Russian government undermining Minsk cease-fire, U.S. says

The Russian government is continuing to undermine the Minsk accords in its ongoing support and resupply of separatist forces, said on April 30 Marie Harf, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman. Her comments came in response to questions asking what she thought of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s remarks that he’s pleased with Russia’s allegiance to the Minsk agreement and that Russia’s annexation of Crimea was inevitable.

“Russia and the separatists can’t pick and choose which parts of Minsk they want to implement and want not to,” Harf said. “They signed these agreements and they must honor them – all of them.” At the same time, Ukraine is continuing to make progress in implementing its Minsk commitments. “It is the Russians and the separatists they support who continue to engage in activities that undercut the agreements,” she said.

The Ukrainian government has withdrawn all its heavy artillery from the separation line in accordance with the Minsk accords, reported on May 4 Oleksandr Motuzianyk, the Presidential Administration’s spokesman for the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). Two Ukrainian solders were killed and five injured in the 24 hours leading into the morning of May 4, he reported. A mine explosion on May 3 killed two soldiers and hospitalized three.

Negotiations are ongoing in the Trilateral Contact Group to demilitarize Shyrokyno, a coastal town just 27 kilometers east of Mariupol, a key port city being targeted by Russian-backed separatists, said on May 2 Motuzianyk. The Ukrainian government fully supports the initiative proposed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Yet the first step to demilitarization should be a complete cease-fire from Russian-backed forces, “which we have currently not observed,” he said. “Only after that can we talk about removing subunits, establishing observation posts and further steps towards ensuring peace in the population center.”

Pro-Russian separatists violated the cease-fire 27 times on the evening of May 4 using mortar fire, the ATO press center reported. Separatist forces shot at Ukrainian forces positioned at Shyrokyno using automatic grenade launchers, high-caliber cannons and rifles. Separatists fired on Ukrainian positions 45 times between 18:00 and midnight on May 3, the ATO press center reported. There were 95 such firings in the 24 hours leading into the morning of May 4. This is almost the same level as before the Minsk cease-fire agreements, the press center said.

Zenon Zawada: Numerous innovative attempts are being made to establish peace in the region, including the introduction of peacekeepers and the demilitarization of contested territories such as Shyrokyno. These attempts deserve respect yet we don’t see any breakthroughs on the horizon.