Separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko was killed in the Eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Moscow sees this as a provocation. The incident makes it to Berlin as a mediator in the Minsk peace process difficult.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, made it clear on Monday: Moscow will not leave the Minsk peace agreement. Even if it is “very difficult” to conduct any talks with Ukraine after the attack on the leader of the Donetsk separatists, Alexander Zakharchenko, the press Secretary of the Russian President. Previously Peskov said the attack is likely to have “unavoidable” consequences and the peace process is the Minsk not helpful. This gave occasion for speculation about the consequences for the of 2015 in the Belarusian capital, among German and French mediation, agreed and, to date, not implemented a peace plan for Eastern Ukraine. Kiev ranked the Region as Russia occupied territory.
The high-ranking victims of a series of attacks
The 42-year-old Zakharchenko died on Friday in an Explosion in a cafe in Donetsk. Russia and the separatists gave in too easily to the Ukraine, the blame for this. Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the attack was a provocation to blast the Minsk peace process. The President Vladimir Putin spoke of a “vile murder”.
Mourning for the Pro-Russian separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko
The Ukrainian government rejected the blame. From Kiev’s point of view, Zakharchenko had been either on the instructions of Moscow eliminated or died as a result of internal power struggles in the separatist area. It is a fact that Zakharchenko is the highest ranking victim in a year long series of attacks on separatist leader. He was standing since August, 2014, at the top of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk people’s Republic” (“DNR”), after its predecessor, a Russian political consultant, after Moscow had discontinued.
Paris and Berlin call for talks
It is still unclear what the consequences of this attack for the Minsk peace process, might have. Of the two “people’s republics”, it was said, first of all, I stand by the previous agreements. Russian foreign Minister Lavrov said, an early Meeting in the so-called Normandy Format, where Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France participate, was now impossible. In the past few months, has been speculated about a possible summit meeting in France.
From Paris and Berlin on Monday calls to continue the discussions. “It is really important that now is an escalation will be avoided,” said government spokesman Steffen Seibert. “The violent death of the men Zakharchenko makes the efforts of the Minsk agreements to implement, not less important, quite the contrary.”
Stefan Meister, head of Robert Bosch center for Central and Eastern Europe
Where to control the “people’s republics”?
The DW interviewed experts doubt that Zakhar tschenkos death appreciable consequences for the already floor of the Minsk peace process. “Zakharchenko was never a Protagonist who has promoted the implementation of this agreement somehow. Rather, on the contrary,” says Stefan Meister, head of Robert Bosch center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia at the German society for Foreign policy (DGAP). Susan Stewart of the Berlin science and politics Foundation (SWP) does not believe in far-reaching consequences for the peace process. “Because it is clear that Russia actually has to Say, especially in relation to this (Minsk) process,” says Stewart.
Susan Stewart of the Berlin-based Stiftung Wissenschaft und politik, SWP
Stefan Meister thinks that for Germany, at least difficult should be to bring the Minsk process in motion and to find conversation partners. “You see, no stabilization of structures, rather a weakening, the power struggles,” at the DGAP expert. The important question here is, how is it going on with the two “people’s republics” after a number of key figures such as Zakharchenko had been killed. “The question is, is the ‘DNR’ now in disarray, Russia is still asked a lot stronger?”
A possible answer to this question can be found in the neighboring “people’s Republic” in Luhansk. There, the leader Igor Plotnizkij was ousted in November 2017 after a short Showdown of various armed groups from the office, apparently to pressure from Moscow. He’s supposed to stay until today in Russia. Consequences for the Minsk peace process, the change of power in Luhansk, however, had not.
Regardless of who is really behind the attempt on Zakharchenko, the Eastern Europe expert, Wilfried Jilge two possible options in relation to Russia, whose President Putin assured the coalfields of the Donbass support. Moscow could take the murder as an excuse to do “nothing, in the framework of the Normandy Format and Minsk contact group”. That would give Russia a free Hand for more influence on Ukrainian policy “in favor of the Pro-Russian separatists”, especially before the presidential election in 2019, Jilge. “The other variant could be that, in spite of this event (the murder of sachsart Gurchenko – note. d. Red.), Russia wants no negotiations with Kiev to interrupt, perhaps from the penalties of getting out”. The recent Comments by the Kremlin spokesman Peskov seem to point in this direction.