PRESS RELEASES BY ALEX GUZENKO
EU, US, NATO Officials Express Support to Ukraine
further and President Putin sends more troops to Ukraine. “If Russia does not choose to de-escalate, if it is not willing to work directly with the government of Ukraine, as we hope they will be, then our partners will have absolutely no choice but to join us to con- tinue to expand upon steps we have taken in recent days in order to isolate Russia politically, diplomat- ically and economically,” commented the United States Secretary of State John Kerry.
Kyiv, March 6, 2014. Top officials of the European Union, the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization expressed their support to Ukrainian people and called for negotiations to mitigate the crisis as Eastern European state appears at a brink of war. Earlier, the President of the Russian Federation held a press conference, where he announced that Russian troops in Crimea will undertake action, “only to protect local people.” On March 2, 2014, President Vladimir Putin got “green light” from Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, to send troops to Ukraine. Taking into account Russia’s unexpected and covert military intervention on Ukraine’s territory soon after the violent events in Kyiv and President Yanukovych fleeing from the country, the West offered help in de-escalating the military crisis. The U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that economic and other necessary measures will be taken, to isolate the Russian Federation, if the conflict escalates
President Obama briefly added, that “If, in fact, they [Russia] continue on the current trajectory they’re on, then we are examining a whole series of steps — economic, diplomatic — that will isolate Russia and will have a negative impact on Russia’s economy and status in the world.” Additionally, European Energy Commissioner, Günther Oettinger reported that the European Union is ready to financially support Ukraine. Top EU official was referring to a loan, which will help Ukraine get out of debt for Russian imported gas. “The European Union is ready to provide financial aid to bailout Ukraine from close dependency on Russian energy resources. This is a part of aid package, prepared by the European Commission to help Ukraine,” concluded Oettinger. Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmus- sen announced that North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- tion is calling for a peaceful resolution of Ukraine-Rus- sia crisis. In the meantime, he strongly condemned Russian foreign policy, which by violating multiple in- ternational conventions, agreements and fundamen- tal principles maintained attacking Ukraine in Crimea. Notably, at a press conference, held on March 4, 2014 Vladimir Putin denied the use of military force against Ukrainian people and said that “Russia will use any means according to the international law to protect its citizens on Ukrainian territory.”
Russia Maintains Military Tension on Ukraine
starving as Russian troops blocked the base and cut off the food supply. “We were hoping Russia would alleviate their military intervention in Ukraine, at least for the period when foreign officials are in the country,” reports Informatsiynyi Sprotyv.
Kyiv, March 6, 2014. Shortly after political crisis in Ukraine’s capital mitigated the spotlight moved to the Southern region of Ukraine – Crimea. According to the decision passed by the upper house of the parliament, the Federation Council, and enforced by President Vladimir Putin on March 2, 2014, the Russian military took over Crimean territory. Reportedly, Ukraine’s military units have been threatened by a siege; however at the moment no direct violence or blood shed was observed. Nevertheless, Ukrainian troops are left without food and medicine, sieged at Sevastopol military base, reported Informatsiynyi Sprotyv on March 5, 2014. Up until now, the situation remains tense, as Russian armed forces siege Ukraine’s military bases and headquarters calling for Ukrainian military officers and soldiers to surrender and flee. Reportedly, soldiers at military headquarters in Sevastopol were left
In the meantime the information confrontation is reaching its peak in Crimea. There has been a new report, launched by one of Sevastopol’s local channels, claiming that if Ukraine’s troops fail to surrender, they would be arrested and jailed for 15 years. Earlier, a military briefing at Sevastopol military base was held; Ukraine’s soldiers and their officers adopted a common decision to stay true to Ukraine and its people until the end. Currently, military bases of Ukraine’s air defense units are occupied by the Russian military; Ukraine holds only military administrative offices. While holding positions, the Russian forces incapacitate equipment at Ukraine’s air defense units or use it for their own purposes. Interestingly, Russia and Ukraine army uses same aerial defense facilities Buk-1. Informatsiynyi Sprotyv confirms that Russia seeks for aerial defense specialists to be working on the occupied Crimean territory. In Yevpatoria, Russian military was forcing Ukrainian soldiers to create a joint force to monitor and keep control of Crimean aerial territory. Ukrainian troops rejected the proposal. Reportedly, 60 Russian army tanks have been delivered to Crimea from Russia. Crimean cities of Kerch and Sevastopol continue to be occupied by the Russian heavy military units.
