An idea to impose a humanitarian blockade on Donbass
contradicts the Minsk reconciliation plan, Russia’s OSCE envoy said.
VIENNA, December 28. /TASS/. An idea to impose a blockade on self-proclaimed Ukrainian republics contradicts the Minsk reconciliation plan and will only cause further escalation of tensions, Russia’s OSCE envoy said.
"The idea to impose a humanitarian blockade on
Donbass contradicts the essence of the Minsk Package of measures. A
humanitarian blockade attempt is fraught with escalation of conflict and new
tensions along the line of contact," Russia’s OSCE envoy Alexander
Lukashevich said.
"Kiev’s political sponsors need to exert their
influence on the Ukrainian government as soon as possible in order to prevent
the blockade and deterioration of the situation," he said, adding that the
idea "shows that the radicals do not see eastern Ukrainians as their compatriots."
According to media reports a number of ex-members of the
so-called volunteer battalions, previously involved in the Kiev government’s
punitive operation in the east, announced a "total blockade of the
occupied territories" Monday. Commenting on the announcement, Secretary of
the National Security and Defence Council Alexander Turchinov said the decision
can be made by the president alone and ruled out any "improvised
cordons" in the area.
The self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk
have been under a de-facto blockade since November 15, 2014, when President
Pyotr Poroshenko signed a decree to freeze social payments and banking services
in the zone of conflicts. Leaders of the self-proclaimed republics described
the move as "an act of genocide." In 2015, the Kiev government
prohibited deliveries of all goods to areas outside its control.
Source: ITAR-TASS 28-12-2016
