Russia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich’s statement at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on the situation in Ukraine and the need to comply with the Minsk Agreements, Vienna, November 14, 2019
Dear Mr Chair,
The continuing disengagement of forces and hardware in the towns of Zolotoye and Petrovskoye inspires cautious optimism. In this regard, we are hearing flattering remarks about Kiev at various levels. Its steps are portrayed almost as if they were concessions to the militia on matters of de-escalation. However, everything that Kiev is being credited with so eagerly is nothing more than redressing the violations committed by the Ukrainian military. As you may recall, following the disengagement that took place in these areas in 2016, the Ukrainian military created and reinforced new combat positions there. Importantly, the withdrawn units should not be able to quickly return to their abandoned positions, as was the case in 2018. We hope that the next stages of disengagement, including the dismantling of fortifications and mine clearance, will be held in accordance with the schedule agreed upon in the Contact Group, and will then obtain verification from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) which will give grounds to conclude that disengagement in three pilot areas was completed successfully and more areas can be discussed and agreed upon.
We urge Kiev not to hamper the monitoring in the disengagement areas, including by the SMM technical surveillance tools, as was the case on November 10 and 11 when the mission's UAV signal near the town of Bogdanovka, controlled by the Ukrainian military, was suppressed or when barbed wire was put in place near the SMM camera in the village of Luganskaya in early November.
Once again, we urge Kiev to responsibly honour its obligations agreed upon in the Contact Group. It is now important to make sure that there are no armed individuals inside the areas who can violate the ceasefire. Their presence there could defeat the purpose of disengagement in Donbass.
We noted US Chargé d'Affaires to Ukraine William Taylor’s statement during a trip as part of a group of ambassadors to the town of Zolotoye on November 7. According to him, the Ukrainian police and National Guard should be brought to Zolotoye following the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military from that disengagement area. However, the goal of disengagement is to rule out any possibility of the use of any kind of weapons within these areas. Such provocation seeking to violate the Minsk Agreements with Donetsk and Lugansk suggests that the United States is interested in maintaining instability in the country rather than resolving the destructive intra-Ukrainian crisis.
The true goals of fueling militaristic sentiment in Ukraine can be seen in a recent statement by US Secretary of State Pompeo in his interview with WCSC-TV. He stated that the United States “gave them real weapons where they could fight against the Russians.” This can be regarded as the propaganda of war and the incitement of ethnic hatred, which grossly violates the letter and spirit of the UN Charter, the provisions of a number of international conventions and other obligations. One should also be aware of the consequences of such statements and the potential increase in tension, violence and fatalities.
Stagnation continues in the political settlement of the intra-Ukrainian crisis. Despite the fact that the Steinmeier formula on the procedure for enacting the law on the special status of Donbass was coordinated in the Contact Group, the Ukrainian government has not taken practical steps to implement it in national legislation. The special status law is still not operational and will expire on December 31.
In this context, Kiev is trying to move the focus of discussions on the main issues to the Normandy format, although the extension of the law on special status and its formalisation in the Constitution of Ukraine should be coordinated within the framework of a direct dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk, as is stipulated in the Minsk Package of Measures. No progress whatsoever has been made towards an amnesty for participants in the events in Donbass, determining the modalities of local elections, etc.
So far, we are hearing a different kind of rhetoric from Kiev. Many of the key points raised by the current Kiev authorities, including a settlement in Donbass, foreign policy priorities and language, religious, cultural and many other rights of Ukrainian citizens, have turned out to be the same narrative that the administration of President Poroshenko actively advocated without any regard for public opinion. The reckless and discriminatory policy of the previous Kiev authorities led to a stunning vote for change at this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections. Vladimir Zelensky and his political will have been given an impressive mandate of confidence, primarily in the drive for peace in Donbass and the settlement of the sociopolitical crisis in the country as a whole.
However, the people have not seen a rapid movement towards peace. This has had a negative effect on public support for the current Ukrainian authorities, as the recent polls conducted by the Razumkov Centre show. According to the polls, fewer Ukrainians believe that the country is moving in the correct direction. The number of Kiev supporters has decreased over the past two months by 20 percent to 37 percent. The people are worried that the new authorities have continued to use many of the previous authorities’ discriminatory practices.
The continued restrictions on the freedom of speech in Ukraine are alarming. The media outlets and their staff who dare to contradict the official opinion come under official fire. In late October, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) initiated two criminal proceedings against Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov for his televised statements. President Zelensky issued an executive order on November 8 to instruct the government to draft “provisions regarding news standards and requirements” by the end of the year. It is censorship pure and simple.
The murders of many journalists remain unsolved. In an especially cynical move, Deputy Interior Minister of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko has been put in charge of relations with the media and journalists’ security. I would like to remind you that Mr Gerashchenko established the notorious website Mirotvorets in 2014 and that this website, which has moved to US servers, continues to publish the personal data of Ukrainian and international reporters. These data are often used to restrict the journalists’ professional activities and freedom of movement. Some of the journalists on the Mirotvorets lists, for example, Oles Buzina, have been killed and the culprits have not been apprehended.
Furthermore, on November 7 the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly approved a draft resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism, which has been co-authored by 61 states this year. As many as 121 states voted for it, and only two countries – the United States and Ukraine – voted against. This destructive position of Ukraine is deplorable in the context of the recent outbreaks of aggressive Ukrainian nationalism in the once tranquil Odessa. Impunity is encouraging radical nationalists to stage new acts of public intimidation. The Ukrainian authorities are actually inciting such incidents by blocking initiatives for a more energetic investigation into the tragedy that took place in the Odessa House of Trade Unions on May 2, 2014. They pretend not to hear the concerns expressed by several international institutions, including the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Council of Europe’s International Advisory Panel. Dozens of peaceful protesters were burned alive in Odessa and the organisers, ringleaders and principal offenders have not yet been identified. This is evidence of the destructive path followed by Ukraine.
I would like to say in conclusion that the path to peace in Ukraine should go via civil reconciliation and guaranteed respect for the rights of all Ukrainian citizens regardless of their ethnicity, language or religion. A lasting peace in eastern Ukraine can only be established through Kiev’s dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk based on mutual respect, which is the essential prerequisite for the full implementation of all the provisions of the Minsk Package of Measures adopted on February 12, 2015 and approved by the UN. The Ukrainian authorities should adopt a reasonable strategy of movement towards a peaceful settlement instead of making statements about Ukraine’s potential withdrawal from the Minsk Agreements, which Foreign Minister Vadim Pristaiko made during an interview with BBC today. The choice in favour of civil accord and a peaceful future is entirely in the hands of Kiev.
Thank you.
