Ukraine has closed both its road and rail cargo transport connections with Crimea. This message was posted by the press service of the government of the country on its Twitter account. According to the post, the Cabinet temporarily prohibits transfer of cargo flows on the border between Ukraine and Crimea on the initiative of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
The corresponding order was given by Yatsenyuk to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, which is to develop a draft order of the Cabinet with the list of proper goods and services that can be delivered to Crimea. Assistance will be provided by the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov supported the head of the government. "In view of the subversive and terrorist threats and mass civil protests I consider it necessary to stop the flow of goods from the Russian Federation to continue to make a decision in a commission way with the invitation of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis,'' Interfax cites him as saying.
In addition, Yatsenyuk promised to give a mirrored response if the Russian side introduces an embargo on Ukrainian products on January 1st next year. "Every Russian decision to impose an embargo against Ukraine will be similar to the Ukrainian decision to impose an embargo against Russia," the Prime Minister said at a special government meeting in Kiev.
Earlier, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko proposed that the government consider the matter of closing cargo transportation and trade with Crimea, explaining that it is required by the organizers of the trade embargo against the peninsula.
All this is happening while there is an absence of electricity on the peninsula due to the blowing up of transmission towers in the Kherson region.
The general director of the Center for Political Information Alexey Mukhin assumed in interview with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza that "the Ukrainian leadership is trying to attract attention." "The matter is that in the context of Syria, the US and the European partners of Ukraine have lost interest in it. Ukraine is just trying to show its importance, as well as the importance of the problems of Ukraine, Donbass and Crimea. You have probably noticed that our German and American counterparts don't discuss the return of Crimea to Ukraine. This means that the peninsula has been recognized as Russian," the expert said.
Ukrainian political analyst Alexey Poltorakov, in turn, described the situation as ''Kiev's state strategy on dialogue with Crimea about strategic perspectives," which, according to the Ukrainian authorities, could be an attempt at the future return of Crimea to Ukraine. However, he added that there are more specific reasons for the blockade. "Many Ukrainian oligarchs have businesses in Crimea, primarily in chemical industry. On the one hand, it brings them profits, but on the other hand, they don't pay taxes to the treasuries of Ukraine or Russia,'' he explained.
