(EDM) It was hardly surprising that the fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine was broken last week by an exchange of artillery and tank fire after weeks of deployment of Russian troops and heavy weapons in the war zone. What was unexpected, however, was the direction of the Moscow-backed rebel attack on Maryinka to the west of Donetsk and the rebels’ readiness to fall back after meeting stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces (Polit.ru, June 4). It was not possible to hide the fact that the separatists initiated this surge in hostilities, but the war managers in Moscow showed they could terminate the escalation. Therefore, President Vladimir Putin’s statement on continuing the ceasefire, which was released last Saturday, reflected the reality on the battlefield, even if it had been recorded a few days prior (RIA Novosti, June 6). In trying to control the clashes while maintaining a denial of responsibility, Putin seeks to show both resolve and flexibility in order to counter the perceived increase in the threat on Russia’s western flank. […]
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