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Ukraine
President Flees Kiev After "Coup D'Etat" As Protesters
Storm Presidential Palace, Plunder Gold; Army On Hold
22
February, 2014
It
has been a busy night in the Ukraine.
First,
the newly-installed interior minister declared that the police were
now behind the protesters they had fought for days, giving central
Kiev the look of a war zone with 77 people killed, while central
authority crumbled in western Ukraine. Then despite yesterday's
latest anti-crisis "agreement" which we said would last at
best hours, the protesters continued their pressure against embattled
president Yanukovich, demanding his outright and unconditional
resignation, leading to his fleeing Kiev by airplane overnight to the
far more pro-Russian city of Kharkiv located in the Eastern Ukraine,
even as his arch rival, Yulia Tymoshenko, who is held in prison in
the same city, was rumored to have been released on her way to the
far more anti-Russian city of Kiev - it turns out those rumors have
so far been incorrect.
Then
there was a plethora of rumors that he has or is about to either
escape the country and/or resign, sparking celebrations in Kiev, only
for him to appear on TV subsequently and not only deny a resignation
is coming, but that he accused the current leaders in Kiev of staging
a coup d'etat and that all parliamentary decisions today have been
illegitimate, saying "I did all I could to avoid bloodshed"
while comparing recent events in the Ukraine to the "Fascist
Revolution" in Germany. This was promptly rebutted by the Polish
foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski who tweeted there is no coup in
Kiev and President Viktor Yanukovych has 24 hours to sign re-adopted
2004 constitution into law.
The
just released interview is below:
Most
importantly, all of this is happening as governors, and regional
legislators in eastern Ukraine question authority of national
parliament. Meanwhile over in the "western" Kiev,
Parliament members of the opposition began laying the groundwork for
a change in leadership, electing Oleksander Turchynov, an ally of the
imprisoned opposition leader and former prime minister, Yulia V.
Tymoshenko, as speaker. And Mr. Klitschko called for new elections to replace Mr. Yanukovych by May 25. “Millions of Ukrainians see only one choice — early presidential and parliamentary elections,” he tweeted.
Tymoshenko, as speaker. And Mr. Klitschko called for new elections to replace Mr. Yanukovych by May 25. “Millions of Ukrainians see only one choice — early presidential and parliamentary elections,” he tweeted.
Members of an opposition group from Lviv called the 31st Hundred — carrying clubs and some of them wearing masks — were in control of the entryways to the palace Saturday morning. And Vitali Klitschko, one of three opposition leaders who signed the deal to end the violence, said that Mr. Yanukovych had “left the capital” but his whereabouts were unknown, with members of the opposition speculating that he had gone to Kharkiv, in the northeast part of Ukraine.
Protesters claimed to have established control over Kiev. By Saturday morning they had secured key intersections of the city and the government district of the capital, which police officers had fled, leaving behind burned military trucks, mattresses and heaps of garbage at the positions they had occupied for months.
All of this is pointing to a national schism between the pro-Russian east, and its new de facto capital, Kharkiv, and the western part of the nation, where the EU (and CIA) influences are strongest. Luckily, for now there won't be a military involvement:
- UKRAINE DEFENSE MIN: ARMY WON'T BE INVOLVED IN GOVT CONFLICT
... for now.This will likely change: moments ago Russia's Foreign Minister said Ukraine's opposition is led by "armed extremists" and their actions pose direct threat to Ukraine's sovereignty, which means a Russian involvement in some capacity is imminent.
Perhaps more important was the following statement:
- UKRAINE TO ENSURE SMOOTH NATGAS TRANSIT TO EU, DEP PREMIER SAYS
That would the Russian gas which traverses the country, which can be halted with the turn of a spigot.
Bottom line, the situation is fluid, and is increasingly bordering on an all too real threat of civil war between the country's linguistically and affiliation-divided west and east.
The one thing that is clear is that the former presidential compound is now in the power of the people. From CBS.
The protesters, who are angry over corruption and want Ukraine to move toward Europe rather than Russia, claimed full control of Kiev and took up positions around the president's office and a grandiose residential compound believed to be his, though he never acknowledged it.