Interior Minister: Third Party is at Fault in Kyiv’s ‘Bloody Thursday’ Events
gions of Ukraine which followed the same scenario referring to six different demonstrations happening in six different cities where the pro-Russian protesters used the same slogans and consisted of the same groups of people
Kyiv, March 7, 2014. A third party, nonUkrainian, is to blame for the dramatic bloodshed which took place in Kyiv on February 20, 2014. Such statement was released by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Arsen Avakov during his briefing in Kharkiv region, as reported by Interfax Ukraine. Earlier, Russia Today speculated about the involvement of snipers hired by Maidan leaders. During his recent visit to Kharkiv region Ukraine’s Minister of Interior Arsen Avakov shared some of the insights of the ongoing investigation pertinent to sniper shootings of more than 60 people on Febru- ary 20, 2014, on Instytutska (Heroes of the Heav- enly Hundred - Ed.,) Street in Kyiv. He assured of the importance to go public with the results of the investigation once finalized, which “turned the coun- try upside down and put it in a state of a shock”. Nevertheless, he revealed that there was “the third force and it was not Ukrainian.” Minister Avakov stressed that it was not a question of political confrontation. “It is unacceptable when a third force allows itself to manipulate us,” he added. In addition the minister noted of the attempts to destabilize the situation in the southern and eastern re-
In the meantime, Russia Today released the leaked phone conversation between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Urmas Paet and High Represent- ative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton where they discussed that allegedly somebody from new coalition but not Ya- nukovych was behind the snipers. During the con- versation Estonian Foreign Minister referred to some Olga. Apparently they’ve been talking of Olga Boho- molets who was the doctor at Euromaidan mobile clinic during violent clashes in Kyiv. Russian media claim that Olha showed Minister Paet photos suggesting that “...as a medical doc- tor she can say that it is the same handwriting, the same type of bullets...” Interestingly enough in an interview to the Telegraph Olha Bohomolets stated that didn’t have access to the riot police officers who were shot to compare the wounds. She also denied the fact that a professional doctor could determine the type of weapon by treating the wound. “No one who just sees the wounds when treating the victims can make a determination about the type of weapons. I hope international experts and Ukrainian investigators will make a determination of what type of weapons, who was involved in the killings and how it was done. I have no data to prove any- thing,” she said Notably, on the morning of Thursday, February 20, 2014, Ukrainian capital witnessed the deadli- est day throughout the whole three months of the protest leaving more than 60 dead and hundreds in- jured. Several International media including an AP cameraman saw snipers shooting at protesters and captured video footage showing a sniper wearing a Ukraine riot police uniform.
UN Security Council, US, EU Reject Crimean Referendum of the proposed vote in Crimea she said that
it was “a referendum based on the foundation that does not even exist.” “The proposed referendum on Crimea would violate the Ukrainian Constitution and violate international law,” said President of the United States Barack Obama. To de-escalate the crisis,
Kyiv, March 8, 2014. The upcoming referendum in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARC) was deemed illegal by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This was stated after the closed-doors session of the UNSC on Thursday, March 6, 2014. Additionally, the referendum in Crimea was officially recognized as illegal by the governments of the U.S. and the EU. On Thursday, the UN Security Council held the fourth meeting on Ukraine. “The situation in Ukraine is deteriorating, as the scheduled referendum [in Crimea - Ed.] is illegal,” told reporters the UN rep- resentative after the consultations, as reported by Interfax Ukraine. He also stressed that only an all-Ukrainian referendum would be lawful. In addition, the US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power also described the upcoming referendum in ARC as “illegal.” Notably, Germany called for further diplomatic mediation of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. If they prove unsuccessful some far-reaching economic measures could be employed, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Brussels. On the subject
he suggested Russia to let international monitors in. The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry clari- fied that Crimea, being a part of Ukraine, was in fact Ukraine, therefore the government of Ukraine needed to be involved in any kind of decision on any part of it. This also means that such vote would require the participation of all Ukrainian citizens; otherwise it would violate the Ukrainian constitution and international law. On March 8, 2014, the British Ambassador Simon Smith noted that the referendum in Crimea was full of legal unsoundness and brought further destabilization of the situation. Jan Tombinski, Head of the EU delegation to Ukraine, expressed full support to the new Ukrainian government and stated that the country and the new government were facing a multiplied crisis which is why it was vital, among other things, to ensure security and integrity and to establish trustful admin- istration in Ukraine. Commenting on the decision of the Crimean Verkhovna Rada, Mr. Tombinski cited article 73 of the Constitution of Ukraine. Notably, article 73 of Ukrainian Constitution states: “Alterations to the territory of Ukraine shall be resolved exclusively by the All-Ukrainian referendum.” Paul Niland, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 22nd 2014. Recently, a special United Nations envoy in ARC Robert Serry who came to Ukraine on an observer mission was threatened by unidentified armed men who demanded that he left Crimea.
