A ceasefire is impossible because Kyiv has lost control over its own armed forces, which want to continue the war, pro-Kremlin propaganda writes.
Propaganda: Extremists in the Ukrainian army prevent any attempt at reaching a ceasefire agreement, and Russia is forced to remove obstacles in the way of peace
NEWS: For an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, it is necessary to solve some acute problems, namely Kyiv’s lack of control over its own army and the continued militarization of the country, the official representative of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov claims [...]
Ukrainian authorities do not control the extremists in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and continue to observe a militarization tactic. Until these issues are solved, Russia will not be able to accept a ceasefire, despite the desire of the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to resolve the conflict through diplomatic channels, Peskov said, reacting to the call of US president, Donald Trump, for an immediate ceasefire.
“Kyiv does not control the actions of the extremist units in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Also, Ukraine continues the policy of militarization”, Peskov said. He stressed that these issues are high on the agenda, and Russia will continue to defend its interests. Previously, Russia had already noted the lack of control of the Ukrainian leadership over its own army. “Indeed, there is a complete lack of control over the actions of the army. Objectively speaking, absolutely all units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not heed the orders of the country's leadership”, Peskov said in March this year.
NARRATIVES: 1. Ukraine has no control over its own armed forces, which are dominated by extremists. 2. The militarization of Ukraine is the main obstacle in the way of peace. 3. Russia wants a diplomatic solution to the conflict, but is hindered by developments in in Ukraine.
PURPOSE: To justify the continuation of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. To reverse the roles of aggressor and victim.
Fact: Russia has invaded Ukraine and refuses to accept a ceasefire, looking for pretexts to continue hostilities
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The allegations concerning Kyiv’s lack of control over its own army are a distortion of reality. The Ukrainian army operates under a single command structure, reporting to president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is the supreme commander-in-chief, and to the Defense Ministry. Although the Azov Regiment was initially criticized for its links to various extremist currents, it has been integrated into the official structures of the Ukrainian armed forces. Ukraine would not have been able to withstand Russia’s large-scale invasion if it had not been able toe efficiently coordinate its own armed forces, supported to that end by Kyiv’s Western partners. Evidence refuting the false narrative is the disciplined manner in which the Ukrainian army has carried out coordinated operations, such as the strategic withdrawal from Severodonetsk (June 2022), the counteroffensive in Kharkiv and Kherson (September 2022), or the defense of Bakhmut. These operations demonstrate the existence of a functional chain of command.
Ukraine is arming itself exclusively for defensive purposes, in direct response to Russian military aggression in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of February 2022. It is the legitimate right of any sovereign state to strengthen its defensive capabilities when attacked by a neighboring army. According to data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), before 2014, Ukraine’s military spending amounted to merely 1.8% of GDP, well below Russia’s allocations of 4% of GDP over the same period. Kyiv was forced to invest in defense in the context of the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the outbreak of the war in Donbas and the full-scale invasion of 2022.
Peskov’s statements about Russia’s diplomatic initiatives for a lasting peace do not reflect the Kremlin’s concrete actions. In October 2022, Russia illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia) that it still does not fully control, but de facto controls. Russia not only has territorial claims on Ukraine, but also wants Kyiv to accept disarmament, abandon Euro-Atlantic aspirations, thus violating the basic principles of international law. In fact, the aggressor state, Russia, demands the surrender of the aggressed state, Ukraine, as a ceasefire prerequisite.
BACKGROUND: URA.RU is a pro-Kremlin news publication. The article came out in the context where Russia is trying to draw public attention away from its own military escalation actions and its refusal to participate in the unconditional ceasefire. Peskov’s claims about “extremist units” Kyiv s not able to control are a continuation of the narrative first launched in 2014 about “Nazis” and “fascists” in Ukraine, which was used to justify the annexation of Crimea and start the war in Donbas. Peskov’s statements follow shortly after US president Donald Trump called for an immediate ceasefire as part of his efforts to broker a resolution to the conflict. Russia is thus feigning openness to dialogue, blaming Kyiv for the continuation of the war.
At the same time, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine agrees with the US proposal for a complete and unconditional ceasefire. Although Trump proposed a 30-day ceasefire, Putin refused, maintaining his original objectives for the invasion, announced in 2022. In March, Russia ramped up its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, launching hundreds of missiles and drones against Ukrainian civilian targets. The main obstacle to a ceasefire remains Russia's refusal to withdraw its troops from the sovereign territory of Ukraine and observe the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state, in line with international law.
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