Smoke rises from Donetsk international airport during heavy fighting between Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces today. Photograph: Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters
Ukraine launched air strikes and a paratrooper assault against pro-Russian rebels who seized an airport today, even as its newly elected leader vowed to reassert control in the east and refused to negotiate with “terrorists”.
Ukrainians rallied overwhelmingly in an election yesterday behind Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire owner of chocolate factories and political veteran, hoping the burly 48-year-old can rescue the nation from the brink of bankruptcy, civil war and dismemberment by their former Soviet masters in the Kremlin.
Today’s rapid military response to separatists who seized the airport in Donetsk appeared to be a defiant answer to Moscow, which said it was ready for dialogue with Mr Poroshenko but demanded he scale back the armed forces’ campaign in the east.
Gunfire and explosions could be heard as a warplane flew over Sergei Prokofiev International Airport hours after truckloads of armed rebel fighters arrived and seized a terminal building. Thick black smoke rose from within the perimeter.
Spokesmen for the government’s operation in the east said warplanes and a helicopter had carried out the air strikes and paratroopers had been flown in.
The airport serves a city of one million people that the rebels have proclaimed capital of an independent “people’s republic”, and where they succeeded in blocking all voting in Sunday’s election.
Their attempt to seize the airport may have been intended to prevent Mr Poroshenko from travelling there: he has said his first trip in office would be to visit the restive east.
Even as the fighting was getting under way, Poroshenko was holding a news conference in Kiev promising to talk with those in the east who have grievances, but not to those who have taken up weapons.
“They want to preserve a bandit state which is held in place by force of arms,” he said. “These are simply bandits. Nobody in any civilised state will hold negotiations with terrorists.”
Preliminary results with about half of votes counted gave Mr Poroshenko 53.7 per cent of the vote - towering over a field of 21 candidates with enough support to avert a run-off. His closest challenger, former premier Yulia Tymoshenko, secured just 13.1 per cent and made clear she would concede.
Mr Poroshenko made clear his most urgent task is finding a modus vivendi with the giant neighbour that has seemed poised to carve Ukraine up since a popular revolt toppled a pro-Russian president in February.
“I hope Russia will support efforts to tackle the situation in the east,” Mr Poroshenko said. He said he planned to meet Russian officials in the first half of June.
Ukraine’s “anti-terrorist” military operation against rebels in the east would press on but must be more effective, he said: “Protecting people is one of the functions of the state.”
So far, Ukraine’s military forces have had little success against rebels who have declared independent “people’s republics” in two provinces of the eastern industrial heartland.
Ukrainian officials say they have held back from using full force in part to avoid provoking an invasion from tens of thousands of Russian troops massed on the frontier. Questions have also been raised about Ukrainian forces’ training, equipment and loyalties.
Monday’s fighting began after a Reuters photographer saw three truckloads bring dozens of armed men to the airport.
“The rebels are in the terminal. The rest of the airport is controlled by the Ukrainian national guard,” airport spokesman Dmitry Kosinov told Reuters before gunfire broke out.
The Ukrainian joint forces security operation in the region said a deadline for the rebels to surrender expired and two Sukhoi Su-25 jets carried out strafing runs, firing warning shots. A MiG-29 jet later carried out another air strike.
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