DISINFO: Kyiv junta will demolish Donbas to the applause of the West
SUMMARY
The Kyiv junta planned to start an offensive in Donbas on the eve of the Independence Day on 24 August. In particular, the plan was to conduct a number of terror acts and provocation killings of own commanders in order to put the blame on rebels.
RESPONSE
No evidence given. Ukraine is not governed by a junta. Democratic, competitive and generally well-organised presidential and parliamentary elections were held in 2014 and local elections in 2015. The EU welcomed this progress. The OSCE, which observed all these elections on the ground, characterised the Presidential elections (report www.osce.org/odihr/elections/ukraine/119078?download=true), as showing the "clear resolve of the authorities to hold what was a genuine election largely in line with international commitments and with a respect for fundamental freedoms." According to the OSCE, the only areas where serious restrictions were reported were those controlled by separatists, who undertook "increasing attempts to derail the process." The OSCE characterised the 2014 parliamentary elections (report www.osce.org/odihr/elections/ukraine/126043), as "an amply contested election that offered voters real choice, and a general respect for fundamental freedoms". The Independence Day in Ukraine was not marked by large scale provocations.