Europe

Another Minsk Peace Agreement Fails Ukraine

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine – Following another Minsk peace agreement involving leaders from England, France, Germany, Ukraine, and Russia, a cease-fire has once again failed. Fighting has restarted in Eastern Ukraine, particularly in Debaltseve where it was initially unclear whether the cease-fire reigned although later discussion between relevant parties found that it did.

Ukrainian soldiers playing soccer near Debaltseve during peaceful downtime, although peace did not last long. (Photo courtesy of Kyiv Post)

Sunday night at midnight, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko issued an order for Ukrainian troops to cease fire, but merely twenty minutes later pro-Russian rebel rockets caused collateral damage that made casualties of two elderly residents near Luhansk. Kiev claims more than 60 violations of the cease-fire within just the first 24 hours of the truce.

Many of the violations occurred in or around Debaltseve, where Donetsk separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko believes “[t]he Minsk agreement doesn’t” mention. A strong push by the rebels, allegedly backed by Russian artillery according to United States sources, in the two days before the cease-fire went into effect has allowed rebels to surround the town, according to rebel sources. There are reported upwards of 8,000 Ukrainian troops within Debaltseve, although Kiev has not confirmed such. Steven Pifer, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, claims that Ukrainian forces trapped within Debaltseve are hesitant to retreat because a similar situation yielding a retreat by Kiev forces from Ilovaysk in August was met by rebel artillery and rocket fire that led to many casualties.

In addition to the two elderly casualties, 5 Ukrainian security forces were reported killed along with 25 wounded by fighting with rebels at a military post near Zolote, also in Luhansk. These casualties were reported to have come from mortar shelling that occurred within 90 minutes of the cease-fire order from Poroshenko. Ukrainian defense spokesman Andriy Lysenko reports at least 129 violations have occurred since the cease-fire orders were given.

While the cease-fire still remains in power throughout much of Eastern Ukraine, and many of the violations occurred in or near a contested area that was arguably not mentioned within the Minsk agreement, the post-cease-fire incidents are causing a stir, and less than 48 hours into the cease-fire there is already a similar lack of faith in its holding as existed in prior agreements.

For more information, please see:

The Economist – Pseudo-peace – 16 February 2015

The New York Times – With Ukrainian Troops Trapped, a Cease-Fire Grows More Fragile – 16 February 2015

CNN – 5 Ukrainian security forces killed despite ceasefire, army official says – 16 February 2015

USA Today – Ukraine cease-fire ignored around key railway hub – 16 February 2015

The Wall Street Journal – Ukraine Cease-Fire Strained by Violence – 16 February 2015

Ceasefire Deal reached for Eastern Ukraine

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

KIEV, Ukraine – a ceasefire deal was announced Thursday after more than 16 hours of discussions between the Petro Poroshenko and Vladimir Putin, the leaders of Ukraine and Russia in Minsk, brokered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande. The ceasefire is due to enter into effect on Sunday. The ceasefire is considered a breakthrough in the 10-month conflict which has claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people, many of them civilians and relations between Russia and the West to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking alongside French President Francois Hollande, said that while more work remained to be done to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine “what we have on the table gives us great hope.” Merkel acknowledged that the agreement is not perfect but argued it is an opportunity for progress in addressing the tensions in the region and is “clearly preferable to the situation if we had done nothing.”

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. (photo courtesy of CNN International)

In a joint declaration, released by the German government, the four leaders stated “their full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” and sated that they “firmly believe that there is no alternative to an exclusively peaceful settlement.” The declaration stated leaders “will use their influence on relevant parties” to ensure the package of measures are put into place. “Leaders share the conviction that improved cooperation between the EU, Ukraine and Russia will be conducive to the crisis settlement,” it added.

During a press conference after the Minsk talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said all parties had agreed to the ceasefire starting February 15 and called for restraint before the ceasefire is set to go into effect. “I call on both sides to end the bloodshed as soon as possible” and come to a political solution to the conflict, he said. Putin argued that the talks between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany took so long, he said, because authorities in Kiev still refuse to have direct talks with separatists.

United State President Barack Obama issued a statement on the breakthrough ceasefire agreement  “The United States welcomes the agreement reached today in Minsk” it said. “The agreement represents a potentially significant step toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict and the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty.” However, the United States has continued to expresses concern that the spirit of the accord has been challenged by continued, intense frightening continued in the region.

