Another Ukrainian official calls for a post-war demilitarized zone in Russia

Another Ukrainian official has called for a seriously big demilitarized zone inside of Russia in the post-war settlement and said that The Russian Federation's border regions with Ukraine be void of military forces up to 62-75 miles inside of the country.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted on May 29th that one of the key features of any future peace plan needed to include a large demilitarized area on the Russian side of the border to ensure the safety of Ukraine and "prevent a recurrence of aggression in the future."

"To ensure real security for residents of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions and protect them from shelling, it will be necessary to introduce a demilitarization zone of 100-120 km on the territory of Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Rostov republics," Podolyak wrote.

"Probably with a mandatory international control contingent at the first stage," the presidential aide added. But this hasn't been the first time a high-ranking Ukrainian official has commented about a Russian demilitarized zone and it highlights the current thinking among Ukraine's current political elite.

Earlier in May, the head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence said in an interview that he wanted a deep demilitarized zone inside Russia imposed after the conflict and answered questions about his country’s efforts to assassinate Russian propagandists. 

Ukrainian intelligence chief Major General Kyrylo Budanov sat down with YouTube channel Rizni Lyudi according to Newsweek and explained what he wanted to see after the war with Russia ended, and his vision might be a little too lofty. 

Photo credit: screenshot/ YouTube @DIFFERENT_PEOPLE

Budanov argued that even if the Russian people overthrew Vladimir Putin’s government he still would want a demilitarized border zone 60 miles inside of Russia to prevent any future conflicts from erupting, according to The Times of London.

“This should be our goal," Budanov told The Times. “If they are not going to attack and don’t decide they want revenge in a couple of years, this shouldn’t be an issue.” 

Photo credit: screenshot/ YouTube @DIFFERENT_PEOPLE

No details were given on how this demilitarized border would be established after the war was over but such a condition would be highly unlikely in a negotiated settlement. 

One could argue that if Russia were to surrender unconditionally then a demilitarized 60-mile border could be possible. But that type of surrender isn’t likely to happen and The Times noted that Budanov's comments could “stoke fears of escalation in the war.”

While Budanov’s comments about a demilitarized border zone were interesting, it was his admission that Ukraine had targeted Russian propagandists for assassination that was far more revealing during his interview, since it had never been officially confirmed. 

"We've already successfully targeted quite a few people,” Budanov explained when he was asked if the Security Services of Ukraine had killed Russian propagandists. 

Photo credit: screenshot/ YouTube @DIFFERENT_PEOPLE

"There have been well-publicized cases everyone knows about, thanks to the media coverage,” Budanov continued according to a translation from The Times of London. 

Few details were given about which propagandists were targeted and the Ukrainian intelligence chief said he wouldn’t comment on his remarks. But why would Budanov admit to assassinating Russian propagandists? 

The Spectator's Mark Galeotti wrote in a May 19th exposé on Budnaov’s comments that it was probably a continuation of the intelligence chief's “campaign of psychological warfare,” reminding readers that he once said a coup was underway to topple Putin. 

Galeotti’s interpretation of Budanov’s remarks could explain why the intel chief also revealed that Ukrainian officials had been in contact with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and were lobbying him to stay out of the war, efforts that Budanov said were successful. 

"Regardless of whether we like him or not, Alexander Lukashenko is no idiot. He doesn’t want another February 24 to happen in Belarus,” Budanov told Rizni Lyudi according to a translation from the independent English and Russian news outlet Meduza. 

"The Kremlin didn’t take his opinion into account when invading, and he’s learned his lessons. It’s been a long time since Belarus fired a shot at Ukraine,” Budanov added. 

Verkhovna Rada Deputy Yevgeny Shevchenko was chosen as the main point of contact with Lukashenko and was tasked with keeping Belarus out of the fight according to Meduza's translation of Budanov's comments, something which if true means that the Ukrainians have been highly effective in their mission. 

However, this too could just be more psychological warfare meant to undermine the Kremlin’s trust in its allies. This is war and one of the best ways to get the edge on your opponent is to keep them worried about where the next major blow could come from.