Interfax: Russia does not see Ukraine as enemy despite Kyiv’s new military doctrine – Russian Security Council

MOSCOW. Nov 5 (Interfax) – Russia does not see Ukraine as an adversary despite a new military doctrine approved by Kyiv.

“For its part, Russia does not consider Ukraine an enemy,” Mikhail Popov, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, told reporters on Thursday.

“While calling our country an enemy, the Ukrainian government continues buying from what it calls its ‘military enemy’ oil, gas, electricity and diesel, and cooperating on railway transport and nuclear power,” the Russian official said.

“Kyiv pursues a sure line towards militarization, continues betting overtly on a military resolution of the existing domestic conflicts and on the escalation of tensions right on the Russian borders,” Popov said.

Commenting on the latest version of Ukraine’s new military doctrine, Popov said: “Kyiv has firmly decided for itself that today Russia is to blame for all of Ukraine’s misfortunes. Initially this tale was part of public statements by the country leaders, media reports, then it reached such a degree of credibility that the folk oral tradition turned into strategic planning documents. Wishful thinking.”

“For the first time in its history Ukraine has defined its adversary and aggressor. Yet in reality, it was the anti-constitutional coup in Ukraine which led to Kyiv’s armed clash with its own people. The provisions of the new military doctrine confirm the extent of the inadequacy and hypocrisy of the Ukrainian leadership,” Popov said.

The official also criticized Ukraine’s approved 2016-2020 strategy for the national-patriotic upbringing of children and young people.

“As well as the bombastic words of educating children on the examples of the Ukrainian national struggle, the text of the strategy contains a list of pseudo-heroes from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, who operated alongside fascists against their own people during the Great Patriotic War,” Popov said.

“It is obvious that Kyiv is trying to erase our centuries-long historical past, rewrite the history of the joint struggle against the common enemy, and forget the years of creation, peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, we are witnessing deliberate attempts in Ukraine to create a public image of Russia as an enemy by strengthening the nationalist ideology,” the Russian security official said.

On September 24 Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree enacting a decision made by the National Security Council, “On the new version of the Ukrainian military doctrine” on September 2, 2015. The document defines Russia as Ukraine’s current military threat.