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Pro-Russian
protesters seize govt buildings in Ukraine's Donetsk, Lugansk and
Kharkov
Thousands
of people waving Russian flags flooded the streets of eastern Ukraine
on Sunday. Demonstrators in the cities of Donetsk, Lugansk, and
Kharkov seized state offices, while in Donetsk they also demanded an
independence referendum.
RT,
7
April, 2014
Over
2,000 people gathered in Lenin Square in the center of Donetsk to
petition for the Berkut officers, who – they believe – are
falsely accused of using fire arms against the rioters during the
Maidan standoff.
The
participants in the event called on the “illegal junta in Kiev”
to end political repressions and persecution of dissidents, the
Itar-Tass news agency reports.
They
demanded their right for self-determination to be respected, pushing
for a Crimea-style referendum on independence from Ukraine.
The
protesters carried Russian national flags, chanted “Russia!
Russia!” and displayed banners urging the new Donetsk Region
governor, Sergey Taruta, who was recently appointed by Kiev, “to
get out.”
An
effigy of a Nazi zealot was also burnt in the square, with the action
labeled “an act of annihilation of fascism” by the protesters in
view of neo-Nazi radicals playing a key role in the Ukrainian coup
this February.
The
people then moved out towards the regional administration’s
headquarters, carrying a giant Russian flag.
The
confrontation with the police broke out on the porch of the
government building, with the pro-Russian protesters depriving a
dozen officers of their riot shields.
The
demonstrators used the confiscated shields to make their way through
the main entrance of the building and occupied the balcony. The
Ukrainian flag in front of the administration was replaced by a
Russian standard.
Eventually,
police blocked the demonstrators inside.
The
violence in Donetsk might’ve been provoked by a banner saying
“Goodbye, Russia,” which was placed on the administration,
Life-News reports.
The
administration headquarters were empty, with only guards inside, as
Government officials don’t work on Sundays.
“The
situation is pretty tense. The demonstrators are occupying the city
council building and are demanding that an independence referendum is
held to determine the future of the region of Donetsk,” activist
Aleksandr Borodin told RT.
"The
protesters are calling on officials to conduct a special session over
the referendum situation. If it doesn’t take place, the
demonstrators say they will organize an initiative group to settle
the issue. The protesters say they will not acknowledge the
Kiev-appointed authorities and are also demanding freedom for the
recently elected so-called "public governor.”
Lugansk
The
events evolved in a similar way in Lugansk where around a thousand
people rallied in front of the local Ukrainian Security Service (SBU)
office.
They
demanded the release of protest leader, Aleksandr Kharitonov, who has
been in detention since mid-march, as well as 15 pro-Russian
activists detained on Saturday.
The
people carried Russian flags and chanted “Shame on the SBU!” and
“Freedom to political prisoners.”
Pro-Russian
activistshold a rally in front of Ukraine's regional security service
of Ukraine in Lugansk on April 6, 2014 (AFP Photo / Igor
Golovinov)Pro-Russian activistshold a rally in front of Ukraine's
regional security service of Ukraine in Lugansk on April 6, 2014 (AFP
Photo / Igor Golovinov)
Up
to eight people were injured as demonstrators stormed the Ukrainian
Security Service (SBU) office, Ukraine’s Channel 5 reported.
According to the Russian Spring website, a policeman was injured and
hospitalized.
The
governor of Lugansk region and the local Ukrainian Security Service
(SBU) chief went out to talk to the demonstrators, which resulted in
six of the detained anti-Maidan activists being released from
custody.
Kharkov
Violence
also broke out in the city of Kharkov where pro-Russian protesters
clashed with alleged activists from the far-right Right Sector
movement.
Fireworks
were used as weapons during the scuffle, with several explosions
heard. However, there were no reports of injuries as the police
managed to quickly separate the sides.
Following
the incident, the Maidan activists had to crawl inside the corridor,
erected by police for their protection, as the crowd threw foreign
objects at them.
Following
the rally, around 1,500 pro-Russian activists have made their way to
Kharkov’s regional administration headquarters, UNIAN news agency
reports.
Despite
the administration being guarded by police in riot gear, a group of
protesters have managed to penetrate the building.
The
storm began after the organizers of the protests urged participants
“to support Donetsk and Lugansk where government buildings were
seized earlier in the day.”
According
to anti-Maidan activists, around 10,000 people participated in the
protest in Kharkov on Sunday.
Pro-Russian
rallies are taking place almost every weekend in major cities in the
Russian-speaking part of Ukraine since the nationalist coup ousted
Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovich, in late February.
One
of the first laws the new government revoked was the regional status
of the Russian language, which sent a clear message to the people in
the country’s east.
