The current Russo-Ukraine conflict revolves around the Minsk Protocols, which were signed in 2014 and 2015 to end the fighting in Eastern Ukraine, where Russian separatists have declared a breakaway state called the Donetsk People’s Republic. So what does all this mean? According to the Minsk Protocols (via Reuters), both sides agreed to withdraw their forces and heavy weaponry from the front and allow humanitarian assistance. However, it does not appear that the agreements have been successfully implemented. Ukraine’s former finance minister Oleksandr Danylyuk (via Politico) accused Russia of taking advantage of the ceasefire to bolster its troop numbers in the Donbass region, take control of regional governments, and bolster rebel forces through recruitment of locals and foreign mercenaries.
On the Russian side, President Vladimir Putin has refused to accept Russia’s role as a party to the conflict. Russia has always denied the presence of any of its troops inside the Donbass region, although it has supplied the rebels with supplies and munitions, as per Reuters. Thus, Putin has argued, the Minsk Protocols cannot apply to Russia. Since he claims Russia has no soldiers to withdraw from Ukrainian territory and has never directly involved itself in any fighting, it is not a combatant. Furthermore, the Ukrainian army, Russia claims, has not held its promise to stop the fighting, as DW reports that clashes against separatists have continued despite promises for both sides to lay down their arms.
