Kyiv, 14 March 2014 – “Situation with Crimea is not apocalyptic, it is manageable”, said Anatoliy Grytsenko, Member of Parliament, leader of the Civil Position Party, former Minister of Defense of Ukraine, at a briefing at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center. “All we need is responsibility, both within and outside of the country. Our partners, the guarantor countries, will either fulfill their obligations – for which they have all the resources – or betray us, thus proving that their signatures on the agreement mean nothing”, added the Member of Parliament.
Grytsenko has dismissed as untrue the information that Russia has amassed 220,000 troops at the Ukrainian border: “There are confidence building measures in place that allow countries to monitor movements of troops, require information on military exercise to be disclosed, and entitle observers to witness such exercises.”
The former Minister of Defense believes that the Ukrainian government is authorized to take active actions in Crimea: “Since Putin said that he had ordered to withdraw the troops on March 7 and confirmed that the Russian Black Sea Fleet strictly complied with the laws of Ukraine, the so-called ‘little green men’ are bandits. In this case, two types of military operations can be conducted in accordance with the current Ukrainian legislation: a counter-terror operation and an operation to neutralize armed bandit formations. We have all the resources for that. Putin is not waiting for provocations on our part to be able to justify his actions. If he had needed it, he would have staged it himself. To avoid the war, we need to show that our people are ready to defend themselves.”
Mr. Grytsenko also said he was taking part in investigating the abduction of three AutoMaidan activists, including his son Oleksiy: “The last call from them was yesterday at 11PM. They said they were pursued by three off-road vehicles. It has now been established that they, or at least their phones, are now in Simferopol, at 110/2 Kyivska St.” The MP added that he had been contacted by the Amnesty International representatives in London, who have begun the search of the missing activists.
Anatoliy Grytsenko is a Member of Ukrainian Parliament, leader of the Civil Position Party. In 1997 – 1999 he headed the analytical service of the Central Office of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. In June 2004 he was in charge of informational and analytical support of Victor Yushchenko’s presidential campaign. He was the Minister of Defense of Ukraine from 2005 to 2007, and since 2007 he has headed the Verkhovna Rada Committee for National Security and Defense. He is a retired colonel, candidate of technical sciences, author of over 100 scientific works.