Ukraine Celebrates 200th Birthday of Poet Shevchenko gathered in front of Taras Shevchenko monument to lay flowers for the reputed Ukrainian poet and artist. Additionally, Kyiv’s Independence Square, Maidan Nezalezhnosti, features plays and concerts, based on the artworks of Taras Shevchenko. Ukrainian national theater named after Ivan Franko and theater of Russian drama, named after Lesya Ukrainka hold plays, written by Taras Shevchenko.
Kyiv, March 9, 2014. Ukraine celebrates the 200th birthday of an eminent Ukrainian poet and artists Taras Shevchenko. On this day Ukraine’s capital, as well as numerous cities across the globe feature cultural events to pay a tribute to Ukraine’s national hero. Taras Shevchenko is a renowned Ukrainian poet, artist and political prisoner, who significantly contributed to the treasury of the world culture. According to the outcome of the 37th General Assembly of the United Nations Educational, Sci- entific, Cultural Organization UNESCO, 200 nations marked March 9 on their calendars as a birthday of Ukrainian poet. Throughout the world, numerous events will be held to commemorate the artistic contribution of Shevchenko. In the light of recent events in downtown Kyiv, the sense of national identity reached its peak; currently the street in Kyiv are crowded with people wearing national clothing and carrying blue-and-yellow flags, proudly singing the national anthem. Thousands
Interestingly, the Russian-speaking city of Illichivsk, which is near the south Ukrainian Odesa holds an event to support Ukrainian language. Citizens of Illichivsk stated that they would speak solely in Ukrainian on this day despite what their mother tongue is. The event is aimed at decreasing linguistic and cultural differences, therefore bringing the West and the East of Ukraine closer. “Historically, it happened that Illichivsk is a Russian-speaking city. However, this does not imply that we are not proud of our Homeland,” reads the appeal of inhabitants to Illichivsk city council. Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861) is considered to be the most recognized Ukrainian poet in the world. During the 47 years of his relentless life, Shevchenko produced numerous poems and art- works, which are valued with the deep respect and honor by nations across the world. A poet, painter, and humanist, Taras Shevchenko is one of the most outstanding figures of the Ukrainian art. One of the most significant contributors to the development of modern Ukrainian language he authored a number of internationally recognized masterpieces: Haidamaky, Hamaliia, Nazar Stodolia, Zapovit, etc. He played a significant role in the development of Ukrainian language and contributed to the formation of Ukrainian national identity.
Despite Death Threats National Troops Remain Loyal to the Ukrainian People
Evpatoria, Novoozerne, Bakhchisaray and Saky remain under siege by the Russian troops. So far there have been no reports of violent acts with the use of firearms around Ukraine’s military bases. Cut off from food, water and electricity, Ukrainian soldiers and officers have received numerous ultimatums to peacefully surrender, or “it will be too late.” Ukraine’s army forces have been exposed to numerous bribes and threats from Russian officers, including the promise of a tripled salary, and death threats or threats of a violent siege. Additionally, Ukrainian soldiers, who have remained at their posts, report that they have been threatened with the kidnapping of their families and children.
