LPR and DPR under siege

Kiev continues the economic and transport siege of the self-declared republics of Donbas, which was started last autumn. The LPR and DPR say that the siege of the southeastern regions of Ukraine, which was organized by the Kiev authorities, could be a reason for residents of Donbas to address the Russian Federation to be issued Russian citizenship.

Vladislav Daynego, spokesman for the DPR and LPR in the Contact Group for resolving the situation in Ukraine, states that only by means of the Russian Federation have they been able to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe: “Neither people, nor any products, nor any essential items of food can cross the line normally. There are crossing procedures identifying a number of checkpoints that should let people and goods through, but these terms are practically blocked today. The Ukrainian side artificially creates conditions when the intersection of these lines is not safe. Within the framework of the Minsk Process we are constantly discussing the creation of additional crossing points; the OSCE takes a particular initiative in this regard, offering every assistance in recovering the possibility of crossing the line, but, unfortunately, it all encounters the complete unwillingness of the Ukrainian side,” Daynego says.

Within the Minsk process there is discussion of restoring water supply facilities in the DPR and LPR. 
“Almost all of these facilities, with regard to the Lugansk Republic, are located on territory controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine today, and yet the Ukrainian side is reluctant to discuss the restoration of these facilities. It seems that they see the main task for themselves in this respect as completely stopping the water. The OSCE prevents this constantly,” the representative of the Contact Group for resolving the situation in Ukraine said.

“As for the payments, in the framework of the Minsk process, the creation of mobile points of payment has been discussed, a set of measures was provided. Some of steps have already been rejected by Ukraine. This means a placement of the points of payment directly in Lugansk and Donetsk. Establishing such mobile payments for items over the demarcation line was offered, which was also rejected by Ukraine.

There is an impression that Ukraine is interested in neither safety of the people who should receive these payments, nor the safety of those bodies that should ensure these payments. Ukraine is in a situation where the country is unable to ensure the implementation of these payments, as prescribed in the set of measures and therefore is looking for any ways to delay the moment they have to admit their failure in this regard,” Deinego thinks.

According to him, the Republics have now virtually ended the need for urgent payments, pensions are now paid on time on the territories of the DPR and LPR. Nevertheless, this does not remove the obligation of Ukraine in its social obligations in relation to its citizens: “Ukraine must either comply with them or should openly declare that these people are not citizens of Ukraine, so Ukraine has no obligations concerning these people, and takes no responsibility for them.”