٠٠:٠٧:١٩Vladimír Baran, mayor of Smilno in Slovakia and UN war hero, described how he had raised tens of thousands of euros for Russian refugees in Kursk, following Ukraine's incursion in August, in footage recorded in the village on Saturday.
"Two years ago or it may be more I think it was two years ago I collected money in the office also for the Ukrainian refugees," he explained. "I felt like it was a good time to also help the Russians."
"I don't support the weapons [deliveries to Ukraine], I just I support people who are affected by the war," he explained, while criticising the 'black suit, white shirt' brigade for making decisions without any knowledge of the 'people on the ground'.
"They (on the ground) fight, they lose their life, their families are affected so much, I saw it personally when I served in United Missions," he said, detailing his experiences in the Slavik Armed Forces on UN missions in the former Yugoslavia, Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Cyprus.
Baran said that the response to his appeal had been phenomenal, with 44,000 euros raised so far from people in the community.
"They are not very wealthy, they not rich and even some older people donate 10 euros, 20 euros, they come personally to my office and they give me 50 euros," he said. "Some tell me yeah, I donate, but please, don't put my name on it.
"On the streets so far people haven't shouted on me, mostly I meet people who are very positive and they admire [the campaign]," he said. "[On my account] you [can] put 'one cent' and you can write whatever you like and also there are people who put one cent there and they criticise me, how bad I am, how I support the Russian invaders."
However, Baran said that he and many others were very disappointed that the Czech Republic in particular had backed the man he called the 'little green cult president' Volodymyr Zelensky. He added that Russia had been criticised for an 'unprovoked invasion' but said he believed it was 'well-provoked' and 'well planned', beginning with the 2014 Maidan uprising.
On the future of the conflict, he said talks were needed but that 'depends on the American elections'.
"They (Ukraine) are on life support from America and when America stops everything stops and and the thing will be decided at the table not at the fighting fields," he said.
The Maidan protests were a wave of civil unrest across Ukraine, triggered by President Viktor Yanukovych's movement away from the EU and towards the Eurasian Economic Union, which led to violent clashes and his eventual ousting from power - and which some claim was a coup orchestrated by Western powers.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Let's help Russia's Kursk refugees! - Slovak mayor and UN war hero raises tens of thousands, praises 'very positive' response
Vladimír Baran, mayor of Smilno in Slovakia and UN war hero, described how he had raised tens of thousands of euros for Russian refugees in Kursk, following Ukraine's incursion in August, in footage recorded in the village on Saturday.
"Two years ago or it may be more I think it was two years ago I collected money in the office also for the Ukrainian refugees," he explained. "I felt like it was a good time to also help the Russians."
"I don't support the weapons [deliveries to Ukraine], I just I support people who are affected by the war," he explained, while criticising the 'black suit, white shirt' brigade for making decisions without any knowledge of the 'people on the ground'.
"They (on the ground) fight, they lose their life, their families are affected so much, I saw it personally when I served in United Missions," he said, detailing his experiences in the Slavik Armed Forces on UN missions in the former Yugoslavia, Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Cyprus.
Baran said that the response to his appeal had been phenomenal, with 44,000 euros raised so far from people in the community.
"They are not very wealthy, they not rich and even some older people donate 10 euros, 20 euros, they come personally to my office and they give me 50 euros," he said. "Some tell me yeah, I donate, but please, don't put my name on it.
"On the streets so far people haven't shouted on me, mostly I meet people who are very positive and they admire [the campaign]," he said. "[On my account] you [can] put 'one cent' and you can write whatever you like and also there are people who put one cent there and they criticise me, how bad I am, how I support the Russian invaders."
However, Baran said that he and many others were very disappointed that the Czech Republic in particular had backed the man he called the 'little green cult president' Volodymyr Zelensky. He added that Russia had been criticised for an 'unprovoked invasion' but said he believed it was 'well-provoked' and 'well planned', beginning with the 2014 Maidan uprising.
On the future of the conflict, he said talks were needed but that 'depends on the American elections'.
"They (Ukraine) are on life support from America and when America stops everything stops and and the thing will be decided at the table not at the fighting fields," he said.
The Maidan protests were a wave of civil unrest across Ukraine, triggered by President Viktor Yanukovych's movement away from the EU and towards the Eurasian Economic Union, which led to violent clashes and his eventual ousting from power - and which some claim was a coup orchestrated by Western powers.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Vladimír Baran, mayor of Smilno in Slovakia and UN war hero, described how he had raised tens of thousands of euros for Russian refugees in Kursk, following Ukraine's incursion in August, in footage recorded in the village on Saturday.
"Two years ago or it may be more I think it was two years ago I collected money in the office also for the Ukrainian refugees," he explained. "I felt like it was a good time to also help the Russians."
"I don't support the weapons [deliveries to Ukraine], I just I support people who are affected by the war," he explained, while criticising the 'black suit, white shirt' brigade for making decisions without any knowledge of the 'people on the ground'.
"They (on the ground) fight, they lose their life, their families are affected so much, I saw it personally when I served in United Missions," he said, detailing his experiences in the Slavik Armed Forces on UN missions in the former Yugoslavia, Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Cyprus.
Baran said that the response to his appeal had been phenomenal, with 44,000 euros raised so far from people in the community.
"They are not very wealthy, they not rich and even some older people donate 10 euros, 20 euros, they come personally to my office and they give me 50 euros," he said. "Some tell me yeah, I donate, but please, don't put my name on it.
"On the streets so far people haven't shouted on me, mostly I meet people who are very positive and they admire [the campaign]," he said. "[On my account] you [can] put 'one cent' and you can write whatever you like and also there are people who put one cent there and they criticise me, how bad I am, how I support the Russian invaders."
However, Baran said that he and many others were very disappointed that the Czech Republic in particular had backed the man he called the 'little green cult president' Volodymyr Zelensky. He added that Russia had been criticised for an 'unprovoked invasion' but said he believed it was 'well-provoked' and 'well planned', beginning with the 2014 Maidan uprising.
On the future of the conflict, he said talks were needed but that 'depends on the American elections'.
"They (Ukraine) are on life support from America and when America stops everything stops and and the thing will be decided at the table not at the fighting fields," he said.
The Maidan protests were a wave of civil unrest across Ukraine, triggered by President Viktor Yanukovych's movement away from the EU and towards the Eurasian Economic Union, which led to violent clashes and his eventual ousting from power - and which some claim was a coup orchestrated by Western powers.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.