The Battle for Novorussiya

[Lauren Johnson]

Despite the fact that Minsk II has been dead in the water for months, the Kremlin continues to push forward, full speed ahead. Now Lavrov has announced that the breakaway republics are ready to hold elections under Ukrainian law. Any alternative voices in DLPR's have been silenced in various ways -- amazing how Mozgovoy was assassinated by a Ukrainian hit squad deep who somehow knew his route, set up an ambush, and then escape. There's speculation that after the so-called election, DLPR will hold a referendum asking to be annexed by the RF. So far, I think that the Kremlin wants to be done with it the DPLR once and for all. They always were a headache; they were told to hold off on resistance to Kiev. And now they must submit. Lots of people disagree with this view.

At any rate, Mark Sloboda has this to say:

Does the ‪#‎Kremlin‬ not realize that holding elections in ‪#‎Donbass‬ under‪#‎Ukrainian‬ "law" per ‪#‎Minsk2‬, as it stands now, means:1. UNA-UNSO and Right Sector fascists are legit political parties
2. All communist parties are completely banned
3. Accepting the "lustration" of anyone who served in last legitimately elected government of ‪#‎Ukraine‬
4. As no amnesty has been agreed, as it should have been per #MInsk2, that current leaders of Donbass are "terrorists" and cannot participate
5. Basically accepting all laws and executive actions taken by Putsch regime since seizing power as legitimate
Yes, I suppose they must realize all that...