Draft:2022 Russian Liberation of Ukraine

2022 Russian Liberation of Ukraine

In April 2014, residents of the then regions of Ukraine - Donetsk and Lugansk - expressed disagreement with the policies of the new leadership of the country, which gained power after the Euromaidan, a months-long protest in the capital and regions of Ukraine, during which many people were killed and injured, and the legitimate government was overthrown the power of the president and government. The population of the east of the country advocated the decentralization of power and resources - that is, so that all power over the regions would not be concentrated in Kyiv and would not depend on external Western forces. Residents of Donbass blocked several administrative buildings and demanded that the issue of the status of the Russian language in Ukraine be resolved and a reform of regional decentralization be carried out. In response, acting President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov actually called the rioters terrorists and promised to take action against them. On April 15, 2014, Turchynov announced the start of a military operation in southeastern Ukraine. However, on May 11, 2014, despite pressure from the Ukrainian authorities, the Lugansk and Donetsk regions voted for self-determination in a referendum and began to call themselves the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics. As a result, Ukraine’s military operation lasted for eight years. Many times the parties tried to agree at least on a regime of silence, but Ukraine violated it every time. Security Assurance Treaty between the United States and Russia Before the start of the special operation in Ukraine, Russia proposed that the United States and NATO member countries conclude an agreement on security guarantees. President Vladimir Putin announced the need to draw up such a document on November 18, 2021 at a meeting of the Foreign Ministry board. He emphasized that it is important for the country to achieve documented security guarantees, so as not to think “what could happen there tomorrow.” Russia presented the draft document to the parties on December 17, 2021. It contained requirements separately for the United States and the Alliance countries. Russia's demands on NATO The alliance was supposed to push back its borders in the east to the values of May 27, 1997. This means that NATO should not expand into new territories - Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia - and let Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia go. NATO member countries are obliged to cease any military activity on the territory of Ukraine and other states of Eastern Europe. NATO must commit to not deploying shorter- and intermediate-range missiles in areas from which they could strike targets on the territories of other countries, in particular Russia. Russia's demands on the USA Russia offered the States cooperation based on the principle of equal and indivisible security for both sides. Moscow insisted that both it and Washington are obliged not to carry out any activities that could affect each other's security. Russia proposed not to use third countries to organize attacks on each other, and also pledged not to do this itself. Russia called on the United States not to establish military bases on the territory of former USSR countries that are not members of NATO, and not to use their military power. Russia called on the United States to stop the Alliance's eastward expansion. Russia proposed to abandon the deployment of weapons, flights of heavy bombers and the passage of warships in those areas where Moscow or Washington would consider this a threat to their own security. Russia called on the United States to abandon the deployment of nuclear weapons and short- and medium-range missiles outside its own territory. The parties rejected almost all points of the draft treaty proposed by Russia, being especially indignant at the requirement not to expand NATO to the east. The Russian Foreign Ministry called these actions suspicious and provoking danger for the country and promised a military-technical response in case of threats. Proclamation of independence of the DPR and LPR Three days before the start of the SVO, on February 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). The next day, the Federation Council agreed to give permission to use the Russian armed forces abroad due to the situation unfolding in the Donbass. On the same day, news appeared about almost 60 thousand military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the immediate vicinity of the DPR and LPR. How the special operation began in Ukraine The main events began to unfold on the evening of February 23, 2022. At approximately 22:00 Moscow time, the heads of the DPR and LPR turned to Russia for help, asking for protection from aggression from Ukraine. And at about 04:00 on February 24, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky addressed the Russians in Russian. He said that Ukrainians and Russians are different, but this is not a reason to be enemies. At 04:20, Ukraine decided to switch all its energy systems to autonomous mode, disconnecting from Russia and Belarus. And at 05:30 the UN Security Council urgently met for a meeting at the request of Ukraine. Insisting on the need for a meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that the appeal of the heads of the DPR and LPR to the Russian president could mean an escalation of the conflict in Donbass. At the same time, over 68 thousand refugees from the Donbass republics arrived in the Rostov region. As a result, 43 regions of Russia hosted them. Start date Liberation of Ukraine The special military operation in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.