The Ukrainian authorities can build a wall on the line of demarcation with the unrecognized republics of Donbass, if there is no progress in resolving the situation in the southeast of the country. This was stated in an interview with Ukrainian media by the head of the state border service of Ukraine Sergey Deyneko.
“I know that the president sincerely wants to do everything for the world to come to our land, but on conditions that are acceptable to us, for the state of Ukraine. If there is no progress in the negotiations, then I do not exclude that such a decision will be made. But so far no engineering work has been carried out on the demarcation line, ”said Deineko.
In December last year, on the eve of the Norman summit, Vladimir Zelensky’s assistant, Andrei Yermak, who took over as president of the president’s office in February 2020, said Kiev was considering building a wall as plan B to resolve the conflict in the south-east of the country.
According to him, if Ukraine does not see readiness for the peace process and the implementation of the Minsk agreements with a clearly defined deadline, then it will be "not in the figurative plan to build a wall and live on."
A little later, after the summit, information on the existence of such a plan was confirmed by Vladimir Zelensky himself. He noted that this is the most extreme and personally undesirable option for the development of events.
“At the meetings of the National Security and Defense Council, we approved five plans for the reintegration of Donbass and the return of our territories. One of these plans is Plan B. For me, this is not Plan B. For me, this is the “last letter” plan. This is the last plan. So far, I really would not want us to apply this plan, ”he said.
At the same time, he emphasized that Kiev does not plan to tolerate the situation that has developed in the south-east of the country for another five years: it is necessary to seek an end to the war.
“We definitely don’t intend to wait, shoot, lose our Ukrainians for five years,” Zelensky said.
A source in the office of the President of Ukraine confirmed to RT that this plan is still being considered in Kiev.
“The option of building a wall with the DNI and LC is really considered in the event that the integration of Donbass becomes impossible. Moreover, this idea is supported by the head of the president’s office, Andrei Yermak. Shooting forever is impossible. But if Kiev really takes such a step, then Ukraine will officially recognize the abandonment of these territories. This is a difficult political decision, and it is not known whether the president is ready for this, ”the source said.
Anti-Russian shaft
Deyneko also touched on the construction of fortifications on the border with the Russian Federation. According to him, it continues, but he did not name the exact date for its completion, nor did he explain at what stage the project is.
“At the moment, UAH 1.7 billion has been disbursed. It is hard to judge how well mastered it is, because a lot of work was carried out from 2015 to 2019, and I have been in the position since June 14 last year. A lot of work is under the heading "with limited access." There were a number of criminal proceedings in both the State Security Bureau and the NABU, they are still ongoing, ”he said.
According to Deyneko, by the end of this year it is planned to spend about 400 million hryvnias for these needs.
Recall that Kiev plans to erect a wall on the border with Russia over six years. The project, called the “European Wall”, was launched in 2014. However, in the media it is more often called the “Wall of Yatsenyuk” - by the name of the then Prime Minister and one of the authors of this initiative Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
- Former Prime Minister of Ukraine, leader of the Popular Front Party Arseniy Yatsenyuk
- RIA News
In the same year, part of the necessary funds was allocated for the construction, moreover, the money was taken, including from the funds provided by the European Union. But then the EU stopped funding. As noted by the Chairman of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, Jan Tombinsky, the money allocated by Brussels disappeared.
“The EU has provided tens of millions of euros in order to help Ukrainian border guards. And what happened to those tens of millions that were provided to Ukrainian structures is one big question, ”the politician said.
After that, the Ukrainian Cabinet decided to build "Evroval" on its own. It was planned to allocate for this from budget funds, according to various sources, from 3.5 billion to 4 billion hryvnias for six years.
For this money, 2,245.8 km long barriers were to be erected on the border with Russia, which would include a moat, embankment, control and track strip and a rocky road. In addition, the project included the installation of a fence with infrared cameras or, as an option, the placement of observation towers every 20 km. All this, as conceived by the Ukrainian leadership, was supposed to protect the country from the mythical "Russian aggression."
