Ukraine's Gorlovka mayor: Do not repeat our mistakes

“I would like to address my friends who live in Belarus. Believe me, there are many. I want them to help me get across the idea that has been on my mind for the past week and a half that I have been watching the developments in your country. I have chosen this place on purpose to make this video. I am standing in front of the memorial to the civilian casualties of Gorlovka. I want to remind you that a war is a terrible thing. If some of you hope that the events that are happening in Belarus will not lead to a war, trust me, you are being naive,” Ivan Prikhodko noted.

He stressed that he sincerely loves Belarus and Belarusians. “I am often asked why I love Belarus and the Belarusian people. It is hard not to love Belarus and its kind, honest, and open people. A lot of my relatives whom I love dearly live in Belarus. But I want you to understand: a group of people acted the same way during the Maidan revolution. They pushed once prosperous Ukraine into poverty, devastation, and hunger, and then drove the country to the civil war. Western countries do not care about Belarus and its people. They only care about the territory on the border with Russia. Please, remember this. Do not let the situation escalate to what really happened in Ukraine. We love you very much and we are very concerned about the current situation in Belarus. We are with you,” Ivan Prikhodko added.