Three ways NATO can bolster Ukraine's security

   
    Ian J. Brzezinski
    
    Ian J. Brzezinski, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, was deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy from 2001 to 2005.
    
    NATO's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine has drawn a red line, but it is one that leaves Ukraine militarily isolated, fending for itself. If the West's economic and diplomatic sanctions are to deter Moscow from further military aggression, they must be complemented by a robust defensive strategy to reinforce Ukraine's armed forces.
    
    When Russia invaded Crimea, it mobilized 150,000 troops along Ukraine's eastern frontier. Most of those forces still menace Ukraine, with some 20,000 troops still occupying the peninsula while provocateurs sent by Moscow continue to stir unrest in the country's eastern regions.
    
    NATO's response has, by contrast, been underwhelming. The United States and Britain reinforced the air space of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with a handful of fighter jets, and AWACs patrols fly over Poland and Romania. The United States deployed about a dozen F-16s to Poland and sent an additional ship to the Black Sea. No ally appears to have mobilized any ground forces.
    
    When Ukrainian Prime Minster Arseniy Yatsenyuk met with President Obama this month, his request for weapons that would enable his military to better defend against Russia's massed forces was politely declined. Instead, the Obama administration offered uniforms and military meals.
    
    In a similarly negative move, Vice President Biden visited Warsaw and Vilnius, Lithuania, last week to reassure them of the U.S. military commitment to their security, but he bypassed Kiev. This was surely noted by Moscow, as was Obama's recent statement that he would not allow the United States to get involved in a "military excursion" in Ukraine.
    
    These U.S. and alliance actions constitute a red line that depicts Kiev on the outside and on its own. This must be deeply disillusioning for Ukrainians who in recent months have so courageously expressed their desire for freedom and a place in Europe – and whose forces participated in a NATO collective defense exercise as recently as November. This red line can only reassure Vladi¬mir Putin and his military planners, whose use of unmarked military personnel – and the plausible deniability they provided – in Crimea reflected at least initial concern about potential responses from the West.
    
    There are prudent defensive measures the United States and NATO can and should take to bolster Ukraine's security. First, Yatsenyuk's request for military equipment should be immediately approved, and anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons should be included. Equipment and weapons could quickly be transferred from prepositioned U.S. military stocks in Europe.
    
    If NATO cannot attain the consensus to initiate such assistance, then Washington should forge a coalition of the willing or act on its own. These weapons would complicate Russian military planning and add risk to its operations against Ukraine. U.S. equipment in particular would bring back unpleasant memories of when Soviet forces encountered Western weapons in Afghanistan.
    
    Second, the alliance or a U.S.-led coalition should back that assistance with the deployment of intelligence and surveillance capabilities and military trainers to Ukraine. This would provide not only needed situational awareness and help the Ukrainian military maximize its defensive capacities, but it would also force Moscow to consider the potential political and military repercussions of any actions that affect that presence. The deployment of military trainers to Georgia was one of the more effective elements of the U.S. effort to bolster Georgia's security after it was invaded by Russia in 2008.
    
    Third, NATO allies and partners should soon conduct a military exercise in Ukraine as part of the effort to train the Ukrainian military. The alliance's plan to wait until its next scheduled exercise in Ukraine, this summer, could incentivize Russia to take additional military action before then.
    
    The NATO Response Force, created to deploy on short notice a brigade-level force backed by combat air support, is well suited for such an exercise. The force offers a means to demonstrate Western resolve prudently and rapidly. It has the potential to significantly reinforce Ukraine's defense against a sudden Russian offensive, but it is not big enough to jeopardize Russia's territorial integrity.
    
    Each of these initiatives would complicate Putin's ambitions regarding Ukraine and could be executed in the near term. None would present a threat to Russia. They would, however, amend the red line the alliance has mistakenly created, assure Ukrainians that they are not alone and force Moscow to consider the possibility of a much more costly and prolonged military conflict. The absence of a firm Western response will only encourage Putin to act aggressively again, be it to drive deeper into Ukraine, make another attempt to seize Georgia, expand Russia's occupation of Moldovan territory or grab other areas that were once part of the Soviet Union.
    
    NATO's response to this crisis is critical to both Ukraine's security and the alliance's long-term future. A NATO summit planned for September is to focus on the alliance's way forward in a new world. But what it does to assist Ukraine today and in the coming weeks will have a far more profound influence on its future and transatlantic security.
    
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/
    
    Interview with the self-proclaimed "mayor of Slovyansk" Vyacheslav Ponomariov
    
    A Gazeta.ru correspondent met with Vyacheslav Ponomariov, the self-proclaimed mayor of Sloviansk and asked him about the fate of official mayor Nelya Shtepa, which currency should be used in the Donetsk Republic, and what he would like to say to the President of the United States.
    
    That's us in Kramatorsk (my interlocutor shows a photo of armed men near the buildings of Kramatorsk police station)
    
    I was there yesterday. But there were no arms at that time.
    
