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Ukraine and US seek to recruit UN on Kiev’s side in Donbass conflict, expert says

Pensions, social benefits, essentials, medicines, food or materials for industrial enterprises are no longer coming to Donbass from Ukraine's territory

© EPA/ATEF SAFADI

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. The aim of a Ukrainian-US scheme for deploying an armed UN mission to Donbass is to enlist this international organization on the side of Kiev, to help it defeat militias, Director of the Russian Center for Current Politics Alexey Chesnakov told TASS on Monday.

"It is one thing to monitor the border, its security, and inspect it, but closing the border with the use of international forces and tightening the blockade’s noose around Donbass practically with UN forces is a whole different ballgame," Chesnakov said. He responded to a question about the aims that Ukraine and the US could pursue in insisting on their option for a UN mission in Donbass.

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He reiterated that pensions, social benefits, essentials, medicines, food or materials for industrial enterprises are no longer coming to Donbass from Ukrainian territory. Only the border with Russia sustains the local population, letting people live and work through constant flows of humanitarian aid crossing the border, he said.

"Ukraine’s objective after having imposed a harsh blockade from its side, is to also close Donbass from Russia’s side and practically leave people living their without any means of subsistence," Chesnakov added.

"And the United States helps Ukraine to bring about this inhumane plot for reasons unclear to Russia," he went on.

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"Besides, closing the border by an international military contingent will mean the armed encirclement of the Donbass militias. You don’t have to be an expert to understand that an attempt by Ukraine to solve the conflict by force will be the next move after a full economic blockade and a full disarmament of the militias," he said. "This will inflict numerous casualties, especially among civilians," Chesnakov stressed.

He once again warned against confusing two different things - ‘border monitoring’ and ‘blockade of the border’. "The UN should not be involved in the civil war in Ukraine. The UN should contribute to peace in Donbass instead of siding with one of the parties to the conflict," he explained.

"The Ukrainian-American plan aims at bringing the UN on the side of Kiev and helping it defeat the militias militarily. This is clearly a bad idea," he summed up.

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Ukraine crisis Eastern Ukraine

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