A string of inexplicable deaths among opposition figures, including suicides and brutal murders, prompted the Ukrainian President to point the finger at unnamed foreign enemies, however, the root cause of the problem is Ukraine's radicalization and growing political divisions inside the country, underscored Raymond Sontag, a US expert in international affairs and former consultant for the Department of Defense and Department of State.
Between January and early March seven former officials related to ousted president Viktor Yanukovych died in alleged suicides, while many believe they were murdered, the expert pointed out.
"These problems are chiefly domestic ones, and by not acknowledging them as such, Poroshenko is missing an opportunity to address them. And it is these problems, not Russian aggression as such, that will present the biggest threat to Ukrainian democracy and statehood," Raymond Sontag stressed.
The Ukrainian government largely relied on nationalist paramilitary groups, sparking controversy regarding the ability of Kiev not only to control these forces but also to defend itself from them, Mr. Sontag noted, referring to the October clashes between police and nationalists in Kiev and the Dnipro-1 raid on the state-owned oil company this spring.
The war in Donbass has widened divisions within Ukrainian society between those who oriented toward Russia and proponents of Ukraine's European course. And the latest killings demonstrated that these divisions can be deadly, the expert pointed out.
"If basic rule of law and tolerance for dissent are not observed, what chance does Ukrainian democracy have?"
Therefore, it is in Poroshenko's and Ukraine's interest to prevent a war in the eastern region at all costs, even if it means territorial losses, "at least temporarily."
"If such a loss proves to be part of the price Ukraine pays for a functioning democracy, it will be well worth it," Raymond Sontag emphasized.