At the sprawling suburban Kiev compound, protesters stood guard and blocked more radical elements among them from entering the building, fearing unrest. Moderate protesters have sought to prevent their comrades from looting or taking up the weapons that have filled Kiev in recent weeks.
The compound became an emblem of the secrecy and arrogance that defines Yanukovych's presidency, painting him as a leader who basks in splendor while his country's economy suffers and his opponents are jailed. An AP journalist visiting the grounds Saturday saw manicured lawns, a pond, several luxurious houses and the big mansion itself, an elaborate confection of five stories with marble columns.
Protesters attached a Ukrainian flag to a lamppost at the compound, shouting: "Glory to Ukraine!"
A group of protesters in helmets and shields stood guard at the president's office Saturday. No police were in sight.
Which brings us to the most interesting finding of the day: what has so far been plundered from the palace:
Inside Yanukovych's private residence
Pictures
emerging from the president's private residence in the outskirts of
Kyiv after protesters stormed the building.
Protesters
with an "euromaidan" flag at Yanukovych's balcony.
And as usually happens, the plundering has revealed numerous golden coins discovered in Yanukovych's garage and a 1 kg gold coin with the president's portrait.
Finally, for the blow by blow, or rather tweet by tweet of events in the past 24 hours, we go to Euronews which has done the best job of summairizing the constatntly changing situation:
On an interview broadcast minutes ago on ukrainian TV UBR, and recorded at 12h30, president Yanukovych refuses to resign saying "we've taken all the steps to stabilize the country, we voted an amnesty law and organised early elections".
The president that fled Kyiv to go to Kharkiv also says, "I'm trying to protect people from bandits". Yanukovitch compares also Ukraine now to Nazi Germany in the 30s. In the interview, the president assures that he's not leaving the country. He also denounced on Saturday what he described as a "coup d'etat".
"The events witnessed by our country and the whole world are an example of a coup d'etat," he was quoted as saying.
Euronews' correspondents in Kyiv report that the statement should be read at the
parliament in the next minutes.
Waiting for the release of jailed former Prime-Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Conflicting reports that she was already freed from Kharkiv jail.
Ukraine
chaos LIVE UPDATES
22
February, 2014
Protests
in Kiev continue despite President Viktor Yanukovich and opposition
leaders signing an EU-brokered agreement which seeks to end the
bloody political crisis in the country.
Saturday, February 22
20:35
GMT:
Ukrainian
opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko called on protesters not to
abandon Independence Square, even though the deal with opposition
leaders has already been signed.
"You
have no right to leave Maidan...Don't stop yet,” she
told rioters in an emotional speech.
20:14
GMT:
The
acting minister of internal affairs, appointed by the Rada earlier on
Saturday, has announced a joint meeting of Ukrainian law enforcement,
police, and security forces which have taken part in the protection
of Independence Square during the violent riots. The meeting will
also include members of the Freedom and Right Sector nationalist
groups.
“I
have to say, honestly, the situation in Kiev is not simple. Trust in
the police has been lost,” Arsen
Avakov told local Channel Five TV station.
Avakov
said that he and Valentin Nalivaichenko – newly appointed by the
Rada to lead the Ukrainian Security Service – will lead the
meeting, during which they plan to agree on joint actions and
patrolling of the new Ukrainian police, which Avakov said is now on
the side of the people.
“I
think, in the shortest time we will restore control over the
situation, and there will be no unpleasant incidents,” Avakov
said.
20:14
GMT:
Kharkov
regional Governor Mikhail Dobkin and the head of the Kharkov
administration, Gennady Kernes, have left Ukraine for Russia, Unian
news agency cited Ukrainian border control as saying.
20:10
GMT:
Newly-freed
Yulia Tymoshenko has given a trademark firebrand speech in front of a
large crowd on Independence Square, calling for trials for those
responsible for the scores of deaths during the stand-off in Kiev
over the past three months.
'When
snipers were shooting in hearts of our guys, those bullets will
always hurt. If we don't prosecute, we should be ashamed,” said
the former prime minister, who says that she will run for president
in May.
20:09
GMT:
The
radical nationalists Right Sector say they will not be leaving
Independence Square, defying new Rada speaker Aleksandr Turchinov who
has told all those who have manned the barricades for the past weeks
to return to their homes, saying that all political objectives have
been achieved.
