EU postpones imposing sanctions, citing ceasefire progress

EU member-states decided on Sept. 9 to postpone the official publication of the new set of sanctions against Russia in order to support the further implementation of the ceasefire in Ukraine, said Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini, as reported by the Interfax-Ukraina news agency. “There is satisfaction with the ceasefire agreement being upheld for the first time over a certain period,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that peace has come to Ukraine, but it’s obvious there is the necessity to give a certain impulse for the full fulfillment of the plan.” Italy has the intention of offering Ukraine military aid, she said, which would be discussed in parliament. The Italian government had previously opposed imposing the latest round of sanctions.

The Donetsk People’s Republic will lay claim to all the territory of the Donetsk region and won’t settle for a special status for just the portion it controls, a leader of the organization, Aleksandr Zakharchenko, said on Sept. 9, as reported by the RIA Novosti news agency. His comment was in response to a statement made the prior day by Ukrainian presidential advisor Yuriy Lutsenko, who said the clause in the Sept. 5 Minsk agreement of creating a special status applies only to the territory currently controlled by the separatists, which amounts to one-third of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He said this zone would be isolated and surrounded by special barriers. “Many thanks to Mr. Lutsenko for his generous proposal, but we will take care of our land however we want ourselves,” Zakharchenko said.

An OSCE special monitoring mission recorded 11 explosions near the port city of Mariupol in the Donetsk region in the early morning of Sept. 8, the OSCE press service reported. The explosions sounded like rocket or artillery fire. Starting Sept. 10, curfews will be imposed in Mariupol with the goal of supporting defense measures and counteract terrorist activity, the city council website reported. The curfews will limit the transit of groups of automobiles, the presence of individuals without documents, and the entrance of individuals to a district, among numerous other restrictions.

Five Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 33 wounded since the declaration of the Sept. 5 ceasefire, the National Security and Defense Council announced on Sept. 9. During that period, pro-Russian forces attacked the positions of the Ukrainian forces 89 times (between Sept. 5 18:00 and Sept. 9 6:00). The most actively warring locations are the Donetsk airport, as well as the towns of Debaltseve, Syeverodonetsk, Shchastia, Fashchivka, and Avdiyivka.

About 400 private firms in the Donetsk regions and about 200 in the Luhansk region have been destroyed during the warfare since April, reported on Sept. 9 Ihor Bilous, the head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine. The property of these firms was destroyed and will take billions of dollars to renew, he said.

Zenon Zawada: This ceasefire has shown better results than the last one attempted in the last ten days of June. Nonetheless, ample evidence shows the pro-Russians forces are preparing for their next offensive. The timing of its launch largely depends on what pretext to use when accusing the Ukrainians of violating the ceasefire. And of course, the Europeans are looking for whatever pretext at their disposal to back away from the Russians. We expect the warfare to escalate again, though precisely when is unpredictable.