took control of
two airports in
the Crimea
region on
Friday in what Ukraine's government described as
an invasion and occupation by Russian forces,
raising tension between Moscow and the West.
Russia's Black Sea fleet, which is based in the
region, denied its forces were involved in seizing
one of the airports, Interfax news agency reported,
while a supporter described the group at the other
site merely as Crimean militiamen.
Amid the confusion over the men's identity, acting
president Oleksander Turchinov called an
emergency session of his security chiefs, while
parliament urged Moscow to halt any action that
might encourage separatism and asked the United
Nations Security Council to discuss the crisis.
Tensions have been rising on the Black Sea
peninsula, the only Ukrainian region that has an
ethnic Russian majority and the last major bastion
of resistance to the overthrow of Viktor Yanukovich
as president almost a week ago.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov accused Russian
naval forces of taking over a military airport near
the port of Sevastopol, where the Black Sea fleet
has its base, and other Russian forces of seizing
Simferopol's civilian international airport.
"I consider what has happened to be an armed
invasion and occupation in violation of all
international agreements and norms," Avakov said
on his Facebook page, describing it as a
"provocation" and calling for talks.
This met with a Russian denial of involvement in
the military airport action. "No Black Sea Fleet
units have moved toward (the airport), let alone
taking any part in blockading it," Interfax quoted a
spokesman for the fleet as saying.
Yanukovich is expected to appear before reporters
in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don later on
Friday, though President Vladimir Putin has not
said whether Moscow will harbor the former leader,
who is on the run and wanted by the new
government for mass murder after the deaths of
protestors in Kiev last week.
The United States has told Russia to show in the
next few days that it is sincere about a promise not
to intervene in Ukraine, saying using force would
be a grave mistake.
"We believe that everybody now needs to take a
step back and avoid any kind of provocations," U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry told a joint news
conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-
Walter Steinmeier. "We want to see in the next
days ahead that the choices Russia makes conform
to this affirmation we received today."
ORDERS FROM PUTIN
The Kremlin said Putin had ordered his government
to continue talks with Ukraine on economic and
trade relations and to consult foreign partners
including the International Monetary Fund on
financial aid.
It also said Putin ordered the government to
consider a request from Crimea for humanitarian
aid but made no direct reference to the latest
events.
Yanukovich provoked protests in Ukraine in
November by backing out of plans to sign landmark
deals with the European Union and instead saying
Kiev would seek closer economic and trade ties
with its former Soviet master Russia.
In December, Putin promised Yanukovich a $15
billion bailout, but Russia has put the deal on hold
after releasing an initial installment, saying it
wants more clarity about the new government and
its policies.
Ukraine's hryvnia currency has been in freefall in
recent days as investors worried about Kiev's
ability to repay its debts. But with the new rulers
seeking IMF help, it bounced back 5 percent to
10.50 per dollar on Friday, according to Reuters
data, from the record low of 11.0 reached on
Thursday.
Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said Ukraine
hoped to begin receiving international aid soon and
was determined to fulfil conditions needed for IMF
support. A previous deal collapsed after Kiev failed
to implement IMF demands for lower gas subsidies,
which would have hurt Ukrainians by pushing up
energy prices sharply.
The IMF also wanted a more flexible currency
regime, something that has now come about as
Kiev gave up this week its attempts to arrest the
hryvnia's slide, which had burnt through its dollar
reserves. Central bank Governor Stepan Kubiv also
said foreign currency withdrawals from bank
deposits would be limited to 15,000 hryvnia
($1,500) per day.
ARMED FORCES IN CRIMEA
Kiev's new rulers have said any movement by
Russian forces beyond the Black Sea fleet base in
Sevastopol would be tantamount to aggression.
But it faces a major challenge in Crimea which was
Russian territory until it was transferred to Ukraine
in 1954, during the Soviet era. Separatism there
has often flared up at times of tension between
Moscow and Kiev.
Unidentified gunmen seized the Crimean
parliament and raised a Russian flag on Thursday.
The gunmen issued no demands and police were
casually guarding the building.
Armed men took control of Simferopol airport
overnight and were patrolling its grounds on Friday
morning.
A Reuters eyewitness at the scene said the men,
dressed in full battle gear and carrying assault
rifles and machine guns, were moving freely in an
out of the control tower.
A man called Vladimir, who said he was a volunteer
helping the group, said: "I'm with the People's
Militia of Crimea. We're simple people, volunteers
… We're here at the airport to maintain order. We'll
meet the planes with a nice smile – the airport is
working as normal."
The Belbek military airport near Sevastopol was
taken over by what Avakov said were military units
of the Russian fleet, and armed men in camouflage
were guarding the perimeter fence.
One of the men was quoted as saying the aim was
to prevent Avakov flying to Crimea.
"Tension is rising," Avakov said. "While we don't
have direct military clashes, diplomats should
talk."
SOVEREIGNTY CALL
The regional parliament in Crimea managed to hold
a session inside the building on Thursday despite
the siege, where it voted to stage a referendum on
"sovereignty" for Crimea.
Russia's flag still flew from its roof, and lights were
on in the windows of its top floor. It was not clear
whether the armed men were still inside.
Acting-president Turchinov warned Russia on
Thursday not to move personnel beyond areas
permitted by treaty for those using its naval base.
"Any military movements, the more so if they are
with weapons, beyond the boundaries of this
territory will be seen by us as military aggression,"
he said.
Russia has repeatedly declared it will defend the
interests of its citizens in Ukraine, and announced
war games on Wednesday near the border,
involving 150,000 troops on high alert. Kerry said
Lavrov told him the exercises had been pre-
planned.
Although Moscow says it will not intervene by
force, its rhetoric since the removal of its ally
Yanukovich has echoed the run-up to its invasion of
Georgia in 2008, when it sent its troops to protect
two self-declared independent regions and then
recognized them as independent states.
Witness accounts suggest those who captured the
Crimean parliament building in the early hours of
Thursday were pro-Russian gunmen of some kind.
Sent From David Aniemeka
No comments:
Post a Comment