On September 17, Parliament approved the Law “On Intelligence of Ukraine”, which is considered one of the important elements on the way to Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration. The respective decision gathered 258 votes. According to its provisions, there are the following intelligence agencies in Ukraine: Intelligence body of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (Main Intelligence Read more about Analysis of the Law “On Intelligence of Ukraine”[…]
A ceasefire initiative was once again agreed at the meeting of the Tripartite Contact Group in Minsk. This time, it shall have started from 00.01 on July 27, 2020. Such action plans are agreed by the parties almost every month. In practice, they often last less than the time spent writing them on paper. The text Read more about Ceasefire in Donbas – why is everything different this time?[…]
Water factor remains one of Ukraine’s few leverages on the situation in Crimea. Russia has made much efforts to decrease the costs for Crimea’s maintenance, but has not managed to resolve the problem of water supplies on the annexed peninsula. The aggravation of water shortage in Crimea is pushing Russia to dialogue with Ukraine on Read more about Water factor in the Crimean question[…]
The nature of the conflict Most residents of Ukraine consider events in Donbas an interstate conflict. According to a nationwide poll conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 45% of Ukrainians identify the Donbas conflict as Russian aggression; 17% – as internal conflict, where Read more about Opinions of the residents of Donbas on settlement of the conflict[…]
Position of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi Throughout the 2019 election cycle, Volodymyr Zelenskyi has positioned himself as a politician who would come to an agreement with Vladimir Putin and bring peace to Donbas. The use of peacemaking rhetoric in political competition allowed Zelenskyi win the presidential election and form a mono majority of the “Servant of Read more about Positions of key Ukrainian actors in resolving the conflict in Donbas[…]
The conference was being organized within the project “Analytical support for the Slovak 2019 OSCE Chairmanship” which Democracy House implements with the support of the Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation. The OSCE appeared to be the only neutral player, which for over five years has been working on the mitigation of hostilities between all Read more about Conference “OSCE in Ukraine in 2019”[…]
Volodymyr Zelenskyi initially expected that he would be able to rapidly bring an end to a conflict in Donbas. However, he disregarded that he has either to accept Russia’s terms of peaceful settlement or to maintain a low-intensity conflict, just like Petro Poroshenko. The strengths of this policy include focus on the release Read more about Zelenskyi’s policy on peaceful settlement: strengths and weaknesses[…]
Democracy House conducted lessons in child protection in armed conflict at Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Druzhkivka, Konstantinovka schools. The lessons were conducted within the project “Protection of children’s rights in armed conflict in eastern Ukraine” which Democracy House implements with the support of the French Embassy in Ukraine. For five years, Ukraine has been suffering from armed Read more about Democracy House conducted lessons in child protection in armed conflict at Kramatorsk Slavyansk, Druzhkivka, Konstantinovka schools[…]
There are at least three groups of influence in the “Sluha Narodu” faction which shape Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s policy on conflict settlement in Donbas. Kolomoiskyi’s group, group “Kvartal” and Avakov’s group seek to use Zelenskyi’s peaceful intentions in serving own political and business interests. Depending on balance of power in the ruling party and influence of Read more about Peaceful settlement: major groups of influence and possible scenarios[…]
On November 13, 2019, Democracy House conducted lessons in child protection in armed conflict at Kramatorsk schools. The lessons were conducted within the project “Protection of children’s rights in armed conflict in eastern Ukraine” which Democracy House implements with the support of the French Embassy in Ukraine. For five years, Ukraine has been suffering from Read more about Democracy House conducted lessons in child protection in armed conflict at Kramatorsk schools[…]
After reaching agreements on disengagement of forces near Stanytsia-Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, the Ukrainian government announced its intentions to continue this process along the entire contact line. The disengagement of forces will enable to reduce military and civilian casualties, facilitate the crossing of the contact line and demine demilitarized zones. However, due to risks for Read more about Disengagement of forces in Donbas: illusions and reality[…]
A prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia brought a tactical victory to both Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Vladimir Putin. However, Russia gained a strategic victory while Ukraine did not manage to balance between the release of its citizens and the pursuit of national interests. A new stage of prisoner exchange will depend on further progress in Read more about Prisoner exchange: progress towards peace or false hope?[…]