The
Republic of Crimea refused to recognize the change of power in Kiev
and declared its independence from Ukraine, following the March-16
referendum, in which 96.77 percent of the voters chose to rejoin
Russia.
Derek
Monroe from Foreign Policy in Focus described the situation in
Ukraine as politically chaotic.
“There
are a lot of political plays taking place in Kiev itself,
specifically when it comes to positioning certain groups within the
government itself,” Monroe said.
He
added that the oligarchs that were places as governors in eastern
Ukraine are not very popular with the people. “They have little
following in popularity among the people, so the issue is simply to
maintain some type of degree of nominal control, where in fact there
is very limited control whatsoever.”
“The
situation is very fluid, so it is very hard to say where the
government itself has particular strong control in the region or not.
All the evidence looks like they don’t have much control
unfortunately.”
Monroe
described the Maidan movement as an “absolute disaster.” He
argued that it was the provisional government which was selected, not
elected, that made the schisms within Ukrainian society very visible.
“This
resulted not only in the loss for Ukraine, but loss of credibility
among the people of the East,” he stated.
5
unanswered questions surrounding Kiev killings
Riot
police are to blame for the deadly sniper fire during February's
riots in Kiev - at least that's how Ukraine's coup-appointed leaders
see it. They announced their investigation results, after first
clearing themselves of accusations of wrongdoing brought by the
former authorities. Let's recap those glaring holes in Kiev's
argument in this blame-game.
Fears
of gas war as Ukraine refuses to pay increased prices set by Russian
firm
Dispute
comes as tensions in eastern Ukraine remain high, with pro-Russian
protesters storming government buildings
6
April, 2014
The
prospect of a new gas war between Russia and Ukraine drew closer at
the weekend as the government in Kiev said it would refuse to pay for
gas at a new, inflated price set by Gazprom last week. The dispute
comes as tensions in eastern Ukraine remain high, with pro-Russian
protesters in two cities storming government buildings on Sunday.
In
Kiev, interim prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told the cabinet over
the weekend that the new price for gas was unfair and Ukraine would
not pay it.
"Russia
has not managed to grab Ukraine through military aggression, so now
they are pursuing a plan to pressure and grab Ukraine through gas and
economic aggression," said Yatsenyuk. He said that Ukraine would
continue buying gas at the "acceptable market price" of
$268 (£162) per 1,000 cubic metres.
Last
week, Russia announced two successive price hikes in gas for Ukraine,
taking it up to $485.50. It is unclear what Russia will do if Ukraine
refuses to pay the new price, but in the past it has shut off the
supply. Last week, Gazprom's CEO, Alexei Miller, gave televised
comments explaining why Russia was raising the gas price, noting that
part of the discount had come when Russia extended credit to Ukraine
last December as part of a package that was given to the former
president, Viktor Yanukovych, for turning his back on an association
agreement with the European Union.
"The
discount was given on the condition that Ukraine would pay all its
gas debts and pay 100% for the current deliveries, and it was clearly
indicated that if this did not happen, the discount would be annulled
in the second quarter of 2014," said Miller. He said that
Gazprom had "not received a single dollar" in payment for
March deliveries, and thus the discount had automatically been
annulled.
Miller
also said that Ukraine had received huge savings on gas based on its
agreement to prolong the so-called Kharkov agreements, by which
Russia retained the right to base its Black Sea fleet in Crimea.
The
agreement, signed in 2010, extended the lease from 2017 to 2042, but
now that Crimea has been annexed by Russia, the agreements have been
annulled by Vladimir Putin. Miller said that the cheaper gas price
was an "advance discount" for future rent which was now
irrelevant, meaning that Ukraine had accrued a debt of more than
$11bn on cheaper gas, which ought to be paid back. Ukraine says it
owes Russia $2.2bn and plans to pay the debt.
Gas
prices have long been a thorny issue between Russia and Ukraine, with
Europe accusing Russia of using energy supplies as a political
weapon. Russia has cut off gas to Ukraine twice before, in 2006 and
2009. In the first stand-off Gazprom accused Ukraine of siphoning off
transit gas meant for the EU to serve its domestic needs, while in
2009 gas was cut off completely, leaving some EU markets without gas
in the depth of winter.
The
prospect of a new gas cut-off will send jitters through markets,
although the potential consequences for the rest of Europe are less
severe now. "Since 2009 new alternative routes have been built
for Russian gas transfers to the EU, bypassing Ukraine, which now
transfers roughly 50% of the Russian gas compared to 85% in 2000 and
95% in the mid-1990s," said Lilit Gevorgyan, senior economist at
IHS Global Insight. "Moreover, due to the mild winter, the EU
has enough stored gas to weather any disruption."
