In a speech to the nation, Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the two Ukrainian provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk, which are ruled by Russian separatists. The separatists asked Putin on Monday to recognize the two regions as independent. According to the Kremlin, he has now done so – and in doing so may have created legitimacy for himself to invade the areas with the Russian army.
In the televised speech on Monday evening, Putin described eastern Ukraine as historically Russian territory. Ukraine is an integral part of its own history.
As the news agencies Reuters and AFP report, citing the Russian government, the Russian President is said to have announced the recognition of the provinces to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. The presidential administration in Moscow announced that both had governed with disappointment. (02/21/2022)
Macron convenes Security Council
French President Emmanuel Macron is calling an emergency meeting of the National Security Council because of the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis, the Presidential Office announced. The European Union has also announced that it is ready “with a united front for a strong reaction” if Putin actually recognizes the separatist areas, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told journalists in Brussels. (02/21/2022)
Scholz warns Putin against recognizing the separatist areas
According to a spokesman, Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned against recognizing the two Ukrainian regions as independent states. Such a step would be “in blatant contradiction” to the Minsk agreements on the peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine and would be a “unilateral breach” of these agreements by Russia, Scholz said in the phone call with Putin.
In a so-called call for help to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk had previously demanded recognition as independent states. In Donetsk, separatist leader Denis Puschilin also called on the Kremlin chief to conclude a treaty on friendship and military assistance with the “People’s Republic”. This would allow Russia to station thousands of soldiers there, as in the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions that have broken away from Georgia. After a war against Georgia, Russia recognized the regions as independent states in 2008.
The domestic secret service FSB, which is also responsible for border security, announced in Moscow that a group of Ukrainian saboteurs had penetrated into Russian territory and had been “destroyed”. Five people were killed and there were no injuries on the Russian side. This information from the secret service could not be verified. For days, the separatists have been blaming a group of Ukrainian agents for attacks in the conflict zone.
In Luhansk, the local leader Leonid Pasechnik addressed Putin on Russian state television: “Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, in order not to allow mass deaths of the people of the republic (…) I ask you to recognize the sovereignty and independence of the Luhansk People’s Republic.” The Russian parliament also passed a resolution to Putin last week asking him to recognize the “people’s republics”.
Violence has increased significantly in the Donbass conflict zone. Government troops and pro-Russian separatists are shooting at each other. According to UN estimates, more than 14,000 people have died in the eight-year conflict, most of them in separatist-controlled territory.
Separatists in eastern Ukraine call to arms
Tensions in the Donbass conflict area in eastern Ukraine continue to increase massively. In the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, separatist leader Denis Pushilin called all men to arms to fight Ukrainian government forces. Ukraine has repeatedly stressed that it is not planning an offensive against the pro-Russian separatists. Pushilin, in turn, spoke of massive shelling from the Ukrainian side. This information could not be verified. In Donetsk, two schools, a hospital and a substation were hit, the authorities there said.
From the regions controlled by pro-Moscow separatists, women and children in particular were brought to Russia in buses and trains. Tens of thousands came to emergency shelters in different parts of Russia. The men had to stay. “I call on the male population, everyone who can hold a weapon, to report to the district military commandos and to stand up for the protection of their families, children, women, mothers and for our fatherland,” said Puschilin.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recently reported thousands of violations of the agreed ceasefire. Ukraine stressed that the fire would be returned but not attacked. That is not verifiable. Officially, Ukraine has been deviating from an additional agreement to the current ceasefire since autumn. “We have no ban on opening fire. Every commander makes his own decision on the spot,” said the commander of the government troops, Olexander Pavlyuk, in October.
Meanwhile, the FSB, the domestic intelligence service responsible for Russian border protection, announced that one of its posts in the Rostov region had been shot at and destroyed. Pictures were shown. Russian authorities had also previously reported such attacks from the Ukrainian side. That was not verifiable. (02/21/2022)
Germany wants to strengthen the OSCE mission in Ukraine with observers
The federal government wants to strengthen the ranks of the international observers sent to the Ukraine conflict. Talks were being held with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and partners, said a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. The OSCE mission in the country is monitoring the situation in the areas of tension.
