Diversion by Kiev against Crimea was expected, expert says

On Wednesday, August 10th, the Russian FSB announced that it prevented a series of attacks on the territory of Crimea that had been planned by Ukrainian saboteurs. It became known later that two Russian servicemen were killed as a result of a skirmish at the border between Ukraine and Crimea.

Director at EAEC Institute, a member of the Zinoviev club MIA Russia today, Vladimir Lepekhin, told in an interview with a Vestnik Kavkaza correspondent why these provocations were organized by Kiev and why they happened at this time.

The expert noted that we are living at the time when the old world order system collapses and that it is why its main apologists become more active.

"Over the past few weeks, we could see Brexit in Europe and then the attempted coup in Turkey. It is worth noting that those things happened in the context of the US presidential elections. Some pan-European Western structures are in crisis nowadays. Brexit is the first sign that the old system of the world order begins to collapse. Therefore it is obvious that there will be attempts   to stage provocations, terrorist activities either in Ukraine, or in Donbass, or in Crimea,’’ the expert said.

At the same time the political scientist said that President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko could not have known about the upcoming provocations on the border with Crimea.

"I think that this operation was conducted by the SBU [Ukrainian secret service] with the assistance of the US intelligence, which completely ‘fits’ the chain of all the recent events that suddenly occurred near the western and southern parts of Russia. Therefore, a diversion from Kiev was expected,’’ Lepekhin added.

Commenting on Russia's behavior in this difficult situation, Lepekhin said that the position of the Russian leadership and personally President Vladimir Putin is absolutely right. He appealed to the people [in Ukraine] and the United States, saying that it is up to them to stop such provocations or otherwise they become accomplices of such actions. In addition, Lepekhin said, “the President showed that the Minsk format is a formality because Europe cannot ensure its fulfillment, as Poroshenko disregards the Minsk agreements.’’

In conclusion, the expert said that the growing tensions will not lead to war, because it is not in [U.S.] President Barak Obama’s interests.