Kyiv, March 10, 2014. Recently, the number of Russian troops in Ukraine’s Crimea has increased from 20,000 to 30,000 units. Fully armed, the Russian military claims to offer protection to the Russian speaking population within Ukraine’s borders. In a controversial statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin identified armed troops as “Crimean self-defense units.” Day by day, Russia is distancing Crimea from the informational spotlight and forcing out media and observers, allowing for death threats and numerous provocations for an armed conflict to the remaining Ukrainian troops permanently stationed in Crimea. Interestingly, the Russian troops in Crimea have been constantly changing location, and apparently have not been assigned to patrol a particular military point. Such maneuvers are reportedly being used to cut off soldiers from objective information sources and from getting a balanced perspective on the con- frontation, and instead providing them with informa- tion only from Kremlin-approved or generated media or information sources. According to news.liga.net, Ukrainian military bases in Simferopol, Kerch, Feodosia, Perevalne, Sevas- topol,
Video reports, although scarce, continue to find their way through multiple roadblocks and con- stant electricity outages initiated by the surrounding Russian military. One such report showcased unarmed Ukrainian air force troops bravely carrying two flags as they approached Russian forces who had previously taken over a Ukrainian air force base in Belbek. Despite several warning shots fired in the air by the Russians, and guns pointed at Ukrainian soldiers, the Ukrainian troops continued walking and singing the Ukrainian national anthem. Notwithstanding inhumane conditions, warnings and threats, offers of high positions and salaries, Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea remain loyal to the people of Ukraine, keeping the oath to their Home- land. “The oath is not a hollow sound for the Ukrain- ian military,” commented reporter Andriy Tsaplienko after his recent observation mission to Crimea. Concurrently, many Ukrainian cities have held peaceful demonstrations aimed at supporting Ukrainian troops and promoting a democratic reso- lution to the conflict. These peaceful demonstrations have served to bridge the Western and Eastern parts of Ukraine, as residents of all regions of the country have publicly denounced Russian military intervention. As a reminder, according to the decision of the Federation Council passed on March 2, 2014, Rus- sian troops were deployed in Crimea in response to instability, ethnic conflict, threats to the Russian speaking population and human right violations allegedly taking place in Ukraine’s Crimea.
Political Expert: Ukraine’s Former President’s Speech Resembles Kremlin Rhetoric to be completely detached from events that have taken place in Kyiv since he left the country. The key messages of his speech seem to be aimed at reaching Russian TV channels and Russia’s electorate, believes political expert Valery Chaly, Deputy Director of the Razumkov Centre, a Ukrain- ian think tank. “He [President Yanukovych - Ed.] only laid out the Kremlin’s main talking points and rhetoric,” said Valery Chaly, as reported by UNIAN news agency.
Kyiv, March 11, 2014. The residents of (now peaceful) Kyiv were surprised to learn that their city “remains engulfed in violent turmoil and [that] fascists usurped power in Ukraine’s capital”. Such was the statement made by ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who spoke today of recent events unfolding in Kyiv and Ukraine in a press conference in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Interestingly, in his speech the former president made no mention of the escalating conflict and obvious confrontation in Ukrainian Crimea. His speech consisted of sound bites and propaganda currently being generated by the Kremlin, some experts believe. Throughout his speech, Viktor Yanukovych mentioned the fact that he remained the only legitimate president of Ukraine and will return to Kyiv “once conditions are favorable”. Additionally, he voiced a claim that the Parliament of Ukraine, or Rada, was violently usurped by extreme nationalists and neo-Nazis while the streets of Kyiv were patrolled by far right wing armed terrorists. Ukraine’s ex-Pres- ident appeared
The ousted president’s claims seemed intended to justify a military intervention in Crimea in response to supposed discrimination of Russian-speaking minorities in the region. A special emphasis of the speech was foreign Western officials, to whom Yanukovych referred as “patrons of the evil forces.” The following questions were put forward to them in his speech: “Are you blind? Did you lose your memory? Did you forget what fascism is?” It appears that ex-president Ya- nukovych is strongly convinced that by embracing a Western style of governance, Ukraine will be ruled by “fascists” and will follow a path of instability and ethnic conflict. Currently, Ukraine is preparing for presidential elections, which are scheduled for May 25, 2014. Victor Yanukovych called the upcoming elections illegal and unconstitutional because he did not agree to them himself. Notably, the Parliament of Ukraine possesses a legitimate power to schedule elections as well. As a reminder, Russia’s Federation Council approved an appeal by President Putin on the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, until the situation in the country is “stabilized”. Interestingly, this important point was not deemed relevant enough to be mentioned in the speech of the former Ukrainian leader.