It is about how the ability to work “can be maintained and strengthened in this extremely critical phase”, even after some states have withdrawn their staff due to security concerns. “Germany didn’t do that,” said the spokesman. He stated that the deployment of OSCE monitors is particularly important at this stage, when disinformation, false flag operations and deception on the ground could become part of an escalation. Germany will “increase its participation again”.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has also called a special session for this Monday. The OSCE has long tried to mediate in the Ukraine conflict. So far, however, Russia has strictly rejected this and recently stopped attending a number of meetings. (02/21/2022)
Germany is preparing humanitarian aid for Ukraine refugees
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) expects large numbers of people to flee to neighboring countries in the event of a war in Ukraine. That is why Germany is currently preparing above all to help the countries around Ukraine with humanitarian support, said Faeser in Vienna on the sidelines of a European migration conference. “And if refugees come to our country, they too, of course,” added the SPD politician.
On the fringes of the Munich Security Conference, EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson named Poland, which borders directly on Ukraine, as probably the most important flight destination, but also Italy, Germany and France. Poland itself expects up to a million people in the event of war. (02/21/2022)
EU foreign ministers approve billions in aid for Ukraine
The foreign ministers of the EU countries have approved emergency financial aid for Ukraine in the billions. At a meeting in Brussels, they decided to grant another loan of 1.2 billion euros to the country threatened by Russia. It is to be paid out in two tranches. The proposal for this came from the EU Commission.
The assistance was fast-tracked in just 21 days to ensure Ukraine’s economic and financial stability. “The ongoing security threats have already triggered a significant outflow of capital,” the EU said. Due to the increased geopolitical uncertainty, Ukraine is losing access to the international capital markets.
According to the EU Commission, the EU and its financial institutions have provided Ukraine with more than 17 billion euros in loans and grants since 2014. (02/21/2022)
Belarusian Army Chief: Russian Troop Withdrawal Partly Depends On NATO Withdrawal
According to the government in Minsk, the withdrawal of Russian forces from Belarus depends in large part on NATO withdrawing its soldiers from areas near the borders with Belarus and Russia. “Russian soldiers will only return to their bases if there is an objective need and we decide that,” says Belarusian army chief Viktor Gulevich. “Not least, this will also depend on our Western colleagues. The forces and equipment deployed in Eastern Europe – also near Belarus – are one of the factors influencing the development of the situation.”
Belarus borders on NATO members Poland, Latvia and Lithuania and on the south on Ukraine. Gulevich’s comments leave room for the possibility that Russian soldiers will stay in Belarus permanently. The joint exercises by Belarus and Russia were due to end on Sunday but were extended citing military activity near the two countries. (02/21/2022)
USA: Targeted killings and kidnappings during Russian invasion of Ukraine
The United States says it has information about serious human rights violations if Russia invades Ukraine. “In particular, we have credible information suggesting that Russian forces are preparing lists of identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation,” US Ambassador Bathsheba Nell Crocker wrote in Geneva to the UN Human Rights Officer Michelle Bachelet. The letter is available from the German Press Agency.
It also said the US had intelligence that “Russian forces are likely to use lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests.” The United States therefore fears that torture will be used as in “previous Russian actions”. The target would be people who would resist Russia, “including Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ people.” The abbreviation stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, inter and queer people and the plus sign as a placeholder for other identities. The US did not disclose its sources for the information.
According to media reports, the US government has intelligence information that Moscow is said to have ordered its military to proceed with plans for an invasion of Ukraine. In the West, there are fears that the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, could use the fighting between Ukrainian government troops and the forces of the separatist “People’s Republics” in the Donbass as a pretext for an invasion of the neighboring country. According to the US, Russia has gathered around 150,000 soldiers at the border. However, Moscow has been denying plans of attack for weeks. (02/21/2022)