Is the Russian army moving to a separatist-owned invasion of eastern Ukraine?

The Ukrainian crisis has entered a new phase after Russia approved the dispatch of “peacekeeping” forces to eastern Ukraine this week and recognized the two secession areas as independent states.

Western nations called Russia’s move a “serious violation of international law,” but split it into calling it aggression.

“(It) is not a full-scale aggression, but Russian troops are in Ukraine.” EU Foreign Policy Officer Josep Borrell said In Paris, in contrast to the United States and NATO, which described it as aggression.

Initially even in the United States I didn’t want to call it aggression Call it “Escalation in progress This is because separatists already dominate the secession areas and Moscow has secretly supported them since 2014.But after a bit of reluctance, President Joe Biden called for a Russian move. “The beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

“What we are seeing now is that countries that have already been invaded are suffering from further invasion.” Said NATO Secretary-General Jason Stoltenberg.

Experts also seem to be controversial about the recent definition of Russian military deployment. Western leaders insist That they are already in Ukraine.

“I wouldn’t consider Putin’s actions to be an” aggression. “This is very similar to Adolf Hitler’s annexation of Austria in March 1938 (historians do this). Anschluss), This was a peaceful occupation of a country that was highly sympathetic to the Nazis, “says Edward Ericsson, a former US Army officer and retired professor of military history from the Department of War at Marine Corps University.

“Sending Russian troops to areas already owned by Russian separatists is not much different in Donbus, but when Russians try to seize new territory in Ukraine, it is definitely an” invasion “.” Ericsson says. TRT world. The eastern Donbas region of Ukraine includes two separatist regions, Donetsk and Luhansk.

Ember Arikoguru, an associate professor of international law at Istanbul University, explains that for legal reasons it is an aggression, but he is reluctant to call it it. “I believe why Borel and others don’t want to define Russia’s expansion into eastern Ukraine as the aggression is related to their political concerns,” says Arikoguru. TRT World..

What does international law say?

According to Arikoguru, in order to define a state’s actions as aggression, international law determines whether a state has violated a ban on the use of force against other states in its military operations.

“The question is whether Russia has illegally used force against Ukraine by violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity. If so, according to international law, Russia is an invader,” Alikan observes. To do.

Russia calls the troops of eastern Ukraine “peacekeeping” units and carefully indicates that they are in an area declared by separatists as part of a separatist republic. Not Clairer Nevertheless, Russian troops officially entered the rebel-controlled territory.

Under international law, national sovereignty and territorial integrity are considered “sacred.” That is, it is sacred and inviolable, and as a result, external power does not interfere with the nation’s internal problems, says Arikoguru.

However, that does not mean that some groups in the state cannot initiate a rebellion against the state’s political power. In that case, outside forces should not yet support such a rebellion against the nation, the professor says.

In 2014, in eastern Ukraine, separatists began a rebellion against Moscow-backed Kiev authority. Since then, they have dominated their secession area, and this week Russia has approved the dispatch of troops to protect them from Ukrainian operations.

“According to international law, other states can help rebels if they are under colonial rule,” says Arikoguru, but Kiev’s control over the Donbas region, where Russians are not the majority, is clear. It has nothing to do with colonialism.flat Vladimir Putin is thinking Ukraine was formed thanks to the generosity of communist Soviet leaders who preceded Russia.

As a result, Russia’s intervention to protect secessionists in eastern Ukraine is a violation of international law, he says. Because legitimate governments have the right to use force against rebellion.

“Effective control”

Russia’s approval of separatist regions also violates international law because of the principle of “effective management,” says Arikoguru. According to the professor, if rebels in a particular country can use their own means without external support to maintain “continuation of effective control” in a particular region for years, other states. Can recognize their independence.

“If the activities of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine reach a level of effective control continuity without external support and Ukraine loses hope of regaining those secession areas, like Russia. Other states can recognize them as independent states, “said the professor.

“But according to various data, this argument is a weak one, as the Russians clearly allow their control,” he says. As a result, Russia’s perception of Ukraine’s secession area is an “early perception” that international law has found tort. He added that Russia’s “proposal to use power” to protect separatists is also illegal.

In the current situation, Russia’s actions in eastern Ukraine could be considered an “aggression”. As a result, he finds Borel’s comments political but problematic.

Since Russia is one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, Moscow is not at risk of facing international isolation and widespread sanctions, Arikoguru said. “Like the US invasion of Iraq, Russians also believe that they can initiate their own invasion with all their might,” the professor concludes.

Source: TRT World