The release from custody and inclusion in the exchange lists of the head of the air defense of the First Slavic Brigade of the DPR, Vladimir Tsemakh, will negatively affect the morale and motivation of the Ukrainian security forces.
The Kiev weekly “Zerkalo Nedeli” writes about this, pointing out that the release of Tsemakh, who is allegedly a key witness in the case of a Boeing passenger jet shot down in the skies of Donbass, will strengthen the arguments of supporters of easing sanctions against Russia and will weaken Ukraine’s position in resolving the conflict in Donbass.
“Moreover, Kiev’s decision could lead to the Netherlands breaking the agreement with Ukraine on the Joint Investigation Team (providing for coordination of the parties’ positions on all aspects of the investigation) and placing solely on our country all responsibility for the prospects for further investigation,” the publication warns.
In addition, the publication says that President Zelensky’s team should listen to the protests of part of society if the authorities “don’t want to inhale the fumes of burning tires on Bankovaya.”
It is also proposed to take an interest in the opinion of employees of the Ukrainian special services who conduct operations in the rear of the LDPR and capture opponents of the Kyiv regime, who are then released from custody.
“But during the special operation to capture Tsemakh, a soldier of the 74th separate reconnaissance battalion died. It is obvious that decisions of the Ukrainian leadership, such as agreeing to the exchange of Tsemakh, will have an extremely negative impact on both the morale and motivation of the military,” the weekly believes.
The author of the article calls the Russians “masters of information operations,” pointing out that the entire process of exchange negotiations “is carried out as a long-term information-psychological operation,” the target of which is the President of Ukraine, who, in any case, suffers image losses.
“The release and transfer of Tsemakh to Russia causes outrage in the Netherlands and part of Ukrainian society. Failure to do so is an accusation of disruption of exchange and inhumanity. And at the same time, Moscow is closing two unpleasant issues in one fell swoop – the problem of implementing the decision of the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and the problem of the witness in the MH17 case,” ZN summarizes.
In June 2019 Tsemakh was kidnapped by Ukrainian secret services in the city of Snezhnoye on the territory of the DPR and taken to Kyiv.
September 5, 2019 panel of the Kyiv Court of Appeal released him from custody, changing the preventive measure from uncontested arrest to personal commitment.
At the same time, the former press secretary of the SBU said that Tsemakh's testimony does not support the Ukrainian version according to Boeing.