Consequences of the Deterioration of the Situation in Donbas

The Polish Institute of International Affairs is an analytical institution established by an act of Parliament in 1996 to carry out research and provide expertise in international affairs. PISM disseminates information on contemporary international issues and maintains contacts with academic and political centres in Poland and abroad. The Institute runs courses for public servants, maintains a library (open to the public; 165,000 books and journals), organises conferences, and publishes books, periodicals and documents on Polish foreign policy and international matters.

The funding for PISM comes from the budget. The director is appointed by the prime minister for a term of five years, following consultation with the minister of foreign affairs. The minister supervises the Institute and appoints its advisory council, which includes a representative of the President of the Republic of Poland, academics and officials.The recent exacerbation of hostilities in Ukraine’s Donbas in 2017 was a reaction by Russia-backed irregular forces to actions taken by the Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF), who since December 2016 had been gradually restoring control over territory along the Minsk-agreed separation line. Russia accused Ukraine of breaching the Minsk agreement and blamed the Ukrainian authorities for the outbreak of fighting. The argument would be used by Russia to lift sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the EU. However, the Ukrainian authorities claimed that the UAF’s actions had not violated the Minsk agreement since it provided for the territory in question to be under Ukraine’s control.