Russian
president Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov claimed on 23rd March 2015:
"Contrary to what NATO and European
countries say, self-defense forces in Donbas are not our puppets. President
Putin has some influence on them because they respect him, but he cannot order
them to lay down arms,"
Article:
Peskov’s
claim is fully untrue. Proof is on the
Kremlin official website, even translated to correct English.
There, Putin
makes thinly veiled orders to the Russian and proxy forces in East Ukraine.
I analyze
below following cases shortly:
1. Putin definition of Novorossiya 17th April 2014
2. Putin commands to ”Novorossiya militia”
regarding Ilovaysk on 29th August 2014
3. Putin justifications of breaking Minsk 1 ceasefire
24th Oct and 19th Dec 2014
4. Putin permission to Russian ”volunteers” fighting in Ukraine on 19th
December 2014
5. Putin orders to take Debaltseve, breaking Minsk
2 ceasefire on 12th and 17th February 2015
1. Putin definition of Novorossiya 17th April 2014
Five days
after a group of 52 Russian, Crimean and East Ukrainian militants commanded by allegedly
former FSB colonel Igor Girkin on 12th April 2014 occupied cities of Sloviansk
and Kramatorsk and assisted another former Russian officer, Igor Bezler to take
over city of Horlivka, Putin addressed in the ”Direct line” interview the
subject of ”Novorossiya”: Link: http://eng.kremlin.ru/news/7034
Putin
defined the area of ”Novorossiya” as eight oblasts in southern and eastern
Ukraine. Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia oblasts are not directly mentioned but
they follow from the delineation given by Putin.
”Regarding
the question of what should come first: a constitutional referendum followed by
elections, or elections first to stabilise the situation and then a referendum.
The essential issue is how to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of
ethnic Russians and Russian speakers in the southeast of Ukraine. I would like
to remind you that what was called Novorossiya (New Russia) back in the tsarist
days – Kharkov, Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Nikolayev and Odessa – were not part
of Ukraine back then. These territories were given to Ukraine in the 1920s by
the Soviet government. Why? Who knows. They were won by Potyomkin and Catherine
the Great in a series of well-known wars. The centre of that territory was
Novorossiysk, so the region is called Novorossiya. Russia lost these
territories for various reasons, but the people remained.
Today, they
live in Ukraine, and they should be full citizens of their country. That’s what
this is all about. The issue is not whether the referendum on decentralisation
or federalisation is followed by elections or the elections come before the
architecture of the state is changed. The key issue is providing guarantees to
these people. Our role is to facilitate a solution in Ukraine, to ensure that
there are guarantees. People from southeast Ukraine will ask you, will ask us
and the current authorities in Kiev: “Fine, the elections will be held on May
25, but do you want us to recognise their outcome? You’ll forget your promises
the very next day and send new oligarchs to Donetsk, Kharkov, Lugansk, and so
on. What about guarantees? We need answers.” I hope that an answer will be
found.”
There were
different attempts in whole area defined by Putin to occupy city
administrations by pro-Russian and Russian crowds, which were, however,
successful only in Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts. Most serious clashes outside
them took part in Kharkiv and Odessa during March, April and May 2014, which
however remained in control of Ukrainian authorities. The ”referendum” mentioned by Putin was held in occupied parts
of Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts on 11th May 2014 and was used to legitimize
creation of so-called Donetsk and Lugansk People’s republics.
2. Putin commands to ”Novorossiya militia”
regarding Ilovaysk on 29th August 2014
With the
title of ”President of Russia Vladimir Putin addressed Novorossiya militia”
Putin issued on 29th August 2014 to Russian and proxy forces surrounding
Ilovaysk the following command:
”As a result
of the militia’s actions, a large number of Ukrainian service members who did
not participate in the military operation of their own volition but while
following orders have been surrounded.
I call on
the militia groups to open a humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian service
members who have been surrounded, so as to avoid any needless loss of life,
giving them the opportunity to leave the combat area unimpeded and reunite with
their families, to return them to their mothers, wives and children, and to
quickly provide medical assistance to those who were injured in the course of
the military operation.”
Obeying the
command, Russian and proxy forces did agree on a corridor for Ukraine forces to
retreat. However, as the Ukrainian forces retreated with vehicles and weapons
and included volunteer battalions, the Russian and proxy forces shelled the
column , killing a large part of the force and took most of the rest prisoner.
3.
Putin justifications of breaking Minsk 1
ceasefire 24th Oct and 19th Dec 2014
Putin
justified several times the failure of the Donetsk and Lugansk ”people’s republics”
to fulfill the Minsk agreements, referring to unsigned agreement on demarcation line, justifying the
continued fighting in particular at the Donetsk airport with that.
In Valdai
discussion club on 24th October 2014
”For
instance, Ukrainian army units were supposed to leave certain locations where
they were stationed prior to the Minsk agreements, while the militia army was
supposed to leave certain settlements they were holding prior to these
agreements. However, neither is the Ukrainian army withdrawing from the
locations they should leave, nor is the militia army withdrawing from the
settlements they have to move out of, referring, and I will be frank now – to
the fact that their families remain there (I mean the militia) and they fear
for their safety. Their families, their wives and children live there. This is
a serious humanitarian factor.”
In press
conference on 19th December 2014:
”Should the
Minsk agreements be implemented or shouldn’t they? Yes they should! Let me
repeat: I was one of those who initiated them and we… I’ll say an important
thing. Look, I’d like everyone to hear this. Our representatives in Minsk
signed a memorandum in September and there were protocols to it that defined
the disengagement line. The representatives of Donetsk didn’t sign those
protocols. That’s the problem. They said at the very start: We can’t.