Crimean Referendum To Take Place ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ Kyiv, March 13, 2014. Today Crimea stands at a crossroads, deciding its future for the coming decades. The truth may very well turn out to be that the Crimean referendum is only a formal reason to justify a larger military interference by Russia and an annexation of Ukraine’s Southern territories. Overly extolled by the Crimean self-proclaimed Parliament and overwhelming pro-Russian propaganda, the referendum is supposed to change something or everything. Now that everybody understands that Rus- sian-speaking residents of Crimea or elsewhere in Ukraine have not been in any danger and that there is not a single recorded case of ethnic or linguistic discrimination of minorities in the area, the change may well bring about something else, something different or even the opposite. Taking into consid- eration the insatiable colonial and expansionist tendencies of Vladimir Putin and his past actions in Transnistria, Abkhazia and North Ossetia, the same scenario may await Ukrainian Crimea. For the past 60 years, since Njkita Khruschev annexed the peninsula to Ukraine in 1954, Crimea and continental Ukraine have developed strong synergies. In 1954, Crimea was recovering from the devastation of World War II, and was badly in need of help to survive in the Soviet economy. Since 1954, the Crimean peninsula created strong bonds with continental Ukraine not only on the basis of ethnicity and language, but also through the supply of water, energy, gas and everyday products. The potential severing of these essential connections after the upcoming referendum will very likely prove to be detrimental to the economic well-being of the Crimean peninsula and its citizens. “For some unknown reason, everyone is convinced that Crimea and a strategic city in it – Sevastopol
- are self-sufficient and can survive without conti-
nental Ukraine. They are not. Sevastopol’s self-suf- ficiency is about 20%, while continental Ukraine pays the rest of its budget. Crimea is able to meet approximately a third of its own needs while the rest is covered by the Ukrainian government,” noted Leonid Pilunskyi, deputy of the ARC Parliament. Although the Crimean peninsula is surrounded by the Black and Azov seas, fresh drinkable water is being supplied only from the Kakhovka water reservoir, which is located in continental Ukraine. Crimea’s major cities, including Simferopol, Sev- astopol, Kerch, Sudak and Feodosia, rely almost entirely on water from Kakhovka. Another strong connection with continental Ukraine relates to Crimea’s energy supply. It is estimated that nearly 80% of all energy consumed in Crimea is produced by power plants located north of the peninsula, in Kherson and Zaporizhya. Crimea pos- sesses great potential in developing solar energy supplies; however it will not be sufficient enough to maintain the welfare of 2,5 million citizens, at least in the short run. Annually, Crimea earns nearly USD 2 billion, while Ukraine’s government supplies the peninsula with additional funding of more than USD 2 billion. Reve- nue comes from millions of tourists who visit Crimea each year; it is not known how the military confron- tation will affect tourism in 2014. Experts estimate that the tourism sector of Crimea is worth approxi- mately USD 1.5 billion annually. Ukraine’s government and millions of Ukrainians across the country remain loyal to Crimea and under no circumstances plan to break friendly ties with the region. “Ukraine does not have any intention of cutting the water, gas, electricity or communications supplies which are transferred to Crimea from continental Ukraine. It is obvious that Ukraine with Crimea as its legitimate part is a united, indivisible state,” stated Vice Prime Minister for Regional Poli- cy Volodymyr Groysman.
Crimean “Referendum”: Fraud, Neo-Nazis, Over 100% Turnout Kyiv, March 17, 2014. Yesterday a socalled “referendum” took place in Crimea. On Monday morning the results were announced: 96 percent of voters opted for Crimea to become a part of Russia, with voter turnout exceeding 83 percent, according to Kryminform, the commission responsible for holding the illegal referendum. At the same time the turnout in Sevastopol, a city with a special status, exceeded 100 percent. Earlier, the leader of the Crimean Tatars, who make up for 13 percent of Crimean population, announced that the Tatars would boycott the unconstitutional referendum, for they “never participate in clown shows”.
