Eastern Ukraine slips out of Kyiv’s control
More than a dozen government offices in region taken over by pro-russian forces
HORLIVKA, UKRAINE — The fuel is local, but the matches are Russian. That in a nutshell is how the insurgency threatening the survival of Ukraine as a unified state is increasingly unfolding.
Over the past 10 days, more than a dozen government offices in eastern Ukraine have been taken over by pro-Russian forces, with most of the seizures following the same pattern. Aggressive gangs, sometimes carrying firearms and wearing military fatigues, storm the buildings. The Ukrainian flag is replaced with a Russian one. Then local men move in to hold them.
Those capturing the buildings insist they are carrying out the will of the people and have demanded a referendum on autonomy for the eastern Donetsk region. Relatively small numbers have hit the streets in support, however, and it is increasingly evident the purported uprising is far from spontaneous and is being carried out with unerring co-ordination.
Russia has tens of thousands of troops massed along Ukraine’s eastern border. Western governments accuse Moscow of fuelling the unrest and worry that the spectre of bloodshed could be used as a pretext for a Russian invasion, in a repeat of events in Crimea a few weeks ago.
The Ukrainian govern- ment’s inability to quash the pro-Russian insurgency was highlighted by acting President Oleksandr Turchynov’s call Monday for the deployment of United Nations peacekeeping troops in the east of his country. He said the presence of Russian meddling was clear in the unrest gripping his country.
“The Russian Federation is sending special units to the east of our country, which seize administrative buildings with the use of weapons and are putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of our citizens in danger,” Turchynov said, according to the presidential website.
Peacekeepers, however, would have to be authorized by the UN Security Council, where Russia holds a veto.
After refusing demands for a referendum, by breakaway supporters in the east, Turchynov indicated Monday that holding a nationwide referendum on the country’s status was a possibility and that such a vote could be conducted on May 25, along with presidential elections.
The White House on Monday said there was “overwhelming evidence” that Russia is fomenting unrest in eastern Ukraine, but President Barack Obama has not yet concluded Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions warrant broader economic sanctions.
Pro-Russian activists point to what they say is an aggressively nationalistic government as justification for their actions. The cabinet in charge since the overthrow of former president Viktor Yanukovych in February includes some nationalist fig- ures, but there is no substantive evidence the Russianspeaking population has been subject to any widespread intimidation in recent weeks.
Boris Grozovsky, a commentator with the independent Russian website Colta. ru, used the fuel-and-matches analogy to underscore the apparent involvement of outside agents.
“In all the cities in Ukraine where there have been disturbances, it is always outsiders that have acted as the armed attackers and provocateurs,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov again denied Monday that Russian agents were operating in eastern Ukraine, saying it would contradict Moscow’s interests.
White House press secretary Jay Carney confirmed Monday that CIA chief John Brennan visited Ukraine over the weekend. The CIA denied Brennan had used his trip to advise Ukrainian authorities on tactical operations.