When we
tried to insist – I’ll be frank with you about this, since the public needs to
know these things – they told us that they can’t leave these villages (there
were three or four disputed villages), because their families live there, and
they can’t risk their children, wives and sisters being killed or raped. This
is the most important thing. However, the Ukrainian officials did not withdraw
their troops from the areas that they were supposed to leave, such as the
Donetsk Airport, either. They're staying there.”
The planned
withdrawals never took place, but Russian and proxy forces continued their
assaults on Donetsk airport, finally taking the ruins of the new terminal on 21st
January 2015. The fighting in the area around the airport has continued after
that.
4.
Putin permission to Russian ”volunteers” fighting in Ukraine on 18th Dec 2014
In news
conference on 18th December 2014, Putin gave official permission to military
personnel to ”volunteer” to fight in Ukraine:
Link: http://eng.kremlin.ru/transcripts/23406
”Now to the
first question, about responsibility. In Russia, like in any other presidential
republic, it is the president who is responsible for everything. And
responsibility for military personnel rests with the Commander-in-Chief. Let me
remind you that in Russia this is one and the same person.
All those
who are following their heart and are fulfilling their duty by voluntarily
taking part in hostilities, including in southeast Ukraine, are not
mercenaries, since they are not paid for what they do.”
The official
permission by Putin is significant, because after this official permission, he
is responsible for the Russian military personnel, both active and reserve,
fighting as volunteers in Ukraine.
This definitely is war of aggression according to Uniter Nations General Assembly resolution 3314, 14 December 1974, article 3 case g).
”(g) The
sending by or on behalf of a State of armed bands, groups, irregulars or
mercenaries, which carry out acts of armed force against another State of such
gravity as to amount to the acts listed above, or its substantial involvement
therein.”
5.
Putin orders to take Debaltseve, breaking Minsk
2 ceasefire on 12th and 17th February 2015
After Minsk 2 ceasefire was concluded, Putin made two statements regarding town of Debaltseve.
First, in Minsk on 12th February 2015:
Putin made a
statement emphasizing that the Ukrainian forces in Debaltseve were surrounded.
According to other participants of the negotiations, Debaltseve was the main
stumbling block in ceasefire negotiations, as Russian negotiators demanded
Debaltseve should be surrendered. Putin commented as follows:
”We proceed
from the notion that all the parties will show restraint until the complete
ceasefire. The problem here was that representatives of the Donetsk and Lugansk
people’s republics claimed that in response to the aggressive actions of the
Kiev authorities they not only held back the Kiev forces but also managed to
mount an offensive and surrounded a group of 6,000 to 8,000 servicemen. They,
of course, proceed from the idea that this group will lay down arms and stop
its resistance.
We
nevertheless call on both sides to show restraint and in order to avoid
unnecessary excessive bloodshed and casualties they should do everything
possible to ensure that the separation of forces, mainly the heavy equipment,
is conducted without unnecessary bloodshed.
Representatives
of the Ukrainian authorities believe their troops have not been surrounded and
therefore think this process will go sufficiently smoothly. I had some initial
doubts that I can share with you. If the troops really had been surrounded, then,
logically, they will try to break free, while those who are on the outside will
try to arrange for a corridor for their trapped servicemen.
Eventually,
we agreed with President Poroshenko that we will instruct our experts – I am
ready to do so – to establish what is actually going on there. In addition, I
will repeat, we will try to develop a set of measures to verify the
implementation of our decisions by both sides.”
After this
statement, the attacks of the Russian and proxy forces increased in intensity.
In Budapest
on 17th February 2015 Putin made an appeal that the Ukrainian forces surrounded
by Russian and proxy forces in Debaltseve should surrender as an answer to a
journalis’s question:
”Yes,
clashes are still taking place around Debaltsevo. But there too the scale and
intensity of operations is less than it was before. What is happening there was
not unexpected. According to our information, a group of Ukrainian troops were
already surrounded there before the meeting in Minsk last week. I spoke about
this at the meeting in Minsk. I said that the surrounded troops would try to
break out of the encirclement and there would be attempts from the outside too
to break through, and the militia, who had got the Ukrainian troops surrounded,
would resist these attempts and try to keep the encirclement in place, and this
would inevitably lead to further clashes. Another attempt to break through was
made this morning, I don’t know what the media have been saying, I have not
managed to follow all of the news, but I know that at ten o’clock this morning
the Ukrainian armed forces made another attempt to break open the encirclement.
It was unsuccessful in the end.
I hope very
much that the people responsible in the Ukrainian government will not prevent
Ukrainian servicemen from laying down their arms. If they cannot or will not
take this important decision and give this order, they should at least not
prosecute those who are ready to lay down their arms in order to save their own
and others’ lives. At the same time, I hope that militia representatives and
the authorities in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic
will not detain these people and will not prevent them from freely leaving the
conflict zone and encirclement and returning to their families.”
After this
statement, the Ukrainian forces managed mostly to break out of the encirclement
in Debaltseve, foiling Putin’s order.
A Russian
contract soldier from Buryatia, Dorzhi Batomkunuev was interviewed by Novaya
Gazeta in Donetski hospital. He had participated in combat around Debaltseve
since 8th February and was wounded on 19th February in a T-72B tank. According to him, 90% of the
forces that took Debaltseve were russian forces:
Novaya Gazeta 2nd March 2015
Novaya Gazeta 2nd March 2015
Whole
article in English:
We can
conclude:
-
Russian and proxy forces in East Ukraine are
under president Putin’s command
-
Even in case of irregular troops, Putin has full
responsibility for Russian citizens and arms which have been allowed over the
border by Russian authorities.