Despite the reported unusually high voter turnout in Crimea, eyewitnesses stated that there were no lines and that many voting stations were nearly empty. This was just one of the irregularities reported during the “referendum”: Among others: Russian citizens who did not hold a Ukrainian passport were allowed to vote, and members of the so-called election commissions, accompanied by police, forced those who did not want to go to polling stations to vote in the street, according to censor.net.ua. Voter turnout was “reinforced” by nearly 90,000 phantom voters in Sevastopol. In late 2013 there were 385,462 citizens in Sevastopol, according to the Sevastopol Statistics Service. This number includ- ed children under 18 and other people not eligible to vote. However, Mykhailo Malyshev, Chair of the Crimea Supreme Council Referendum Commission, stated that in Sevastopol alone 474,137 voters par- ticipated in the “referendum”, making Sevastopol’s voter turnout 123 percent. Moreover, even those who decided against boy- cotting the “referendum”, did not have the option to vote for preserving the current status of Crimea: the ballots provided two unconnected options to vote for – either Crimea becoming a part of Russia, or the restoration of the 1992 Crimean Constitution with Crimea remaining a part of Ukraine.
The “referendum” itself was put together over the course of three weeks, a time of deep political crisis and public unrest in Ukraine. The presence of Rus- sian military as well as an armed Cossack communi- ty and Berkut special police unit (the unit which was disbanded by Ukrainian parliament for their unlawful attacks on peaceful protesters turned up in Crimea shortly thereafter and were issued Russian passports) further de-legitimized the vote. The “referendum” commission did not have access to an official database of voters and used outdated lists. In most cases if somebody came to the polling station but could not be found in any of the lists the person was provided with a ballot as long as they pledged “for Russia”. The OSCE and other international observers were not allowed in Crimea, while the “referendum” was recognized as legitimate by a small group within the international community. One such observer is Span- ish MP and far-right Catalan nationalist Enrique Rav- ello, who is known for saying that Spain was “not a white country anymore”. Another one – Srđa Trifk- ović, a Serbian-American, is known for advocating for Slobodan Milosevic and calling the massacre of Bosnians at Srebrenica in July 1995 “alleged”. In violation of a law that mandates a “day of silence” before any voting takes place, pro-Russian banners, information fliers, flags and other symbols were in plain view throughout Crimea. The siege of the Crimean parliament by unidentified armed people (reportedly Russian military), forced voting for the new Prime Minister of Crimea – ex-con- vict Sergiy Aksionov and then yesterday’s “referen- dum”, which had originally been scheduled for March 30. According to Ukraine’s Constitution, for a region to have the right to secede from the country a nation- al, not local referendum must take place. This, along with the many other violations that took place, makes the Crimea “referendum” unlawful and unconstitu- tional. Ukraine, as well as the Western World and a number of other countries did not recognize the “referendum”, while the Kremlin considers it legitimate. Even after the vote took place Russia continued to maintain its military presence in Crimea; over the weekend, Rus- sian troops also made attempts to siege facilities in mainland Ukrainian regions that border on the Crime- an peninsula.
Ukraine’s MFA: Russia Should Heed Its Own Advice
Russia’s federal structure, and make Russian as its second official language. His “constructive advice” was met with a resolute reaction in Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ukraine’s MFA proposed to the Russian side that “that instead of dictating its ultimatum-like terms to a sovereign and independent state, it should first pay attention to the catastrophic condition and complete lack of rights of its own national minorities, including Ukrainians.” The statement continued with a rhetorical question: “Why doesn’t Russia implement federalism, which, by the way, is affixed in the official name of the state, with real and not just declarative substance?”
