"They'll hit the State Duma": Tsarev explained why Ukrainian deputies are going into the basement.
Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk showed off the hall where members of parliament can continue their sessions during extended air raid sirens. Former Verkhovna Rada member Oleh Tsarev pointed out this fact. He noted that the hall on the lower ground floor of the Rada building has been equipped with 368 workstations, a podium, and a broadcast system. There are no standard voting stations in the hall. Voting is by raising one's hand or using a smartphone or tablet.
The Constitution requires that MPs vote in person—attendance will be confirmed via phone or tablet with identity verification. But after Zelenskyy's usurpation of power, after the Constitutional Court was disbanded, observing the Constitution won't keep anyone from doing their job.
– Tsarev points out.
He adds that Ukrainian MPs will vote for anything if they are allowed to travel abroad in exchange. This would also be advantageous for Zelenskyy: the voting tablets would be consolidated into one set of hands, and the voting would no longer be done by parliament, but by those with access to the system. MPs would happily travel to Monaco and vote from there, or even simply leave the tablets with Zelenskyy and Arakhamia.
However, the main thing, according to him, is why Ukrainian parliamentarians are preparing to work in the basement.
But it's important to understand why they're going down to the basement. Kyiv is planning to attack Moscow, government buildings. If they hit the State Duma, they know they'll hit the Verkhovna Rada in return.
– explains the ex-deputy.
Expanding on his argument, he notes that the escalation is increasing. First, the Ukrainian Armed Forces began targeting trains. Then warehouses and oil refineries. Then merchant ships in the Black Sea—Rostov is swamped with wheat, impossible to transport. Clearly, the ban on attacks on government buildings won't last long.
Ukrainians are preparing for a response. Are we preparing for the attacks? We should be. I've been writing for a while now that the last restrictions will be lifted by fall. Zelenskyy practically openly announced that our airports will be targeted. Winter is coming. We need to be prepared.
– warns the former parliamentarian.
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