Poroshenko speaks of war, peace plan, and rebuilding Donbas

 

Address of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, June 21, 2014

Dear Fellow Citizens

The Armed Forces have completed the most wide-ranging military operation in the recent history of our country. The army has taken control and has established a defensive system along most of the border with Russia in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. The forces of the Antiterrorist Operation (ATO) have freed a large number of populated areas from terrorists and have tightly encircled the extremist groups.

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For Putin, peace in Donbas is a catastrophe

That the Kremlin called the peace plan of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko “an ultimatum” was probably not surprising for the head of state himself and for international observers. Poroshenko really did propose a peace plan, which is aimed to normalise the situation in Donbas and find ways to develop the region within the state of Ukraine. But Russia does not need a peace plan. And Russia does not need consultations between the Ukrainian government and the legitimate government of Donbas. And Russia definitely does not need early elections to the local government bodies in Donbas – for it, that would be a catastrophe. Russia needs the Ukrainian President to hold talks with those that had been appointed by the Administration of the Russian President to “represent” the citizens of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts – Pushilin, Gubarev, Bolotov and other cheats. 

Brothers and Sisters

Vitaliy Portnikov

Chechen and Georgian blood is no different from Ukrainian blood – it is also red. 

Kyiv is claiming that the state borders with the Russian Federation have been fully closed. To hear this statement, it took three months of Russian aggression, annexation of Ukrainian territories, import of saboteurs and heavy weaponry. But Ukrainian citizens have to blame themselves for this, and not just the government. 

The problem of the refugees: a lucky chance or an irreversible threat

Valeriy Pekar, UP

Some journalists have already started talking about “refugees from hot spots.” We think in words, and many of our military problems are rooted in the fact that we have spent too much time calling the occupants “green men,” and the terrorists “the militia” etc. 

There are no “hot spots” and no “refugees” in Ukraine. 

In Ukraine, there is a zone of activity of terrorist organisations and there are refugees from it. 

Therefore lets not talk about “refugees from hot spots,” but about refugees from the zone of terrorist organisation activities. 

Our goal is peace, not war – Poroshenko met with the government of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko presented the peace plan for the regulation of the situation in the east of the country at the meeting with the representatives of the legitimate government of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

“During the meeting the head of state presented 14 points of the peace plan in the east of the country. In particular, Poroshenko emphasised the importance of amending the Constitution of Ukraine to decentralise the government. The President noted that the according project of the amendments to the Main Law will be sent for examination by the Venetian Committee,” repors the press service of the head of state. 

How political technologists are fooling people in Donbas

Igor Eidman, sociologist

At the moment many are writing about informational war against Ukraine, which has become a major reason for real bloody clashes, regarding the undermining role of the Russian television, which makes the citizens of the east and west bump heads. Of course, the role of television is big, but this just a part of a thoroughly-prepared informational campaign to fuel war.

How Ukraine is creating a second national identity

When everything happening in Donbas will have ended, nothing will be over. The death count cannot be annulled, personal memories cannot be eradicated. Portraits with black ribbons will remain on the shelves of old polished closets. “And this, son, is your father’s camouflage, he fought in it.” What for? Who cares – children’s memories are the most powerful and real. The families of the fallen will measure the future with the past, it will start defining the present as well. Time does not heal anything – it only promotes what one has survived into the category of myth. And a myth is characterised by the fact that it cannot be rationalised with facts.

Russian Propaganda. Cheka Propagandists Are Taking Over the Western Social Networks

The German newspaper Die Welt has reported about the presence of Cheka-style propaganda in the West in its article “Cyberwar: anatomy of the Russian informational war in the networks” (Anatomie des russischen Infokriegs in Netzwerken).  The newspaper writes:

In the Ukrainian conflict Putin’s secret services are implementing new methods.  Cyber warriors, who are controlled by the Kremlin, are infiltrating the social networks and are forming propaganda alliances with left-wing and right-wing radicals.

Dangerous cargo: a trip through the ATO zone

Ukrainian soldier on Mount Karachun

What could be difficult in the work of a courier? Nothing. You get a package, the address of the person you have to give it to and you set off on the road. The biggest troubles you might face are a flat tyre or traffic jams on city streets. However the circumstances change radically if your destination points are roadblocks of Ukrainian soldiers in the ATO zone, close to the centre of the conflict – the city of Slovyansk. And your car is full of humanitarian cargo (medicine, optics, military equipment, food). 

An army of suppliers. Who is helping those on the front line and how

Anastasiya Ringis, UP.Life

Many social initiatives that emerged on Maidan are now successfully engaging in help for the Ukrainian army and the National Guard.

There are dozens, hundreds, and even thousands – within the scope of the country, – such groups. “UP.Life” chose several of the most well-known initiatives. Having made a joint effort – hundreds of volunteers and thousands of benefactors – they managed to transfer financial aid on a sum of more than 13 million Hryvnia.