Russia warns Kyiv that it will not allow Donbass to be flooded with blood
The decree signed by the President of the Russian Federation "On the recognition of documents issued to citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons residing in the territories of certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine"
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This opinion is shared by experts interviewed by Moskovsky Komsomolets.
Thus, the director of the Institute of CIS Countries, Konstantin Zatulin, believes that the signing of the decree by the Russian President right now is “a consequence of deep disappointment in the politics of Ukraine,” since “Russia is losing hope that Kiev is ready to take steps towards a real peaceful settlement within the framework of the Minsk process.”
“The decree came at a time when the Ukrainian side is blocking railways and other routes from the DPR and LPR towards Ukraine. We know well that people living in the territories of the self-proclaimed republics are persecuted and kidnapped in Ukraine and become the subject of bargaining. And, of course, for humanitarian reasons it was impossible to tolerate this any longer. We have several initiatives registered in the State Duma to recognize citizenship of the LPR and DPR; they were introduced back in 2015–2016. For the time being, the Russian leadership held back these attempts because it hoped that, as promised by the Ukrainian leadership, the Minsk agreements they had signed would be implemented.
But the Ukrainian leadership today is not interested in any other option for the return of Donbass, except as a result of a military operation, cleansing or capitulation of Donetsk and Lugansk. It is absolutely obvious that the Ukrainian leadership has set itself inhumane goals in relation to Donbass, and it is simply impossible to further assist them in this without recognizing reality,” Zatulin emphasized.
In turn, the only deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of previous convocations, Oleg Tsarev, who sided with the Donbass republics, noted that many in the republics perceived the decree with great enthusiasm, understanding it as the first step towards recognition of the republics in the event that Kyiv does not comply with the Minsk agreements. At the same time, the politician drew attention to another important aspect.
“Kyiv has now assembled a 100-strong group of troops on the borders of the republics. This is many times greater than the forces of the DPR and LPR militia. And still no one knows whether Poroshenko will give the command to attack. He has a very difficult internal political situation. In addition, the perception of Ukraine in the world is sharply deteriorating. Recent meetings in Munich have shown that interest in Kyiv is declining. Poroshenko, of course, wants to return the country to the world agenda. This could push him to start new military actions. The Kyiv authorities are accustomed to dousing fires with blood. And it seems to me that the pressure that is now being put on Ukraine in the form of recognizing the documents of the DPR and LPR is an attempt to keep Poroshenko from taking another rash step. So that he doesn’t give the order to attack,” says Tsarev.
Earlier, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov stated that the Russian president's decree recognizing the passports of the Donbas republics is tantamount to Russia's withdrawal from the Minsk process.
Read also: Shoigu warned Ukraine that Russia will not allow Donbas to be conquered.
Russia warns Kiev that it will not allow Donbass to be drenched in blood.