High politics, national interests and African passions
The Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security holds a meeting on peacekeeping twice a year. In May–June 2022, questions were raised about Russia's participation in peacekeeping activities. This task was assigned to the head of the SF subcommittee on defense and military-political cooperation Sergey Kolbin.
At the end of April, the report of the Government of the Russian Federation on peacekeeping activities for the period from April 2021 to March 2022 was prepared. It was called "On the procedure for the provision by the Russian Federation of military and civilian personnel to participate in activities to maintain or restore international peace and security." In June, the committee monitored peacekeeping activities.
Armed with the report and the result of monitoring, the committee held a meeting on July 7, 2022 "On the participation of the Russian Federation in activities to maintain or restore international peace and security."
SOME DETAILS
Representatives of the Blue helmets and blue berets were not at the meeting. As well as representatives of the press.
The report was delivered by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Vershinin.
The meeting participants stressed that the active participation of the Russian Federation in international peacekeeping "corresponds to the national interests of the country."
The final document adopted by the senators indicates the need to "continue interdepartmental work to expand the contribution of the Russian Federation to UN peacekeeping, taking into account national, political and economic interests." A number of recommendations have also been adopted to relevant Russian ministries and departments within their powers.
"Following the results of the meeting, recommendations will be formulated to prevent and resolve conflict situations in the future. These recommendations are important for the further development of the Institute of peacemaking," Sergey Kolbin stressed.
As a rule, the implementation of previous decisions of the committee is not reported. For example, earlier it was said about the development of the "concept of peacekeeping", about the establishment of the Day of the Russian Peacekeeper. It was also said about the study of foreign languages, it was proposed to organize an exhibition "Peacemakers of Russia: experience and new opportunities". However, interdepartmental work postpones these issues for a five-year period.
The following issues have not been considered so far: intellectual contribution to peacekeeping, leadership in UN international peacekeeping, military personnel at UN headquarters, women in peacekeeping operations.
The last point of the main plan of the committee sounds like this: "Participation in the days of military glory of Russia, solemn events dedicated to professional holidays of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies." I would like the UN international peacekeeping days to be taken into account in this regard.
PEACEMAKING IS A NATIONAL TRADITION
Meanwhile, a certain intellectual contribution to peacekeeping was made by the presentation of books on peacekeeping on June 7 at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Professor Vladimir Vinokurov talked about the term "peacemaking":
"When you hear this word, you think about the high, philosophical. As "in the beginning there was a word," so it is in diplomacy: first there were negotiations. Then there is creative work to ensure peace… When we talk about peacemaking in a creative sense, it is important to maintain traditions and institutional memory."
Since 1973, our peacekeepers have participated in 42 UN peacekeeping operations (out of 72).
Currently, 77 of our peacekeepers, including 11 women, are in nine missions under the UN flag. 52 of our peacekeepers were killed in 19 UN missions. The last sorrow: On March 29, 2022, Russian Lieutenant Colonel Alexey Mizyura died while performing duties within the framework of the UN mission to stabilize the situation in DR Congo.
At a meeting with graduates of military universities, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russian servicemen defend the interests of the country both on the territory of Russia and on distant borders. He recalled the fulfillment of tasks by Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria. The fulfillment of peacekeeping tasks in missions under the UN flag, as well as the CSTO peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan in January 2022, were not mentioned in the Minister's speech.
Meanwhile, as of April 30, 2022, the CSTO countries sent 137 peacekeepers to UN missions: Armenia – 33, Russia – 77, Kazakhstan – 17, Belarus – six, Kyrgyzstan – seven, Tajikistan – two.
PEACEMAKING AND INFORMATION WARFARE
At the forefront of the information struggle is the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN in New York. Here is a part of the accusations of the American representative to the UN, made on June 13:
"The United States continues to warn countries against partnering with the Wagner Group supported by Russia. It is widely known that the forces of the Wagner Group commit egregious violations of human rights wherever they are stationed. Wagner will not bring peace to Mali. Instead, Wagner will only divert natural and economic resources from Mali's fight against terrorism."
"Wagner" is the name of a well–known private military PMCs. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently said that this PMCs "has nothing to do with the Russian state."
Our representative at the UN gave a response to the American attacks:
"There are many private military companies operating in Africa. The market for relevant services in this region has long been mastered by Western PMCs, including, according to media reports, British mercenaries, many of whom were involved in attempts to change governments and other unpleasant matters. However, many African States conclude contracts with private military companies because they have a sovereign right to do so. We would like to emphasize once again what we talk about at every meeting: any state has the right to choose how to ensure its own security."
On June 22, the American rhetoric continued: "We remain concerned that the armed forces of the CAR in many cases, according to our assessment, probably under the leadership of the Wagner group, have committed 23 violations of the MINUSKA agreement on the status of forces over the past four months. We also condemn, like others, disinformation campaigns directed against MINUSCA, which hinder the implementation of the mandate and endanger the lives of peacekeepers."
This refers to the Multidimensional integrated UN Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. MINUSKA is an abbreviation of the French version of its name.
The accusations of the Americans continue to grow: "One of the worst violators of human rights is the Wagner Group, whose forces ... committed 42 human rights violations during the reporting period, as a result of which 165 people were injured... Independent investigations confirm this version, including a recent report by Human Rights Watch… We call on the Russian government and the CAR government to openly investigate all allegations and bring to justice those responsible for these heinous actions."
Response of the Russian representative: "Russian instructors are successfully working in the country at the invitation of the legitimate Central African authorities. Russia strictly observes the restrictions imposed by the Security Council on the CAR. We emphasize separately that the choice of partners in a particular area, including in the field of security, is the prerogative of the national authorities."
In conclusion, we recall that the Russian National Security Strategy speaks of the need to "increase the role of the Russian Federation in peacekeeping activities." And it is stated: "Russia remains committed to using political means, primarily mechanisms of diplomacy and peacemaking, in the settlement of international and domestic conflicts."
Anatoly Isaenko
Anatoly Ivanovich Isaenko is a retired lieutenant colonel, a veteran peacekeeper since 1973, a military expert on peacekeeping operations.
