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Kyiv's CIS exit order, 20 May 2018 in context
Summary
A look back at the decree on ending Ukraine's participation in Commonwealth of Independent States bodies, and the events around it.
What did Kyiv's break with the Commonwealth of Independent States look like in practice? By 20 May 2018, a day after the decree, the answer was a presidential order. On 19 May 2018, President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on the final end of Ukraine's participation in the work of the statutory bodies of the CIS.
A week of regional signals
The decree came days after other developments involving Russia and Ukraine's neighbours. On 15 May 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the road section of the 19-kilometre road-and-rail Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Crimea with Russia. The bridge was part of the Russian annexation of Crimea.
Russia invaded and occupied the Crimean Peninsula in February and March 2014, then annexed it after an illegitimate referendum, amid the uncertainty that followed Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity. That invasion marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Poland's expulsion
On 17 May 2018, Poland detained a Russian woman identified as Yekaterina C. and expelled her. She had been part of a pro-Russian group that sought to whip up tension between Poland and Ukraine.
Reading the sequence
The three reports came within five days of each other: the opening of the bridge on 15 May, the expulsion in Poland on 17 May and the decree on 19 May. Each involved Russia or Ukraine's relations with neighbours. The decree itself concerned the statutory bodies of the CIS and ended Ukraine's participation in their work.
