By Paul Sonne, Lukas I. Alpert
SIMFERPOL, Ukraine—Dozens of armed men took over the parliament in a restive pro-Russia region of Ukraine on Thursday, and the ousted president issued a statement to stake his claim as the country’s legitimate leader, posing serious challenges to the young provisional government as it tries to consolidate control.
Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych made his first statement since Saturday in a statement provided to Russian news agencies, in which he said he still considers himself the country’s legitimate leader and that the actions of parliament that stripped him of his powers were illegal.
Mr. Yanukovych—who last appeared in a television interview Saturday—also asked Russia to ensure his personal safety “against the actions of extremists.” Russia responded by agreeing to provide security to Mr. Yanukovych within Russian territory, Russian state news agencies reported, citing unnamed government officials. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin wasn’t immediately available for comment.
The statement came hours after dozens of armed men took control of the parliament and local government offices in the Ukrainian region of Crimea, barricading themselves inside and raising a Russian flag above the building. Ukraine’s acting interior minister, Arsen Avakov, said that Ukraine’s military and police had been put on alert.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who was confirmed as prime minister in parliament Thursday, said Mr. Yanukovych is “no longer president, but a wanted man suspected of mass murder and crimes against humanity,” Interfax reported.
Taken together, the moves raised the volume on threats of secession in Ukraine’s ethnically Russian-dominated eastern regions, where Mr. Yanukovych drew most of his support.
In his statement, Mr. Yanukovych said that people in Crimea and Ukraine’s southeast would be unwilling to accept a new administration elected by “a mob in a square,” a reference to Kiev’s Independence Square where protesters remain gathered and have been weighing in on the selection of a new government.
“It has become obvious that the people in the southeast of Ukraine and Crimea do not accept the anarchy and lawlessness in the country,” he said.
The tensions have grown most pronounced in Crimea, where the commandeering of the local government building marked a sharp escalation of events in a region that has become a flashpoint for a backlash against the pro-Western protesters that drove Ukraine’s pro-Kremlin leader from power on Saturday. On Thursday, Crimea’s parliament announced that it was calling for a regionwide referendum on whether to push for further autonomy from Kiev.
Ukrainian acting President Olexander Turchynov warned against any breaches of Ukrainian territory by Russian military forces, particularly those stationed in Sevastopol, the Crimean port that is home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet, and said they would considered an act of “aggression.”
Mr. Yanukovych was deposed just after signing a peace agreement with opposition leaders that called for early elections and changes to the constitution. He has been hiding since then—with officials saying his last known whereabouts being in Crimea—and was declared a wanted man Mondayin connection to the death of more than 80 people in clashes with police last week.
In the statement, Mr. Yanukovych said he wasn’t prepared to stand down.
“I officially declare my intention to fight to the end for the implementation of important compromise agreements to bring Ukraine out of its deep political crisis.”
Mr. Yanukovych’s statement was provided to all of Russia’s three major news agencies—Interfax, Itar-Tass and RIA-Novosti. Itar-Tass said it had received the statement from one of Mr. Yanukovych’s aides but didn’t name him. The other two didn’t explain how they had gotten the statement. Mr. Yanukovych’s whereabouts weren’t immediately known and it wasn’t possible to verify whether the statement was authentic.
The occupation of the Crimean parliament drew deep concern in the West, with the top official from the North Atlantic Treaty Organizationcalling it “dangerous and irresponsible.”
“I am extremely concerned about the most recent developments in Crimea,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. “This morning’s action by an armed group is dangerous and irresponsible. I urge Russia not to take any action that could escalate tension or create misunderstanding.”
The seizure of the building comes a day after Russia announced surprise readiness tests for 150,000 soldiers shortly after a tense standoff erupted outside the Crimean parliament building between thousands of pro-Russian protesters and Crimean Tatars who had backed the protest movement that forced Mr. Yanukovych from power.
Some of the more radical Russian locals in Crimea—a Black Sea peninsula that belonged to Russia until 1954—are demanding that the autonomous region secede or once again become part of Russia.
Moves to take over the building began after the dueling rallies had ended late Wednesday, when more radical members of the pro-Russian group began building a barricade around the entrance to the parliament using wood and other construction materials from a nearby church that had been undergoing renovations, said Leonid Khazanov, a 57-year-old local artist who said he helped build the blockade.
“We are for Russia,” he said.
During the competing protests, Ukrainian and Crimean flags flew over the building. On Thursday, the Ukrainian flag had been replaced by a Russian one. Signs held up during the previous day’s protest also made up part of the barricade. One read: “Crimea is Russia.”
The chairman of Crimea’s Council of Ministers, Anatoly Mogilyov, said the men then took control of the government offices around 4 a.m. Mr. Khazanov said the group numbered about 50 men, most of whom had military or security backgrounds and that they had carried in automatic weapons and grenades.
He said no one has been harmed and that all government work had been suspended until the matter is resolved.
“I am deeply convinced that the government of Crimea will settle the situation without consequences for our citizens,” he said.
Witnesses said reporters who attempted to enter the parliament early Thursday were driven back when one of the gunmen threw a flash grenade at them. The building was later surrounded by local police who pushed all bystanders away.
Negotiations on ending the takeover began early Thursday but were later broken off after the armed men said they weren’t authorized to negotiate and make demands, Mr. Mogilyov said. He said they gave him their phone numbers so talks could continue later.
There are worries that an outbreak of violence in the region could lead to Russian military intervention. Russian officials have said there are no plans to do so, but others have said Russia has an obligation to protect its military installations and citizens if need be. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military preparedness testing for 150,000 Russian soldiers, including some stationed around 200 miles from the Ukrainian border.
A group of Russian parliamentarians was in the region to study the situation, Russian officials said. Sergei Mironov, leader of the pro-Kremlin Just Russia party, said, “Everyone should know that Russians don’t abandon their own during wartime and it looks like things are headed for war,” according to a statement on the party’s website.
Write to Paul Sonne at paul.sonne@wsj.com and Lukas I. Alpert at lukas.alpert@wsj.com
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1dDTJyo
0 comments:
Post a Comment