"Determined to escalate": why Ukraine criticized Germany's position on the use of UAVs in Donbass

Kiev criticized the position of Berlin, which expressed concern about the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbass, during which the Turkish Bayraktar attack drones were used.

"The Ukrainian side categorically rejects ... the warning of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FRG. -

)," Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk said in a comment to Bild.

According to him, the UAV was used legally.

At the same time, the Ukrainian diplomat ignored the fact that the Minsk agreements prohibit the use of foreign drones on the contact line.

Instead, Melnik stressed that Berlin should have focused on something else.

"(Ukraine calls on -

) the German government to redouble its efforts as a mediator: according to the agreements, to convene a meeting in Berlin in the Normandy format and put Moscow in its place, instead of expressing concern about the dramatic situation in the occupied regions," the ambassador said.

We will remind, the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany expressed concern about the escalation of hostilities in the south-east of Ukraine, calling on the parties to de-escalate.

“In recent weeks, the OSCE special observation mission recorded an increase in violations of the silence regime, heavy weapons were used.

This violates the Minsk agreements, which Russia and Ukraine have pledged to implement.

In addition to this, all parties use unmanned aerial vehicles, which, according to the Minsk agreements, can only be done by the OSCE SMM, ”said Andrea Sasse, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry.

"Ukraine is playing a dangerous game"

Earlier, on October 26, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) reported that the Turkish reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicle Bayraktar was used for the first time in Donbass.

As noted on the Facebook page of the General Staff, this was done by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Valery Zaluzhny, to “force the enemy to ceasefire,” which was carried out from D-30 howitzers in the area of ​​the village of Granitnoye.

The Ukrainian side noted that the UAV, without crossing the contact line, destroyed one of the guns with a guided bomb.

At the same time, it was emphasized that this was the first use of Bayraktar in Donbass.

However, as noted by the plenipotentiary of Russia in the contact group for resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine, Boris Gryzlov, the representatives of Kiev at the negotiations on Donbass tried to evade an answer about the use of a Turkish drone.

The politician blamed the escalation of the situation in the region on the Ukrainian side.

“Ukraine is playing an extremely dangerous game.

Through the simultaneous implementation of provocative shelling, the publication of directly contradicting statements in the media, violations of the positional deployment of troops, Kiev is trying to provoke the Donbass to resume hostilities, "Gryzlov emphasized.

The conditions for the use of foreign drones, which include Bayraktar, are spelled out in the seventh paragraph of the memorandum of 2014 on the implementation of the provisions of the protocol following the consultations of the Trilateral Contact Group on steps to implement the peace plan of Petro Poroshenko, who at that time was President of Ukraine, and initiatives the head of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

"The ban ... of flights of military aircraft and foreign unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), with the exception of UAVs used by the OSCE monitoring (observation) mission, along the entire line of contact of the parties in the zone of cessation of the use of weapons to a width of at least 30 km," the document says ...

Turkish Bayraktar, equipped with MAM-L high-precision bombs, were purchased for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2019.

Until now, they have been used only in tactical exercises and for reconnaissance.

In particular, they were tested in 2020 during exercises with Javelin anti-tank complexes, imitating the "Karabakh experience" of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, using Bayraktar with Spike-ER complexes.

Bayraktar was also used over the Black Sea during exercises off the coast of the Kherson region in March this year.

And already in April, Bayraktar made their first flight into the joint forces (JF) zone of operation in Donbass, having discovered enemy equipment.

• Representative of the OSCE Mission in Donbass

• Reuters

• © Alexander Ermochenko

"Needed to contain Russia"

Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly expressed concern over the sale of foreign weapons and drones to Ukraine.

In particular, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that the supply of Turkish attack UAVs could lead to destabilization of the situation on the contact line in Donbass.

“We see that as soon as such weapons fall into the hands of the military, they can potentially be used in this region of Ukraine, and this only leads to destabilization ... This does not contribute to the settlement of this internal Ukrainian problem,” Peskov said.

In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that data on the use of a drone in Donbass should make those who supply weapons to Kiev think.

“History, of course, should give thought to all those who indulge Ukraine's capricious demands that it should be admitted to NATO tomorrow.

And, of course, to make those who arm the Kiev regime controlled by neo-Nazis think about it, ”the head of the department emphasized.

In addition, earlier, in April, he warned Turkey against indulging Ukraine's militarist sentiments.

“I will immediately say that we strongly recommend to all responsible countries with which we communicate (Turkey is one of them) to analyze the situation, the eternal militant statements of the Kiev regime and warn them against feeding these militaristic sentiments,” Lavrov said.

At the same time, the Turkish Foreign Ministry assured that the sale of Turkish military unmanned aerial vehicles to Ukraine is not directed against Russia.

However, Kiev has a different opinion.

"Drones are needed to contain Russia, so that it think twice before planning any escalation or large-scale attack on Ukraine ..." - said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba.

"Not in the mood to negotiate"

Experts state that Ukraine openly ignores any attempts to build a dialogue on a peaceful settlement in Donbass, since it feels its own impunity due to the support from the European Union.

Hence the harsh statements of the Kiev authorities, political analysts state.

“They are trying to speak with Kiev in a diplomatic language, but he perceives this as a weakness.

The Ukrainian authorities are not in the mood today to negotiate in order to achieve peace by political means.

Now they are determined to escalate the situation, as it is necessary to maintain the constantly decreasing rating of the leadership, "Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the IAMP of the Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy, explained to RT.

In this regard, he called the use of a Turkish drone in Donbass a "minute of glory" for President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is trying to force his European partners to pursue a political line that is beneficial to Kiev.

However, as the expert emphasized, the European Union is already tired of this position, and the constant demands “to put Moscow in its place”, most likely, can backfire.

“Such Ukrainian rhetoric causes irritation in the EU, which is trying in every possible way to support Kiev, including finances.

Therefore, in the same Berlin, they are not at all happy to hear such moralizing, ”said Kozyulin.

• Ukrainian serviceman on the contact line in Donbass

• AP

Meanwhile, the head of the European Security Department at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor of MGIMO Dmitry Danilov believes that Kiev has chosen the right moment to put pressure on Germany, since now there is a "technical pause" in the country due to the change of government.

"Now in Germany there are not many political and diplomatic opportunities to build a solid and thoughtful line regarding the Ukrainian conflict, but this always happens when political elites change," he explained in a conversation with RT.

However, as noted by Danilov, Kiev must understand that its provocative steps will subsequently be taken into account when developing the position of the new German authorities regarding the conflict in Donbass.

A similar opinion is shared by the diplomatic adviser to the head of the LPR Rodion Miroshnik.

“From Berlin, as the guarantor of the Minsk agreements, there should be a serious reaction, which, possibly, will be expressed in increased pressure - but on Ukraine, not on Russia.

The German authorities may not even speak about it publicly, but they will take steps that will force Kiev to fulfill its obligations, "Miroshnik said in a commentary on RT.

According to him, in this way it should be confirmed that the document signed by the parties to the conflict is an uncontested guide to resolving the situation in Donbass.

Vadim Kozyulin also agrees with him.

He notes that Kiev cannot come to terms with the fact that only through the implementation of the Minsk agreements peace will be established in the southeast.

However, he stressed, the lack of alternatives to the agreements is recognized by all key participants in the Normandy format, and even by the United States.

“Kiev is still looking for its own path: it wants to attract the United States to solve these problems, then it wants to persuade the Europeans to neglect the Minsk agreements.

However, the Ukrainian authorities should not be so surprised and offended when their wishes are not fulfilled, since the West is still not interested in indefinitely delaying the settlement of the situation in Donbass, ”the expert summed up.