the 155th caliber nato standard was massively ignored in our country, the only fat of bohdan on the 155 caliber nato and before the very war, we purchased czech danes with the old soviet caliber a ammunition, we we are raking out all

of europe now, they have raked out everything that was that soviet ammunition, and it is getting less and less because russia blew up warehouses at the time when russia blew up warehouses in bulgaria and the czech republic with that soviet the weapons we used to sharpen our armed forces, you understand, we built roads no, i understand that roads are also necessary, you know, once a wounded man was taken from donetsk region to kyiv, it’s very good that there is a good road, it’s probably good because it’s delivered faster and won’t be shaken on the road, but it could there would be fewer wounded, so this is the mistake that needs to be paid attention to now, and not what he warned or didn't warn, and that's why i'm really sorry for this, and maybe you know that i don't engage in politics during the war, and maybe we really need to to be united, but there is no need now to turn the head upside down and turn the weak head over to the healthy one, the problem is not in the warning, the problem is where we

spent our time, this is the main thing. well, the main thing is how during this period of six months of the great war , how our economy was reoriented, also because in wartime, when people are predicting western experts are predicting a long-term war, the question is that the west will not last long. complexes which which pierced weapons which would make cartridges and the same projectiles the question is because and why why is there no such program because wartime requires not only certain restrictions and wartime requires restrictions not only for citizens and for officials budget reduction reduction obviously staff rosters in ministries also need to be reviewed well, there must be some savings, well, look

at the budget for the redistribution of funds, this is of course the full responsibility of the second zelenskyi government, which is in charge today, and in this situation, it is the responsibility of the authorities. of course, they have more more information than you and i about what is happening now in the economy of the state and so on, of course. it would be more interesting if the production of e was taken from the potentially occupied regions of donetsk to a more dangerous place and we could reorient it and start it there and so on so that we could produce the what do we need for the war but again, at this time it is already spent and this production today is in the occupied territory, we lost it and based on all this, we really need to reorient ourselves, you know, there is a little the big difference between a state of war and a state of war is that this difference is not only in curtailing certain

democratic freedoms of citizens, the difference is that how economic processes will work in the state, well, live with the thesis that everything is for the front, everything for victory, this is during the war. today, we are at war . yes, i understand that this can give our foreign partners a reason to break contracts because of the state of war. this is a slightly different story. component, but nothing will change here for ukrainians , because the restrictions that already exist will continue. and as for economic processes, well, we grow bread, you know that this year is probably the most expensive bread, the most bloody bread in ukraine for many years that we have lived. they say, well, in the recent history of ukraine since 1991, because on one side, the field is burning, planes are flying above, covering it, and below are working combine harvesters, and you know. well, are these? glory to those citizens of ukraine

who collect bread. well, but this is not the main part of the economic income of the state, so of course, today it is possible well, it is economically unprofitable to manufacture our own weapons because our partners give them to us for free, but then i have a question. the responsibility of the government. at the moment, i cannot recommend - comment in more detail from an economic point of view. i am not an economist and an expert in economics, but the fact is that today certain sectors in in safer places, this is already a good sign, because people need to eat, people need to earn money , er, the same volunteers, somewhere in parallel, they have to earn food for themselves, as they say, and have the opportunity to volunteer to help the front. therefore, the economy really needs to be started, but it is

once again naked economic processes are launched due to the adjustment of production, not buy-sell , because if there is literally one thesis for us, you know that there was a period when you could bring a car without duty, but these same cars did not arrive at zsu these cars were bought by individuals of course it is possible well how many millions or billions of dollars did the citizens of ukraine take to europe to buy cars at preferential prices without customs clearance and bring them today to the car market in the city of lutsk and they are there in packs of hundreds and this is how buy and sell goes. this about the launch of the economy. is it about the export of foreign currency? these are the miscalculations of the government on the one hand . on the other hand, well, i recently watched the investigation of your colleagues, journalists, and what