“Insofar
as we – Right Sector - are concerned, we are going nowhere,” said
a statement from the movement on social network VK.com.
The
group previously said that its demands – which include a ban on the
Communist Party and the Party of Regions – have still not been met.
20:06
GMT:
19:41
GMT:
Eighty-two
people have died since violence reignited in Kiev last week. Earlier,
the local Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that 80 people had
been killed, while the Health Ministry put the number at 77. A total
of 589 people have been injured, according to the Health Ministry.
Nineteen people have sought medical help on Saturday. Fifteen of
those have been hospitalized.
19:37
GMT:
The
US has urged the formation of a national unity government in Ukraine,
calling on both sides to end the violence and take part in democratic
dialogue. The White House has also expressed its readiness to work
with the EU and Russia to restore unity in Ukraine.
18:38
GMT:
Viktor
Yanukovich and several other high-ranking officials made an
unsuccessful attempt to flee to Russia, according to new Rada speaker
Aleksandr Turchinov.
“Yanukovich
was trying to board a plane headed to Russia, but the border guards
stopped him. Now, he is hiding somewhere in the Donetsk region,” he
said while introducing the new acting interior minister.
He
also claimed the former general prosecutor Viktor Pshonka and tax
minister Aleksandr Klimenko tried to cross the border by car.
“There
was an attempt to detain them, but their bodyguards opened fire, and
they escaped,” said
Turchinov.
17:57
GMT:
Freed
former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has arrived in Kiev, ITAR-TASS
news agency reports, citing a source. She is reportedly traveling
from the airport to Independence Square.
Ukrainian
parliament impeaches Yanukovich
The
Ukrainian parliament has voted for the resignation of the Ukrainian
president, Viktor Yanukovich, citing "not fulfilling duties."
The parliament also voted for a resolution according to which early
presidential elections will be held May 25.
Freed ex-PM Tymoshenko addresses crowd in Kiev
Ukraine's
former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is urging people to stay put
until all their demands have been met. She is addressing crowds on
Independence Square, just hours after being released from jail.
Lawmakers in Ukraine have now voted to dismiss President Viktor
Yanukovich for crimes against the people. That's the latest ruling by
the now opposition-dominated parliament. RT's Egor Piskunov is
watching the situation in the capital which has transformed from
scenes of deadly violence to united crowds
‘I’m
not leaving’: Yanukovich accuses opposition of coup d’etat, calls
on EU to fulfill obligations
RT,
22
February, 2014
Ukrainian
President Viktor Yanukovich has called the latest developments in the
country a coup d’etat, denying speculations of his resignation. He
also accused international mediators of not fulfilling their
obligations.
Follow
RT's LIVE
UPDATES
“I'm
always threatened with ultimatums. I'm not going to leave the
country,” Yanukovich
said in an interview with local UBR TV channel. “I'm
not going to resign. I'm a legitimately elected president.”
The
interview with the embattled president was broadcast right after the
opposition claimed it had received verbal assurances that Yanukovich
was resigning.
But
as parliament deputies said they were waiting for the written
confirmation on his resignation, the president announced his plans to
travel across the country's southeast, which is “so
far, less dangerous.”
"Everything
that is happening today is, to a greater degree, vandalism and
bandits and a coup d'etat,"Yanukovich
said in a televised statement.
On
Saturday, Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) held a new emergency
session, during which it passed a law on the return to the 2004
constitution without the president's signature, saying that the
president had removed himself from power.
It
also appointed a new head of the Ministry of Interior and a new head
speaker of the Rada. In addition, parliament ruled to free former
Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko from prison and set early
presidential elections for May 25.
A general view of Ukraine's parliament
during the vote to remove President Viktor Yanukovich from office
hours after he abandoned his Kiev office to protesters and denounced
what he described as a coup, in a session in Kiev February 22, 2014.
(Reuters / Stringer)
“The
decisions that they are now approving are illegal. I won't sign
anything,” he
told UBR journalists in Kharkov. "This
is not an opposition, these are bandits.”
The
president said his car had been shot at while he was traveling to the
airport to go to Kharkov.
