Ukrainian developments

Ukraine's Right Sector radical group to become political party, nominates Yarosh for president

RT,

22 March, 2014

The ultra-nationalist Right Sector movement has decided to become a political party, while slamming current authorities in Kiev and demanding early parliamentary elections. The group has nominated its leader, Dmitry Yarosh, as a presidential candidate.

As of today, the Ukrainian National Assembly (UNA) – which dates back to 1990 and was regarded as a far-right political organization in Ukraine – has ceased to exist, instead transforming into the Pravy Sektor (Right Sector) party, Igor Mazur, the party’s Kiev branch leader, said after the UNA meeting on Saturday.

He added that the leaders of UNA branches – the Ukrainian People's Self-Defense (UNSO), a paramilitary force, and Trizub (the ultra-right Stepan Bandera All-Ukrainian Organization) – have agreed to join the Right Sector.

The Right Sector also slammed the current authorities in Kiev, including Aleksandr Turchinov, the acting president of the coup-appointed government, saying that he is playing “undercover games.”

“Turchinov should have reported to the Ukrainian people a long time ago,” said party member Andrey Denisenko. “Even the Maidan from the tribune of which the opposition leaders reported [to the people] every day has gradually calmed down. This may be some kind of indecisiveness or maybe some undercover games that have already hurt many Ukrainians. We must understand that these authorities are not in their place, so we consider the need to hold early parliamentary elections in the near future.”

Denisenko added that the party has nominated Right Sector leader Dmitry Yarosh as its candidate for president. Yarosh had declared his intentions of running for Ukrainian president in May. However, according to a recent poll conducted by Ukrainian research group SOCIS about presidential election preferences, only 1.6 percent are ready to vote for Yarosh.

Russia put Yarosh on an international wanted list and charged him with inciting terrorism after he urged Chechen terrorist leader Doku Umarov to launch attacks on Russia over the Ukrainian conflict. The ultra-nationalist leader has also threatened to destroy Russian pipelines on Ukrainian territory.

Yarosh, together with Igor Mazur and other UNA-UNSO members, was put on the wanted list by Russia last Friday for participation in hostilities against Russian soldiers in Chechnya in 1994-95, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.

Yarosh entered the international spotlight during the anti-government rallies in Ukraine. He has headed Trizub since 2005. During the Maidan protests, the organization became the base of the Right Sector movement. Its members were very active in the violence which triggered the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovich. Right Sector fighters used clubs, petrol bombs, and firearms against Ukrainian police and have been wearing Nazi insignia.

Russian troops overrun Ukrainian airbase in Crimea

Shots fired and armoured vehicles smash through wall of Belbek compound before base commander is detained

the Guardian,

22 March, 2014

Russian troops forced their way into a Ukrainian airbase in Crimea with armoured vehicles, automatic fire and stun grenades, injuring a Ukrainian serviceman and detaining the base's commander for talks.

A Reuters reporter said armoured vehicles smashed through a wall of the compound and he heard bursts of gunfire and grenades.

Colonel Yuliy Mamchur, the commander of the Belbek base, said a Ukrainian serviceman had been injured and that he himself was being taken away by the Russians for talks at an unspecified location.

Asked if he thought he would return safely, he said: "That remains to be seen. For now we are placing all our weapons in the base's storage."

Belbek was one of the last military facilities in Crimea still under Ukrainian control after Russia's armed takeover and annexation of the peninsula, which has a majority ethnic Russian population and is home to one of Russia's biggest naval bases.

Earlier, the deputy commander of the base, Oleg Podovalov, said the Russian forces surrounding the base had given the Ukrainians an hour to surrender.

After the Russians entered on Saturday, a Ukrainian officer who identified himself only as Vladislav said: "We did not provoke this; this was brute force. I do not know whether this base will be formally in Russian hands by the end of the day.

"Ever since World War II this place has been quiet, and they came in here firing, with APCs and grenades. I am very worried now."

Mamchur told his troops he would inform the high command that they had stood their ground. The soldiers applauded, chanting: "Long live Ukraine!"

Many stood to take pictures of each other in front of the Ukrainian flag, which continued to fly over the base.

The Russian takeover of Crimea has been largely bloodless, though one Ukrainian serviceman was killed and two others wounded in a shooting in Simferopol this week.

Ukraine's defence ministry said on Friday that Crimea's bases were still formally under Ukrainian control, but most are now occupied by Russian troops and fly Russia's tricolour flag.