Thomas GremingerGENEVA, Feb 1, by Elizaveta Isakova.Possible incidents in the Donbass cannot be ruled out, but at the moment there are no indications of provocations from Ukraine in the region, director of the Geneva Center for Security Policy, former OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger said in an interview with RIA Novosti. «At the moment, everything is relatively calm in the Donbass. There are almost no ceasefire violations, the number is now lower than in recent months, and if there are troop movements on the western side of the line of contact, this does not mean anything special, because it happens regularly, when new troops replace the old ones, so I think , at the moment we have no signs that something is brewing in the Donbass,» he said. However, «in a very tense situation, there is always a risk of provocations from all sides, including, by the way, from spoilers, who do not act in line with official policy. Greminger added that one must also take into account the possibility that such perpetrators could provoke incidents under the flag of the opponent. «And if provocations occur, I think it is important not to overreact, to respond thoughtfully and proportionately and not to escalate the situation only on the basis of perhaps very simple and stupid provocation,” the expert emphasized.The fifth plane arrived in Kiev with military assistance from the United StatesAccording to him, it is incorrect to compare the current situation around Ukraine with the events of 2008 and the beginning of the military campaign during the Olympics in China. «I do not see the connection with the fact that we are now approaching the Olympic Games «I think it sounds too much like a conspiracy. I don't believe it. However, in such a polarized situation, when you have a tit-for-tat model, you know, suddenly things can get out of hand. You never You cannot rule it out. And this is probably what I fear the most,» he said. Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» by Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying that it does not threaten anyone and does not intend to attack anyone, and claims of «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to place more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted earlier that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not worry anyone.
