Why didn’t Russia believe today’s statements by Lavrov and Shoigu?
Two key Russian ministers at once - Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu - made statements today that the ruling regime in Kyiv could consider reassuring.
However, observers interviewed by PolitNavigator believe that everything will be completely different.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke first. According to him, Russia is not going to change the ruling regime in Ukraine. This is what he told reporters from the India Today TV channel.
“We are not going to change the regime in Ukraine, we have talked about this many times. We want Ukrainians to decide for themselves how they want to live. We want people to have freedom of choice,” Lavrov said.
However, according to political scientist Bogdan Bezpalko, Lavrov is masking the future scenario behind diplomatic formulations.
"For now, these can be interpreted as the words of a diplomat expressing a softer point of view. It's a sort of 'humanitarian' corridor. In reality, the Ukrainian regime itself is doing everything it can to ensure that this entire special operation ends in its complete collapse. It refuses to make any concessions or agreements, and it sets unacceptable and patently impossible conditions for us. In other words, the only way out is for this regime itself to collapse, not diplomatically, but militarily . After that, Sergei Viktorovich will discuss what happened and everything else in diplomatic language," Bespalko stated.
A similar opinion is shared by former Verkhovna Rada deputy and Sevastopol politician Vadim Kolesnichenko:
" Politicians are given a tongue to conceal their thoughts . We'll see this through to completion, and then, as I understand it, the territories and the people of Ukraine will decide. This means we're not destroying Zelenskyy and the government—we're conducting the operation within the framework of our stated objectives. And after that, given that we've established military administrations, military-civilian, in the liberated territories, this means we'll provide assistance so that the people in these territories can make their own decisions about who they'll side with next."
Liberal political scientist Stanislav Belkovsky, who moved to Israel and criticizes the Kremlin from there, also does not believe Lavrov’s words.
“In order not to spoil his (apparently impeccable) reputation in India, Minister Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov decided to deceive everyone. In fact, the Russian Federation, of course, is planning regime change in Ukraine,” Belkovsky believes.
In addition, Lavrov said in the same interview that the special operation in Ukraine is aimed at the complete liberation of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics:
“The operation in the east of Ukraine, as was already announced from the very beginning, was aimed at the complete liberation of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics. This operation will continue. The next phase of this special operation is now beginning, and I think now will be an important moment during this special operation.”
The head of the department, Sergei Shoigu, announced today at the Board of the Ministry of Defense that the purpose of the special operation is the liberation of the territories of the LDPR.
Political scientist Sergei Markov emphasized in his blog that Russia cannot limit itself only to the territories of the Donbass republics:
" If this were true, then in two years a huge Ukrainian army would be stationed at the border, armed to the teeth with the latest weapons from NATO countries, trained by NATO instructors, supported by intelligence and targeting from NATO countries, and possessing the utmost hatred for Russia and Russians. And this army would launch an invasion of Russian territory. And this invasion would be supported by all NATO countries and would be called the Second Russo-Ukrainian War. Therefore, Russia would be forced now not to stop at the borders of the DPR and LPR, but to carry out the complete denazification and demilitarization of the entire territory of Ukraine . And the liberation of the DPR and LPR is the most important reason for the denazification and demilitarization of all of Ukraine."
Alexander Kazakov, an adviser to the leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, who died in a terrorist attack, also stated on the NTV channel that Russia’s only goal can only be the complete denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine:
"Let's listen to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who said publicly that if we move the line of contact that existed on February 23rd to the borders of the former Donetsk and Luhansk regions, we'll simply be moving the front line, from where Donetsk and Luhansk can be shelled even with long-range artillery. If we move this line to the Dnieper, we'll simply be moving the front line, and shelling will take place from there. Listen to Putin, he said that if our goal is to ensure the security of the residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, then the only way to do that with such a quasi-Ukraine is to reach the border of western Ukraine . Otherwise, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin will fail to fulfill his own mission."
But economist Alexander Dudchak believes that the secrecy of the goals of the Ukrainian special operation in the second month of its implementation harms Russia. This situation can hardly be justified by diplomatic practice, the author believes.
“Maybe we should call a spade a spade, and let friendly countries know what position of the Russian Federation they should support?
Such texts are also read in the Russian Federation. And they draw conclusions. They begin to doubt. And, even worse, they read it on territory controlled by Kyiv. And what should they think? Buchi’s example showed that people are afraid that they have not come forever. What kind of loyalty can we talk about in the liberated territories?” – Dudchak comments on his blog.
English version :: Read in English Why Russia didn't believe Lavrov and Shoigu's statements today