Russian-backed separatists have cried foul, claiming that the Ukrainian government didn’t consult them on the proposed plans in violation of the Minsk principles, according to separatist negotiator Denis Pushilin. The Kremlin underlined that the constitutional reforms were “an exercise in political demagoguery” and had no relation to the conditions in the Minsk II agreements, while members of Ukraine’s parliament have also expressed opposition over granting self-rule to much loathed Russian-backed separatists. To add to the havoc, foreign policy pundits, taking from the presence and “arm twisting” of Victoria Nuland, U.S. assistant secretary of state, at the Ukrainian parliamentary vote, have accused Western powers of forcing a disadvantageous deal upon Ukraine in order to put a swift end to the conflict. Meanwhile, France and Germany drew the ire of hardliners in Kiev, by pressing the government to do more for the separatists.
Clouded by vested interests, all parties seemed to have missed the importance of a long overdue commitment by Ukraine’s leaders to undertake decentralization, not just in the interest of pushing through reforms, but also for the sake of the economy and of the struggling population trapped in the separatist regions.
Restoring the Donbass has become such a crucial factor for the future survival of Ukraine that there is even an initiative named after it, dedicated to coming up with solutions to rebuild the distraught region and alleviate the economic pain of the population. While the end to the current crisis in eastern Ukraine — which has claimed approximately 6,500 lives and left nearly 1.4 million people internally displaced — is far from over, both Ukraine and Western powers appear to have diminished the Donbass to the status of Crimea; it has become so far disconnected from the country’s West that its independence from Kiev is looking more and more like a fait accompli. Simply put, that must not happen. Stopping Donbass from turning into the next de facto Crimea requires a significant policy shift, not unlike the recently proposed decentralization moves, that would seek to win over the hearts and minds of Donbass residents, which have largely been left to fend for themselves in a never-ending warzone.
Despite misguided perceptions that those who remained in the Donbass support the separatists, the reality is that many stayed behind for lack of options or old age and disability. After Kiev cut the salaries of public sector workers as well as payments to pensions and social benefits for the Donbass, the situation went from bad to unbearable.. Healthcare has been one of the largest victims of the government’s blockade, having seen all its funding cut in November 2014. Kiev officials have announced that residents must travel to government-controlled areas for healthcare, hardly a practical solution for an aging, sick and broken senior citizen. Some of these patients are long-term HIV sufferers and drug addicts reliant on life saving medicines, which have slowly been disappearing from the scene. For its part, the government has waived responsibility for the residents of the Donbass by passing a resolution in May stating that the respect for the rights of those in the region, “are the responsibility of the occupier.”
Those who can be considered by some lucky enough to have escaped their hometowns are similarly struggling to get back on their feet. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs has estimated that 5 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance, with the government doing little to address the problem of housing and adequate financial assistance. In fact, most Ukrainians from the east who have packed up their lives and tried to start over in other towns have consistently struggled to fit in and have become victim to stereotypes and prejudices, with other Ukrainians holding them responsible for the crimes being committed in the West by the Russian-backed insurgents. Reports show that many employers and landlords in Ukraine reject outright any applications from former residents of the Donbass, and besides receiving 440 hyrvnas a month (the equivalent of $20) for the first couple of months after displacement, these IDPs have been abandoned both by their government and a large portion of the population.
The proposed constitution reforms, which still need to get the vote of 300 MPs out of the 450 sitting in the Rada, will largely alleviate the suffering of eastern Ukrainian residents and introduce new steps to secure peace and restore the Donbass. To begin with, the changes would allow for local self-government in some areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics, pave the path for local elections to be held under Ukrainian law, and restore much needed financing, including for healthcare services, public sector salaries, and pensions, to a population walking on the edge.
It’s high time all powers put aside their lavish political jargon and muscle flexing and see this new development for what it truly is — an opportunity to address the humanitarian crisis and return the Donbass to an economically functioning and prosperous region. The suffering of the population should not be framed as a political issue based around antagonistic tropes such as East vs West, Duma vs Congress, Putin vs Obama. With Ukraine, the international community needs to make future plans on how to help IDPs and the people in the Donbass and help them to get their lives back on track. While constitutional reform is the appropriate first step to achieving peace, it will take more than that to rebuild trust between the residents of Donbass and the rest of Ukraine. A real process of reconciliation and restoration should be at the top of the agenda.
