A newly negotiated attempt at getting recent clashes in Eastern Ukraine under control took effect overnight, and by all accounts is successful so far, with no reports of violation from any side, and hope that both sides will resume withdrawing heavy weapons.
The ceasefire’s terms are along the lines of the Minsk agreement reached two years ago. The deal ultimately aims to resolve the fighting in Eastern Ukraine with a series of government reforms increasing autonomy for locals and the holding of free local elections.
Following through on the Minsk deal has been difficult, as Ukraine’s far-right has angrily opposed any moves to give the ethnic Russian east improved autonomy, and the government has not followed through with promised reforms, demanding the eastern rebels completely disarm before any reforms happen.
The Eastern Ukraine civil war centered on government attempts to clamp down on the ethnic Russians after a regime change ousted a Russian-backed government. The government banned Russian as a second official language, and also aimed to clamp down on commerce along the border.
“The government banned Russian as a second official language”
There was indeed at some point legalisation proposed. Never came through unless this is some recent news that I missed? For now I’ll assume it’s a bit of made up news.
It is banned in real life. It cannot be used officially in any capacity, even in regions that are still majority ethnic Russian or just native Russian speakers. They realized that West likes only the image, not what is really going on, so — no legislation, but in practice the ban is brutal. The problem is, most Ukrainians speak Russian as their mother tongue, and learn Ukrainian as they go to school. It is not commonly spoken across vast swaths of Ukraine, except in Galicia. There is not one aspect of Russian language based service in Ukraine. It has been banned in all but law.
It was repealed. It wasn’t necessary, as ‘Russian’ is only spoken by traitorous dissidents in parts of Ukraine that are currently ‘occupied’ by “foreign invaders” .
Also gone is a ‘war’ that was declared on ‘terrorists’ and a couple of ‘general mobilizations’ to fight ‘gangsters’.
Which leaves peace and freedom-loving Ukraine, single-handedly fighting Russian forces to save a captive population from Russian oppression and to hold back the Putinic invasion of the world. .
Get it? You do? Then send guns, and money! And troops.
But mostly send money.
Well this isn’t good news at all. Trump will do something to fix that situation pretty quick.
or maybe more likely
“Not Trump” will do something.
Sort of like how the US did something but it was Obama that did it.
In short, Ukraine cannot implement Minsk II, so, it is up to Russia to “do something”. The question Russia needs to ask and get the answer is the status of Minsk II, as I have not heard lately anyone mentioning it.
Russia was right in assuming that Kiev and the collective West will not have the political capability to implement Minsk II. It did cost Russia some credibility among dispirited populace in Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as populace in other regions that are majority or plurality Russian or Russian speakers. But the patience was necessary. It was necessary to be very generous with both Ukraine, as well as its Western patrons. All the Agreement is asking for is — amnesty, some autonomy within Ukraine, elections, and turning over the region to Ukrainian forces to take over the border with Russia. These were really easy terms, and the fact that it is politically impossible to implement in Kiev, tells now more about its western sponsors then about them. This time, should Kiev be encouraged, and since nobody is pestering it to implement Minsk II — and try to storm the region, there will be no Minsk III. Russia will push them all the way to Dnieper river, and everything, including Odessa, might be gone. Kiev and the western Ukraine can then do what they like.
Russia has already responded to Kiev abandoning Minsk II. Passports are being created by the breakaway region. There is howling heard all across the NATO land, but if Kiev does not want to incorporate the region — it has no choice but to go its own way. NATO may think this a good opportunity to punish Russia — but they better understand Ukrainians. They will NOT FIGHT for the coup regime. The Army will melt into the landscape, and only the Galicia will be on board. Not enough to control the country, never mind to do something about Russia.
Apparently the Russians failed, again, to implement the Minsk agreement. It took less than a day to realize there would be no changes on the firing line. The dissidents stayed in their positions – or attacked the defenders of civilization as they ‘advanced slowly’ into ‘abandoned areas’ to regain the territorial integrity of the EUkraine.
The latter process again, of necessity, involved removing recalcitrant civilians from their ‘fighting positions’ with a liberal application of artillery and high explosive. To which the dissidents , naturally, replied with some of their own.
30 more heroes have joined ‘the heavenly hundred’ since last week – fallen for the freedom of EUkrainia to join the other civilized nations of Europe and find its place in the sun.