Additionally,
the peak season for gas consumption has already passed, meaning
Europe does not face the threat of facing cold weather without
adequate gas supplies. Gazprom is also keen not to do too much damage
to its image as a reliable supplier, whatever the Kremlin's goals may
be.
"Still,
should there be a gas cut off to Ukraine, the commodity markets are
expected to react negatively," says Gevorgyan.
Since
the annexation of Crimea, there have been fears of Russian moves on
east Ukraine, with a concentration of troops on the border and
repeated official statements about defending the rights of Russian
speakers in the regions.
On
Sunday, pro-Russian crowds in Lugansk, Donetsk and Kharkiv surrounded
and stormed government buildings, waving Russian flags. Some want
more autonomy from Kiev, while others support a Crimea-style
annexation. Kiev says the unrest is being whipped up by Moscow, and
the vast majority of those living in the regions would not welcome a
Russian incursion.
Diplomatic
relations between Russia and Ukraine remain strained, with each
country in effect accusing the other of state-sponsored terrorism.
Ukraine's interim government, without presenting much evidence, said
Russian special forces had been involved in the shooting that left
more than 100 people dead in Kiev in February.
Russia,
meanwhile, said a group of Ukrainians supported by the country's
security services had been detained for planning terrorist attacks.
Ukraine
Loses State Buildings In Key Eastern Cities To Protesters; Blames
Putin
7
April, 2014
Earlier
this morning we reported that "Pro-Russia Protesters Seize
Government Building In East Ukraine, Demand Autonomy." We
suggested that this was only the first city in eastern Ukraine that
would see this kind of internal revolt. Sure enough, hours later, the
largest city in East Ukraine and one located in close proximity to
Russia, Kharkiv, also saw its state building fall to what appear to
be pro-Russia protesters, making it the third major city after
Donetsk and nearby Luhansk. This coordinated and largely unexpected
pro-Russian action triggering accusations from the pro-European
government in Kiev that President Vladimir Putin was orchestrating
"separatist disorder."
From
Reuters:
Ukraine's
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov accused Russian President Vladimir
Putin of being behind the seizure of state buildings by pro-Russia
protesters in eastern Ukraine on Sunday and promised that police
would restore order peacefully.
He
also accused Ukraine's ousted president Viktor Yanukovich of
conspiring with Putin to fuel tensions in the region.
Earlier,
pro-Russian protesters demanding a referendum on whether to join
Russia seized a regional government building in the city of Donetsk
and the offices of security services in nearby Luhansk.
"Putin
and Yanukovich ordered and paid for the latest wave of separatist
disorder in the east of the country. The people who have gathered are
not many but they are very aggressive," Avakov said in a
statement on his Facebook page.
"The
situation will come back under control without bloodshed. That is the
order to law enforcement officers, it's true. But the truth is that
no one will peacefully tolerate the lawlessness of provocateurs,"
he said.
As
expected, Kiev is scrambling to restore the semblance that it is
under control, which as we noted earlier, it isn't:
Acting
President Oleksander Turchinov called an emergency meeting of
security chiefs in Kiev and took personal control of the situation,
the parliamentary press service said.
The
problem for Kiev is that suddenly the scramble for a referendum is
reminiscent of what happened in Crimea. And everyone knows how that
ended. Which means the acting government has to promptly halt the
momentum toward sovereign independence or else East Ukraine is about
to become a separate country, if not the latest annexation success
for Russia.
Around
1,500 people protested in Donetsk on Sunday before breaking into the
regional administration building, where they hung a Russian flag from
a second-floor balcony, a Reuters witness said. Protesters outside
cheered and chanted "Russia! Russia!".
In
the Luhansk protest, Ukrainian television said three people had been
injured. Police could not confirm the report. Talking to the crowd
over a loudspeaker, protest leaders in Donetsk said they wanted
regional lawmakers to convene an emergency meeting to discuss a vote
on joining Russia like the one in Ukraine's Crimea region that led to
its annexation.
"Deputies
of the regional council should convene before midnight and take the
decision to carry out a referendum," one of the protest leaders
said, without identifying himself.
A
local Internet portal streamed footage from the seized building,
showing people entering and exiting freely. Soviet-era music was
being played over loudspeakers outside. The building houses the
offices of Serhiy Taruta, a steel baron recently appointed by the
interim government in Kiev as governor of a region with close
economic and historical ties to Russia.
"Around
1,000 people took part (in the storming of the building), mostly
young people with their faces covered," said Ihor Dyomin, a
spokesman for Donetsk local police. "Around 100 people are now
inside the building and are barricading the building," he added.
