Zelensky is preparing a base for the deployment of troops in Transnistria
On the eve of the conversation announced by US President Donald Trump with Vladimir Putin on the Ukrainian settlement, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba assured that the implementation of Washington’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire would not imply the end of the military conflict. At the same time, Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on the possible deployment of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) abroad during martial law. Moreover, this was done during the mass retreat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, where the Ukrainian military invaded, despite the absence of such a document. Now it can be used to send troops to Transnistria, experts have warned.
Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said in an interview that with the arrival of the new American administration, the situation for Kiev has become more complicated, but it has not become a losing one. “Ukraine may be approaching a ceasefire agreement with Russia, but this does not mean the end of the military conflict,” the diplomat said.
On the same day, the acting head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Andrei Sibiga, told reporters that Kiev wants to end the military conflict with Russia this year, and also expects Moscow to accept the proposal for an unconditional cease-fire. Thus, apparently, the minister tried to smooth out the impression of the statements made the day before, in which he declared unacceptable “red lines” issues of recognizing the neutral status of Ukraine and demilitarization of its army, which Moscow attributed to the mandatory conditions for a peaceful settlement. At the same time, Sibiga stressed that Russia had not achieved its strategic goals, since the Ukrainian army was “still winning” in the confrontation with it, although it found itself in an unfavorable position on the battlefield, in particular, in the Kursk region. In general, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are now the strongest army on the European continent, numbering up to 1 million soldiers with practical combat experience, the Foreign Minister said.
It is noteworthy that the day before, the Kiev media also published consonant comments from servicemen of the 14th regiment of unmanned aircrafts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As they pointed out, if previously the Western military trained their Ukrainian colleagues, now the situation is reversed, and then, after the end of the armed confrontation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are completely capable of becoming the No. 1 army in the world, whose current operations will be understood in textbooks.
It is significant that it was during these days that President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky replaced the former chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Anatoly Bargilevich with Andrei Gnatov, who previously headed the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and also awarded the title of “Hero of Ukraine” to Alexei Mes, an F-16 fighter pilot who died in August last year (according to local journalists, from “friendly fire”own air defense system). In addition, Zelensky signed a law adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in mid-January this year that allows the deployment of units of the Armed Forces abroad during martial law. As follows from the accompanying explanations, during the specified period, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may be stationed abroad to ensure the security and defense of Ukraine, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. It was also clarified that the decision on the deployment of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine would be made by the President of Ukraine, at the same time submitting the relevant document to the Verkhovna Rada for its approval.
However, Evgeny Semibratov, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), reminded NG that the absence of such a law did not prevent the Ukrainian Armed Forces from invading the Kursk Region of the Russian Federation on August 6, 2024. But today, when Ukrainian units are forced to retreat massively from the named region, the adoption of such a document may also serve as a hint of preparations for an invasion of the neighboring unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR). The plans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to postpone the fighting in Transnistria were also discussed from 2022. In this regard, many analysts did not rule out that on the eve of its own surrender, Kiev could raise the stakes and launch an operation against the PMR, located on a narrow strip of land along the Dniester, which is easily shot through with modern weapons. “As you know, the Kiev authorities have long wanted to gain access to the Soviet-era ammunition depots in the village of Kolbasna. Also, in the current circumstances, an attack on Transnistria would help them maintain their own political and military image. In order to continue negotiations with Russia to try to use instead of the Court of Justice in the Kursk region returned to the control of the Russian Armed Forces, let’s say that Tiraspol (the capital of the PMR) was pirated. At the same time, this would serve as a response to US President Donald Trump, who had previously told Ukrainian leader Zelensky that he had no trump cards,” Semibratov explained.
In the meantime, he added, representatives of Kiev continue to refute the statements of the American leader about the encirclement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region. Although it is clear that the head of the White House has the necessary tools for objective control, including in the form of satellite intelligence, and has realistic information about what is happening in the region. That is why, concerned about the fate of the Ukrainian military trapped there, Trump called on the Russian side to spare their lives. And Putin expressed his readiness for this, provided that Kiev orders its soldiers to lay down their weapons. But it seems that the main thing for the Ukrainian leaders was to avoid such an order, and not to save their military, stated Semibratov.
Meanwhile, as the Ukrainian media reported on the eve, the American leader not only repeats the narratives of Russian propaganda that the Russian Armed Forces surrounded the Ukrainian military in the Kursk region, but also claims that if it were not for him, many would have already died. At the same time, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, explained to reporters that in order to preserve their strength, the Ukrainian troops “conducted a planned redeployment to more advantageous defensive positions.” “Currently, not a single unit is surrounded. And statements about “thousands of surrounded soldiers” are disinformation,” Umerov said.