Kyiv, December 15, 2014. The former head of external Ukrainian intelligence and a former advisor to the President of Ukraine, Mykola Malomuzh, spoke at Ukraine Crisis Media Center about the situation in Ukraine and the impact of the crisis on the international community. Malomuzh believes that the contemporary crisis may deepen a new rift in the international community that has not existed since the Cold War. The international community needs to work together to both protect Ukraine’s sovereignty and also promote broader global security.
“The situation in the east does not improve significantly even though there is a ceasefire,” stated Malomuzh. Instead of full scale fighting between the opposing sides, the former Ukrainian security chief believes that Russian-backed forces will instead focus on promoting instability in the rest of the country. “There is information that the representatives of DNR and LNR, with the help of Russia, are taking certain measures in regards to the flying of airplanes in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, and Kharkiv,” he stated. The Ukrainian government temporarily closed airports in these cities for security reasons. “We are talking about the real threats to the airspace,” said Malomuzh.
Malomuzh believes that the standoff between West and East in Ukraine, as well as other global events, signal the beginning of a new era in international relations. “There is a process of global confrontation taking place in the world,” he stated. The threat of a wider global confrontation is a real one. In one worrying development, the Russian Federation is testing new vehicles for the delivery of nuclear weapons. Other developments demonstrate a broader trend of deteriorating bilateral and multilateral relationships at the international level.
“I believe that the issue of Ukraine is a key that can stimulate the development of aggressive policies or allow a settlement,” Malomuzh said. International cooperation can come to an agreement and lasting peace plan on Ukraine, preventing international security from worsening further. Any road map to peace must include the withdrawal of foreigner fighting forces from the eastern Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk. While any future settlement largely depends on the consent of Vladimir Putin, the international community and Ukraine must work together to rebuild Donbas and encourage the people that have fled the region to return and help mend wounds.