However, over the years, the project has not been completed. According to the State Border Service, by February last year it was sold by less than a third.
In 2016, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) launched an investigation into thefts committed during construction. According to investigators, the contractors in the acts of acceptance and transfer overestimated the volume of work performed, and also indicated work that was not performed at all.
In this case, eight people were detained, who are accused of embezzlement of 16.7 million hryvnia (about $ 600 thousand). In June 2019, NABU sent a corresponding indictment to the court.
It is worth noting that all this time “Evroval” was criticized in the media. In particular, the strength of the barriers was called into question. So, according to the publication “Strana.ua”, structures already erected at the border massively attacked wild boars, as a result of which holes were formed in the fence. In this regard, the portal’s journalists wondered how the Wall of Yatsenyuk could protect against military equipment if it did not become an obstacle even for wild animals.
“A lot of money was stolen. In modern Ukraine, such large projects are nothing more than a feeder for the people who implement them. There is no rational meaning. Now it’s just possible to ask Yatsenyuk what’s wrong with his wall and hold him accountable, ”said Denis Denisov, director of the Institute for Peace Initiatives and Conflictology, in an interview with RT.
In turn, the president of the Center for System Analysis and Forecasting Rostislav Ishchenko noted that the Wall project from the very beginning was pointless from a practical point of view.
The “European shaft” was needed not by Ukraine, but by people who wanted to earn money. A wall at least on the border with Russia, at least with the DPR and LPR has no practical meaning, ”he said in an interview with RT.
“Another attempt at blackmail”
According to experts, if Kiev still decides to build a wall on the border with the republics of Donbass, this project will suffer the same fate as Euroval.
“Such statements are absurd. One can talk about such things for a long time and completely uselessly. Let them start by finding money for this wall: this will be a key issue for Ukraine and in the current conditions is intractable, ”said Denisov.
- Vladimir Zelensky
- Reuters
- © Ukrainian Presidential Press Service
Rostislav Ishchenko, in turn, noted that any project of a similar scale in Ukraine always comes down to one thing - the embezzlement of state funds.
“These are not very realistic plans. They will probably start building, as Yatsenyuk began to build his wall, because in this case it’s quite concrete and respected that people can make good money. In other words, the money will be stolen, ”said Ishchenko.
He also suggested that the unrecognized republics of Donbass such plans are not very alarming.
“Thus, they will isolate themselves from the DPR and LPR, thereby admitting that they are not claiming these territories. However, in Donetsk they will only be glad of this, ”he explained.
A similar opinion is shared by the RT source from the Golos party.
“Residents of the DPR and LPR will support such a decision of Ukraine. This will provide them with some guarantees that there will be no offensive. But whether money is stolen is unknown. Ukraine has already built a "great wall" with Russia, and in fact they put a netting net. A lot of people have earned on this. And now the project has completely stopped, because there is no money for it, ”the deputy said.
In addition, according to Denis Denisov, such statements adversely affect the image of the Ukrainian government.
“In Kiev, they still have not realized that such initiatives tarnish the image of the Ukrainian state in the eyes of the inhabitants of the Donbass republics, and of the entire world community. The only thing that can be achieved with this is to recognize the de facto independence of the DPR and LPR, ”the expert believes.
Rostislav Ishchenko also did not rule out the possibility that Kiev makes such statements in order to strengthen its positions in the negotiations in Minsk and the Norman format.
“This is yet another attempt at blackmail to make other parties more compliant and force them to agree to the Ukrainian version of the settlement,” Ishchenko emphasized.
However, according to the source of RT in the Fatherland party, Kiev will not succeed in achieving peace on its own terms.
“Ukraine wants peace on its own terms, but this is impossible. I think that in a couple of years it will become clear that no Donbass will return to Ukraine, ”RT interlocutor predicted.