kind of transport we maybachs and so on were imported into ukraine without customs duties and what did it do for the economy, except for the export of currency, which is lacking in the state because we really have problems and so further, again, i do not see the government's negotiations regarding debt restructuring or debt cancellation, well , in the end, if european partners see that we are collapsing with the largest army in europe, one of the largest armies in the world, and today we are confronting and if we protect the boundaries of western democracy, then the issue of ukraine's debt obligations can somehow be resolved so that we don't spend the same currency on interest payments and so on. today naftogaz will go bankrupt. sorry, winter is coming soon, and everyone says we warn you. it will be a hard winter, what ukrainians somehow they are preparing for that hard winter, that is, what is the government doing so that the economy and the economy

in the state can stabilize? while we are at war against russia, have you heard such negotiations , literally, you may be journalists who know more than the military, but i have not heard such a thing, so this is what we need to say when we talk about the state 's economy. negotiations on the restructuring of the foreign debt and this will help save 6 billion dollars, but ukraine asked the creditors to postpone payments on the foreign debt, and we will see what the results will be. but in the meantime, there are still other negotiations. negotiations between the president of ukraine volodymyr zelenskyi, general secretary antonio otelish and president of turkey erdoğan in

lviv the day before, segmenturk reported that ertağan will invite zelenskyi for talks with putin. as reported by this agency, it is observed that russia is ready to soften its tough position on the issue of direct negotiations between the heads of state the kremlin and the ukrainian president, apparently, during the negotiations with erdoğan on august 5 in sochi, putin hinted that he might meet with zelenskyi and as reported by sinanturk, now in order to stop the war, the russian side has announced that first the leaders can discuss and define a road map, then the delegations can start the work of healing this road map into life. do you believe, mr. igor, that zelensky and putin will sit down at

the negotiating table in the near future and they will start production. as cnnt turk says, what road map can this be ? look for me personally, any negotiations with russia should last no longer than automatic ones. you understand that any negotiations for which today will cling, russia already wants these negotiations, it is vitally necessary for it, because russia no longer actually exists, that is, the state is theoretically a father father, even they have one, even the economy can still withstand the sanctions because they are avoiding them well, but the question now is not about that question about freezing the conflict on those borders where the armed forces of ukraine stand today and are holding, as they say, civilized democracy, the civilized world from russian aggression, freezing them here is the biggest betrayal that can happen today a day ago that russia will use it as usual listen, well, let's be aware of the fact that no matter what we talk to russia, who would not talk to

russia, starting from there i don't know there, uh, nagorno- karabakh, georgia, ukraine, donetsk, donetsk region, crimea , what happened to us and what did it give at least to someone? yes, in the 14th year, when we were weak, we used this time to strengthen the army and even though we have what to fight today, well, roughly speaking. there is an alder tree and so on. that is, i won't even be able to criticize now. we used it as much as we could, all together, including me and all of you who voted for or against, it doesn't matter. which russia brought to ukraine is it for ukraine is it a rescue circle for russia this rescue circle will be for russia because we have the concept that russia is shelling peaceful cities so she is

shelling peaceful cities russia softened that they they can soften, they can soften as soon as they go to the borders at least until february 23, as soon as they pay all the compensation, everything they destroyed in us can be theirs. that is, they say, we give, putin comes out, he says, i give the command, we leave and start counting let's give money let's sit down at the negotiating table, let us get our soldiers out of the territory of ukraine so that the partisans don't wink at them in the crimea there or somewhere else, you understand, well, this is a negotiating position, but you need to hear it from russia, well, russia is not doing this, they want a freeze on those borders, in return, they promise us not to make any more promises or to do anything, well , i apologize that they can promise us to soften and what to soften to resurrect half of the people from buchan or gostomel that they can soften to resurrect those military personnel who

died, you know hmm, there is such a risk that putin and zelenskyi will sit down at the negotiating table and if zelenskyi’s team continues the lockout, or rather, if zelenskyi’s team agrees to freeze the conflict, they won’t forgive him, i just i tell him how it is, as a statesman, as a politician , as a president, no one will forgive us. because today there are no more established wars, the main one is the war, there are wars in this teroboron, monaco, there are wars in stalin, by the way, about the investigation, oleg, why in this situation we have no established wars, our people want victory, now ukraine should conduct any negotiations only from the point of view of the winners of the war, otherwise it will not be like that, we will freeze today, russia will recover and our children will have to go on you know the war. to be honest, considering my window, it will be really difficult for me