    That was not yesterday, that was during our first assault. There was a real shooting. But we had an objective – avoid bloodshed. On the third floor they began to shoot at our guys, so our guys put them down... I mean not killed, but suppressed with fire. They squatted and we came in.
    
    It sounds terrible. But yesterday in Kramatorsk there were no weapons. Even policemen stood and smoked with your guys. Are they on your side too?
    
    Well, they have no other options. They are living here, and if, God forbid, any of them were to go against us... pffff! (smile)
    
    Aren't you afraid of sanctions from the EU and US sides? If you proclaim the Donetsk Republic, reaction from the West will follow.
    
    The West is far, Russia is near.
    
    But, for example, credit cards can be blocked regardless of what's far and what's near.
    
    Not a problem. We have our own bankers to make deals with. That's a technical question and could be solved with consent of the interested parties. Do you understand? If necessary, we'll do what we have to do. The main thing is to have common essentials.
    
    Do you have it?
    
    Our adversaries like comrade Akhmetov (the biggest oligarch of Donbas region), Taruta (acting governor), and others are trying to break it. They are sending their agents to our men to scatter our backbone from inside. Then everything falls apart, men began to eat each other. But here, in Sloviansk, we don't allow this to happen. We laid out our hand and said: if you're with us, good, if you're against us – well, you understand...
    
    No, I don't. What with them?
    
    The liquidation will occur.
    
    How?
    
    How do you think?!
    
    Even among common people, even if it's just one in a hundred, there can be those who stand for other beliefs! What do you plan to do with them?
    
    Come on! There are no more than 40 such people here!
    
    And what, these 40 people should be destroyed?
    
    There are always apes. People go to the zoo to see them. Let's say they will be a separate coalition, but we will control them.
    
    I'll tell you how operative work is done. You light the lantern and wait for butterflies to come. But if they want to fly away – you have flypaper. Or you can just strike them with swatter.
    
    You're saying terrible things.
    
    Why? That's the harsh truth of life. Isn't it more terrible when our guys are tortured, their bellies are ripped open, and later their bodies are found in a river? And I must visit the morgues to see whether they're ours or not. I see: seems to be ours, but cannot say for sure. And later I'm told that it was Vladimir Rybak from Horlivka. The identification isn't over yet, so I cannot publish this information, but by all indications, it's him.
    
    Translator's note: Later the identification was finished – one of the two bodies, found in the river, really belongs not to one of the militia, but to Vladimir Rybak, MP of Horlivka and opponent of the rebels. Later, the Security Service of Ukraine published a recording of several phone calls where a man with a voice similar to Ponomariov's discussed Rybak's abduction and the need to get rid of the body.
    
    That's terrible too. And whose is the other body?
    
    Seems to be his driver. Did you ever see dead people?
    
    No. Some harsh man didn't let me in the morgue, saying it was closed.
    
    Listen, better film the amenities and landscapes of our city. And leave this mud for someone else. It will be better for you. It's bad to try earning some financial dividends or fame on such cases. When you're filming death, you became a participant in it. And when you're making that death public – it's even worse. It causes people to panic and that's what our enemy needs. That is why I forbid everybody...
    
    OK, stop it. The next question is not about bodies, but about Ukraine's presidential election, planned for May 25th.
    
    There won't be any elections.
    
    In the Donbas region, or just in Sloviansk?
    
    Nowhere. Trust me. Nowhere.
    
    You won't allow it or someone else won't? Explain, please.
    
    We will take all necessary measures to ruin the elections in the southeast region.
    
    Where's the border of these measures?
    
    We can take some prisoner and hang him by the balls. Literally.
    
    Oh my God, how scary are the things you're talking about...
    
    No-no, trust me. I'm kind man, really kind. But sometimes my kindness is seen as a weakness, and this is a mistake. I love my children, my mom...
    
    Do you have children?
    
    I have a son, 26 years old. And I will be 49 on the second of May.
    
    And your wife?
    
    I've been officially divorced since 1995.
    
    Girlfriend?
    
    It's better for me to be alone. By the way, I haven't only lived in Sloviansk. I last lived in Kyiv for 6 years. Left it three years ago.
    
    Why?
    
    Mom was here alone.
    
    If it's not a secret, what was your profession?
    
    In my youth, I got an education as a builder. Later, when my brother died... He was a member of the realtor union, had many estates in Kyiv, we had a good business center building project... But when he died, everything fell apart.
    
    I don't think I can ask it...
    
    He was knocked down by a car. And after that everything was ruined. The construction market in Kyiv fell with the crisis. I got used to modest living and now I give what I earn to my mother and son. I don't need much, because many things in my life come without money.
    
    "We hope Russia will hear us"
    
    I see the ribbon of Saint George on your jacket. What does it mean to you?
    
