Colonel General Leonid Ivashov Opposes War With Ukraine

He is the head of the All-Russian Officers' Assembly.

Retired Russian Colonel General Leonid Ivashov, acting as chairman of the All-Russian Officers' Assembly, issued an appeal against Russia's war with Ukraine. He accused the leadership of Russia and President Vladimir Putin, whom he called on to resign, of preparing such a war, svoboda.org reports.

The appeal is dated January 31. The day before, political scientist Ivan Preobrazhensky drew attention to it, and then other commentators on the Internet.

According to Ivashov, "previously, Russia (USSR) waged forced (just) wars, and, as a rule, when there was no other way out, when the vital interests of the state and society were under threat." However, now, as the general writes, the only threat to the existence of Russia is the degradation of its internal life. External threats "are not currently critical." "On the whole, strategic stability is maintained, nuclear weapons are under reliable control, NATO forces are not building up, and they are not showing threatening activity," Ivashov writes.

As stated in the appeal, Ukraine, as an independent state, has the right to individual and collective defense. "Naturally, in order for Ukraine to remain a friendly neighbor for Russia, it was necessary for it to demonstrate the attractiveness of the Russian model of the state and the system of power," writes Ivashov. He also notes that the vast majority of the world's states do not recognize the annexed Crimea and Sevastopol as Russian, which "convincingly shows the failure of Russian foreign policy, and the unattractiveness of the domestic one."

According to the general, the use of military force against Ukraine, "firstly, will call into question the existence of Russia itself as a state; secondly, it will forever make Russians and Ukrainians mortal enemies." Ivashov also fears that NATO countries, in particular Turkey, will enter the conflict. "Besides, Russia will definitely be included in the category of countries that threaten peace and international security, will be subject to the heaviest sanctions, will turn into a pariah of the world community, and will probably be deprived of the status of an independent state," the general believes. He believes that Russia "provokes tension on the brink of war" to distract the population from internal problems. The appeal contains a demand for the president to "renounce the criminal policy of provoking war."

Ivashov in 1996-2001 was the head of the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Defense, and held other high positions in the Ministry of Defense. He became famous, in particular, for his sharply negative assessments of the NATO operation against Serbia in 1999. After resigning, he spoke in the Zavtra newspaper and in other media criticizing the policies of the Russian authorities.

The All-Russian Officers' Assembly is a public organization that unites reserve officers of the Russian Federation, its leadership includes, for example, Colonel Vladimir Kvachkov and other famous people.

In recent weeks, Russia has concentrated a large armed group near the border with Ukraine, additional units and equipment are arriving for exercises in Belarus. Western countries fear that Russia may launch a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow denies preparing such an invasion.