A Ukrainian military spokesman said around 50 tanks, 40 missile systems and 40 armored vehicles had crossed the border between Ukraine and Russia overnight, accusations that were dismissed by the Putin regime. NATO, however, has said there is overwhelming evidence of Russian military equipment and personnel entering Ukraine but declined to comment on the latest report from the Ukrainian military “The intensity of fighting is evidenced by a sharp increase in the number of people trying to leave front-line towns,” said NATO spokesman Andriy Lysenko.

Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty was a key issue going into the discussions. Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine last spring, shortly before pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions declared independence from Kiev. “Ukraine will always be a unitary state. No federalization whatsoever! #UnitedForUkraine,” Poroshenko tweeted after the deal was announced. In Facebook post, he said that “we did not agree to a single ultimatum.”

For more information please see:

CNN International – Ukraine Ceasefire Deal Reached After Marathon Minsk Talks – 12 February 2015

The Guardian – Ukraine Ceasefire Aims To Pave Way for Comprehensive Settlement of Crisis – 12 February 2015

National Public Radio – Ukraine Cease-Fire Is Reached, Along With $40 Billion Aid Deal – 12 February 2015

Reuters – ‘Glimmer of Hope’ For Ukraine after New Ceasefire Deal – 12 February 2015

Treason Cases in Russia Increase as Tension Continues to Grow Between East and West

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – Svetlana Davydova, a Russian mother of seven, is facing 12 to 20 years in prison on charges of high treason. Davydova allegedly overheard a conversation while on public transportation regarding Russian conscripts being moved undercover into Ukraine to assist pro-Russian rebels, and is accused of reporting that information to the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow. The irony is that Russia denies even having a military presence in Eastern Ukraine, so Davydova’s alleged report to the Ukrainian Embassy would be not state secrets justifying a treason charge, but merely what Russia regards as lies.

Davydova is the most recent Russian facing treason charges. (Photo courtesy of The New York Times)

The first attorney appointed to Davydova did not even dispute the claims, merely stating that the charges were based on facts. Journalists and activists, however, came to her aid and hired a new attorney who helped release Davydova on bail. Davydova is not the only one in need of help against Russian treason charges, however. Savy serviceman Sergei Minakov, Gennady Kravtsov, former nuclear scientist Vladimir Golubev, and Russian Orthodox Church employee Yevgeny Petrin have all been charged with treason over the past year for allegedly giving information to foreign sources.

This rise in treason charges comes as the ruble continues to drop following multiple rounds of sanctions by the US and EU over the past year, and Russia faces even more due to renewed fighting in Eastern Ukraine. While a meeting to discuss peace is scheduled to occur soon between Russia, England, France, and Ukraine in Belarus, tensions are steadily climbing. After a discussion with German Chancellor yesterday, Obama talked with Putin today and was warned that the United States’s recent discussion about giving lethal aid to Kiev would be seen as an act of war by Russia.

The US has also made the decision to send 12 A-10 Thunderbolt attack planes, which were initially designed to attack Soviet tanks during the Cold War, and 300 personnel to an airbase in Germany to bolster NATO’s strength in Europe. This is all in addition the US decision to give further training to Kiev’s troops fighting in Eastern Ukraine, where fighting continues to intensify. Given the strengthening of Russia’s foes and the weakening condition of the Russian economy, along with instability across their border in Eastern Ukraine, and even some instability within their own borders (which peaked during 2011 and 2012 protests regarding Putin’s third election as President), a picture begins to take shape possibly explaining why Russia is cracking down on treason charges that are likely meant to scare the public into conformity at the expense of the few accused.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo Finance – Ukraine Tensions Hit Boiling Point as Obama Confronts Putin – 12 February 2015

Business Insider – The US is redeploying A-10s to Europe – 11 February 2015

RT – US military to train Kiev troops fighting in E. Ukraine – US Army commander – 11 February 2015

The Moscow Times – Russia’s Sudden Spate of Treason Cases Are Scare Tactic, Analysts Say – 10 February 2015

BBC – Ukraine crisis: ‘Don’t arm Kiev’ Russia warns US – 10 February 2015

The New York Times – High Treason, a New Russian Low – 9 February 2015

Death Toll in Ukraine Conflict Now Exceeds 5,300

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Managing Editor

KIEV, Ukraine – According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the overall death toll in the recent conflict in the Ukraine now exceeds 5,358 people. An additional 12,235 have been wounded since mid-April of last year. “The rebel offensive continues and civilians are dying on a daily basis,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement issued by his spokesperson. “Any further escalation will prove catastrophic for the 5.2 million people living in the midst of conflict in eastern Ukraine,” the high commissioner for Human Rights said.

