Ukraine’s Donbas shifts from military to passport conflict as cease-fire looms

On July 18, Russian president Putin extended to all
Donetsk and Luhansk residents the simplified Russian passport issuance regime,
currently offered to Ukraine’s Donbas residents living under Russian or
pro-Russian authority, Ukrinorm reports. The move, which Ukraine’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and others have already warned against, comes as a
“comprehensive, sustainable and indefinite ceasefire” for the war-torn part of
the region is set to take place on the night of July 21-22.

The passport offer prompted a reaction from President
of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who voiced the consideration of offering
Ukrainian citizenship to the Ukrainian diaspora “from friendly countries”,
Unian notes.

James Hydzik: Russia’s
moves, on the eve of the July 21 parliamentary election, will probably do
little to bolster the ratings of the pro-Russian parties running for seats, as
polls show that the majority of voters have already made up their minds.
Whether the “indefinite’ ceasefire effectively deep-freezes the fighting in
Donbas or puts a convenient hold on the conflict for the rest of the summer
remains to be seen.

The escalating passport war is unlikely to register
on a good portion of Zelensky’s supporters and his detractors are unlikely to
be able to use the strife to their benefit, but with the existence of support
for Russia in the government-controlled part of Donbas pointing to the
possibility that the Kremlin’s offer might be taken up, the thought of a new
portion of Donbas containing Russian citizens to be “protected” can only strike
loathing within the new Ukrainian government.