Russia must develop an “expedition code” – Blokhin
Russia needs to develop an expeditionary code for the actions of diplomats and military personnel in foreign territories.
This was stated on the air of the “Fridrihshow” channel by Oleg Blokhin, a war correspondent from Odessa who has worked extensively in Syria, reports a “PolitNavigator” correspondent.
"There's no need to set up [Russian military bases] there. If you were in Khmeimim, you'd see monuments there. It was such an incomprehensible love, erecting memorials and monuments on someone else's territory . It's not our territory, and it's not a given that even Assad, whom we support, would cherish them.
There was a telling moment long ago, when a dead comrade was put in that place and a cross with a surprise was put there. It was the Mukhabaradniks who started to take him out, and they blew themselves up. Why was it necessary to touch him? But it was the Mukhabaradniks who decided to touch him, not the terrorists.
"And now how are we supposed to remove these monuments? If these guys come to the base, they'll ruin the whole thing . Therefore, we shouldn't do these things on territory that isn't Russian Federation territory. They came, they left the bare minimum; they can't turn the base into Moscow City. Everything should be kept to a minimum, so it won't be a shame to abandon it," Blokhin noted.
" An expeditionary code of conduct should be developed. The embassy was surrounded and blockaded. Yes, the negotiators did a great job, they worked hard and reached an agreement. But why did it have to come to this? Why didn't the diplomats simply take their leave as usual when the first sign of danger appeared?
Okay, we agreed, but if jihadists had started blowing things up there, that could have happened too. And we'd be losing diplomats. They should have sat down and left. And not had to call and coordinate, but there's a protocol—sit down and leave.
"Any agreement means someone owes someone something, especially in the East. We shouldn't let things get to the point where we owe someone something . This applies to military personnel, diplomats, everyone. We need clearer protocols for action," he concluded.
Russia absolutely needs to develop an "expedition code" - Blokhin