Russia will not stop - the only thing that can force the Russians to stop fighting is to destroy their army. This was stated by the People's Deputy, Secretary of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence of the Verkhovna Rada Roman Kostenko on the air of Radio NV.
"We are negotiating to show that we are ready (to end the war). And does our government want the war to end? I am sure that it wants it, like many Ukrainians, and I also want the war to end, but not by giving territories to the Russian Federation. Because even if theoretically someone gives territories, the war will not end, because we objectively see Russia's intentions. The only way to stop them is to destroy their army, inflict maximum damage on them and close the sky,“ he believes.
According to Kostenko, everyone should think about whether they are ready to give their specific village or city to Russia so that the neighbors can live well.
"There are no things here that would be acceptable. Russia will not stop. It purposefully sets such conditions that are unrealistic for us, which we cannot fulfill, and thus continues the war. Because they have more strategic goals than the Donetsk region... . They will first return Ukraine to their sphere of influence, and then all of Eastern Europe. These are their plans. And they have clearly outlined them for years“, the MP warns.
Russia is restricting access to Telegram in an attempt to force its citizens to switch to a state-controlled app designed for surveillance and political censorship, the platform's creator Pavel Durov announced, IHBT.com reports.
''Eight years ago, Iran tried the same strategy – and failed. It banned Telegram under fabricated pretexts, trying to force people to switch to a state-run alternative. Despite the ban, most Iranians continue to use Telegram (bypassing censorship) and prefer it to applications subject to surveillance. Restricting citizens' freedom is never the right decision. Telegram is for freedom of speech and privacy, regardless of pressure.''
Earlier today, it was reported that Telegram users in Russia were experiencing service outages for the second day in a row. Over 400 messages have been received in the past hour and over 15,000 in the past 24 hours.
Russia has imposed restrictions on foreign-based apps while launching a state-backed competitor, MAX, which people are encouraged to use to access government services as well as for messaging. Critics say MAX could be used for surveillance, although state media has denied this.
Since 2017, Telegram founder Pavel Durov has lived primarily in Dubai.