His remarks came after Russia's permanent envoy to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich said that the Ukrainian military was ordered to pull out of the JCCC structures operating in almost every region of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). The information was then confirmed by a representative of Russia in the JCCC.
"This is clearly the Georgian scenario of 2008, something that indicates Kiev's official intent to openly violate the Minsk agreements. This gesture smells of war," Perendzhiyev said.
He recalled that a few weeks ago, Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the DPR, warned of Kiev's desire to aggravate the situation in the region.
"Zakharchenko said at the time that that the DPR's armed forces are ready to retaliate by dealing a decisive blow and liberating the whole of the DPR," Zakharchenko added.
According to him, Odessa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili's recent inspection of army checkpoints in the Donbass also reflects Kiev's push for repeating the 2008 Georgian scenario.
"Saakashvili allegedly disclosing confidential information in the Internet is a pure provocation. I think that his photos of army positions is nothing but misinformation for the DPR and preparation for hostilities similar to the Georgian army's attack on South Ossetia in 2008, endorsed by Saakashvili, who was the Georgian army's Commander-in-Chief at the time," Perendzhiyev said.
He also specifically pointed to the fact that the Ukrainian government's withdrawal of servicemen from the JCCC was meant as a signal.
As far as the JCCC is concerned, it was initiated by the Ukrainian government to help defuse tensions in the Donbass conflict zone in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine and its Western allies have repeatedly accused Russia of providing military support to the Donbass region's pro-independence forces, accusations Moscow vehemently rejects.
