Kiev urges UN to hold joint ’anti-terrorist operation’ in eastern Ukraine
Source: rt.com
Ukraine’s coup-installed president, Aleksandr Turchinov, has proposed the conducting of a joint operation with UN peacekeeping forces, signing a decree immediately imposing a special anti-terrorist operation in the east of the country.
Turchinov said in a phone call with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, that Kiev’s new authorities would welcome the possibility that “if with your [UN] help, there is to be a joint anti-terrorist operation conducted in the east of the country…specialists and observers will be able to confirm the legitimacy and legality of our actions,” the press office of the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party quoted Turchinov as saying.On his part, Ban Ki-moon said that Kiev could rely fully on help from the UN as its partner.
Late Monday afternoon, Ukraine’s coup-appointed President Aleksandr Turchinov signed a decree to officially begin a “special anti-terrorist operation” in the east of the country, Ukraine’s presidential press-service said in a statement.
He ordered "that the National Security and Defence Council’s decision of April 13, 2014 ’On urgent measures to overcome the territorial threat and to preserve the territorial integrity of Ukraine’ be put into effect". The order becomes effective from the day of publication.
Turchinov has appointed acting Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Andriy Parubiy, to oversee the operation.
Kiev announced an “anti-terrorist operation” against protesters in eastern Ukraine, where pro-autonomy rallies intensified last week.
The Donetsk region has been in turmoil since Sunday morning with anti-government protesters seizing several buildings and demonstrations raging in the city of Slavyansk.
On Sunday evening Kiev threatened "full-scale" military force if protesters and paramilitaries declined to vacate occupied government buildings by a Monday morning deadline.
Protesters ignored the ultimatum to leave by 9 am, and a Russian flag continued to fly over the besieged police HQs in Slavyansk.
On Monday the head of Donetsk region announced that a “special operation regime” was to be imposed in the region.
The “anti-terrorist operation” has been slammed by Russia, which requested the United Nations Security Council convene immediately to discuss Ukraine’s declaration of the operation.
Speaking from the city of Rostov-on-Don, ousted President Viktor Yanukovich called the planned military operation a "criminal order".
The operation announced by Kiev stipulates that the Ukrainian armed forces are to be involved. The Ukrainian army has not been involved despite the four months of upheaval and its capabilities in terms of handling internal problems are as of yet untested.
Article from: rt.com
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Separatists tighten grip on east Ukraine, EU agrees more sanctions on Moscow
By Thomas Grove and Gabriela Baczynska | Reuters
Armed pro-Russian separatists seized more buildings in eastern Ukraine on Monday, expanding their control after the government failed to follow through on threatened military crackdown leaving Moscow’s partisans essentially unopposed.
European foreign ministers agreed to widen sanctions against Moscow and the White House said Washington was seeking ways to impose more "costs" on Russia, for what Kiev and its Western friends call a Russian plot to dismember Ukraine.
Rebels in the town of Slaviansk, where the authorities failed to follow through with their announced "anti-terrorist" operation, called for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s help.
Ukraine’s interim president Oleksander Turchinov said on Monday the offensive against the rebels would still go ahead. But in a sign of discord behind the scenes in Kiev, he sacked the state security chief in charge of the operation.
In Donetsk, rebels holed up in the administrative headquarters of a province that is home to 10 percent of Ukraine’s population said they planned to seize control of infrastructure and the levers of state power. They have declared an independent "People’s Republic of Donetsk" and sought Putin’s protection if they are attacked.
Rebels have also seized buildings in around 10 other towns and cities across other eastern provinces which form the heartland of Ukraine’s heavy industry.
In a bid to undercut the rebels’ demands, Turchinov held out the prospect of a countrywide referendum on the future shape of the Ukrainian state. Pro-Russian secessionists want separate referendums in their regions, which Kiev says is illegal.
The uprising in eastern Ukraine began eight days ago but has accelerated sharply in the past 48 hours, with separatists seizing ever more buildings, including arsenals filled with weapons. They have met little opposition.
Kiev says the separatists are organized by Moscow, seeking to repeat the seizure of the Crimea region, which Moscow occupied and annexed last month.
Russia says the armed men are all locals acting on their own, but Western officials say the uprising is too well-coordinated to be entirely spontaneous, and bears too many similarities to the Russian operation in Crimea.
"I don’t think denials of Russian involvement have a shred of credibility," British Foreign Minister William Hague said, before a meeting with EU counterparts.
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Read the full article at: reuters.com
