Power in Ukraine seized by radicals, militants, bandits - Russian PM Medvedev
21 March 2014, 18:45 -- Power in Ukraine was seized by radicals, militants and bandits, this is extremely dangerous and will entail collapse of the state, Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, has written on his page in Facebook. Crimea and Sevastopol have made their choice, and Moscow's goal is friendly relations with Ukraine and other neighbors, Medvedev said.
A change of government with signs of a coup took place in Ukraine on February 22. The Verkhovna Rada ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, changed the Constitution, scheduled new elections for May 25 and temporarily lodged its speaker, Oleksandr Turchynov, with powers of the President.
Yanukovych said that he had been forced to leave Ukraine under threat of violence and remained the legally elected head of state. Moscow believes that the legitimacy of the Rada's decisions gives rise to doubts.
'The power belongs to various radicals, militants, bandits. They take final decisions. And, most likely, they will take them after May 25, too. It makes no sense for them to share power with others. They are masters in the streets and at the entrances to administrative buildings,' Medvedev said. He stressed that this was an extremely dangerous situation.
'This type of management inevitably leads to collapse of the state,' the Prime Minister wrote.
Yanukovych remains legally elected president of Ukraine - Medvedev
Viktor Yanukovych has not been dismissed legally, so he remains legally the elected president of Ukraine, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.
'Yanukovych has not been dismissed legally, so this means, he remains a legally elected president stripped of power by force,' Medvedev said in a statement posted on his Facebook account.
Representatives of 'Maidan, sitting in the government and [Verkhovna] Rada, political functionaries in Kyiv and our western partners' should realize this, the prime minister said.
Yanukovych's indecision doomed Ukrainian people to suffer - Medvedev
Viktor Yanukovych's indecision caused sufferings to Ukrainian people, who were entitled to peacefully protest against the authorities' arbitrary rule, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.
'The [Ukrainian] authorities' impotence, President Yanukovych's personal weakness and indecision doomed the people of Ukraine to great sufferings. The people who took to the streets had the right to peacefully protest against corruption and arbitrary rule,' Medvedev said in a statement available on his Facebook account.
'This doesn't negate the fact that seizing power through an armed riot and through violence and murder is unacceptable,' he said.
Russia cannot be punished, proper relations can be built - PM Medvedev
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has expressed hope that reason will prevail in relations between the international community and Russia following the events in Ukraine, as was the case after the 'difficult decisions' in August 2008.
'I hope reason will prevail today as well. Russia cannot be punished. But it is possible to build proper relations with Russia,' Medvedev said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
After the August 2008 events, when, as president of Russia at the time, I had to make a decision to use Russian Armed Forces in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the international community, too, had to discuss how to build relations with Russia, Medvedev recalled.
'I have to admit that all our partners managed, albeit with some difficulty, to find a balanced line of behavior with Russia in that period. This ensured stable international development in the following years, including our efforts as a G20 member to tackle the global economic crisis, security and regional issues,' Medvedev said.
The decisions to introduce Russian troops to Abkhazia and South Ossetia were difficult, but 'further events proved: there was no other way,' Medvedev said.
Russia's goal is friendly relations with Ukraine, not escalation of situation - PM Medvedev
Crimea and Sevastopol have made their choice, now all of us need to think how to move on, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev said. According to him, no one in Russia wants to aggravate the situation, and Moscow's goal is friendly relations with Ukraine and other neighbors.
'The people of Crimea (Russians, Ukrainians, and Tatars) expressed their position at the referendum. The referendum is history already. So are the decisions adopted at it. Now it is important to think of how to move on. Taking into account the current political and legal realities. This applies to all. The so-called new government in Kiev. The leadership of the Western countries. Russia in general and its new territories,' the head of the Russian government wrote on his page in Facebook on Friday.
'None of us wants to aggravate the situation. On the contrary, our goal is friendly relations with Ukraine and other neighbors of Russia. And, of course, harmonious development of Crimea and Sevastopol in the structure of our state,' he stressed.
Voice of Russia, Interfax, RIA
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