Kravchuk on complications of the situation in Donbas: Russia felt that pressure on it was growing
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The recent complication of the military situation in Donbas is Russia's reaction to Ukraine intensifying its actions in defending its positions.
This opinion was expressed in an interview with Dom TV channel by Leonid Kravchuk, head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group for the Peaceful Settlement of the Situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
"Silence" became less "quiet" than it was, say, a week ago. That is, they shoot more, there are many wounded, there are many injured. It is obvious that the activity of the Russian party has increased," Kravchuk stated.
He stressed that the attempts of the Ukrainian party to clarify the situation had not yet yielded any tangible results. However, Kravchuk suggests that it is Russia's reaction to Ukraine's activity.
"Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the Verkhovna Rada, and our delegation to the TCG have significantly increased their activity. Plus sanctions. That is, Russia has seen that Ukraine has moved from words to deeds. What wasn't done before, although there were opportunities, is now being implemented," the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG explained.
Besides, international pressure on Russia is growing. The United States has clearly defined its attitude to Russia, to the occupation of Crimea and part of Donbas. Relations with Europe have deteriorated, as evidenced by the statements of EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell following a visit to Moscow.
"I think all this has created a situation where Russia has felt that the pressure on it is growing. And in such cases, as experience shows, the opponent tries to prove that it, too, supposedly doesn't sleep. And it's starting some actions," Kravchuk continued.
In his opinion, in the current situation, even powerful Russian propaganda will not work. Because people compare what is happening in Ukraine and Russia, and the result "doesn't work for Russia today."
"We need to respond to force by force, to freedom by freedom, to negotiations by negotiations. We will initiate this. We will support smart action. And when we're beaten, we won't pretend that it is a provocation. We must see the actual situation and act in the actual situation," the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG said.
