The vast majority of Ukrainians believe that most of the country lacks peace. This is evidenced by a study by the sociological rating agency published on October 24.
So, 71% of respondents said that the country lacks the most peace. At the same time, 43% lack order, and 40% - stability. Respondents could choose three things which, in their opinion, are not enough for the country. "Peace", "order" and "stability" were the most popular answer options.
As the “Rating” notes, “the request for all of the above categories has grown over the past three months, most of all - in relation to peace and order.” In May, 64% of respondents spoke of a lack of peace, 34% spoke of order, and 36% spoke of stability.
It is also noted that the answers about peace, stability and order are in the lead in the ranking of requests of Ukrainians since May 2018. However, only now the proportion of those who lack the world has exceeded the mark of 70%.
Peace Priority
According to experts, the results of the survey indicate that during the tenure in power of President Vladimir Zelensky, the demand of Ukrainians for peace has grown.
At the same time, according to the director of the Kiev Center for Political Studies and Conflictology, Mikhail Pogrebinsky, the inhabitants of the country have not seen steps from the new leadership to resolve the conflict in the South-East of Ukraine.
“People, when they voted for Zelensky, hoped that their problems, and the problem of peace was a priority, would be resolved. But now four months have passed since the inauguration, and the question of peace is still not being resolved. There was no order in the country, and no. Moreover, additional problems arose due to the incompetence of the leadership and the weakness of the government, which is retreating under the pressure of an aggressive radical minority. And people are aware that this problem needs to be urgently addressed, ”he said in an interview with RT.
Zelensky himself came to power, promising to achieve peace in the east of the country. In his inaugural speech, he repeated this promise, calling his first task "a ceasefire in the Donbass." Then Zelensky claimed that he was open to dialogue and was ready “for anything”, including “losing his position”, “so that peace would only come”.
However, the Ukrainian military continues to shell the territory of the DPR and LPR. On October 22, the Investigative Committee of Russia announced the initiation of a number of criminal cases against the Ukrainian military on the facts of shelling of the civilian population of Donbass.
In a report published in September by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UCHR) on the human rights situation in Ukraine, it was noted that from May to August 2019, eight dead and 60 wounded among the civilian population were recorded in the conflict zone, an increase of 51.1% more than in the previous reporting period (from February to May 2019), which fell on the last months of the presidency of Petro Poroshenko.
- Vladimir Zelensky at the positions of the Armed Forces in the Donbass
- © Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / Handout via REUTERS
“The priority for the citizens of Ukraine was, is and remains the world, as it was during the election campaign. Zelensky and won with such a huge advantage thanks to the promises of peace. 73% of voters voted for him. Now we see that more than 70% of people advocate the same. The fact that the new government has not yet done anything to fulfill its promise will sooner or later lead to a downgrade of Zelensky, ”political analyst Vladimir Kornilov said in an interview with RT.
Conflicting signals
On October 2, President Vladimir Zelensky said that the Ukrainian side agreed on the Steinmeier formula, which prescribes the mechanism for enacting the law on a special procedure for local self-government in certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions. At the same time, the Ukrainian leader promised to begin the separation of forces in the settlements of Petrovskoye and Zolotoe.
In response, nationalists and supporters of ex-president Petro Poroshenko launched mass protests under the slogan “No surrender!”, And fighters of the neo-Nazi armed group Azov occupied the village of Zolotoye, where the Ukrainian military should have left.
As a result, it was not possible to separate the troops. The Steinmeier formula is being discussed in the Rada; the Ukrainian authorities have not yet identified clear prospects for adopting a law on the special status of Donbass. Moreover, the representative of Kiev at the talks in Minsk, Leonid Kuchma, linked the implementation of the Minsk agreements with the “dissolution” of the DPR and LPR, which he did not demand even under Poroshenko.
On October 23, Zelensky announced that he hoped for a speedy meeting in the Norman format, since "all barriers have been removed." However, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow does not see changes that would contribute to the preparation of such a meeting. He recalled that Kiev had not carried out the previously agreed withdrawal of troops.
- Neighborhood of the village of Petrovskoe
- Reuters
- © Alexander Ermochenko
Earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Heiko Maas, called on the troops to be sent to the parties to the conflict. In turn, Vladimir Putin pointed out on October 11 that Kiev should show political will in this matter.
Reasons for the delay
An RT source in the Servant of the People party noted that Zelensky intends to achieve a cessation of hostilities in the Donbas, but the Ukrainian public is allegedly not ready for this.
“He already realized that this is a very sensitive issue. Therefore, the process is going so slowly. The opinion of the public needs to be prepared before the withdrawal of troops, ”the source said.
In turn, the RT source in the Batkivshchyna party emphasized that Zelensky found it difficult to resist pressure from nationalists.
“Ukrainians are increasingly realizing that war in the east of the country is meaningless, that negotiations need to be held for peace. And the president is ready to compromise. But there is a problem: in recent years, a strong movement of nationalists has formed in Ukraine, who believe that the Donbass needs to be captured by force. They are against any negotiations and are ready to go out to protests, so Zelensky is waiting, ”he said.
The RT source in the Golos party also indicates Zelensky’s desire to achieve peace.
“The only question is whether Zelensky has the courage to go against a part of the electorate. His rating has already begun to fall, ”the source said.
At the same time, Pogrebinsky believes that the Ukrainian authorities, in fact, are not against the actions of the nationalists.
“The part of Zelensky’s entourage that deals with peace issues convinced him that there was no chance to fully realize the letter and spirit of the Minsk agreements. And in order to avoid accusations of their non-fulfillment, it is necessary to present the case as if Zelensky’s team wants peace, but it doesn’t succeed, because of serious resistance within the country, the political scientist noted.
Thus, Kiev wants to push through amendments to the text of the Minsk agreements, the expert believes.
According to him, a request for peace in Ukrainian society, which recorded a survey, can help Zelensky.
- Ukrainian nationalists protest Steinmeier formula
- © Gleb Garanich / Reuters
“If he refers to these figures and opposes the party of war, which is even inside the“ Servant of the people ”, then it will be in his favor. And if he continues to maneuver and yield to people who are against any compromises, then this will work against him, ”the political scientist claims.
A similar point of view is shared by Kornilov.
“During the election campaign, such sentiments were in his favor. And in conditions when he does not fulfill his promises, this will turn against him. Unfortunately, we see that after the well-known events in Kiev, President Zelensky listens more to the opinion of the crowd, to the opinion of the minority, which opposes the separation of forces, ”the political scientist concluded.