to start again in a few years . and by russia until russia left the territory of ukraine and did not completely withdraw. this will be the first sign of goodwill after it, it can really be turned away, not like on the snake when we broke them with the help of by the way, including slava bohdan of ukrainian production, which is in one instance, it will not be the same one with which they will leave zmiinets island out of good will. and this will already be the first negotiating position for russia . today, well, nothing will change from the rearrangement of terms, our boys will not be resurrected, you understand, and we will not finish the enemy if we sit down today for the negotiation process and freeze the conflict, it is not possible to freeze

the conflict, this is putin's first request we must not it is to go, and any negotiations in this context will be, well, it will be a disaster for the state for the existence of the state of ukraine, meanwhile, mr. igor , minister of defense oleksiy reznikov, in an interview with voice of america, he told how many combat-ready forces are on the borders of ukraine, let's hear mr. reznikov according to the latest reports we are our military. these are about 115 so-called battalion-tactical groups, of which 105 seem to be real. yes, or another method is used. 10 are used for recovery. measured up to 135,000 people, plus or minus. but i must repeat once again that it is absolutely a mixture of such a cocktail there and the mercenaries and private members of this company that they have and pseudo-mobilized and driven from mobilized students with the fact that in

the occupied territories there was debt there just aren't any. well, including professional military personnel, that's why today i wouldn't dare to talk about the real fighting spirit of the supposedly second army of the world, this doesn't mean that it's necessary, you can't stop underestimating them there under any circumstances the enemy must be evaluated and understood, but it is definitely not the second army of the world, i.e. 135,000 on the borders is about the same as there were at the beginning of the full-scale offensive, as far as i remember on the borders, i will correct a little at the beginning of the full-scale offensive, the block there is close there are 150-160,000 e.e., and as the same minister of rezniks said , they don’t have strike groups for an attack on ukraine, we remember all those

tank columns that don’t exist, so really, they don’t exist anymore, just like that, there are no elite strike groups there is no paratroopers, this is due to the fact that instead of e kalash rifles, some of our guys ran out with molotov cocktails against the paratroopers armed to the teeth , you understand, so you can’t underestimate their rather large amount of artillery and the use of a barrage of fire. this is exactly what russia is doing in donbas, and we see that every of the day we hear about some small but nevertheless partial successes of the russian barrage of fire unfortunately, which at the moment we hear every day and see how they give certain results what we destroyed according to our data according to official data, there are more than 40,000 russian military personnel. well, you can add at least one to three at least three times here - these are the

wounded, that is, this first wave, 160,000. well, we finished after that. we recruited another 140,000 russians. these are the ones with whom we now we are fighting well, we are fighting now the fact is that the demoralization of the personnel of the russian federation is not the number of them, whether they are there or not, for example, kherson region, the burned bridges in the back speak of the demoralization of the personnel of this group of 12-13 thousand russians on on the right bank of the dnieper, from which the generals moved to the left bank, who remain there waiting for the counteroffensive of ukraine, which is currently taking place with the help of holy hummers , hypercars and artillery

. sands or near bahmut and i wouldn't say that they are so demoralized there because they are pressing , which means they are still fighting, that's why you can't say that, because it's an underestimation of the enemy, that's exactly it it is shameful that this could be what happened on the eve of the invasion, i will never forget the absence, as it were, of the strike groups in the meantime. when i was on your broadcast that girkin took a slav without armor, but he took him with a small number of people, so i do not consider this situation to be demoralization at all appropriate demoralization is the partisan movement in the occupied territories, it is demoralization when they are afraid, demoralization is when the cars of collaborators are blown up, this is also demoralization, this is all that leads to the demoralization of the personnel of russians who today they are fighting against us on our territory, the missiles they release do not demoralize them, let's not forget that on the side of belarus we said that not

