Letter from Russian ambassador
Recognition of two regions an 'act of humanity', says envoy
Ambassador says atrocities are being committed in breakaway eastern regions
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The Russian Ambassador to Singapore, Mr Nikolay Kudashev, yesterday responded to comments from his counterpart from Ukraine in a letter to The Straits Times.
He was reacting to remarks by Ukrainian Ambassador to Singapore Kateryna Zelenko that were published in this newspaper yesterday.
He disagreed with her "accusations of Russian aggression in Ukraine". Russia's stance in the crisis, he said, was that it had to move into the Crimean peninsula in 2014, as the people there had "felt themselves unsafe after the coup in Kiev because neo-Nazi ideology started to dominate in the Ukrainian political discourse".
Crimean society opted to quit Ukraine and join Russia, Mr Kudashev added.
"It was not an annexation but an accession," he said, blaming the current crisis on the inability of Kyiv to rule its own country and negotiate with its own people.
He went on to say that Ukraine had undermined the Minsk Agreements aimed at reconciliation and bringing an end to the 2014 conflict.
This was possibly due to the support Kyiv "enjoys" from Western countries, especially the United States.
"Therefore, the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics was an act of humanity," he said, adding that Moscow's recognition this week of the two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine was aimed at protecting the population in the areas from atrocities committed by the Ukrainian army.
"Neo-Nazi authorities were not supported in Crimea or Donbass," he said, referring to the region which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.
"We hope that the international community will support the recognition of independence of Donetsk and Luhansk."
He urged the Ukrainian community living in Singapore to remain calm and restrained.
"Russia is against the Nazi-driven government, but not our brothers - the people of Ukraine. We would like to emphasise that Russia neither threatened the Ukrainians, nor is going to take over Ukraine."
The perception that Ukraine's desire to join Nato was the independent action of a sovereign nation was one-sided, he added.
"No country should ensure its security at the stake of its neighbours. What Russia pursues is a comprehensive security architecture in Europe and our proposals are still on the table."
