What Russian “peacekeepers” want

The National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine in February 2015 approved an appeal to the UN and the European Union regarding the deployment of a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine. “The issue was considered and a decision was made to appeal to the UN and the EU regarding the deployment of peacekeeping and security missions in Ukraine,” NSDC Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov told journalists at the time. It was noted that the peacekeepers should be deployed both along the line of contact in Donbas and along the uncontrolled section of the Russian-Ukrainian border. The reason for the decision was another escalation in Donbas. But Moscow’s reaction was unequivocal: Minsk accords do not presuppose any peacekeepers – exclamation mark.