The Russian Federation is trying to discredit Ukraine in the international arena by claiming it has at its disposal what turn out to be hoax planning documents about an alleged preparation by Ukraine for an offensive that was to be launched on 8 March against Crimea and the so-called “LPR/DPR”. The allegation was voiced by the Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, who spoke at a meeting on economic security in the North Caucasus Federal District in Grozny on 15 March.
This is simply propaganda for internal Russian consumption, whereby Russia is attempting to legitimise its ongoing aggression against Ukraine in the eyes of its own population and law enforcement agencies.
Ukraine has never planned an offensive against Donbass or Crimea. Kyiv stands exclusively for a political and diplomatic solution for regaining control of these territories temporarily occupied by Russia.
The negotiating “wish-list” of Russia is well known: neutral status for Ukraine, demilitarisation (a reduction in the number of military servicemen and renunciation of strike weaponry), “de-Nazification”, as well as recognition of the independence of the “LPR/DPR” and the Russian Federation’s sovereignty over the illegally annexed Crimea.
All of the Kremlin’s ultimatums listed above are unacceptable to Ukraine, whose key goal is to achieve a ceasefire, and to reach concrete, and most importantly, implemented de facto agreements on setting up humanitarian corridors.
Ukraine will not give in to Moscow’s demands to recognise the independence of the so-called “LPR/DPR” or Crimea’s accession to the Russian Federation.
According to a survey by the Rating Group, the majority of the Ukrainian population supports the idea of using all opportunities to regain the occupied territories of Donbass (86%) and Crimea (80%). The number of respondents backing the idea is now much higher than it was before the war.
