Moscow prepares provocations against Ukraine, using the Crimea as a springboard. A number of facts indicate that the Kremlin has developed another "cunning plan" in order to discredit Ukraine and put on the label of the "terrorist junta". And Crimea is suitable for this special operation as well as possible, - writes Sergey Stelmakh in the column for "Crimea. Realities ".
People's deputy of Ukraine, coordinator of the group "Information Resistance" Dmitry Tymchuk said that the Kremlin special services are probably preparing terrorist acts against the Crimean population, which then will be accused by Kiev. "According to available information, the Russian special services are considering the possibility of carrying out a number of provocations in the occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in the near future (the end of July or beginning of August), including the carrying out of terrorist acts against the civilian population of the occupied Crimea with mass casualties," wrote a deputy in Facebook. According to him, public places (shopping malls, markets, places of mass events), as well as water supply points and fuel depots can become targets for attacks..
The Russian authorities intend to once again accuse certain "Ukrainian saboteurs" in the incident, the MP believes. According to him, for this purpose the leadership of the Kremlin special services prepares political ground. Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said during a visit to Crimea that "there is a threat of destabilization" - allegedly because of the actions of Kiev and members of pro-Ukrainian organizations.
"Watching the trends in the shares of Russian special services, you can see that the day before in the media controlled by the Kremlin begins a campaign to form a public opinion about the existing threat. And, in fact, the creation of an artificial occasion for the use of Russian troops to seize part of the southeastern territory of the Kherson region, "writes Dmitry Tymchuk.
Possible attacks on the south of the Kherson region with attempts to seize infrastructure facilities, unlock supplies to Crimea of ??Dnipro water are only part of the problem. The real goals of Russians are more ambitious than providing Crimeans with water or electricity. The Kremlin, judging by the activity of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is trying to solve three tasks: to prevent new sanctions, to soften existing ones and legalize their presence in the occupied areas of Donbass.
The restrictions imposed by the US government this spring have seriously affected the Kremlin oligarchy. Further tightening of the sanctions regime threatens Moscow with major economic problems already inside the country. Vladimir Putin tries to avoid this by not carrying out the so-called "Minsk agreements" and retaining the Russian presence in the ORLO. The Kremlin is trying to turn another "cunning plan" and solve financial and political problems at the expense of Ukraine.
According to Bloomberg, during a summit in Helsinki, Vladimir Putin invited Donald Trump to hold a "referendum" in the so-called "People's Republics" of Donbass. Interlocutors of the agency argue Trump asked him not to talk about this idea at the final press conference, so that "the president of the United States could consider it". As the source said, Putin proposed to vote on the status of Donbass under the auspices of the international community. The White House has not yet commented on the information on the proposed proposal. The press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov limited himself to the phrase that the Donbas "discussed some new ideas" that "will work".
Obviously, following the results of the "voting", on behalf of the inhabitants of the occupied areas, the Kremlin will require Kiev to provide the ORLLO with at least the status of autonomy with the right to its own foreign policy. We are talking about the legalization of terrorist "republics" and, accordingly, the lifting of sanctions. Judging by the previous "cunning plans" of Moscow, Bloomberg's information is reliable. And this has a direct bearing on possible provocations in the Crimea. The next "referendum" in the Donbass is possible only if the EU and the US press on Kiev, but this requires serious reasons.
Russian authorities and special services are actively working to create such reasons. The staging of terrorist acts on the peninsula, coupled with military provocations in the east of Ukraine, can create the information background needed by Moscow. The Kremlin is profitable to revive the propaganda thesis about the "terrorist junta", from which it "defends" the citizens of Donetsk and Crimeans. This line completely fits the recent statement of Vladimir Putin that there are allegedly "risks of aggravation of the situation" in the Donbass Basin,.
The following picture emerges. First, Nikolai Patrushev said about "serious risks of destabilization" in the Crimea, then Vladimir Putin literally the same words described his vision of the situation in eastern Ukraine. In both cases, it was about territories that are under the full control of the Kremlin. The Russian leadership can "predict" the aggravation of the fighting in the ORLO or provocation in the Crimea, only if it is itself involved in their planning.
Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Join also the TSN group. Blogs on facebook and follow the updates of the section!.