"Malorossia" - what was that?

They confused everyone... "The leader of the DNR Alexander Zakharchenko announced the creation of a new state Malorossia on the territory of the republics". Today this was reported even by the central Russian television channel, not to speak of the "DNR" websites and other separatist resources. All of them wrote about the unification of the "DNR" and "LNR" into a new state "Malorossia". Later, many media, including Ukrainian, wrote that Zakharchenko "abolished" Ukraine and announced the creation of Malorossia on the basis of 19 Ukrainian regions...

In fact, no one in Donetsk has ever created or announced any state. It was, as Zakharchenko repeatedly stated, only a "proposal". Judging by how incoherent he read the text, he did not even write the proposal. Most likely, Russian political technologists Alexander Kazakov and Zakhar Prilepin were the real authors.

"We, representatives of the regions of the former Ukraine, propose to re-establish the state and to proclaim the state of Malorossia under historical background out of the former Ukraine", - the “head of the republic” read pompously.

It is especially amusing that the self-appointed leader offers this not only to the citizens of Ukraine, but also to the politicians of Europe and the USA.

"So, the Donbass proposal is for the residents of the former Ukraine, as well as for the politicians of Europe and the United States of America. I want to say that this is not only our first but also our last proposal. I repeat, the last one, reinforced not only by our armed forces, but also by our will to victory".

The same terrorist writer Zakhar Prilepin dropped the announcement of Malorossia's status, qualifying it only as a "dream".

"This moment has come today. We have announced our dream", - Prilepin said.

At first, they dreamed of joining Russia. Then of "Novorossia", the "DNR-LNR". And today, all of a sudden, they are dreaming of "Malorossia". I wonder who on behalf of, allegedly, all regions of Ukraine, established "Malorossia"? Zakharchenko himself told this before making his "proposal".

"It is nice to see the faces of companions in arms, people with whom we have been through a lot. I have never even thought that such familiar friends are live in Kirovohrad, Zaporizhia...", - he said.

It turns out that the "Malorossia" was founded by a separatist closed-door deal. And they represented all regions? Did someone choose them, empower them? But there is a lot of arrogance:

"To stop the civil war and avoid new victims, we, representatives of the majority of the regions of the former Ukraine, assembled in Donetsk on July 18, 2017, discussed the current situation and concluded that the state of Ukraine has revealed itself as a failed state and demonstrated itself being incapable of granting its inhabitants peaceful and prosperous present and future"...

So, the "DNR" with its beggarly pensions and wages, curfew and constant shelling of the territory was able to ensure peaceful and prosperous conditions?! Moreover, Zakhar and his company have already announced the same "peaceful prosperity" in the nonexistent Malorossia:

"In view of the economic plight of the country, the chaos and disintegration potential, regarding the possibility of launching a "war of all against all", we consider it necessary to declare a state of emergency for the transition period – up to 3 years. During this time, the process of adoption of the new Constitution and the establishment of the rule of law should be completed. Under a state of emergency, a ban on the activities of political parties and foreign funds is to be introduced, and penalties for criminal offenses, especially against the person, are to be increased".

Good prospects... It seems that before the announcement of the "dream" of "Malorossia" Zakharchenko and his friends have abused something. They contradict themselves in every word. First, Prilepin wrote on his Facebook page: "Today the DPR announced the creation of the Malorossia state on the site of the former Ukraine, with its capital in Donetsk". And then he cites the so-called Constitutional Act, which says:

"We propose to select representatives from all regions to the Constitutional Assembly (on the principles of the Zemsky Sobor), which will establish MALOROSSIA and adopt a new Constitution".

So how can you announce the establishment, if you only offer to choose representatives and hold the Constitutional Assembly, which should establish the new state?... In general, it is a contradiction and delusion.

The same Zakharchenko’s political technologist, Russian Alexander Kozakov, in one sentence managed to declare both the commitment of "Malorossia" to the Minsk agreements and their uselessness: "Our proposal does not contradict the Minsk agreements, it fulfills them and makes them unnecessary".

It is noteworthy that even the "fraternal LNR" immediately denied the "new state" that was announced in Donetsk. This suggests that Moscow did not attach any serious importance to the upcoming show in Donetsk, even if the Kremlin knew about it. Otherwise, Plotnitsky would also be in Donetsk talking about the bright prospects of "Malorossia".

Of course, it is unlikely that Zakharchenko would do something public without agreement with Moscow. More likely, the Kremlin gave the go-ahead for the sensation about Malorossia. It was without Luhansk in order to talk later about its noninvolvement in the "local initiative".

