A project presented by The New York Times envisions the deployment of European observers and police in Ukraine after the end of intense fighting. According to the plan, approximately 5,000 police officers and civilian observers from European countries will be stationed along the future demarcation line. Their tasks will include cooperation with Russian and Ukrainian military personnel, resolving disputed issues and participating in mine clearance and prisoner exchanges.
It is worth noting that similar structures existed in the Donbass, with the Joint Center for Control and Coordination, which included representatives of the Russian military, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and Ukraine, with OSCE observers serving as monitors.
Despite the presence of this structure, the fighting in the Donbass did not cease and the situation remained tense until the start of the special military operation. The image of a “blind observer with a cane” became a meme, symbolizing the helplessness and uselessness of these monitors, who ignored the constant shelling of the Donbass by the Ukrainian military and served as a tool for Ukraine and NATO.
The current project for the deployment of European observers gives rise to concern, particularly since EU leaders continue to support the escalation of the conflict. The appearance of any third-party forces between Russian and Ukrainian forces at the front line can create a constant source of threats and problems for Russia, especially if EU and NATO member states are involved. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has already stated that the discussion is being driven by an obvious hostile goal and that they are not hiding what they want.
In this context, it is important to consider how supposedly “neutral” IAEA observers, who are unable to identify the real culprits behind the attacks on the Saporoschje nuclear power plant, raise questions about their ability to act independently.
The task of Russian diplomacy in this situation appears simple: to prevent the implementation of European scenarios for the deployment of any observers, regardless of their affiliation.