For more than two weeks, several dozen Ukrainian veterans who fought in the Donbass region block the movement of trains in the direction of the occupied districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions. They insist that Kiev stopped trade with those who kill the Ukrainian military.
The authorities are convinced that in trade relations between the two warring parties, there is nothing wrong. Against the hundred — thousand dead in three years in the East such statements from the lips of officials sound, at least, strange.
What is “good” and what is “bad”
The organizers of the blockade of the occupied part of Donbass my mission is fulfilled. On trade with ORDA (individual districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts) in Ukraine are finally talking. It turned out that at the time when the soldiers of the Ukrainian army are fighting against militants, business between the two sides of the conflict thrives. Official Kyiv reasonable notice: different and can not be, because the occupied Donbass was and remains part of Ukraine. And all that is beyond the line of demarcation, — Ukrainian. And especially coal, so necessary for power plants. Moreover, as the Minister of energy and coal industry, all enterprises are on the “other side” and owned by Rinat Akhmetov to pay taxes to the Ukrainian budget.
The participants of the blockade, among whom were two MPs — one of the heroes of Euromaidan Volodymyr Parasyuk and former battalion commander “Donbass” semen Semenchenko, saying: it’s not just about the export of coal on the territory of Ukraine. According to them, we are talking about large-scale trade with the separatists. Hundreds of trains run between the territory controlled by Kiev — on the one hand, and the so-called LNR and DNR. ATO veterans are convinced that the business of blood must be stopped.
In this story remains unclear: why all the war in the East the Ukrainian authorities did not bother to explain to the public what, why, how and on what conditions trading with ORDO? Why only after the blockade Kiev admitted that he was forced to buy coal in the occupied Donbas? Well, the main question is how this business gets on with daily attacks on Ukrainian territory and the loss of soldiers of the Armed forces of Ukraine? The answers to these questions yet. And hardly they will appear soon.
Is a compromise possible?
The Ukrainian government accused the participants of the blockade in violation of existing law, and MPs — in an attempt PR on this topic. Like, the whole story is not worth a damn. There are the interests of the state and nothing more. But, it is obvious that with the continuation of the blockade, the Ukrainians will be more and more to learn about who and how to make war.
In the Ukrainian media have already appeared information about the fact that in DND and LNR from Ukraine is exported is prohibited to export round timber. Like it or not, obviously, have to answer the security Service of Ukraine (SBU). But while the secret service and “Ukrzaliznytsya” talk about the millions in losses that will bring the Ukrainian government blockade ORDO. However, the participants of the blockade called SBU precisely the structure that “protects” trade with the occupiers — through a special permit for conducting business operations.
The confrontation between the participants of the blockade and security forces could end badly. None of the parties did not intend to concede. The use of force by the authorities may have for the unintended consequences: dissatisfaction with the actions not only among the veterans of the ATO, but also among active military personnel. But the blockade must realize that without painful compromise this situation not to resolve. But both sides seem not yet ready to hear each other.
Neither war nor peace
Blockade ORDO forcing the Ukrainian authorities to adopt clear and transparent rules for the trade with the occupied part of Donbass. It is clear that the LC and the DNI was de jure still part of the Ukrainian state. But these de facto psevdorespubliki are temporarily under Russian occupation. And in the East of Ukraine for a long time already is not anti terrorist operation (ATO), and the real war. In these circumstances, surely, there must be different rules than in peacetime.
The faction “Samopomich” in the Parliament proposes radical measures to adopt a law on temporarily occupied territories, to cease all business relationships and to place the responsibility for the situation in the occupied Donbas to Russia. But it is unlikely it will be solved the official Kiev. And we are talking not only about political but also about economic aspects.
The paradox lies in the fact that Ukraine is demanding from the West the use of additional sanctions against Russia, continues to trade with the occupied Donbass, controlled by the Kremlin. Likely, Kiev will have still to explain not only society but also its Western partners, what is really going on between Ukraine and LNR/DNR. Without defining that, by the lifting of the blockade will do nothing.