Kyiv, April 1, 2014. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has encouraged its colleagues in the Russian Federation (RF) to focus on their own domestic issues, rather than to interfere in Ukraine’s internal affairs. This statement was released in response to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s call for the federalization of Ukraine and for Ukraine adopting Russian as the country’s second official language. Over the past several weeks, Russia has been working hard to portray itself as a wise and virtuous older brother whose role it is to resolve any alleged issues in Ukraine, whether it be minority rights violations or the presence of fascists in the government. The best example of Russia’s indispensable help is its “defense” of the Russian-speaking minority in Ukraine’s Crimea, which resulted in the invasion of a foreign country and an illegal seizure of its territory. Disclosing the official position of the Russian Federation, Minister Lavrov stated that a “form of unitary state for Ukraine exhausted itself; Ukraine needs a new Constitution, each region must have a right to select its own government, executive and legislative power.” According to Lavrov, Ukraine should follow
Russia, the world’s largest country, is home to more than one hundred ethnicities, whose people can legitimately demand a broadening of their autonomy and rights within the Russian Federation. Unfortunately, this concept would never gain support in today’s Russia, noted Ukraine’s MFA. “The mere suggestion of this is immediately suppressed in Russia, and any attempt to purse the idea will be drowned in blood, as it was in the Northern Caucasus,” stated Ukraine’s foreign ministry in its comments. Russia’s aggressive method of securing ethnic minority rights through the deployment of military units ‘for the good of Ukraine’ de facto undermined the integrity of Russia’s own borders, destabilized the global balance of power and compromised international and regional peace. Seeking an unarmed resolution to the Ukraine-Russia confrontation, last week the United Nations held a General Assembly during which one hundred UN members supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity and denounced Russia’s recent military intervention in the country. In addition, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russia’s Minister Sergei Lavrov in Paris on March 30, 2014. After the talks, Kerry said: “no decision on Ukraine’s future can be made without Kiev’s [sic] involvement.”
Political Experts: Ukraine’s Decentralization is the Only Right Answer to Russia’s “F” Word
expand minority rights within its regions. Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that the “form of a unitary state for Ukraine has exhausted itself; that Ukraine needs a new Constitution, and that each region must have a right to select its own government, executive and legislative power”. In addition Minister Lavrov insisted that Russia’s state structure must serve as an example for Ukraine.
Kyiv, April 2, 2014. Federalization of the country, the introduction of Russian as a second language, and enforcement of local referendums in Ukraine are just a few of the requirements announced by the Kremlin as a condition of holding future negotiations with Ukraine. This was the message that was recently communicated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (RF) Sergey Lavrov in public statements. Ironically, federalization, which goes against the very structure of Ukraine as a unitary state and poses a direct threat to Ukraine’s existence as a sovereign and independent country, is something that Russia itself has failed to implement, according to Ukraine’s MFA. Recently, the Russian Federation deployed additional troops to Ukrainian Crimea, blocked and captured Ukrainian military bases there and staged an “armed supervision” of the illegal plebiscite and further annexation of the Crimean peninsula. At the same time the Russian Federation has suggested that Ukraine’s centralized state structure needs to be reformed as a federation to better balance territorial integrity and
Meanwhile, political experts, analysts and journalists agree that following Russia’s “advice” of enforcing a federal structure in Ukraine is likely to lead to nothing but chaos and separation of the state’s territory into distinct spheres of interest which could be easily influenced by a foreign state. Such “constructive advice” from a land-grabbing neighboring state was met with a resolute reaction of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Why doesn’t Russia implement federalism, which, by the way, is affixed in the official name of the state, with real action instead of declarations?” reads an official statement of Ukraine’s MFA. the expansion of regional and minority rights within a bilingual unitary state. Therefore, to secure Ukraine’s territorial integrity while respecting and enhancing the rights of Ukraine’s regions, the current interim government plans to enforce a decentralized internal policy structure. appointed by President Vladimir Putin. Additionally, while there is a distinct framework for becoming part of the federation, there is no procedure for leaving it, according to current legislation.
