Section: Razumkov Centre (Ukraine)
Russia does not control the conflict in Donbas but affects the level of its escalation
Compliance with the Minsk agreements will depend on the will of the Russian leadership. Russia continues to deny participation of its military officers in the operations in Eastern Ukraine, informs the news agency BBC. Co-director of Foreign Relations and International Security Programmes of the Razumkov Centre Oleksiy Melnyk notes that now it is...
The Razumkov Centre Newsletter №4 (11 September 2014)
Since the last issue of the Razumkov Centre Newsletter, a lot has happened. Unfortunately, the war has become the main topic today – Russia by using regular armed forces and heavy weapons resorted to an open aggression in the mainland Ukraine. The escalation of military action and its new scale resulted in significant casualties – both among the...
The risk of the conflict spreading beyond Donbas is constant
Co-director of Foreign Relations and International Security Programmes of the Razumkov Centre Oleksiy Melnyk commented to the newspaper Den whether there is a real risk of destabilisation in other regions of Ukraine. There is a risk of the conflict spreading beyond Donbas. It increases or reduces from time to time. However, this danger is...
Last 23 years there was no reason to think that Ukraine would need a strong army
In the 23 years since Ukraine declared independence, the country’s defense budget dwindled. With each successive administration, the military was stripped further of funds and material. Armor and artillery was sold off or fell into disrepair, the Mashable website writes. “There was no reason to think that we would need to have a strong...
The EU wants to resolve gas conflict with Russia at the expense of Ukrainian interests
In two weeks, the heating season should start in Ukraine, and the gas issue has not been resolved yet. One thing is clear – it will be warm in Ukrainian homes if the winter is warm. We should not hope for any assistance from the EU. After Gazprom began to limit gas supply to Europe, the Europeans flopped over to the Russian side in this gas...
Attracting investment will reduce Ukraine’s energy dependence on Russia
One of the objectives of Strategy 2020 presented by President Poroshenko is for Ukraine to reach the 30% limit for a share of one supplier in the total amount of procurement of any energy source. The 30% rate which Ukraine should aim at is brought in from the European practice. This was stated by Director of Energy Programmes of the Razumkov...
If Russia starts the arms race, it may collapse as the USSR did
The statement of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitriy Rogozin that until 2020, Russia would renew the weapons of strategic nuclear forces to 100% can lead to a collapse of the country, if the government does not provide a reasonable assessment of this programme. This opinion was expressed by Co-director of Foreign Relations and International...
Frozen conflict is not the worst alternative in the eastern Ukraine
The buffer zone being carved out to bring peace to eastern Ukraine may also cement the conflict’s front lines and preserve Russian President Vladimir Putin’s influence over the region for years to come, the Bloomberg reports. “While choosing among the other alternatives, a frozen conflict may not be the worst,” Deputy Director General...
As Ukraine moves closer to NATO, its military products may interest the West
The aircraft-maker Antonov is the closest thing Ukraine has to an industrial “national champion” that might achieve worldwide success. But the hurdles it faces are many. Some of its most promising projects have been derailed by the near state-of-war that now exists between Russia and Ukraine, and the Kyiv government’s order to halt all...
The laws on Donbas status give good prospects for an extension to the cease-fire
Ukraine’s pro-Russian separatists questioned further peace talks with the government, citing violations of cease-fire terms, while lawmakers in Kiev approved special status for the country’s two easternmost regions, the Bloomberg reports. “The adoption of the laws doesn’t guarantee a peaceful resolution of the conflict but it...
