The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, commented on the statement by the founder of the Azov volunteer regiment, Andrey Biletsky, that if the Ukrainian army begins to deploy forces in the Donbass, 10 thousand soldiers will come to the region.
“For more than four years, the heads of NATO and EU countries have individually and collectively blamed Russia for the lack of efforts to implement the Minsk agreements. For more than four years, Moscow explained that they were frustrated by nationalist-oriented elements, the responsibility for which lay with Kiev. Now the whole world has heard the confession of the true perpetrators about who and how blocked all this time the implementation of the Minsk agreements, the starting point of which should be the separation of forces, ”she wrote on Facebook.
Earlier, on October 27, Biletsky criticized the actions of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who sought the withdrawal of nationalists from the settlement of Zolotoe.
“If you decide to fulfill your threats - to throw veterans out of here, then next week there will be a thousand people, and if you don’t leave a thousand, there will be ten thousand,” he said.
According to Biletsky, nationalists “will not allow surrender” and will not leave their positions in the Zolotoy district. He is convinced that Zelensky intends to "surrender a huge section of the front."
The founder of the Azov volunteer battalion (which was then transformed into a regiment, and then into a linear special unit of the National Guard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine) was called "boorish" as Zelensky’s communication with the former soldier of the regiment located in Zolotoy. Earlier, a video was published in the Ukrainian media in which one of the radicals called on the Ukrainian president, who arrived in Zolotoye, to conclude agreements with nationalists.
“Do you want to formalize a relationship with me?” No need for surrender. So hand over your weapons ... You are turning arrows on me. You can’t give me any ultimatum at all ... I’m the president of this country, I’m 42 years old, I’m not some kind of sucker, I came to you and said: “Take away your weapons”. You don’t transfer me to shares (protest against Steinmeier’s formula. - RT ). I wanted to see understanding in my eyes, and I saw a guy who decided that some burdock was standing in front of him, ”Zelensky said in response.
As was later noted in the press service of the headquarters of the operation of the united forces (OOS), the people with the video are not members of any power or military structures, but are illegally in the territory of the operation.
Also in the office of the President of Ukraine they said that they began to export illegal weapons from Golden.
- © Volodimir Zelensky
“A very convenient tool”
Nationalists in Ukraine have been formed by the forces of the state since the country gained independence, said Bohdan Bezpalko, an expert at the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of Russia.
“Nationalists are a very convenient tool that can be used in international relations. Nationalists have been raised in Ukraine since 1991 as one of the foundations of Ukraine’s independence, its non-inclusion in a number of integration projects - they always referred to the people, nationalists, ”he told RT.
At the same time, radicals do not constitute an independent force, said political analyst Ivan Mezyuho. In a conversation with RT, he emphasized that nationalists use oligarchs and politicians for their own purposes.
“Even the protests in connection with the signing of Steinmeier’s formula by Ukraine showed that these actions are supported by people in the current government,” the expert explained. “Therefore, it is worth saying that radical and nationalist organizations are an instrument in the hands of politicians and oligarchs to achieve their goals.”
So, Mezyuho said that the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov controls some of the nationalist groups. Earlier, the official spoke out in support of the Azov regiment in connection with the demand of American congressmen to recognize this unit as a terrorist organization.
“The influence of radical organizations is fueled by information policy in Ukraine, fueled by Russophobia and anti-Russian rhetoric. Unfortunately, the anti-Russian course dominates the information space in Ukraine, ”the political scientist added.
Failure breeding in Golden
Recall, the breeding of forces in the area of the settlements Petrovskoye and Zolotoe was to take place on October 7th. This agreement was reached during the talks in Minsk on October 1. Then Kiev agreed on the Steinmeier formula - the procedure for fulfilling the Minsk agreements, providing for the granting of special status to the Donbass and holding local elections in the region.
However, the forces were not withdrawn. At first, the former members of Azov took up positions in Zolotoy, saying that they were opposed to the separation of forces, Steinmeier’s formula and all the Minsk agreements as a whole. Then the Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vadim Pristayko said that the breeding was disrupted allegedly due to shelling - he argued that 7 days had not passed the silence regime necessary for the withdrawal of forces. At the same time, in the self-proclaimed DNR, they noted that this time they agreed to withdraw forces regardless of the week without shelling.
At the same time, protests took place in Ukrainian cities, during which the protesters demanded to abandon "surrender" - as they call Steinmeier’s formula. The authorities have repeatedly emphasized that the implementation of these agreements is necessary to make peace in the east of the country. At the same time, they stated that this decision was forced and was a “painful compromise”.
After that, the dates of the separation of forces were also reassigned. Representatives of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR expressed their readiness to withdraw their forces, but the Armed Forces continued to stand in their positions.
The Kremlin stated that what is happening in Ukraine around the implementation of the agreements remains incomprehensible.
“There is a lot of incomprehensible now: contradictory and non-constructive statements by Kuchma’s spokesman on the basis of the work of the contact group, a fool who comes from other official representatives of Kiev, including Zelensky himself,” Interfax quoted the words of the assistant to the president of the Russian Federation, Yuri Ushakov.
Western countries will respond to sabotage of agreements by nationalists, Bezpalko said. However, he is convinced that the reaction will be limited to rhetoric.
“Most likely, the reaction of the West will follow, but it will be rhetorical. They will express dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian leadership, but without any political, economic sanctions, ”he said.