The Russian Government is extremely concerned about the worsening situation in Donbass. Aggressive actions by Kiev show the reluctance and unwillingness of President Poroshenko to abide by the Minsk agreements. This is what Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's press secretary, said today regarding the events taking place in South-Eastern Ukraine.

Russia's Foreign Ministry called on Western countries to put pressure on Ukraine to make it abandon its idea of military revenge in Donbass and to not allow it to destroy the Minsk agreements. The leader of the social movement Ukrainian Choice, Victor Medvedchuk, also made a statement. He emphasized that the country has to finally come to its senses.

However, Kiev is using these bloody events for its own predictable information campaign. Poroshenko urgently cut short his trip to Germany, even though it was already about to end. He asked the UN Security Council to hold a meeting, and, of course, began repeating, like a mantra, the call not to lift the sanctions against Russia. Even in Berlin, where Poroshenko has just visited, there is no doubt why Ukraine needs this political spectacle. We now go to Alexei Petrov, who is now in Kiev, to tell us how it looks from behind the scenes.

Using a tragedy to create a farce, is what Kiev is clearly trying to do to gain political dividends. Events in Avdeevka have become an excuse for another informational provocation. Broadcasts on Ukrainian television are full of emotions. Avdeevka is on fire. Hundreds of shells. There is a new attack. Militants are trying to level the city. Poroshenko’s affairs proceed without a hitch.

The day before, the Ukrainian President, having arrived in Germany, said that he was forced to interrupt his visit. He spoke about a humanitarian catastrophe. But he looked absurd. After all, the trip was only one day-long. Around noon, news agencies started transmitting urgent messages. Poroshenko was going to gather the War Cabinet of National Security and Defense Council for a meeting. But he postponed it all day long. The first photo shots appeared only in late afternoon, together with the words that sanctions against Moscow needed to be preserved. "I have instructed the Deputy Head of the Administration to immediately take this to the UN Security Council. Today, we are waiting for statements from our international partners, who will discuss the easing of sanctions. What else is there to hold the aggressor accountable?"



Poroshenko speaks of sanctions so often that it is obvious why the escalation of the conflict coincided with his visit to Germany and an ostensibly early departure back home. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accused Russia of violating the Minsk agreements. Russia, which is a signatory to the Minsk agreement is violating this same agreement. At the same time, political analysts emphasize that accusations towards Moscow and Donbass are illogical. "The republics and Moscow are unlikely interested in a worsening situation for a very simple reason. Time is now on the side of the republics and Moscow. As for Ukraine, soon it will be time to negotiate. And it is always better to negotiate from a more favorable position. So it makes sense to try to take part of the neutral zone and see how Moscow reacts to it".

But Poroshenko, apparently did not play his part very well. A devastating article about Poroshenko’s policy in Donbass, published after his visit to Germany in the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, is an illustration of this. "The German government, very carefully and with growing concern, is not only watching how the situation on the so-called line of contact has worsened. They understand that the Ukrainian side is also largely at fault".

And while fighting in Donbass continues, Kiev is preparing for Eurovision. Today, the logo of the contest, a Ukrainian red necklace, where each bead has a unique pattern, and a slogan, which encourages praising diversity, were officially unveiled. Against the backdrop of Kiev’s policy towards Donetsk, it looks like a cruel joke.

Kiev has skillfully mastered the ability to add fuel to the fire. As it’s much more difficult to hide the fact that Poroshenko is rapidly losing ground. It’s unknown what the relationship with Trump's administration will be. However, Europe has already removed their rose-colored glasses. In these circumstances Kiev seeks to remind of itself, and it seems that it will stop at nothing.