Ukraine declares Russia an aggressor state
In a move that experts say is intended to send a message to the international community, Ukraine’s parliament voted to recognise Russia as an aggressor state.
“Ukraine took a step toward forming an international public opinion. We openly called [Russia] a state where problems come from and a state that supports separatist or terrorist groups in our territory,” Petro Burkovskiy, a professor at the school of political analysis at the University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, told SETimes.
Serhiy Taran, director of the International Institute for Democracy, called the decision “a good move,” but added that it won’t compel Russia to remove its troops from Ukraine.
“All Ukrainians understand that Russia is the aggressor. That’s why this decision is aimed more at diplomatic efforts of Ukraine,” Taran told SETimes.
Experts said the parliament should have declared Russia an aggressor last spring, when the Russian Federation Council gave President Vladimir Putin the right to send forces to Ukraine. But the parliament at that time included many supporters of former President Viktor Yanukovych, making such a declaration impossible.
“This statement should have appeared at the beginning of March,” Burkovskiy said. “But the current parliament was elected in October. Before, we had a parliament that voted for Yanukovych’s laws. That was a problematic parliament. It consisted of a lot of people who deserve punishment and many of them fled to Russia, where they stay now.”
Now Ukrainian authorities are constantly emphasising the Russian military presence in Donbas. Among the evidence, Russian paratroopers were detained by Ukrainian security forces in August on Ukrainian territory. More recently, there was evidence linking Russian military involvement to the shelling of civilians in Mariupol.
“The first order of a Russian officer who commanded and co-ordinated the activities of the consolidated artillery battalion fighters was given at 7:30 in the morning [on January 24th]. Bombardments were carried out five times after the direct orders of Russian officers,” Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SSU), told journalists during a January 26th briefing on the recent shelling in Mariupol.
This SSU chief’s statement was based on the intercepted conversations of terrorists and statements that Ukrainian security forces obtained after capturing a person who helped terrorists to direct their fire. During the shelling in Mariupol, security forces also detected the use of the 5th generation Belozer satellite communications system, which is only possessed by the Russian Federation.
“We have the evidence [of Russian aggression]. Also we all remember the decision of the Russian Federation to make Crimea a part of Russia. The alienation of the territory of a state without its consent is a result of aggression. The Ukrainian parliament did not give any agreement of the alienation of this territory,” Burkovskiy said.
Serhiy Solodkyy, deputy director of the Institute of World Policy, said the main impediment keeping the international community from identifying the Kremlin as a side of the conflict is that Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and uses its right to veto.
“In addition to juridical [issues] there is another difficulty,” Solodkyy said. “Russia owns one of the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons. That also reduces the potential for interference from other players of the international community.
“Ukraine has to resist the blatant cynicism and international legal nihilism of Russia. The statement of the Ukrainian parliament that calls Russia an aggressor state, on the one hand, may mean nothing, but on the other hand it may be an important factor that together with other factors will influence Russia’s recognition in the world as a side of the conflict.” Solodkyy added.
This week the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) again deprived Russia of voting rights. Experts said that Ukraine’s recognition of Russia a state aggressor didn’t influence the PACE decision, but two factors already play in Ukraine’s favour.
“The PACE resolution is of a great symbolic importance,” Solodkyy said. “You cannot even imagine how badly it is perceived by Russian politicians and Russian ruling elite. Russia is doing everything possible to make black look white, to call aggression a unity and call destabilisation the fight against the occupiers or the Nazis. I am more than confident that if PACE decided to resume the Russian Federation’s right to vote, then Russian propaganda would scream to the world that ‘You see, there are constructive forces in Europe that recognise Russia’s truth.'”
Whether or not the international community chooses to characterise Russia as an aggressor state, experts said there is a need to continue the negotiation process to solve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“Our Western partners are constantly emphasising that negotiations are extremely important. If we have an opportunity to negotiate and stop the war then it should be done — in the Minsk format or any other format,” Taran said.
Burkovskiy said he does not think that declaring Russia as an aggressor state will make negotiations more difficult.
“The question of negotiations does not depend on political decisions, it mainly depends on the situation in the front line,” Burkovskiy said. “And two sides will consider this. Russia pretends that the war is not happening. The Russian position is that it is an internal affair of Ukraine. Verbally Russian officials make statements but there are no legal decisions from their parliament.”
How will the Ukrainian parliament’s decision impact the international view of Russia’s role in the hostilities in Donbas? Share your thoughts in the comments section.