Ukraine has convened an emergency meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on Sept. 6, after Russian-backed militants threatened to attack Ukrainian positions near the front line village of Shumy.
The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denys Pushylin, ordered his troops to launch the attack on Sept. 7. Pushylin said that Ukrainian forces have violated the cease-fire by building fortifications near the village of Shumy, a suburb of the militant-controlled city of Horlivka.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says that the militants are desperately looking for excuses to violate the ceasefire.
“We immediately made a counter-move,” Kuleba said on Sept. 5. “Ukraine is convening an extraordinary meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group tomorrow.”
The Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine is a group of representatives from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) created to resolve Russia’s war in Donbas. The meetings of the group are often referred to as the Minks peace talks because they have usually been held in Minsk, Belarus.
Kuleba added that Heidi Grau, the OSCE representative in the Minsk peace talks, has supported the proposal and that Ukraine was still waiting for a response from the Russian side. The meeting should be held by video conference on Sept. 6.
“We will never show any leniency, we will not make unacceptable concessions, but the ceasefire must continue because our ultimate goal is the de-occupation of our territories,” the Foreign Minister said.
Leonid Kravchuk, the head of Ukraine’s delegation to Minsk peace talks and independent Ukraine’s first president, agreed that Pushylin is trying to aggravate the situation in the Donbas.
“This year we finally managed to stop the hostilities in the Donbas starting July 27,” Kravchuk told the Interfax news agency. “This is certainly an important achievement for everyone in Ukraine – both in the free and in the occupied territories. And it’s clear to everyone, including the millions of Ukrainians who remain under occupation. They see who wants to incite hostilities again.”
The Joint Control and Coordination Center for the ceasefire checked on Pushylin’s accusations and determined that they are false, according to Lieutenant General Volodymyr Kravchenko, the commander of the Joint Forces Operation in Donbas. Kravchenko added that Pushylin’s announcement is meant to provoke and has a political goal.
He vowed that Ukrainian forces will respond to attacks by Russian-backed militants, whom he considers part of Russia’s military.
“In case the armed forces of the Russian Federation open fire on the territory of Ukraine, the Joint Forces Command reserves its constitutional right to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine with an adequate response, using all available means,” Kravchenko said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s 503rd Marines, who are positioned near Shumy, said they are ready to repel attacks and have the support of several other elements in the area. The marines mocked Pushylin by calling him Dushylin – “dushyty” means “to strangle” in Ukrainian.
“In the course of his official bad trip, Dushylin decided to threaten the 503rd Marine Brigade again,” the battalion wrote on Facebook. “This time, he says that he will come to break us at 8:00 a.m. on Sept. 7. We have been waiting for a long time, separatist.”
The current comprehensive ceasefire negotiated by Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE came into force on July 27. The agreement bans all offensive and reconnaissance operations and urges both sides to take disciplinary action against troops who violate the ceasefire.
But the Russian backed militants continue to violate the ceasefire regularly. The OSCE has recorded 908 violations as of Sept. 3. According to the Ukrainian forces, these goading attacks don’t threaten soldiers’ lives, so they don’t return fire.
President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the ceasefire saying that no Ukrainian servicemen have been killed or injured by militant attacks since its start on July 27. However, one Ukrainian soldier was injured under fire from the militants on Sept. 6, according to the Joint Forces Operation. Also, several Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured by explosive devices.