Many civilians have fled fighting in Donetsk. since the start of the conflict more than 600,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, 400,000 of whom have fled to Russia. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

Indiscriminate shelling has been reported in residential areas in government-controlled territories such as Debaltseve and Avdiivka and rebel-held cities such as Donetsk and Horlivka the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said. “Bus stops and public transport, marketplaces, schools and kindergartens, hospitals and residential areas have become battlegrounds in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine — in clear breach of international humanitarian law which governs the conduct of armed conflicts,” the high commissioner said in a statement. Last, the most deadly single incident involving civilians occurred in the southeastern city of Mariupol when two attacks were carried out using multiple-launch rocket systems that killed least 31 people and injured 112 others, the United Nations said.

Despite mounting evidence the Russian government denies denies accusations that it has been sending troops and supplying the pro-Russian rebels. Russian President Vladimir Putin blames the current conflict in the Ukraine is the fault of the west, he told an Egyptian newspaper that Western countries had broken pledges not to expand NATO and forced countries to choose between them and Russia.

Putin’s comments come amid new hopes for a peace deal this Wednesday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande flew to Moscow on Friday to discuss proposals to end the fighting. The details of the proposed peace deal have not been released but the plan is believed to include a demilitarized zone of 50-70km (31-44 miles) around the current front lines of the conflict zone. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reportedly spoke on the phone on Sunday, they announced that a four-way summit could be held Minsk, if the details were agreed before Wednesday.

Chancellor Merkel is expected to brief United States President Barack Obama in Washington D.C. later on Monday on the peace plan as the United considers broadening its role in the region, including the possibility of sending weapons to the Ukrainian government. Some U.S. officials, as well as senior Republicans including Senator John McCain, argue that some form of military support is necessary. However, Chancellor Merkel said she could not “imagine any situation in which improved equipment for the Ukrainian army leads to President Putin being so impressed that he believes he will lose militarily.”

The current crisis in eastern Ukraine began in late February 2014 stemming from an initial internal political crisis and degrading violent clashes in parts of the country and has now reached full scale conflict in the eastern region of the country. Despite the Minsk cease-fire, the situation in Ukraine has deteriorated.

For more information please see

BBC News – Ukraine conflict: Vladimir Putin renews blame on West – 9 February 2015

BBC News – Ukraine crisis: Hollande and Merkel in Putin talks – 6 February 2015

The United Nations News Centre – UN chief ‘gravely concerned’ as civilian death toll from Ukraine conflict continues to rise – 5 February 2015

CNN International – Civilians increasingly under fire as Ukraine devastation grows – 3 February

Push for US to Arm Ukrainian Military with New Minsk Talks Looming

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine – German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko are all working towards another meeting in Minsk, Belarus to discuss peace. The first such meeting led to a cease-fire, but that agreement has since broken down as fighting has dramatically increased in Eastern Ukraine once again.

Ukrainian troops positioned around Debaltseve, near Donetsk. (Photo courtesy of The Guardian)

 

One point that Ukraine is pushing for is monitored security on the border between Ukraine and Russia. This is due to evidence that has come in at several points over the past year that suggests Russia has sent weapons, troops, and vehicles to Eastern Ukraine for the rebels to use in their fight against Kiev. Regardless, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is eager to bring back peace to their neighboring country.

While these talks may not include the United States, the US is nonetheless considering sending lethal force to Ukraine to assist in fighting the pro-Russian rebels in Eastern Ukraine. Poroshenko says Ukraine would welcome more non-lethal aid such as “counter-barrage radar …, communications and radio jamming technology,” night-vision goggles, and radios. Further, Obama is set to meet with Merkel before she goes to Minsk for the new round of peace talks, likely to discuss and coordinate the United States’s plan and Europe’s plan.

Pro-Russian rebels in Eastern Ukraine, along with Russia, have been pushing for Eastern Ukraine to gain independence as their own nation – “New Russia.” Recently, rebels in the Donetsk region and the Luhansk region have been discussing working together in making this goal a reality, and Putin has pushed for international recognizance of independence. Kiev agreed in the original Minsk agreement to back off from Eastern Ukraine and grant more autonomy to the rebel-held territory, but given the recent violence and shifting of the front, Kiev is less willing to do so now and it will likely effect Kiev’s willingness to grant this again in the new Minsk talks.

For more information, please see:

Fox – Cruz pushes for US to arm Ukraine, as European leaders push for cease-fire – 8 February 2015

The Guardian – Ukraine conflict: four-nation peace talks in Minsk aim to end crisis – 8 February 2015

Yahoo – Putin-backed rebels just made a huge move right under Europe’s nose – 6 February 2015

BBC – Ukraine crisis: Pentagon ‘chief’ inclined to send weapons – 4 February 2015