Reznikov as Ukraine’s defense minister shows Kiev's trend for escalation - Miroshnik

Kiev’s decision to appoint former deputy prime minister Alexey Reznikov as defense minister has confirmed that it is set for Donbass conflict escalation and ignoring of its commitments under the Minsk accords, Lugansk People’s Republic representative in the Contact Group subgroup on political issues Rodion Miroshnik said in his Telegram channel.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian parliament approved the appointment of Reznikov to the post of defense minister. Earlier he held the post of deputy prime minister - minister for reintegration of “temporarily occupied territories.” He has been first deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation in the Contact Group since May 2020.

“Reznikov’s appointment to the post of defense minister confirms that Kiev is set for escalation and ignoring of its commitments on the settlement,” Miroshnik said.

“Reznikov will be the political supervisor of the Defense Ministry; he is unlikely to be allowed to make military decisions for it,” he noted.

“They will let him disburse defense budgReet money under the supervision of the Office of the Ukrainian president, not without corrupt interests. His main function will be to call white black and insist that Ukraine which violated its commitments under the Minsk accords, has not violated them. That is, he’ll act as a judge to exonerate killers, abusers and corrupt officials, Miroshnik said adding that the office of the Ukrainian president decided that “the Ukrainian defense ministry needs such a specialist.”

The LPR delegation representatives reminded that “Reznikov’s activity is associated with the transformation of Kiev’s negotiating position at the Minsk talks from imitation to ostentatious intractability and complete blocking of the negotiations in the past 18 months.”

“He also acted as an interface for the authors of the law on the transition period which fully ignores all Kiev’s obligations under the Minsk Agreements. It’s very unlikely that Reznikov’s work in the capacity of defense minister will differ much in its ideology or course from his previous job. Consequently, it’s another step towards escalation and bloodshed,” Miroshnik said.

The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014. Conflict settlement relies on the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, signed on February 12, 2015 in the Belarussian capital by the Contact Group members and coordinated by the Normandy Four heads of states (Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine). The UN Security Council approved the document by Resolution No 2202 of February 17, 2015 and called upon the parties to ensure its implementation.

The document provides for comprehensive ceasefire, withdrawal of all heavy weapons from the contact line, starting a dialog on reconstruction of social and economic ties between Kiev and Donbass. It also envisages carrying out constitutional reform in Ukraine providing for decentralization and adopting permanent legislation on a special status of certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

To facilitate the work of the Contact Group, four working groups were set up under its aegis to deal with issues of security, politics, return of internally displaced people and refuges, as well as with social, humanitarian, economic and rehabilitation issues. *i*s