Ukrainian general: Russia’s withdrawal from JCCC will escalate the situation in Donbas
The withdrawal of the Russian military from the Joint Center for the Control and Coordination of the ceasefire and stabilization on the contact line in the Donbas (JCCC) will exacerbate the situation in the Donbas, according to the former Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-General Ihor Romanenko, in his comments to InfoResist news website.
"I think that they are deliberately doing it. Because, as you know and remember, Putin's message is that the UN mission should, in this purpose, protect the OSCE representatives. The participation of Russians in it still allowed us somehow to overcome some conflict quickly enough. Our representatives and their representatives have stated that there are problems here and still we should react and overcome them somehow. Now they are removing their officers and generals from this mission. So, we will remain on our own. This will exacerbate the general situation that will allow Putin to say: "I told you that the UN mission in the occupied territory should, first of all, be designed for that. To emphasize this and show that they removed them," said the general.
As Romanenko underlined, everything is certainly going to be exacerbated in the Donbas.
"And this exacerbation will show that Putin was right in his statements, what should be introduced, not to control the joint Ukraine-Russia border, but to ensure the security of the OSCE representatives. They will remove those and everything will become further aggravated as a result. Some of their cars will be mined, some of the representatives might somehow suffer and Putin will say: "I told you so," sums up the former Deputy Chief of the General Staff.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia officially announced the withdrawal of the Russian Federation representatives from the Joint Control and Coordination Center, which was supposed to contribute to a ceasefire and stabilization on the line of contact in the Donbas.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry believes that with the help of such actions, Russia is trying to relieve itself of the responsibility for events in the Donbas.
In addition, the deputy head of the public relations department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Josef Venskovich, has stated that the Ukrainian members of the JCCC has been forced to withdraw its observers from the separatist-held territories of the Donbas.