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Although still unconfirmed, it looks as if Blackwater merceneries are in the Ukraine fomenting trouble
Clashes erupt as Kharkov protesters declare independence
Clashes erupt as Kharkov protesters declare independence
Ukraine’s
Interior Ministry has launched an anti-terrorist operation in the
eastern city of Kharkov by blocking the city center, said acting
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. At least 70 activists have been
arrested by the police.
RT,
7
April, 2014
“The
anti-terrorist operation has begun. The center of the city and Metro
stations are closed. As soon as we finish the operation, we will
unblock them,” wrote Avakov on his Facebook page, “The building
of Regional State Administration is totally free from the separatists
who seized it earlier.”
Clashes
erupted near the Kharkov administration on Monday evening after
police reportedly tried to vacate the building, which was partially
occupied by pro-independence protesters. Kharkov demonstrators took
control of the building earlier in the day, after proclaiming
independence of the region from Kiev.
Police
reportedly used fire-hoses, stun grenades, and tear gas to push the
crowd back from the building. In response, protesters threw several
Molotov cocktails at the building and set a pile of tires on fire.
The blaze soon spread to the first floor of the building.
Activists
at the scene said the law enforcement officers who used force against
protesters had been deployed from western Ukraine. According to some
witnesses, the violence was initially triggered by a group of
provocateurs. Earlier in the day, pro-EU demonstrators clashed with
supporters of the federalization of Ukraine.
Eventually,
a group of local police outside the administration building moved in
to push protesters back, allowing fire crews to extinguish the blaze.
The building was slightly damaged by the blaze, and several windows
were broken in scuffles.
Witnesses
at the scene reported that demonstrators were still in control of the
government building after the tensions eased.
Earlier
on Monday, speaking through a loudspeaker in the hall of the city’s
regional administration building, an activist could be heard saying
that the issue of Kharkov becoming a sovereign state independent from
Ukraine will be decided by a regional referendum. A crowd of
demonstrators responded to the statement with cheers.
Earlier
on Monday, speaking through a loudspeaker in the hall of the city’s
regional administration building, an activist could be heard saying
that the issue of Kharkov becoming a sovereign state independent from
Ukraine will be decided by a regional referendum.
Kharkov
protesters erected barricades around administrative buildings and the
regional headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine on Monday.
Brief clashes between supporters of the federalization of Ukraine and
pro-EU demonstrators were reported in downtown Kharkov. Protesters on
both sides reportedly used firecrackers and stun grenades.
Anti-coup
protesters in Donetsk proclaimed on Monday the creation of a People’s
Republic of Donetsk after seizing the local administration building
on Sunday night.
The
situation remains tense in the port city of Mariupol in the Donetsk
region, where pro-Russian activists on Saturday stormed the
Prosecutor’s Office building, demanding the release of detained
“people’s mayor” Dmitry Kuzmenko.
A
demonstration against political repression in Ukraine is also being
held in the southern regional center of Odessa.
In
a rare incident, Dnepropetrovsk city authorities moved to negotiate
with the anti-government activists. According to the region’s vice
governor, Boris Filatov, both the “left-wing” and the pro-Russian
protesters agreed to refrain from “calls for separatist actions.”
In return, the authorities said they will let the activists use some
cabinets in the administrative buildings for their “meetings and
work,” as well as provide them with “free access” to local
printed media.
Moscow
warns Kiev against using military, mercenaries in southeastern
Ukraine
RT,
8
April, 2014
The
Russian Foreign Ministry has voiced concerns over the buildup of
Ukrainian forces and US mercenaries in the southeastern part of the
country, calling on Kiev to immediately cease military preparations
which could lead to a civil war.
As
parts of Ukraine push for greater autonomy –
with Donetsk and Kharkov declaring
independence on Monday – the self-imposed government in Kiev
is reportedly dispatching additional forces in turbulent regions to
avoid potential disobedience by local law enforcements.
“We
are particularly concerned that the operation involves some 150
American mercenaries from a private company Greystone Ltd., dressed
in the uniform of the [Ukrainian] special task police unit Sokol,”the
Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Organizers
and participants of such incitement are assuming a huge
responsibility for threatening upon the rights, freedoms and lives of
Ukrainian citizens as well as the stability of Ukraine.”
Ukraine's
acting interior minister, Arsen Avakov, confirmed that additional
police special forces units have arrived in southern and eastern
parts of Ukraine from other regions.
“These
special forces are ready to solve operational problems without the
regard to local peculiarities,”Ukraine's
Interior Ministry quoted Avakov as saying. “I
urge all the hotheads now to defer from criticism and panic, and help
the police keep the situation under control.”
According
to the Russian Foreign Ministry, special forces backed by militants
from the Right Sector are being tasked with suppressing protests in
the southeastern regions of Ukraine, which for weeks have been
calling for a referendums on the regions' statuses within Ukraine.
