Ukraine orders military action in the east

Ukraine orders military action in the east
Acting president orders new anti-terrorism operation after a local politician was found dead with signs of torture

Ukraine's acting president has ordered a military operation against pro-Kremlin separatists in the east of the country after the body of a local politician from his own party was found showing signs of torture.

"I demand the resumption of effective counter-terrorism measures to protect Ukrainian citizens in the east from terrorism," Oleksandr Turchynov said on Tuesday, according to a statement from his other office as parliamentary speaker.

Turchinov said that "brutally tortured" bodies had been found near the city of Slaviansk, which is in the hands of pro-Russian militants.

One was that of Volodymyr Rybak, a member of Turchinov's Batkivshchyna party, who had recently been abducted by "terrorists".

"These crimes are being carried out with the full support and indulgence of the Russian Federation," he said.

Call for pullout

Earlier on Tuesday, Arseny Yatseniuk, the interim Ukrainian prime minister, said Russian special forces were operating in eastern Ukraine to undermine a presidential election due on May 25, calling on Moscow to pull them out.

At a news conference after meeting Joe Biden, the United States vice president, Yatseniuk also urged Russia to remove its troops from Crimea, annexed by Moscow last month.

"Everything that is now happening in the east and which Russia is supporting is aimed at wrecking the presidential election," Yatseniuk said, as he called on Russia to fulfill its obligations.

"We don't ask anything from Russia. We demand only one thing: fulfill international agreements and don't behave like gangsters."

Biden said that Ukraine must remain "one united Ukraine", and criticised Russia's takeover of Crimea.
"No nation has the right to simply grab land from another nation," he said. "We will never recognise Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea, and neither will the world."

Critical timing

Biden also said Russia needed to defuse confrontations in the east of Ukraine.

"No nation should threaten its neighbour by massing troops on the border. We call on Russia to pull these forces back. We call on Russia to stop supporting men, hiding behind masks, sewing unrest in eastern Ukraine."

Biden's visit comes at a critical time, just days after a tenuous international agreement was reached to de-escalate violence in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russia rebels oppose the government in Kiev.

Under the international deal, signed by Ukraine, Russia, the US and the EU, rebels were to disarm and give up buildings they seized in the east of Ukraine.

In another development, a Ukrainian military surveillance plane was struck by gunfire over the contested eastern city of Sloviansk, but landed safely with no one injured, the country's Defence Ministry said.

The Antonov AN-30 was hit multiple times by shots from armed pro-Russian forces, the ministry added.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/04/kiev-asks-russia-troops-leave-east-ukraine-2014422133551451178.html

  

Very ominous Sassy - but not surprising! What annoys me about Biden's speech today is that he said more or less that Russia should keep its nose out of other countries' business. Coming from him I find that a bit rich to put it mildly. He also said that Ukraine should not be allowed to separate. Well, who's he to tell the Ukranian people that? Isn't that sticking his nose into other countries' business? He can't have one rule for the West and one for the rest!

Yep, talk about do as I say not as I do! It does appear to be escalating day by day. I get the distinct impression that Putin wants the days of the USSR to return.

Sassy wrote:Yep, talk about do as I say not as I do!   It does appear to be escalating day by day.   I get the distinct impression that Putin wants the days of the USSR to return.

And he holds all the cards at the moment. If the West impose more sanctions he just shuts off the gas supplies. Mind you, I do see his point of view - Ukraine is right on his borders. He couldn't simply let it become a NATO country, it'd be like letting the Russians rule over Scotland! He's got to protect his own people.

Can see both sides Tess, but say he takes over Ukraine, which is beginning to look increasing likely. One of it's borders is Poland and after what happened there with the USSR, they won't be happy and they are part of the EU. And Poland became a member of NATO in 1999, so he would still have a NATO member on his borders. Where does it stop?

Sassy wrote:Can see both sides Tess, but say he takes over Ukraine, which is beginning to look increasing likely.   One of it's borders is Poland and after what happened there with the USSR, they won't be happy and they are part of the EU.   And Poland became a member of NATO in 1999, so he would still have a NATO member on his borders.   Where does it stop?

Personally I think Ukraine will split, bit like East and West Germany used to be. That is of course unless it escalates, but that would be very very bad; doesn't bear thinking about.

Tesstacious wrote:

Sassy wrote:Can see both sides Tess, but say he takes over Ukraine, which is beginning to look increasing likely.   One of it's borders is Poland and after what happened there with the USSR, they won't be happy and they are part of the EU.   And Poland became a member of NATO in 1999, so he would still have a NATO member on his borders.   Where does it stop?

Personally I think Ukraine will split, bit like East and West Germany used to be.  That is of course unless it escalates, but that would be very very bad; doesn't bear thinking about.

Indeed it doesn't, but it seems to be happening and I doubt there is much we can do about it.