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What did Lavrov say after Zakharchenko's funeral?
Summary
A look back at the diplomatic and environmental reports that framed early September 2018 in Ukraine and Crimea.
What was the mood around the Donbas peace process by 8 September 2018? Reports from the preceding days suggest it was bleak.
On 2 September 2018, tens of thousands of people attended the funeral of Alexander Zakharchenko. As reported at the time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the day before that the killing was a provocation and that it would derail the stalled Normandy format peace process.
The Normandy format
The Normandy format, also known as the Normandy contact group or Normandy Four, brought together Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France. The four first met informally in 2014, during the 70th anniversary of the D-Day celebrations in Normandy, France. The group later played a substantial role in mediating the Minsk agreements between 2014 and 2015. By September 2018, in Lavrov's description, the process was already stalled.
Pollution in Armiansk
A separate story emerged from Crimea. On 4 September 2018, it was reported that a release of a chemical substance in the Crimean town of Armiansk had caused significant environmental contamination.
Taken together, the reports from the first days of September 2018 covered a funeral that drew tens of thousands, a Russian warning about the fate of the Normandy format, and a chemical release in Armiansk.