Moscow called on the government in Kiev to refrain from actions that
could spark a civil war in Ukraine.
“We
urge [Kiev] to immediately stop all military preparations which could
lead to a civil war,” the
statement reads.
On
Monday, a source in the Interior Ministry of Ukraine told Ria Novosti
that three special forces units have been redeployed to the Donetsk
and Lugansk regions to suppress anti-government protests. The source
claims that they consist of Interior Forces units, the newly-formed
National Guard, Right Sector radicals, and Blackwater (Greystone)
mercenaries and Falcon units. LifeNews also reported seeing armed
Titan special forces units in Donetsk.
The
reports of Greystone Limited (an affiliate of Academi/Blackwater)
operating in Ukraine remain unconfirmed.
In
a separate press release on
Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it is “closely
watching what happens in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine,
in particular in the Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkov regions.”
Moscow
noted that without “real
constitutional reform in Ukraine,” the “federalization” of
the country, and the implementation of Russian as a second official
language, long-term stabilization of the crisis is unlikely.
The
ministry said that is time to stop “putting
the blame on Russia, accusing [Moscow] of all the troubles in today's
Ukraine.”
Instead,
Moscow urged Kiev to answer the legitimate questions that people in
Ukraine have for the self-imposed government.
“Ukrainian
people want to get a clear answer from Kiev to all their questions.
It's time to listen to these legal claims,” the
Foreign Ministry said, accusing the Ukrainian government of acting
“irresponsibly.”
At
the same time, the ministry confirmed the Kremlin's commitment to
kickstart a national Ukrainian dialogue to stop the crisis. Russia is
trying to propose the federalization of Ukraine, where regions would
have broader powers of autonomy - including the right to promote
regional language minority rights.
Pro-Russian activists guard a
barricade set at the Donetsk regional council office building on the
eastern city of Donetsk on April 7, 2014. (AFP Photo)
“He
called on Russia to publicly disavow the activities of separatists,
saboteurs, and provocateurs, calling for de-escalation and dialogue,
and called on all parties to refrain from agitation in Ukraine. He
made clear that any further Russian efforts to destabilize Ukraine
will incur further costs for Russia, and the ministers all discussed
convening direct talks within the next 10 days between Ukraine,
Russia, the United States, and the EU to try to de-escalate the
tensions.”
The
White House has also urged Russia to refrain from interfering in
Ukraine. “We
call on President Putin and his government to cease efforts to
destabilize Ukraine,” White
House spokesman Jay Carney said.
On
Monday, a group of anti-coup activists seized government
buildings in Ukraine's eastern cities of Donetsk and Kharkov,
proclaiming the regions’ independence from Ukraine. Clashes between
pro-independence demonstrators and security forces were also
witnessed in Lugansk and Odessa.
Ukraine crisis escalates as pro-Russia activists declare independence in Donetsk
Protesters
who have seized government building in eastern city vow to hold
referendum, sparking fears of 'second Crimea
7
April, 2014
Pro-Russian
activists in Ukraine's industrial centre of Donetsk have proclaimed
their independence from Kiev and pledged to hold a referendum in the
next month, provoking fears that Moscow could be orchestrating a
second Crimea scenario in Ukraine's east.
"Seeking
to create a popular, legitimate, sovereign state, I proclaim the
creation of the sovereign state of the people's republic of Donetsk,"
said a man into a loudspeaker outside the seized regional
administration building to a cheering crowd.
The
protesters said they would hold a referendum no later than 11 May on
the region's status, and also asked Russia to ready "peacekeeping
troops", in a scenario reminiscent of the events that led to the
annexation of Crimea last month.
In
Kiev, the interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said events in
the east were being carried out according to a script written in
Moscow.
"An
anti-Ukrainian plan is being put into operation … under which
foreign troops will cross the border and seize the territory of the
country," Yatsenyuk told a cabinet meeting in Kiev. "We
will not allow this."
Russia
is believed to have massed tens of thousands of troops on the border.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said last week that Putin told
her those troops would be removed, but on Monday, Daniel Baer, US
ambassador to the OSCE, said there was no sign of this.
"We
have strong evidence that there are tens of thousands of forces on
the border and again not in their normal peacetime positions or
garrisons," he said.
The
White House claimed pro-Russian demonstrators in eastern Ukraine were
paid outsiders, but declined to specify who it believed provided the
money, simply blaming Moscow in general for renewed "provocation"
The
White House spokesman, Jay Carney, told reporters: "We are
concerned about several escalatory moves in Ukraine over the weekend.
We see these as a result of increased Russian pressure on Ukraine. We
saw groups of pro-Russian demonstrators take over government
buildings in the eastern cities of Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk.