    It's in memory of my grandfather, the war, our ancestors who gave their lives for our freedom. And because Russia is our ally in our struggle, we have also their flag and their symbols (shows the flag of Russian Federation on his table – Gazeta.Ru) – I'm not shy about it. Let them fear us!
    
    And what help do you get from Russia?
    
    Well, that's good support. Moral support. We still haven't gotten any barrel or coin from there, to be frank. Still using what we've got here, pulling in the help of local businessmen. It's normal. We understand that war is this kind of business. Many businessmen volunteered to help. Tomorrow I probably will gather all the businessmen of Sloviansk who are eager to help. I already had a talk with bankers, particularly with bankers from Kramatorsk, whom I visited with Whip.
    
    You mean local Privatbank? (translator's note: the owner of Privatbank strongly opposes the rebels)
    
    Yes. Privatbank from Kramatorsk.
    
    And what is "Whip?"
    
    The name of a pistol. That's kind of a guys' joke.
    
    In the press conference in Sloviansk you asked Putin to commit peacekeeping forces, to give you weapons and supplies. Now you're talking about friendly relations and collaboration. What contacts are possible?
    
    If there will be contacts, there will be contacts. We're hoping to be heard.
    
    "Donetsk Republic will use the ruble"
    
    How are you building coordination with other rebel cities of Donbas?
    
    It's already built. It's personal contacts, acquaintances, friendship, no papers or signings.
    
    Are there mayors, like you? Some key persons in each point?
    
    Why do you think all this started in Sloviansk? Because in all of Donetsk Oblast, among all the cities, Sloviansk was the best!
    
    What do you want to say to the people of Western Ukraine?
    
    (Long pause) Give up! (Laugh)
    
    What language will be the state language in Donetsk Republic?
    
    Russian.
    
    Without Ukrainian at all?
    
    Not a problem – some people will talk in it, sing their songs...
    
    Is Yanukovych still president?
    
    F*ck him...
    
    What do you plan to do with people who are still loyal to Kyiv and consider themselves part of Ukraine?
    
    Let them stay, but...
    
    What?
    
    ...let them keep a low profile and behave themselves quietly.
    
    What do you want to say to Obama, who says that the rebels obey Moscow's orders?
    
    Hey, shut your mouth, Obama.
    
    What currency will be used in the DNR?
    
    Ruble. Russian ruble.
    
    Give your prognosis – the situation won't be stable for long.
    
    Of course.
    
    So what will follow? What are the possible means of solving this conflict?
    
    We will live. Our executive committee is working. What's the difference between Sloviansk and other towns? We don't have to tell people what to do next. Everyone knows what to do. They feel it in their guts.
    
    So you're thinking that the town can live in this state as long as necessary?
    
    I'm sorry, but haven't two weeks already passed since the start of all this? Yes? I'm not counting days, they're like one long movie for me. There were periods when I slept three hours in five days. I'm sitting in the meeting, they tell me "Don't sleep!" and I tell them "I see you even with closed eyes."
    
    What do you think about the data of some surveys that indicates that people of the Donbas region want to stay in Ukraine?
    
    Who? I've told you about Sloviansk – there are only 40 persons with such views. All the others are hired goons. (silent laugh)
    
    With which candidate in the Ukraine presidential elections would you like to speak?
    
    With no one.
    
    It's hard for Russian journalists to get to Ukraine now. Do you plan some symmetrical response?
    
    Here you go – we have already seized one American. We need captives. We need a bargaining chip. Many of our comrades are jailed. They seize them, take them to Kyiv, torture them. We are doing the same. I mean taking them prisoner.
    
    So you still hold Simon Ostrovsky here? His parents, who called you on Tuesday during the press conference, shouldn't be waiting for their son right now.
    
    Let them do what they want. We're on our territory.
    
    [Editor's note: at the time of publication, Simon Ostrovsky has been freed.]
    
    Nelya Shtepa (official mayor of Sloviansk) is among the captives?
    
    There is a criminal charge against her, she's accused of separatism. We decided to put her under protection to protect her from arrest. And because her house is situated far from town and we cannot keep our men there, it's easier to keep her here. She has good conditions, shower, toilet, she is visited by her hairdresser and relatives, and she has warm clothes... Everything is normal.
    
    I don't want to offend you but it seems you have combat experience: you lack two fingers on your left hand.
    
    That was just a violation of safety measures. There is no proof of my participation in any special operations.
    
    But you've said in a press conference that you took part in spec ops.
    
    Yes, in spec ops of different kinds. So what? There are no traces.
    
    There is not much information about you at all.
    
    Thank God!
    
    The last question: you've said what you want to tell Obama. But what do you want to say to Putin?
    
    Vladimir Vladimirovich, I'm grateful for your moral support. I can't hear your words, but even at this distance I understand that your soul is with us. We shouldn't speak long. We'll manage everything.
    
    Переклад Віктора Трегубова
    
    

Publication of 04 25, 2014.