so long ago that there in this belarus these btg are recruiting somewhere around seven thousand personnel today with the help of russian money, we are already saying that there are about 13,000 personnel on the territory of belarus, five more battalions of tactical groups have been added to that well, let's put it this way, we see that underestimation can lead to bucha therefore, we must simply fight and transfer it to military rails and i emphasize once again not to curtail missile programs but to deploy them despite the fact that our western partners are helping us, but we must rely on our own strength in this situation. well, let's not forget about the reforms that need to be done, even now during the war in the armed forces forces of ukraine. i am speaking in the context of the equipment. listen, be strong, everyone. as they say, god give us all health, but winter clothes have already been sewn for the number of personnel who

are today. as they say, under the gun in ukraine, in our armed forces in our national guard and so on, all of them already have supplies in their warehouses, are the volunteers sewing again, because i see that the volunteers were looking for body armor for us at the beginning of the war, and today they are starting to sew clothes, so i emphasize once again that the freezing of the conflict is one thing for us and let's say yes to the killer, and underestimating the enemy can lead to even greater losses. let's not forget that the russian economy is still alive today. if it died, there would be a council of republics. if there was a parade of republics , then russian propaganda would blame everything on the tsar. father and on his miscalculations and let's say the absence of the tsar father this is a demoralizer because today they are fighting for the tsar and the fatherland and the absence of the tsar will sprinkle this army that is why there are things that can globally demoralize the special composition of the russian army today well you know

let's say it like this but i agree more strongly hordes are fighting for the russians, they are collaborators, they are fighting harder than the russians, they are local, they know the territory while the artillery is working, they are crawling, they are crawling while the artillery is working, we noticed them, we felled them they retreated because the russians are retreating, the ordinians are not retreating. what is the complexity of this process. and in this situation, to talk about demoralization, well, let's say so, i wouldn't risk it, they would still be fighting. the main intelligence directorate of the ministry of defense predicts in the next few weeks will be hot at the front and they are talking about august 24, independence day, that the russians will do everything to spoil our holiday , what can we expect from the russians, the russians need some victories, they need some victories for it doesn't matter to their own consumer, they are so happy

to announce that they have captured a village and inflate themselves in the mass media, and based on this situation, which i see as a military man in the kherson region, we will blink them with artillery, and the almighty hymers will cut them off and give them the opportunity to restore bridges and such a demolition of personnel may then lead to the fact that if we continue to bombard them with artillery, they will begin to pour down and this will be our victory, which can shake tsar putin of russia from his rings. to have some alternative victory at the moment, to somehow close the routines, perhaps dissatisfied, that will appear there in russia in their political system. and in this situation, i completely share andriyusov's opinion that they will stir something up, and let's say they will do something grandiose in order to just in case their troops fall under kherson, it is to have some

alternative picture for the victors, i don't know those reflections. thank you from television from kopeevo. thank you, mr. igor. lapins is a special officer, this is an officer of the armed forces of ukraine, a major of the armed forces of ukraine, a people's deputy of ukraine of the eighth convocation. thank you for the conversation. take care of yourself and your family, friends. this was a verdict program. it was conducted by serhiy rudenko. we will meet with you on monday. for now, you can like this video. in social networks well, subscribe to our social networks, read our news on the espresso tv website, the broadcast of the espresso tv channel continues, watch this week in the judicial control program rejuvenating procedures of volodymyr severin as a member of the ethics council postponed his retirement admitted that he was born later thus he tried to

extend his tenure as a judge according to which scheme the candidate for the supreme council of justice purchased real estate in the capital for an apartment for $4,300 technology i am very uncomfortable talking opponents from the court reforms rush to its key organs, watch the judicial control program with tetyana shustrova on thursday, august 18 at 5:50 p.m. on the espresso unconquered cities tv channel lviv, ukraine, a city where more than 2,000 historical architectural and cultural monuments have been preserved, its center is a unesco world cultural heritage, here at the monastery of st. onufry ivan fedorov founded the first printing house and printed the first ukrainian book