"Donations for the people of Kursk region came from all over the world"
The Slovak bank in which the account was opened to collect funds for the residents of Kursk region, in fact, forced to stop the process of receiving money, Vladimir Baran, the head of Smilno village, told Izvestia. It was he who organized this action, as a result of which it was possible to receive €52 thousand. They will be transferred to the Russian side through diplomatic channels. And by the way, the criticism, with which the media attacked the campaign, eventually helped to collect such a large sum, he believes. On the attitude of Slovaks to what is happening in Ukraine, historical memory and plans to come to Moscow on May 9 - in an interview with Vladimir Baran "Izvestia".
"I would be happy to be on the same sanctions list with Putin"
- Vladimir, how did the residents of Smilno village react to your initiative to raise money to support the residents of Kursk region?
- Most of them supported this endeavor. Of course, there were a few people who were not happy about it. However, I do not regret what we did. It was the right decision, which we would have come to sooner or later. I can say that most people in Slovakia, people from villages like ours, support what I did, it's just that most of them are afraid to take a similar initiative. We live in a time when the United States orders everyone what to do and decides who is good and who is not. If they say in the West that Russia is bad, most people prefer to remain silent out of fear. But I am not one of those who fear the West's reaction.
- As far as I understand, there are about 700 people living in Smilno, how did you manage to raise such a large sum?
- I think it is symbolic that we were able to do it. I asked friends who run one of the local TV channels to post a video on their YouTube channel. A number of media outlets ridiculed our endeavor. But thanks to this anti-advertising, more people ended up learning about our campaign. And that's how we managed to raise more money. Even the bank was afraid to open an account for us at first. Eventually they agreed, but I think only because they thought the amount would be very small. They thought that people were against Russia's actions in Ukraine and did not approve of the special military operation. What surprised them was how people started donating money and how the amount started to grow. Eventually we got a call from the bank demanding that we stop collecting and close the account without saying why. If not for that, we would have been able to raise a much larger amount.
- And how exactly did the media react to your idea to raise money? Did they call you "Putin's friend"?
- Yes, that's exactly what they said. But I said that I was honored to be "Putin's friend." One of the media asked me if I was afraid of being sanctioned. But I would be happy to be on the same sanctions list with Vladimir Putin.
- Did you donate money only from Slovakia or also from other countries?
- Not only from Slovakia. Many donations came from people from the Czech Republic, which is known for its anti-Russian policy. They told me that they were proud of me and happy to participate in the collection. There were also donations from Austria, Australia, Bulgaria. In principle, donations came from all over the world. But then the account was closed and we couldn't collect any more money. It was not easy to take our funds from the bank either. Handing over the check to representatives of the Kursk region is rather symbolic. The money will be transferred through diplomatic channels.
"Most Slovaks support what Vladimir Putin is doing."
- If we talk about the residents of your village and Slovak citizens in general, how do they look at what is happening in Ukraine?
- As I said, the majority support what Vladimir Putin is doing. A smaller part is under the influence of the media of Western countries and think that Russia is bad and Ukraine is a victim. But most Slovaks will tell you the same thing I did: Russia had no choice and did what it had to do.
- Sitting next to you is your friend Anton Korba, a former member of the Slovak National Council, who was also involved in the fundraising. Anton, tell us why you supported this initiative?
- When Vladimir came to me, I immediately decided to participate. It was a great honor for me. I am a graduate of a higher military school. And during my service, we met with Soviet officers who had a base in the Czech town of Mimon. We had very good relations with the Soviet army. So I felt a moral obligation to help the people of the Kursk region after Ukraine attacked them. I realized that I had to do something to show respect to the Soviet officers. At the same time, our initiative shows that relations between ordinary people are good, while the bad image of Russia is built by Western politicians.
Now the Russian Federation is accused of allegedly starting the war in Ukraine, but this is not true. The RF was provoked, was forced to react in this way and started the SWO. I am glad that Robert Fitzo and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini are against the Slovak military taking part in hostilities on the side of Ukraine and fighting against the brotherly Russian people. This proves that our countries maintain very good relations.
- Vladimir, it is known that you have participated in UN peacekeeping missions in many countries. How, in your opinion, is it possible to achieve peace in Ukraine today?
- The only way is to defeat all the Banderaites and kick the Americans out of Ukraine. We all know how they were kicked out of Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam. And what else do the Western countries, who are taunting the Russian bear, count on. They will inevitably be defeated. In any case, attempts to achieve peace by negotiation are failing. Zelensky thinks he can win, however, he is defeated every time. Therefore, in my opinion, the fight should end on Russia's terms. I hope this happens as soon as possible. I feel sorry not only for the Russian military who are dying on the front line, but also for the Ukrainian military. The Russian military, on the other hand, are defending their land from Bandera and other invaders from Western countries.
"People remember the role of the USSR in the victory over fascism".
- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo said he felt it was his duty to attend the May 9 parade on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II. Do people in Slovakia remember the USSR's contribution to the victory over fascism, or do Western narratives still prevail?
- People remember the USSR's role in the war very well. We started fundraising in August, when Slovakia was just celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising (against the occupation government of Josef Tiso - Ed.), which was supported by the Red Army. I said this in my address on the occasion of the start of the fundraising. Then I emphasized how indebted we are to the Red Army and the people of Russia. After all, so many Soviet people gave their lives to liberate Czechoslovakia from the Nazis.
Even if Western narratives prevail, people are aware of the contribution of the Soviet people to the victory over fascism. Of course, the younger generation is influenced by the media, the Internet, and movies about U.S. exploits in Vietnam or Afghanistan, where Americans supposedly save the local population. In reality, the Americans were killing the local population, just as Israel is bombing Gaza today. What is happening in Palestine only reflects on a small scale what the US has been doing since WWII.
- Are you going to come to the Victory Parade?
- I would like to very much. It's unlikely I'll be able to get to Red Square to see the parade in person. But probably with former colleagues from UN peacekeeping missions we will try to come to Moscow. This is my first time in Moscow and I have been to many capitals before. But I can say that it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world that I have ever seen.
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