"But
I have no fear. I am overwhelmed by grief for our country. I feel
responsibility," he
said.
"I'm
doing everything to prevent the bloodshed of the people who are close
to me,” Yanukovich
stated, referring to his supportive deputies who he said are being
threatened, beaten, and targeted by stone-throwing rioters.
He
compared the situation in turbulent Ukraine – which is facing its
worst political crisis in modern history – to the rise of the Nazis
in the 1930s.
"We
now see the same what was [happening] in 1930s, when the Nazis came
to power. [They] forbade [political] parties...It's the same now –
[they] ban the party, stalk, beat people, burn down offices," he
said.
Will EU mediators fulfill their responsibilities?
Yanukovich
is determined to do whatever it takes to “stop
the bloodshed” and
protect Ukraine “from
a split.” But
the president admits: "I
still don’t know how I am going to do it.”
The
leader has stated that he expects international mediators to fulfill
their commitments.
“What
we are going to do depends on the reaction from the international
community, how they are going to meet their
responsibilities,” Yanukovich
said.
“The
head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, still legitimate, reported
yesterday he was speaking with Europeans, with Poland’s head of
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the US. I hope to hold
negotiations in the coming days.”
Yanukovich
will call on EU mediators to stop “actions by radicals.”
“I
was given guarantees of all the international mediators, with whom I
worked. They gave security assurances. I'll see how they will perform
this role,” he
said.
On
Friday, Yanukovich and opposition leaders signed an EU-brokered
agreement on ending the political crisis in the country. While it
stipulated five major conditions, the agreement did not give the
opposition the power to impose new laws or appointments without
presidential approval, though they have attempted to do just that.
The signed peace deal document between
Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich and opposition leaders is seen
in Kiev, February 21, 2014. (Reuters / Andrew Kravchenko)
What the Ukrainian opposition IS NOT fulfilling:
1.
Within 48 hours of the signing of this agreement, a special law will
be adopted, signed and promulgated, which will restore the
Constitution of 2004 including amendments passed until now.
Signatories declare their intention to create a coalition and form a
national unity government within 10 days thereafter.
2.
Constitutional reform, balancing the powers of the President, the
government and parliament, will start immediately and be completed in
September 2014.
3.
Presidential elections will be held as soon as the new Constitution
is adopted but no later than December 2014. New electoral laws will
be passed and a new Central Election Commission will be formed on the
basis of proportionality and in accordance with the OSCE & Venice
commission rules.
4.
Investigation into recent acts of violence will be conducted under
joint monitoring from the authorities, the opposition and the Council
of Europe.
Lavrov to EU: Urge opposition to fulfill the deal
On
Saturday, the foreign ministers of France, Poland, and Germany –
the trio that most actively helped reach the deal between the rival
sides in Kiev – admitted that opposition leaders have broken the
agreement, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The
three EU ministers have spoken separately with Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov, who has voiced concerns over the Ukrainian
opposition’s failure to fulfill the conditions of the agreement.
"The
opposition not only has failed to fulfill a single of its obligations
but is already presenting new demands all the time, following the
lead of armed extremists and thugs whose actions pose direct threat
to Ukraine's sovereignty and constitutional order," Lavrov
told the ministers.
Russia’s
FM has called on his counterparts to use their influence with the
Ukrainian opposition to stop what he described as rampages by its
supporters.
“It
is time to stop misleading the international community and pretend
that today’s Maidan represents the interests of the Ukrainian
people,” Lavrov
said.
But
it seems that German Foreign Minister Steinmeier also has a separate
agreement with British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
"Agreed
with German Foreign Minister Steinmeier today to support new
government in Ukraine and push for vital IMF financial
package," Hague
stated on Twitter.
Sergey
Lavrov also voiced his concerns in a talk with US Secretary of State
John Kerry. The Russian FM told his counterpart that Kiev had been
taken over by "illegal
extremist groups," adding
that the situation in Ukraine has sharply escalated, the Russian
Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Balkanisation of the Ukraine has commenced.The situation will spiral downward quickly. In 1939 in Europe the situation looked grim. 6 short years later 50million people were DEAD. We have been warned.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile CNN is cheerleading for the far-Right coup.
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