Ex-President of Georgia: Situation in Eastern Ukraine Resembles Crimean Scenario
Kyiv, April 7, 2014. The violent seizure of administrative buildings, demand for a local referendum, and the Russian tri-color being hoisted on top of the city council – these were the preliminary acts of Russia’s military intervention in Ukrainian Crimea not so long ago. Today, the same actions appear to mark a new stage of the Kremlin’s aggression against Eastern Ukraine, namely in the cities of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk. The Crimean scenario is to unfold in Eastern Ukraine within the next 48 hours and Ukraine must react, warned former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili in a statement today. If the activists who are currently seizing city“ councils in Eastern Ukraine hold their positions for the next 48 hours, Russian troops will invade continental Ukraine. This is the same scenario which unfolded in Crimea: first a demonstration, and, in case it fails – the takeover [of city councils] and Russia’s military intervention,” cautioned Mikheil .Saakashvili On April 6, 2014, during pro-Russian demonstrations in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk, local city administrations were taken over by separatists. In Donetsk, they raised a Russian flag on top of the city administration building. In addition, the proRussian separatists announced the establishment
of “The Republic of Donetsk” and called for a local referendum on May 11, 2014. Moreover, separatists addressed officials of the Russian Federation and asked for “military support” in case the Ukrainian .government decides to hamper the plebiscite Any call or action, which instigates Ukraine’s“ federalization, is a clear attempt of demolishing Ukraine’s sovereignty, executed according to Russia’s scenario,” stated Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk at the opening of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine session today. Its aim is to divide and change Ukraine into a slave-state, under the dictatorship of Vladimir Putin, he said, stressing that this would not happen. “What we see happening in Eastern Ukraine now is a plan for Russia’s military intervention in continental Ukraine,” .said Yatsenyuk Commenting on the events in eastern Ukraine, acting Foreign Minister Deshchytsya said that the head of Russia’s Foreign Ministry Lavrov had repeatedly stated that his country had no intention of sending its troops to the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. And yet, despite assurances to the contrary, there has been no radical change in the quantity of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders in the past week. Moreover, according to some intelligence reports, military exercises of tank and motorized infantry units have just started in the Voronezh region of the Russian Federation, just 50 .km [31 miles] away from the Ukrainian border The Ukrainian government has been taking seriously the events in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's First Vice-Prime Minister together with the heads of the Security Service and the National Security and Defense Council have departed to those regions to monitor the separatists’ actions and to try to .normalize the situation there These events are occurring at a breakneck speed and Ukraine has to undertake immediate action to prevent the playing out of a Crimean scenario and incurring the loss of another region. “Ukraine’s military must mobilize to defend the Eastern border,” warned Georgia’s former President Mikheil .Saakashvili
Ukraine Takes Huge Leap toward the EU
Kyiv, June 27, 2014. Ukraine and the European Union signed the final, economic part of the Association Agreement (AA), forging closer ties between the signatories with a longterm perspective of closer political association and economic integration. Alongside Ukraine, two post-Soviet republics – Georgia and Moldova also sealed the deal with the European Union, confirming their pro-European choice.
The long-awaited agreement was signed by Ukraine’s newly elected President Petro Poroshenko, president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the Council of Europe, heads of Georgia and Moldova as well as .by the leaders of all 28 EU member states During his speech Ukraine’s leader Petro Poroshenko emphasized that sealing the deal is the second-most important moment in Ukraine’s history; the first, he said, was Ukraine’s independence. Interestingly, the head of state used the same pen, which Ukraine’s former President Yanukovych was intended to use for signing the EU deal in November 2013. Notably, on March 21, 2014 Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yatsenyuk signed the political part of the .Association Agreement President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy said that closer ties between Ukraine and the EU would lead to greater security, stability
and prosperity of Ukraine and two other postSoviet states-signatories. According to the deal the partnering states will also cooperate on the issues of strengthening the rule of law, advancing judicial reforms, eradicating corruption, ensuring respect for fundamental rights and freedoms and strengthening .democratic institutions The Association Agreement will enable the removal of tariffs and quotas, will accordingly adopt legal frameworks, norms and regulations in different trade sectors, create the conditions for the development of Ukrainian economy and its adjustment to the EU standards. The European Commission estimates that the enforcement of the AA will boost Ukraine's income by around EUR 1.2 billion per year. It is expected that such Ukraine’s economic sectors as the apparel, textiles, food products, vegetable oil .and non-ferrous metals will benefit most Although Russian officials express their concerns of negative effects on the economic cooperation between former Soviet republics and the Russian Federation, Ukrainian and European officials assure that the deal will have no impact on trade relations with the RF. “We aren’t seeking an exclusive relationship with these three partners,” president of the EC Barroso said. Earlier President of the European Commission and Russia’s president agreed to hold the trilateral expert talks and consultations on the potential negative effects of the .Association treaty Notably, the signing of the full package of the Association Agreement had been scheduled for November 29, 2013. The preparation to signing of the AA was, however, suspended by Ukraine’s .former government on November 21, 2013 This decision caused public dissatisfaction and major unrest which resulted in multiple violent clashes between the public and pro-government forces, costing more than one hundred lives and thousands of injuries, and for Viktor Yanukovych, his .presidential position