U.S. government cable reveals fear in the U.S. and European of Russia's Sixth Column being released on the Crimean peninsula.
United States and European Union diplomats and policymakers expressed fears during an October 2008 discussion that Russia could be plotting subversion in Crimea, according to a leaked U.S. State Department cable made public on Jan. 13 by WikiLeaks.
The discussion took place at a meeting in the Lithuania capital, Vilnius, of policy directors and other senior officials from the U.S., the EU and Nordic and Baltic countries, according to the cable sent by then-Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried.
The officials raised concerns that Moscow could be plotting to fuel separatist sentiment on the Ukrainian peninsula as it did in George’s breakaway territories.
The discussions followed the brief Russia-Georgia war in August 2008, in which Moscow militarily took control of two separatist territories in Georgia – Abkhazia and South Ossetia – which later unilaterally declared themselves independent states.
According to the leaked cable, American officials expressed concern that Ukraine – which along with Georgia stood out as rare pro-western allies in a region that Russia considers its sphere of influence – could be targeted next.
One U.S. official “expressed concern about possible Russian subversion in Crimea, adding that there is a need for more social programs and investment there and the Russians should not be allowed to operate freely.”
A European official said “it would not be a bad idea to set up EU information offices to get visitors into the area.”
A Lithuanian official also urged for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to speed up approval of offering Ukraine a membership action plan.
In a session where other countries including Belarus were discussed, the officials also took note of continued “political turmoil” rooted in rivalries between Ukraine’s political leaders, concluding that it had undermined “effective governance.”
