Ukrainian forces move to flush out pro-Russian militiamen in the east
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UKRAINIAN armed forces launched a “special operation” against militiamen in the country’s Russian-speaking east yesterday, recapturing a military airfield from pro-Moscow separatists.
Gunfire could be heard from the airfield at the town of Kramatorsk after a fighter jet swooped low over the area. Ukrainian troops were seen disembarking from helicopters.
Ukraine’s Acting President Oleksander Turchinov earlier announced that a military operation was under way to flush pro-Russian separatists out of the government buildings and facilities they had seized in about 10 towns and cities in the east over the past few days.
Turchinov issued a statement saying Ukraine had retaken the airfield in Kramatorsk from pro-Russian militants, while the state security service said an “anti-terrorist” operation was in progress against separatists in the nearby town of Slaviansk.
The operations in Kramatorsk and elsewhere appeared to mark an escalation of the deepest East-West crisis since the Cold War.
The standoff has raised fears in the West and in Kiev that Russia might intervene militarily on behalf of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gave a gloomy assessment, apparently referring to the deaths of at least two people on Sunday when Kiev tried to regain control in Slaviansk, about 150 kilometers from the Russian border.
“Blood has once again been spilt in Ukraine. The country is on the brink of civil war,” he said on his Facebook page.
The Ukrainian acting president said an offensive he first announced on Sunday was now in progress after days in which it failed to materialize.
“The anti-terrorist operation began during the night in the north of Donetsk region. But it will take place in stages, responsibly, in a considered way. I once again stress: the aim of these operations is to defend the citizens of Ukraine,” Turchinov told parliament.
At least 15 armored personnel carriers displaying Ukrainian flags were parked by the side of a road around 50 kilometers north of Slaviansk.
Ukrainian troops wearing camouflage gear were stationed nearby, with a helicopter and several buses containing interior ministry personnel near the road.
In Slaviansk, separatists have seized the local police and state security service headquarters.
In Kiev, a radical pro-Russian candidate running for Ukrainian presidential elections due next month was beaten up by an angry crowd.
Moscow accuses Kiev of provoking the crisis by ignoring the rights of citizens who use Russian as their first language, and has promised to protect them from attack.
Russia also stresses the presence of far-right nationalists among Kiev’s new rulers.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen yesterday accused Moscow of involvement in the rebellions.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied Moscow was stirring up the separatists as a possible prelude to repeating its annexation of Crimea.
“Ukraine is spreading lies that Russia is behind the actions in the southeast,” Lavrov said yesterday on a visit to China.
He called on Kiev to hold back before a meeting between Russia, the EU, United States and Ukraine planned for Geneva tomorrow.
Moscow has demanded constitutional change in Ukraine to give more powers to Russian-speaking eastern areas, while the pro-Russians have demanded Crimean-style referendums on secession.
Kiev opposes anything that might lead to the dismemberment of the country, but Turchinov has held out the prospect of a nationwide referendum on the future shape of the Ukrainian state.
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