Editorial: Trojan Truck

Photo: SCANPIX

Russian role thus far undermines trust towards alleged humanitarian convoy.

As, Monday night, a message appeared on the official Kremlin website regarding phone-call between Vladimir Putin and the European Commission president Mr Barroso, a sentence stood out: «It was noted that Russia, in cooperation with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, will send an humanitarian convoy into Ukraine.»

What convoy? What will it be carrying? Who’s riding in it? Does Ukraine agree to its arrival? What’s the Red Cross role? In a moment, a million questions arose, which journalist then scrambled to solve with not much clarity provided. Regarding the same telephone call, the European Commission let it be known that what Mr Barroso did was warn Mr Putin from unilateral military intervention in Ukraine under any pretext including humanitarian.

Come yesterday morning, Russian media channels were already busy showing 280 trucks, painted white and headed towards Ukraine from outskirts of Moscow. Meanwhile, Western channels were quoting Red Cross sources saying the organisation knows nothing of what these trucks carry or where they are headed.

Russians, all the while, were claiming it’s all coordinated with the Red Cross as well as with Ukraine, as foreign minister Mr Lavrov called «our Western partners not to throw wrenches in the works». Thereat, Ukraine said the Russian convoy would not be let across the border. They would, however, consider reloading the content on the border... perhaps.

During the two days, the entire endeavour has amassed such loads of confusion and contradicting information as to stir genuine doubts whether Russia is indeed seeking just to alleviate the situation in the war zone, for the civilians in Lugansk and Donetsk Oblasts.

The ones who sent their unidentified «green men» into key places in Crimea and proceeded to annex the peninsula deserve no credit of trust, for us to be hoping the «white trucks» will not bring a repeat in Eastern Ukraine. The entire event may yet turn out to be a Trojan Horse trading kind of an affair: first we send a «humanitarian» convoy into Ukraine and then we find the trucks need protection from «the Bandera and right wing fascist provocations» – what a pretext for the troops to openly invade. The dozens of thousands of soldiers, the tanks and what not amassed at the border would pour rolling into Donbas. No longer limited to shooting from across the border, Ukrainian army could now be directly hit. And over the airwaves of Kremlin-minded media, «Vladimir Putin the Benevolent, Saviour of Russians» could be acted out again.

Ugliness on behalf of Russia to use the fig leaf of a respected and historic organisation – surely, International Red Cross ought to be spared entanglement in such schemes.

The West and Ukraine better be on their guard regarding this craftiness, snuffing out the «humanitarian» hazards in good time.