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Ukraine’s
violent escalation: From Molotov cocktails to ballistic missiles
In less than a year, Ukraine has been plunged into a vortex of violence that doesn’t appear to have any end in sight. The vicious circle that started with Molotov cocktails thrown at riot police has now gone to ballistic missiles launched at cities.
RT traces the bloody path that led a once peaceful country into civil war.
RT,
9
August, 2014
The
Ukrainian turmoil started in November 2013, after President Viktor
Yanukovich put on a hold on a key EU
integration deal.
Thousands of Ukrainians, outraged by what they saw as betrayal of
their aspirations, responded with mass protests in Kiev.
Over
the weeks the protests became increasingly
violent, as right-wing radicals weighed in and the
government attempted to tighten the screws. Eventually, Kiev turned
into a scene of rioting, with protesters using Molotov Cocktails and
guerrilla tactics to take over government offices
The violence spiraled out of control a day after Yanukovich submitted to virtually all the demands conveyed to him by parliamentary opposition leaders. Snipers started shooting at both the protesters and the police in Kiev, triggering a bloodbath and a collapse of the government. The identity of the snipers remains unknown..
After
the coup, the new authorities in Kiev took steps such as an attempt
to strip the Russian language of its official status in largely
Russian-speaking eastern regions. A protest movement grew
in response, only to be dismissed and retaliated against
with the dispersion of rallies, arrests andkidnappings of
protest leaders, and attacks
on local politicians. Kiev pressure led to some protesters
taking arms and storming local government offices much as their
opponents had done months earlier.
Kiev
declared the militias terrorists and Russian mercenaries and launched
a military crackdown in the defiant east. Armored infantry vehicles
were sent to cities
like Mariupol in a demonstration of force, while
mortar shells started
falling on militia-erected roadblocks.
Instead
of a quick victory, the so-called ‘anti-terrorist operation’
stalled, with militias capturing police armories, some military
depots and even the
military hardware used against them. Kiev’s
responsewas to deploy Su-24 bombers, Mig-29 fighters,
Mi-24 helicopter gunships and other aircraft, since their military
had unchallenged air superiority. Militias proved to have
shoulder-launched SAMs in their arsenals.
Angered
by the armed resistance and hindered by the poor morale of their own
troops, the Ukrainian government upped the violence ante. T-64BM
Bulat battle
tanks and heavy artillery pieces like 152 mm howitzers
Msta and 152 mm field guns Giatsint-B joined APCs and mortars in the
battlefield, laying waste to militia strongholds like Slavyansk.
Among
the heavy weapons the Ukrainian army uses are BM-21 Grad and BM-27
Uragan multiple-rocket
launchers, a highly indiscriminate kind of weapon designed
for destroying enemy forces in the field. If fired at a city, it
cannot but cause multiple civilian casualties. Kiev denied doing so,
but international rights group reported evidence to the contrary,
adding that such actions may amount
to war crimes
Another
kind of weapon that is banned for use against residential areas is
phosphorous ammunitions. Kiev reportedly
shelled the militia-controlled Slavyansk with
these on
several occasions in violation of its own
international commitments..
In
addition to heavy offensive weapons, Kiev deployed batteries of
anti-aircraft missiles near the battlefield. The militias don’t
have any aviation of their own, but the Ukrainian military claimed
that Russia is sending its fighters and bombers to strike their
positions and cities. Kiev hasn’t bothered to provide any proof of
the claims, but they had Buk-M SAM launchers and radar stations on
stand-by at the time a Malaysian Airlines plane was
shot down in the area.
The
most destructive weapons Kiev was
reported to have used so far are tactical ballistic
missiles. CNN said at least three Tochka (SS-21 Scarab) missiles have
been launched, each carrying up to 482 kg of explosives. The attacks
were confirmed to German media by NATO sources, although the
alliance later
denied this.
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