Russian journalist: Ukrainians are becoming the Kremlin's bargaining chip
Any Ukrainian living in the territory of Russia or the annexed Crimea may become a bargaining chip for the Kremlin, as expressed by the Russian journalist, Alexander Podrabinek, in the evening broadcast of Krym.Realii radio.
"A Ukrainian in the territory of Russia is subjected to Russian law enforcement agencies’ increased attention, and I generally would not advise Ukrainians to live in Russia; I’d rather advise them to run away like lightning, because they may be at risk of detention or arrest, and become a bargaining chip for the Kremlin," Podrabinek said.
The expert added that the mass arrests of Ukrainian "saboteurs and spies" in the annexed peninsula by Russian security forces are nothing other than Russia’s political response to the actions of Ukraine. In addition, the Crimea plays the role of a predictor of tomorrow's Kremlin policies in Russia.
"What is happening in the Crimea goes beyond the scope of any law. Here you can look at the Crimea: everything that happens there, tomorrow will take place in Russia and actually is already, in many ways... They need a dictatorship, and dictatorship needs emergency situations, the results of which allow them to maintain a dictatorial regime", Podrabinek noted.
The Russian journalist believes that the Crimean issue will be closed after the end of the current President of Russia, Vladimir Putin’s, regime.
"I think that Vladimir Putin’s regime is not very strong in Russia and finally, the solution of the Crimean problem, and the return of the Crimea – is just a matter of changes in the political climate in Russia. It is unlikely that the international community will take steps to make Russia return the stolen Peninsula. The situation will change when some kind of a new government comes to power," Podrabinek concluded.
On November 24th, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that a former Black Sea Fleet headquarters serviceman, Leonid Parkhomenko, was detained in the Russian-annexed Sevastopol. The FSB claims that Parkhomenko, allegedly upon the instructions of the intelligence service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, collected secret information about the fleet’s activity. The Russian investigation resulted in a criminal case against the detained Crimean for "high treason." The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine denies the FSB’s allegation.
Since August, the Russian security forces have detained nine so-called Ukrainian spies.