Stephen Lendman
Lavrov
[R]ussia’s efforts to end Ukrainian crisis conditions are heroic. Washington obstructionism prevents it. Complicit EU states share blame. So does Kiev’s illegitimate putschist government. Daily Western propaganda rages out-of-control. It represents upside reality. Truth is repeatedly suppressed. Big Lies substitute.
Russian Federation Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov is a world class diplomat. He deplores war. He champions peace. He tirelessly pursues it. His heroic efforts to end Syrian and Ukrainian conflicts stand out.
He’s done it despite ruthless US-led Western opposition. He deserves Nobel Peace Prize recognition. War criminals most often get it. Obama is Exhibit A. Nobel committee members believe war is peace. They disgrace themselves in the process.
On August 29, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) addressed ongoing conflict in Ukraine. It debunked spurious claims about Russian aggression. About so-called cross-border incursions of its troops and armored vehicles.
“(S)erious questions” are raised, it said. “Why do those clamouring for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council consistently block our proposals for a comprehensive discussion of the origins of the Ukrainian tragedy and for collective action on a solution that serves the interests of all Ukrainian people, and instead treat Ukraine like a bargaining chip in unilateral geopolitical schemes?”
“Why do our partners in the UN Security Council, the OSCE and other international organisations consistently refuse to discuss the aerial bombardment and shelling of Ukrainian cities and towns, where entire neighbourhoods, schools, kindergartens, hospitals and Orthodox churches are destroyed and civilians continue to be killed?”
“Why do the Western capitals continue only to urge the Kiev government to use ‘proportionate’ force instead of denouncing these crimes?” Why does Western rhetoric belie its policies? Why do its leaders block efforts to end actions harming civilians?
Why do they choose war over peace? Why do they consistently, violate core international laws? Why repeatedly? Why flagrantly?
Western nations “surely understand that the military objective of the self-defence forces in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions is to push back Ukrainian forces to a distance where they are unable to use heavy weaponry, including multiple-launch rocket systems and ballistic missiles, against cities, killing innocent civilians and destroying critical infrastructure,” said Russia’s MFA.
When Kiev demands “capitulation” as a precondition for negotiations, self-defense forces have “no choice but to keep fighting to defend their homes and families.” Parts of the Russian/Ukrainian border aren’t clearly demarcated. Nationals and military personnel on both sides often cross over unwittingly.
Russian authorities avoid incidents. They “expect Ukraine to act in a reciprocal way and without delay,” said Russia’s MFA. Ten Russian detained paratroopers were finally returned home. It was days after very difficult negotiations.
Airborne Forces deputy commander Major-General Aleksey Ragozin said “we never abandon our own.” At the same time, he “consider(s) it unacceptable that for so many days our soldiers were held by the Ukrainian side and, moreover, were transferred to Kiev.”
“(H)undreds of Ukrainian soldiers who found themselves on the territory of Russia, after the provision of comprehensive care by the relevant authorities were immediately transferred back to Ukraine.”
Most recently, 63 Kiev troops crossed into Russia this week. They were transported to the Ukrainian side without incident. Russia’s MFA “call(ed) on Kiev to end provocations against Russian diplomatic missions and staff in Ukraine.”
The latest outrage occurred on 28 August in Kiev. Russian Embassy security staff were involved, “including the bodyguard of the Russian Ambassador. They were detained while exiting a cafe under the patently fabricated charge of carrying grenades, even though they showed their diplomatic passports.”
“We insist on the immediate release of all Russian Embassy staff and urge Kiev to refrain from further violations of international conventions on diplomatic immunity.”
Regarding combatants in Southeastern Ukraine, foreign volunteers fight for both sides. Those supporting self-defense forces are wrongfully called Russian troops. Kiev volunteers and mercenaries go unmentioned.
Russia’s MFA “repeatedly inquired about specific media reports on this matter with our partners, including the ‘work’ of retired US Special Forces soldiers in Ukraine and the role of US advisers and instructors in planning the operations of Ukrainian forces.”
The international community’s “selective outrage” over this issue won’t help end crisis conditions. Key is what’s most important, said Russia’s MFA: “the need for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire followed quickly by an inclusive national dialogue in Ukraine.”
All sides agreed on this earlier. Russia honored its agreement. Kiev violated it straightaway. Washington and key EU partners “torpedo(ed)” implementation. Ukraine’s multiethnic population “depends on national reconciliation.”
Russia is committed to keep “work(ing) persistently to create conditions for negotiations by fostering trust between the opposing sides and taking practical measures to de-escalate the situation and help people who are suffering from the humanitarian crisis.”
“This is the message expressed by President Vladimir Putin in his address on 29 August. We are urging all sides in Ukraine and all Western partners to show the good will to find a purely peaceful solution to the problems we face.”
Good will isn’t a Washington attribute. Or EU one. Or what characterizes Kiev fascists. War without mercy takes precedence. So does advancing America’s imperium. It includes making the world safe for Western monied interests. It lets popular needs go begging. It’s raping and pillaging nations for profit. It’s stealing their resources. It’s exploiting their people. It’s risking humanity ending nuclear war to achieve imperial objectives. It’s madness. It’s official US policy. It’s longstanding. It risks the unthinkable if not stopped.
Separately, Russia’s MFA addressed a new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report on Ukraine.
Despite “hundreds of thousands” of Southeastern Ukrainians fleeing cross border to Russia for safety, Moscow’s efforts to help them are ignored. So is blocking an investigation to learn Kiev’s responsibility for downing MH17. “(S)elf-defense fighters (were) falsely accused of barring the access of experts to the crash site.”
“…Ukrainian security forces…directed tank fire at roads leading to (it) to keep the experts out.”
UN report authors regurgitated “propaganda of Kiev and the West,” said Russia’s MFA.
They “spread false allegations about the self-defence forces of Donetsk and Lugansk and heap praise on the efforts of the Kiev authorities in ‘liberated’ areas.”
At the same time, the human death, injury, displacement and destruction tolls are so “horrifying,” it’s impossible to let it go unmentioned. The report partially addresses Kiev’s high crimes against peace.
They include air, artillery, ground forces and mercenary battalion attacks, as well as “mass abduction(s), detention(s), torture and murder of people and in cleansing operations targeting dissenters.”
The report notes “the absence of any progress in” investigating the Odessa and Mariupol massacres. Since May, Russia called for genuine independent investigations to no avail. Or to who bears responsibility for Maidan violence.
Culpable neo-Nazi thugs are called heroes. They “enjoy complete immunity.”
“Kiev continues its witch hunt,” said Russia’s MFA. It includes “harsh media censorship, a ban on Russian TV channels, the suppression of any dissent, and growing hate speech.”
Kiev has done nothing to ease tensions. “It has not carried out promised constitutional reforms, nor has it passed a law protecting minority rights…”
Socio-economic conditions are deplorable. They keep deteriorating. Calls by human rights observers on Kiev to end hostilities comes too late. It’s “after thousands of civilian deaths.”
Casualties mount daily. Moscow demands accountability. Kiev’s war without mercy continues. Washington supports and encourages it. Russia bashing persists. Putin is public enemy No. 1. Conflict resolution hopes look grim. Expect worse ahead, not better. EU leaders and Ukraine’s Poroshenko call things heading for a “point of no return.”
They omit acknowledging complete responsibility complicit with Washington.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
