Ukrainian Rebel Push Reveals Russian Power Grab to Czech General

   (Bloomberg) --- Russia wants to use a recent offensive by separatists in Ukraine to reassert its global and European influence and erect a buffer zone on its border, said the head of the Czech General Staff, elected as the next chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

   General Petr Pavel, 53, who said he was speaking in his capacity as the Czech Republic’s highest-ranking military commander before joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in June, said that Russia sees Ukraine as a key element of regaining its status.

   After four months of a shaky truce in eastern Ukraine, battles erupted in January between pro-Russian insurgents and government troops along a front stretching across the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk toward the Sea of Azov. Rebel forces pressed their campaign last weekend as peace talks faltered in Belarus, striking Ukrainian positions in the town of Debaltseve after taking over the Donetsk airport.

   “We see it almost as a proxy war -- a war led by Russia against Ukraine with the ultimate goal of gaining more influence, not just over Ukraine, but also in terms of the wider security system,” Pavel, 53, said in an interview at the General Staff building in Prague. “The offensive started recently is only proof of that.”

   Pavel, the first representative of an eastern European country elected as chairman of the committee, will act as the principal military adviser to the secretary general of NATO.

‘Key Role’

   “They want to reaffirm influence over their neighbours to create some sort of buffer between themselves and NATO,” Pavel said. “It’s clear now that in Russia’s view, Ukraine plays a key role in this effort.”

   Even so, the leadership in Moscow wants to avoid direct confrontation with its former adversaries, a showdown that could only be “self-destructive” for Russia, he said.

   Ukraine and its allies in the U.S. and Europe blame Russia for arming and aiding the rebels. In turn, Russia accuses its neighbour’s government of an onslaught against its own citizens and denies any military involvement in the conflict, which has killed more than 5,000 people since April, according to the United Nations.

   NATO leaders pledged at a September summit in Wales to bolster the defenses of front-line states in eastern Europe. NATO jets have also tracked Russian military planes over the Baltic and North seas and the Atlantic Ocean.

Trading Blame

   Russian President Vladimir Putin has countered by criticizing the U.S. and European Union countries for encroaching on former communist areas of Europe, saying they pose a threat to his country’s security and violate agreements signed at the end of the Cold War.

   In a revised military doctrine published in December, Russia named attempts to overthrow neighbouring governments as a major threat, as well as NATO’s buildup near its borders.

   The 28-member alliance is currently debating how to redefine its relations with the government in Moscow because NATO’s approach to Russia adopted at a 2010 summit in Lisbon has become outdated in the current environment, Pavel said.

   “It’s time to reflect the new reality, Russia’s new military doctrine, and show that NATO is also ready to protect its borders,” Pavel said.

   Even so, NATO can’t “completely shut the door” to Russia in the face of common threats, he said, adding that NATO has “slightly” failed to communicate that it doesn’t see Russia as an enemy “in principle.”

   “We have to start intensive cooperation with Russia to solve the Islamic State threat before it becomes uncontrollable,” Pavel said. “It’s their problem as much as it is ours.”