But the scariest news came moments ago from the Twitter account of Konstantin Rykov, who reported that the Russian troops in Rostov have just been put on military alert. We have not seen any independent confirmation anywhere else but this would be a very serious escalation in the superficial detente between Russia and the West via its proxy regime in Kiev
Ukraine
PM Warns Russia's "Economic Aggression" is Unacceptable
6
April, 2014
"Russia
was unable to seize Ukraine by means of military aggression,"
Ukraine's PM Yatsenyuk blasted,
"Now
they are implementing plans to seize Ukraine through economic
aggression." His
comments come after Russia's Gazprom raised prices for gas 81% from
$268.50 to $485.50 (on
the basis that the previous discount was a subsidy for allowing the
use of the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, which Russia now has
annexed) to
which Yatsenyuk chided "political pressure is unacceptable, and
we are not accepting the price of $500." Mr. Yatsenyuk, as
WSJ reports,
said his government will not pay the new price and will raise the
issue in the Stockholm Arbitrage court, which was selected by the two
countries years ago to settle the gas disputes - but warned
his people that the country should prepare for Russia switching off
natural-gas supplies.
As
The Wall Street Jorunal reports, Ukraine's
prime minister warned Saturday that the country
should prepare for Russia switching off natural-gas supplies,
as the energy monopoly Gazprom said it will raise the price for gas
for Ukraine by 81%.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said Moscow's price increase was a form of "economic aggression," adding that Kiev will not recognize the new price and is ready to challenge it in the international arbitrage court.
Russia's natural gas monopoly Gazprom's Chief Executive Alexei Miller said Saturday in a televised interview the company has raised the cost of gas to Ukraine to $485.50 from $268.50 for 1,000 cubic meters from April 1.
Moscow says the price change is due to Kiev's failure to pay its bills.
Mr.
Yatsenyuk responded aggressively:
"Political pressure is unacceptable, and we are not accepting the price of $500," Mr. Yatsenyuk told ministers.
"Russia was unable to seize Ukraine by means of military aggression," Mr. Yatsenyuk said. "Now they are implementing plans to seize Ukraine through economic aggression." he added.
He said Ukraine " will not touch" any of the gas destined for Europe if Russia limits supply for Ukraine. Mr. Yatsenyuk said Ukraine will continue to try to negotiate the new gas deal with Russia.
Gazprom's
additional argument for raising the price (aside from
credit-risk-adjusting for the billions already owed) is somewhat
remarkable...
Mr. Miller said Ukraine owes Gazprom $2.2 billion for March deliveries, and another $11.4 billion the country saved as part of a discount agreement that Moscow recently scrapped.
Mr. Miller the discount was a prepayment for the Russian Navy's use of Ukraine's Black Sea port of Sevastopol through 2017, but as that port had been annexed by Moscow, along with the rest of Crimea, Ukraine should repay $11.4 billion it saved, Mr. Miller said, following similar statements by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
In
other words, because
we annexed territory for which we had previously given you a discount
for, you now need to pay us full price.
Mr. Yatsenyuk said his government will not pay the new price and will raise the issue in the Stockholm Arbitrage court, which was selected by the two countries years ago to settle the gas disputes.
With
the US and IMF lining up to give "aid" to Ukraine, we
wonder how all those taxpayers will feel when the hard-earned money
gets greatly rotated from Ukraine's balance sheet straight to
Gazprom's... or how the 'newly liberated' people of non-Crimean
Ukraine will feel about their leaders when the country goes dark and
cold...
And
if Yatsenyuk thinks he can wait it out... starving Gazprom of
potential revenue (that they are not even paying anyway) think
again...As
Reuters reports,
Gazprom Neft has not been affected by Western sanctions over Russia's annexation of Crimea but is ready to move away from dollars in its contracts and to redirect oil flows to Asia if needed, the CEO of Gazprom's oil arm said.
..
"As for sanctions, they have not affected the company's business in any way," Dyukov said in St. Petersburg, where Gazprom Neft is now based.
He suggested that Western companies did not want broader sanctions imposed on Russia, but that Gazprom Neft would reduce its reliance on the U.S. dollar if necessary and turn to Asia if doorways to the West were shut.
...
"No such task has been set (by the government)," he said. "But ... we have discussed with our buyers the possibility of switching contracts to euros and ... 95 percent said they are ready."
"This shows that in principle there is nothing impossible - you can switch from dollars to euros and from euros, in principle, to roubles," he told reporters in remarks authorised for publication on Monday.
"Of course, I have had meetings, contacts with representatives of Western business circles ... In principle, they are not interested in escalation of tensions," Dyukov said.
So
once again, actions by the West that were supposed to show strength
will 'boomerang' back and do more to weaken the appearance of any
global might that may remain.
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