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What did early September 2018 mean for Ukraine's peace track?
Summary
A look back at reports from 2–4 September 2018, when a funeral in Donbas, a Russian warning about the Normandy format and a chemical release in Crimea made the news.
What was the mood around Ukraine's conflict on 7 September 2018? The reports of the preceding days point to a stalled peace process and an environmental alarm in Crimea.
A funeral and a warning
On 2 September 2018, tens of thousands of people attended the funeral of Alexander Zakharchenko, as reported at the time in coverage of the war in Donbass. The day before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had called the murder a provocation. He said it would derail the Normandy format peace process, which was already stalled.
The Normandy format was a grouping of Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France. It took its name from an informal first meeting in 2014, held during the 70th anniversary of the D-Day commemorations in France. The group played a substantial role in mediating the Minsk agreements between 2014 and 2015. Later, meetings in 2022 failed to ease rising tensions before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Pollution in Armiansk
On 4 September 2018, a separate report described a release of a chemical substance in Armiansk, in Crimea. It caused significant environmental contamination.
Taken together, the reports from 2–4 September 2018 show a diplomatic channel under strain and a fresh pollution incident in Crimea.