This can indicate only two options: either to frighten the West and increase its pressure on Kyiv in order to fulfill the unprofitable Minsk agreements by Ukraine; or vice versa: Zakharchenko and Co. are being cheated again in order to blame them for arbitrariness, disruption of the Minsk, and to abandon the support of Donetsk separatists. However, more likely, these two aims were pursued simultaneously.

It seems that in this case, Zakharchenko made the same mistake which he had made with the announcement of the economic blockade of Ukraine in March of this year. He was also whispered in Moscow that Russia would join this blockade and Ukraine would collapse without the Donbass and Russian coal. And it turned out that Moscow had simply taken almost the entire industry of the so-called "DNR" from Akhmetov and had handed it over to Kurchenko (whom, by the way, Zakharchenko hates) that way. That is, it had weakened Zakharchenko. And it was continued today. So, all this "Malorossia" is much sound but little sense…

Serhiy Harmash, Centre for Research of Donbass Social Perspectives

P.S. If only yesterday, all this nonsense of Zakharchenko about Malorossia seemed to be a farce on the morning after the night before, then today, after it was taken in and commented by everyone from President Poroshenko and Minister Klimkin to the OSCE and the Contact Group in Minsk, - it does not look ridiculous anymore.

Who is Zakharchenko to pay attention to his words at such a high level? Is he an independent politician? A party to international politics? Whom does he represent? I am just shocked by the fact how something was made out of nothing. And it were us who made it: Poroshenko, Kuchma, Klimkin, Herashchenko and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs… - who else expressed disquiet and wailed about the inviolability of the Minsk agreements? They all took the bait, the purpose of which was outlined on Wednesday by Putin's adviser Surkov. RIA Novosti retold the position of this figure, responsible, as we remember, for the "Ukrainian policy" in the Kremlin, with reference to the political technologist, who is close to Surkov. So, he clearly highlighted key points: that the goal of the idea of ​​"Malorossia" is a "broad intra-Ukrainian discussion" about the future of Ukraine. And since the initiator and the party to this discussion was the "leader of the DNR" Zakharchenko, it turns out that "Donbass is fighting not for the secession from Ukraine, but for its integrity, for the whole Ukraine, not for its part. That is, there is a civil war in Ukraine between people who see the future of their country in different ways".

So, all our leadership and "Western partners" are actually getting back into this "intra-Ukrainian discussion". That is, they actually change the ideology of conflict from the interstate – Ukraine-Russia, to the intra-Ukrainian discourse. So, what are the claims to Russia? And what sanctions can then be in respect of it? And that means – the Trilateral group in Minsk is no longer trilateral (Russia-Ukraine-EU), but fourlateral – now the CDDLO are being added officially…

If this nonsense on the part of our politicians is because of the lack of time to analyze the situation, then we need to draw conclusions and stop it immediately. After three years of killing Ukrainians by Zakharchenko and his ilk in order to be with Russia, the myth that it is not about Russia at all, but about the future of Ukraine, is being suggested to us and the world community. We cannot be allowed to forget about this. We cannot get involved in this discussion. Zakharchenko's nonsense about Malorossia – is the nonsense of terrorist Zakharchenko, nothing more. This should be our position. To respond to someone's nonsense for government officials – it is as good as to discuss streams of consciousness in Donetsk mental hospital in the Cabinet of Ministers.

And finally, we need to solve this Minsk! It does not solve problems, but creates them. In fact, it became a platform for legalization of the "DNP-LNR" at the international level. If the signing of the Minsk Agreements by Poroshenko in the winter of 2015 could still be justified by Ukraine's weakness and the lack of choice at that time, now the mantra of the "lack of options" of Minsk demands either a clear explanation of the authorities or the reaction of the Prosecutor General's Office. Furthermore, the agreements signed in Minsk have clear deadlines, and they, each and every, had expired long ago…

And one more moment. Speaking on the announcement of "Malorossia", Zakhar Prilepin (Russian writer, who now serves Zakharchenko) said: "We have announced our dream". That is, they gave their supporters some kind of picture of the future, they set aims. This is not Russia any more, not "Novorossia", not "independent DNR-LNR", - it is the collapse of Ukraine and the creation of satellite formation of Russia on its basis. And what kind of picture of the future does the Ukrainian state give its people? The European Union, where they do not want to see us? NATO, where we are not invited and will not be invited in foreseeable future? And the Donbass with a special status, with the help of which, thanks to Minsk, Moscow will dictate its policy to Ukraine?...