Russian expert says military provocations by Ukraine are highly likely

The situation with the Ukrainian Navy's command ship Donbas once again shows the potential harm and danger that may result from such provocative actions.

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said this when addressing journalists.

"The incident once more demonstrates the potential harm and potential danger that can result from such provocative actions," he said in response to a question about the way Kremlin views the situation.

Peskov explained that any minor provocation may entail grave consequences.

"This is what President [of the Russian Federation Vladimir] Putin repeatedly has stated," the Kremlin spokesman added.

According to Russia's FSB, December 9 saw the control ship Donbas of the Ukrainian Navy leave the port of Mariupol and moved towards the Kerch Strait.

Kiev is noted to have submitted no applications for the vessel to pass through the Kerch-Yenikale Canal.

At 13:45, a Russian coast guard boat accompanying the Donbas warned of the need to comply with the legislation of the Russian Federation and submit applications for passing through the Kerch Strait. The Ukrainian ship claimed it didn't mean to.

The Donbas headed towards the Kerch Strait and was 18 nautical miles away from it, having failed to abide by demands to change course. Later that night, the Ukrainian vessel retraced,TASS reports.

Ukraine has been convincing its people that if Russian tanks really cross the border, NATO forces will offer a helping hand. Nothing of the kind will happen, and it's obvious to everyone.

But this allowed keeping the Ukrainian people in sort of illusion for quite a long time that they were members of the world military club, with Russia not being part of it.

Therefore, the probability of provocations like the one with the Donbas vessel is high. It is not even by chance that the choice fell on a ship with such a name. All the evidence now suggests that the contact line here will not be the demarcation line with the LPR and the DPR - Russia needs to get ready to Ukraine's provocations in the border areas of the Kursk and Belgorod regions and it's obvious to everyone.

The probability of provocations like the one with the Donbas vessel is high. It is not even by chance that the choice fell on a ship with such a name. All the evidence now suggests that the contact line here will not be the demarcation line with the LPR and the DPR - Russia needs to get ready to Ukraine's provocations in the border areas of the Kursk and Belgorod regions.

According to the expert, "as provocations are a phenomenon that cannot be prevented, a prompt response is needed. All the steps Russia makes are reasonable enough. But it pays little attention to the video recordings so far. When a Ukrainian helicopter recently flew over the Belarusian territory, the wave of provocations subsided when Minsk presented a videotape from surveillance cameras, in a composed and restrained way.

Ordinary people got to see the helicopter come flying and leave. So, Russia also needs to turn provocations into visibility for ordinary people to make them immediately understand whether it's a provocation or not. "