Verkhovna Rada deputy, leader of the Opposition Bloc party, Yevgeny Murayev, said he intends to demand that President Vladimir Zelensky lift the blockade on Donbass and Crimea, introduced in 2015. He announced this on the talk show "Opposition" on the Ukrainian TV channel "OUR".
According to Muraev, such a measure would allegedly facilitate the return of these territories to Ukraine.
“Removing the trade, transport and economic blockade from the Crimea and the Donbass is the first step towards peace and the reintegration of our territories,” Murayev said.
In his opinion, Ukraine should win the favor of the inhabitants of these regions.
“People always argue where it’s profitable for them. Today, arranging a blockade, the power (government, parliament, president), in fact, pushed people away from themselves - they do not associate themselves with Ukraine, ”Murayev said.
When exactly and under what circumstances he intends to state his demand to the president, the politician did not specify.
Earlier, Zelensky also spoke in favor of lifting the blockade from the Crimea and the Donbass. True, his position on this issue differs significantly from that of Murayev. The leader of the Opposition Bloc proposes to lift the blockade without any conditions. Zelensky believes that the enterprises located in the region should be returned to the control of Kiev. Recall external control over the companies of Ukrainian jurisdiction was introduced by the authorities of the DPR and the LPR in 2017.
“Everything is possible, everything can be returned in the near future, but please, then return us to our illegally nationalized enterprises that are in the temporarily occupied territories,” Zelensky said at a press conference following the Ukraine-EU summit.
Recall that in April 2014, Ukraine imposed a water blockade of the Crimea: the North-Crimean Canal was closed, supplying the northern areas of the peninsula with drinking water.
In the same year (starting from the summer), then-President Petro Poroshenko adopted a series of decrees aimed at blockading the Donbas. In particular, he abolished the payment of pensions and wages to public sector employees not controlled by Kiev territories. The head of state also decided to discontinue the work of Ukrainian state structures in this part of the Donbass - banks, educational institutions, etc.
Ukraine officially announced the blockade of the Crimea at the end of 2015. In November, by the decision of the Cabinet, the transport communication was discontinued; in December, it was decided to ban the supply of goods and services to the Crimea.
The blockade of the territory of Donbass uncontrolled to Kiev was introduced by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine from September 15, 2017. It also terminated trade and transport links.
- Evgeny Muraev
- © @ e.murayev
Unrealistic offer
Sergei Tsekov, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of the Republic of Crimea, in a conversation with RT, generally endorsed Murayev’s idea of lifting the blockade. However, he stressed that even in this case, the Crimea will not return to Ukraine, since the inhabitants of the peninsula will not agree to such a step.
"There is some truth in his words, but if he (Muraev. - RT ) added more about the Crimean moods, about the national composition of the Crimeans, about how Ukraine treated us during our stay in its composition, I think this would be more complete truth, "explained Tsekov.
In turn, a member of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of Russia, Bogdan Bezpalko, believes that Muraev is wrong about Donbass.
“Of course, lifting the blockade is an important step. It could serve as the beginning of a dialogue about peace. However, everything will depend on how this dialogue goes. Perhaps, under some conditions, the Donbass may remain part of Ukraine, but I personally doubt it, just as the fact that all the talk about lifting the blockade will not remain just words, ”he said in an interview with RT.
Bezpal'ko notes that Zelensky has the authority to lift the blockade. However, in this case, not everything depends on the Ukrainian president.
“Even by what is not left behind the scenes and it became known to the general public, we see that Zelensky’s decisions are frankly sabotaged. Surely the military has long ignored his instructions on a cease-fire, or at least on reducing its intensity. There are no guarantees that his order to lift the blockade from the Donbass and the Crimea will not be sabotaged either. Moreover, Zelensky’s opponents simply cannot take advantage of such a step, ”the expert says.
The director of the Ukrainian Institute for Policy Analysis and Management, Ruslan Bortnik, on the contrary, does not exclude that the Ukrainian president can fulfill his promise in this case.
“Such a scenario is possible, but after the parliamentary elections. If Zelensky feels confident, if he manages to concentrate all the tools of power, lifting the blockade from the Crimea and Donbass will become part of a serious compromise with Russia. Therefore, this is possible. I estimate the probability of such a scenario at 30%, ”the Ukrainian expert stressed in a conversation with RT.
Bezpal'ko is also confident that the Ukrainian president will not take any steps related to the lifting of the blockade from the Crimea and Donbas.
“But after the elections, if he gets the majority, if he can create a stable coalition, then, of course, these opportunities will be open to him. Then we will see in reality what President Zelensky is, ”Bezpalko notes.
Election move
Experts unambiguously associate the loud statement of Murayev with the upcoming elections to the Verkhovna Rada on July 21.
“I don’t think that the proposal to lift the blockade from the Crimea and Donbass will increase the number of supporters of the Opposition Bloc.” But the voter who voted for this party voiced the idea voiced by Muraev as a whole. It is quite in the spirit of the program that the Opposition Bloc offers. Therefore, Murayev’s proposal is designed to preserve the electorate of the party and prevent its erosion, ”believes Ruslan Bortnik.
- Donetsk
- RIA News
- © Sergey Averin
According to a public opinion poll conducted by the Kiev Institute of Sociology (KIIS) from June 25 to July 7, in the upcoming parliamentary elections, the pro-presidential Servant of the People party can get the largest faction in the Verkhovna Rada. 37.8% of voters are ready to vote for it. According to the KIIS poll, the “opposition bloc” of Murayev will take the second place - 11% are ready to support him. At the same time, 7.2% support the party of ex-President Petro Poroshenko “European Solidarity”. In addition, Yulia Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna Party’s good chance of overcoming the 5% barrier is now supported by 4.8% of Ukrainians.
According to Ruslan Bortnik, the potential electorate of the “Opposition bloc” is much higher - about 30%. But not all of them are ready to vote for this party in its current form. For this reason, the statement Muraeva can be viewed as monitoring the mood of potential voters, experts say.
“The leader of the Opposition Bloc is looking for a topic that might be of interest to society,” says Bezpalko.
According to him, Murayev and his party are now trying to entice voters from the “Servant of the People”.
“Uncertainty of Zelensky’s policy is slowly beginning to tire voters. Until now, Ukrainians do not understand what kind of person he is, what he really wants and what he really can. Of course, what I would call inertial hopes remained. It is due to this resource that the Servant of the People is going to win. But there is also disappointment. Muraev is counting on those disappointed, ”said Bezpalko.
However, he doubts that the leader of the "Opposition bloc" is a sincere supporter of lifting the blockade.
“As a pre-election move, this may work. Another thing is that Muraev, I think, does not himself believe that lifting the blockade from Donbass and Crimea is possible, and he most likely will not vote for such a proposal in the Verkhovna Rada, ”Bepalko concluded.