Ukraine takes latest measures to challenge Russian aggression

Two Russian military officials were arrested on July 7
and expelled the next day for allegedly preparing a series of severe crimes to
destabilize the geopolitical situation in Ukraine, the National Police reported
on its Telegram channel on July 8. The expelled Russians were members of the
Russian military, worked for the Russian intelligence services and have
participated in military operations in various countries, the report said.

President Zelensky signed a decree on July 7 removing
Ukraine from the CIS agreement to create a council of directors of financial
reconnaissance among member-states. The agreement was signed in December 2012
by then-President Yanukovych, who was pursuing a Russian-oriented foreign
policy. Ukraine stopped paying its CIS dues in 2014 after the Russian invasion
of Ukrainian territory.

The SBU arrested in Kyiv on July 7 a Russian
intelligence officer who was among the directors of the self-declared Donetsk
People’s Republic (DNR) in 2014-2020. As a non-staff representative of Russian
special services, the officer was an active participant in the creation of the
DNR reconnaissance administration, which was directly involved in the July 2014
attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 that killed all 298 passengers and crew
aboard. The suspect was recorded having conversations with Main Intelligence
Directorate (GRU) officers Sergei Dubinsky and Leonid Kharchenko, both of whom
are under international search for their role in the MH17 attack. The suspect
was also responsible for conducting terrorist acts and sabotage in Ukraine.

Zenon Zawada: These are
positive developments in Ukraine challenging Russian aggression indicating that
the nation’s leaders are serious about combatting it.