Should Russia put strong political pressure on Ukraine?

Senior research officer at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dmitry Gudimenko, urged Russia in an interview with Pravda.Ru to put pressure on Ukraine politically and economically

"Ukraine threatens to confiscate the property of Russian companies under the pretext of compensation for the Crimea. It is assumed that Poroshenko will approve that. Is it possible legally?"

"This is debatable. I am not a lawyer and I do not know the nuances of international law. In my opinion, it would violate certain laws. The cases that come to mind in relation to the nationalization and confiscation of foreign property in a country are the Communist revolution in Russia, after which the Bolsheviks nationalized most businesses, including foreign ones.

"Another case is the confiscation of assets of German companies during World War II in the countries that were fighting against Germany. In both cases, it is obvious that the confiscation of foreign property takes place either during a revolution and political chaos, or in a war.

"Russia is not in a state of war with Ukraine. For the time of peace, this would be a radical and extraordinary move that would go beyond the limits of decent political institutions. Ukraine can do it indeed, because the sitting Ukrainian authorities are now radically-minded people. They are not just radical, but also extremely anti-Russian."

"How do you think Russia should act under these conditions?"

"Placing orders with Ukrainian companies in Russia or in other countries is a complex and lengthy process. This is a question of at least several years - one needs to find new connections, new suppliers, new contractors. This is a difficult and painful process, especially when it comes to cooperation with Ukrainian companies in the defense sector. In particular, Ukrainian companies make engines for Russian helicopters."

"Should Russia recall its specialists and remove strategic plants? How should Russia act in a situation of instability?"

"Dismantling plants is a very complex process. I do not exclude such a possibility, but this is not the best solution. I believe that the Russian authorities need to be more proactive in dealing with the Ukrainian administration and resort more actively to all sorts of pressure, including economic, political and even military. The impression is that the Ukrainian government does not understand normal language. They seem to understand only the language of force. It appears to me that the people in power in Ukraine can hardly be referred to as normal. Yesterday, Russia reversed the decision on cutting gas supplies. The Ukrainian officials took it as encouragement to further aggressive actions.

"The tragedy of the situation is that in terms of economic cooperation, not counting the gas industry, Russia is more dependent on Ukraine than Ukraine is on Russia. And here, it is very unproductive to separate economics and politics. I do not share this approach. If Russia puts strong political pressure on the Ukrainian leadership, then significant changes will be immediately noticeable in the economic sphere."

Pravda.Ru