Ukraine-Russia: Moscow's Version Of Crisis Different From What Western Leaders Are Saying. Why?

At a time when the US and Europe have been speaking at length on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, there has been no effort by the Russians to present their version of the narrative to the rest of the world. While Moscow may have briefed officials in world capitals, it has seldom reached out to the media. In a rare move, the Russian embassy in New Delhi held a virtual news conference on Wednesday and gave its view of how the crisis in Ukraine unfolded.

Moscow’s version of events is naturally dramatically opposite to that presented by the Western leaders and the international press. Roman Babushkin, the Charge d’ Affairs of the Russian embassy, explained why President Vladimir Putin decided to go ahead and recognise the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics on Monday.

These two regions of Ukraine have a majority of Russian speakers and are culturally and politically closer to Moscow than to Kyiv. Babushkin explained that the decision to recognise the two breakaway regions was a "…result of a sequence of crucial events, which happened in a couple of decades,’’ he is obviously referring to the time after the former Soviet Union broke up in 1991.

The top diplomat said that from the start the US began "interfering into the domestic affairs of all the former Soviet Republics including Ukraine, which on its part was extensively using the pretext of Russian threat to get move dividends from cooperation from the West.’" He went on to say that the US and its allies used "Ukraine in their geopolitical game against Russia even by violation of commitments and agreements about non-expansion of NATO." Russia also accused the US of using five billion dollars to affect a regime change in Kyiv. He was talking of the people’s movement to oust pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych from power in 2014. Moscow believes that the US and its friends are responsible for putting up two virulently anti-Russian regimes in Kyiv, including that of current President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Both these governments have worked against Russia and against their own Russian speaking citizens living in the east and south of the country.

As most dispassionate observers of Ukraine are aware that at the root of the current crisis is Russia’s valid security concerns on NATO's fast-paced expansion on the former Eastern bloc countries which has finally brought the Western military alliance on to Moscow’s doorsteps in Ukraine. The current government in Kyiv is eager to join NATO and be economically and militarily a part of Europe.

Before the break-up of the former Soviet Union and in discussions immediately afterwards, President Mikhail Gorbachev had insisted on security guarantees for the new Russian federation. One was to not expand NATO frontiers from where they were before the dissolution of the Soviet state. None of these assurances was respected by the US and its friends.   

 In face of the strong anti-Russia stand of the federal government of Ukraine, Russia decided to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics. Moscow believes  this was a "long overdue step." Since 2015, there was enough time for direct dialogue between Kyiv and these republics in accordance with the Minsk agreements. But, right after these agreements were signed it has become clear that Ukraine was not going to implement it. After years of empty talks now it is obvious that Minsk agreements are dead, Babushkin said.

"This Russian step is the only way under the current circumstances to save lives of these people who for many years has been suffering from economic blockade, genocide and violation of basic human rights, which the West turned a blind eye on – the Western partners are at the forefront of defending democracy and human rights only when it is suitable or beneficial,’’ Babushkin explained.     

He went on to say, "Our response to those in the West who groundlessly blame Russia for violations of international law is that they don’t have many moral rights to do so. They are obviously the ones who seriously undermine international law and order by using unilateral sanctions, interfering in domestic affairs, practising regime-change policy and supporting colourful revolutions.’’

Babushkin praised India’s independent and balanced position, which was declared in the UNSC. "It reflects the Indian status of responsible global power. Our special and privileged strategic partnership is based on the unparalleled level of mutual understanding and trust as well as the respect of mutual interests and concerns."