"If
Russia moves into eastern Ukraine, either overtly or covertly, this
would be a very serious escalation. We call on President Putin and
his government to cease all efforts to destabilise Ukraine and we
caution against further military intervention."
Writing
in the Guardian, however, Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov,
says it is the west, and not Russia, that is guilty of destabilising
Ukraine. He says the EU and US have been pursuing an "unproductive
and dangerous" policy in the region.
"They
have been trying to compel Ukraine to make a painful choice between
east and west, thus further aggravating internal differences,"
writes Lavrov, adding that Russia wants Ukraine to carry out
constitutional reform and guarantee its status as a non-aligned state
that will never accede to Nato.
"We
are not imposing anything on anyone. We just see that if it is not
done, Ukraine will continue to spiral into crisis with unpredictable
consequences," writes Lavrov.
Russia's
foreign ministry said it was "carefully observing" events
in the east and south of Ukraine, and again called for "real
constitutional reform" to turn the country into a federation.
Moscow told Ukraine to stop blaming Russia for its problems.
At
a meeting with security chiefs in Moscow on Monday, Putin called for
vigilance against foreign-funded NGOs promoting political unrest in
Russia.
"We
will not accept a situation like what happened in Ukraine, when in
many cases it was through non-governmental organisations that the
nationalist and neo-Nazi groups and militants, who became the shock
troops in the anti-constitutional coup d'etat, received funding from
abroad," he said.
How
much current events in eastern Ukraine are under the control of the
Kremlin is unclear, but when Putin appealed to the Russian parliament
for authorisation to use troops in Ukraine in February, the
resolution did not specify that it applied to Crimea only, leaving
the door open for a further incursion into the east.
In
Donetsk and other eastern Ukrainian cities, which are largely
Russian-speaking, there is real discontent with the new government in
Kiev, which has been in power since President Viktor Yanukovych fled
at the culmination of months of street protests. Nevertheless, the
region is far less pro-Russian than Crimea, and analysts say Russia
would find it harder and more complicated to introduce troops there.
In
Donetsk on Monday, the regional administration centre was surrounded
with tyres and razor wire and the Russian flag was flying. In
Lugansk, another eastern city, activists seized a building beloning
to security services. In Kharkov, two protests, one in favour of
Ukrainian unity and the other pro-Russian, clashed across police
lines in the afternoon.
The
protests are believed to be being carried out by a small minority in
each city. Nevertheless, Russian complaints that the east and south
of the country are not being given a voice in the new government have
been echoed by some in Kiev itself.
Mustafa
Nayem, a journalist who was one of the instigators of the protest
that led to the ousting of Yanukovych, complained that the new
government had not done enough to reassure the east. "Since
Viktor Yanukovych fled, more than a month has passed, and during that
time not a single leader from the new government has been to Donetsk,
Kharkov or Lugansk. It is unclear who is representing the interests
of people in these regions at a national level," he wrote on
Facebook on Sunday. He said the government should hold cabinet
meetings in the east, visit local elites and involve them in decision
making, rather than "sitting in Kiev like cowards".
Also
on Monday, Yulia Tymoshenko, the former prime minister who is
standing in presidential elections planned for 25 May, flew to
Donetsk for consultations.
Ukraine
is already reeling from losing the Crimea peninsula to Russia, where
there were reports in the morning that a Ukrainian army officer had
been shot dead by a Russian soldier. Russia now has full control over
the region, and Ukraine's natural resources minister estimates that
Ukraine lost $10.8bn of natural resources and other assets in the
annexation.
Russia,
meanwhile, has claimed that Ukraine has accrued a de facto debt of
$11bn after the cancelling of a gas discount that it says was given
in advance. Even Ukraine admits that it has a $2.2bn debt for gas,
and Gazprom said it had not received any money towards this amount
of, nor any payment for March deliveries. It is unclear what the next
step will be and whether Gazprom will turn off supplies.
Last
week Gazprom raised the price by 80% to $485 per 1000 cubic metres,
meaning Ukraine would pay a higher price for gas than western
European countries. Yatsenyuk called the price "political"
and said Ukraine would not pay.
Kharkov
on the morning of 8 April after the storming of the police
administration building
Харьков
утром 8 апреля после штурма здания
администрации милицией
Kharkov police do not prevent Russian activists' access to State Administration building
Харьковская милиция больше не препятствует доступу пророссийских активистов в здание облгосадминистрации
In Kharkov are pro-Russian demonstrators clash with police who tried to oust them from the regional administration building and applied stun grenades. In response, protesters set fire to tires that were previously laid down in front of the building. To date, firefighters were able to extinguish the fire, the opposing sides again behave peacefully. There is information that the Kharkiv police opened activists entry to administration.
http://russian.rt.com/article/26823
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