Politics

Ukraine’s president announces anti-terror campaign

Turchynov says operational phase launched as Russia warns of civil war.

15.04.2014 - Update : 15.04.2014
Ukraine’s president announces anti-terror campaign

by Nicholas Waller

DONETSK REGION, Ukraine 

Ukraine’s interim President Oleksandr Turchynov announced Tuesday afternoon the start of the operational phase of an anti-terror campaign in the country’s east

“An anti-terror campaign has begun in the north of the Donetsk Region. It will be a phased, responsible and balanced operation. Again, I want to stress that the goal of these actions is to protect Ukrainian citizens, to put a halt to terrorism and crime and to stop those who are trying to tear our country apart," Turchynov said in a speech to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament.

Pro-Russia separatists have seized over a dozen buildings in the region, including in the regional capital Donetsk. After a relative period of calm following the capture of the Donetsk administrative offices earlier this month, the situation has escalated dramatically in the last 72 hours.

Armed pro-Russia groups stormed police and government offices in several cities around Donetsk, reportedly targeting sites with small arms arsenals.

The groups claim to be spontaneously assembled local defense forces. However, mounting evidence points to outside involvement as Russian passport holders, Cossack units and members of Russian ultra-nationalist group Russky Blok, who took an active part in Russia’s seizure of Crimea in March, have been seen by the Anadolu Agency among the ranks of the local militias.

The groups’ appearance comes after an unidentified source in Crimea told Anadolu Agency late last week that members of Russky Blok would be bussed in from the peninsula to the Donetsk region to take part in the events.

- Ukrainian troops taking positions

Ukrainian military vehicles have been seen moving in the direction of the rebel-held city Slavyansk, while Ukrainian media outlets report heavy gunfire being heard around the city.  

Armored personnel carriers and tanks have been seen entering Slavyansk, Interfax Ukraine reported.

Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported that Ukrainian armed forces have retaken a military airport near Kramatorsk, south of Slavyansk on the Donetsk road, with casualties reported on the rebel side.

Fighter jets and helicopters can be seen flying over the region in and around Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

Ukraine’s armed forces began gathering for an assault on the rebel towns early Tuesday. A government deadline for the Pro-Moscow groups to surrender expired Monday morning, with no sign of any action being taken by Kiev.

Turchynov’s interim government has come under increasing criticism from the general public for its inaction in eastern Ukraine and its failure to mount a resistance to the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea.

Russia has vehemently opposed any hostile action being taken against the separatists, calling Kiev’s plan to use force ‘criminal’.

The Kremlin warned that any military operations taken by the central authorities could lead to the outbreak of civil war. 

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