Will the West recognize DPR and LPR as terrorists?

Germany's Bild newspaper has recently reported that the EU may recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics as terrorist organizations. The newspaper said the decision on this issue is to be approved on September 23 at a meeting of the EU Political and Security Committee.

However, so far the reaction of the international community to calls made by Kyiv in July 2014 regarding the recognition of DPR and LPR as terrorist organizations has been quite frail. Ukrinform's correspondent asked French experts to share their visions as to which measures can be expected in future.

Professor in Geopolitics Alexandre Melnik noted that apart from Ukraine, the LPR and DPR groups had not been recognized as terrorist organizations by any other country, therefore, a legal precedent had not been created. "Why should France do it?" the expert said. However, he explained the logic of actions of the political elites of France and the West by three main motives.

"Firstly, this is the lack of accurate and precise information (confirmed from multiple sources) regarding the crimes committed in areas controlled by the DPR and LPR groups," Alexandre Melnik said. In his opinion, in this regard, for the French (the political elite and the public) the visibility of real crimes committed against humanity and war crimes, which could be properly qualified in a legal way, remains unclear, vague and fragmented.

Partly because of this, in his opinion, "the French are trying to hide behind a comfortable pseudo-position, which is also strengthened by the desire to avoid responsibility." For this purpose politicians use convenient empty semantic formulations (including for public opinion), for example, that DPR and LPR are "rebels," "separatists," "militia," etc.

Secondly, according to the professor, recognition as "terrorist organizations" will have unpredictable legal consequences for the West. "In this case the situation will logically require the serious discussion of an adequate response and the introduction of an armed 'roadmap' against the terrorist threat and its source," the expert said.

However, according to him, the option of the so-called "hard power" has been categorically excluded from the very beginning by the West, which is also represented by France, from its priorities of the policy on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. "This step has been taken deliberately to avoid a military confrontation with Russia, which is absolutely unthinkable for the international community," Alexandre Melnik said.

Finally, the West is afraid of recognizing as "terrorists" those who get orders from pro-Russian and Russian authors of action plans for southeastern Ukraine, despite clear evidence and hard facts. According to the professor, this "geopolitical and legal voluntary blindness of the West" again escalates the problem of the scandalous absence of independent international justice during a turning point in history, when it is so necessary in today's world.

Alexandre Melnik also said that deciding to take aggressive and radical actions, the Kremlin also expected the same actions from Europe and the United States. Moscow is well aware of the incompatibility of mental programs of the West and Russia. "However, this status quo cannot last indefinitely. The standoff has reached the peak point so the tactics may change," the expert predicted.

Doctor of History of Religion at the Sorbonne Galina Ackerman believes that political and technical factors obstruct the recognition of DPR and LPR by the international community as terrorist organizations. The political factor lies in the fact that such a decision is blocked in every way possible by Russia, in particular, through lobby, threats and blackmail. "Recognizing such a small group as the Red Brigades as terrorists is one thing, but doing the same thing with a large group, which, admittedly, has the support of local people and declares the fight for its rights, including with the support of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is not so easy," she said. The technical factor is related primarily to the long legal process of recognition. "Maybe this will happen soon, when there is a critical mass of facts, evidence and testimony. At this stage it seems impossible," Galina Ackerman said.