Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard

02:06:21
12/03/2017

rueconomics.ru

The stopping of water supply from the Western filtration station to the settlements of the LPR is nothing other than a repetition in Donbass of the methods that Ukraine previously used in Crimea. Such a thought was sounded to “Economy today” by the former Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, former speaker of the Parliament of Novorossiya Oleg Tsarev.

“The confrontation will only intensify, Kiev will try to do as much bad as they can to Donbass. Of course, it’s not about the breakdown of the filtration station – it is a deliberate strengthening of the blockade. The international community puts pressure on the Ukrainian leadership, forcing it to reduce the tension of the armed conflict with the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics. Kiev, in turn, will increase pressure on the LDPR to achieve recognition of defeat. Donbass obligatorily will go through a total blockade of energy, information, resources, and the current government of Ukraine will go for it without hesitating,” said the politician.

Today the LPR announced the termination of the supply of drinking water from Ukraine – a number of settlements without warning were cut off from the Western filtration station (WFS). While the LPR is fully settled with the Kiev authorities for water, supplied by the WFS near Lisichansk, controlled by Ukrainian forces. Kiev affirms that the cause was a breakage, but “Lugansk Water” said that no official documents confirming this fact were provided. The water from the WFS, which supplies the cities of Stakhanov, Kirovsk, Bryanka, Pervomaisk, Krasny Luch, Antratsyt, and Alchevsk.

“If we remember the example of North and South Cyprus, both of these subjects for a long time staged to each other a blockade – on the contact line shootings regularly occurred, and the sides of the conflict were deprived of each other’s communication resources, and had restricted movement. The first steps towards reconciliation were made many years after the beginning of the conflict – the positive dialogue started relatively recently. The relationship between Donbass and Ukraine is waiting for the same scenario – a lot of time will pass before conciliatory dialogue will be possible, and for a while the LPR and the DPR have to prepare for even more violent actions by the Ukrainian authorities,” stressed the politician.

Russia will not allow a humanitarian crisis in Donbass

After the spring of 2014, when the residents of Crimea voted in a referendum for the transfer to Russia, Ukraine began a blockade of the Peninsula. Thus, on September 28th, the railway line was blocked that carried out the supply of raw materials (ilmenite ore) for the largest industrial enterprises of Crimea — the Ukrainian factory of Chemical Products in the city of Armyansk. On 22nd November the “energy blockade” started – on the territory of the Kherson region the pylons of support for the four lines connecting the Peninsula with mainland Ukraine were blown up.

In late November the government announced the introduction of a temporary ban on the movement of trucks across the border with Crimea. On 16th December, the government of Ukraine adopted a decision to ban the supply of goods and services to and from Crimea “at all customs regimes… with the exception of personal belongings of socially important food products and humanitarian aid”. The completion of the “civil blockade” of the Peninsula was announced on 31st December, 2015.

“Unfortunately, the militia of the DPR and LPR was not able to capture key strategic assets so that the Republic of Donbass felt at least relative security and autonomy. There is absolutely no prerequisites to ensure that Kiev will go back on its word, that’s why the self-proclaimed Republics need to think through their options, how to do without supplies from Ukraine. Over time, Kiev will completely cut everything – electricity, food supply, communication, water.

Large urban agglomerations are arranged so that even a couple of days without electricity lead to a humanitarian catastrophe, Kiev already made it possible for the LPR to feel it. At that time it’s Russia who came to the rescue, having throw cables across the border and not allowing the suffering and death of people. Most likely, in the current situation, there will again be a need to seek the help of the Russian Federation – today Donbass has no other options to prevent a collapse. And we believe that Russia will not allow a humanitarian catastrophe.

While Petro Poroshenko and his current team are in power in Ukraine, LDPR dialogue with Kiev will fail. Unprecedented pressure from all sides will be applied to Donbass. And already today the LDPR needs to consider the maximum number of options on how to pass through these difficult times,” concluded Oleg Tsarev.

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