Russia instigating unrest in Ukraine: Kiev
Iran Press TV
Mon Apr 7, 2014 12:23PM GMT
Ukraine's interim prime minister has blamed Russia for instigating unrest in major cities in the eastern part of the former Soviet state.
Speaking at an emergency Cabinet meeting on Monday, Arseniy Yatsenyuk alleged Moscow was behind seizures of several government buildings in eastern Ukrainian regions.
'The plan is to destabilize the situation, the plan is for foreign troops to cross the border and seize the country's territory, which we will not allow,' he said.
Yatsenyuk also warned that Russian troops remain stationed within a 30-kilometer (19-mile) zone from the Ukrainian border.
The remarks came a day after Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovych, the country's deposed president, over recent protests in eastern provinces.
On Sunday night, Pro-Russia protesters in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkiv stormed regional administration buildings, demanding the immediate release of detained activists as well as referendums to determine their future.
Pro-Russia rallies have been a common scene across eastern Ukrainian cities over the past weeks.
The demonstrations gained momentum after Ukraine's Crimean territory declared independence from the former Soviet state and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum on March 16, in which 96.8 percent of the participants voted for rejoining Russia, with a turnout of 83.1 percent.
On March 21, Putin signed into law documents that officially made the Black Sea peninsula part of the Russian territory despite condemnation from the West and the new Ukrainian government.
The move sparked angry reactions from the United States and the European Union, both imposing sanctions against a number of Russian officials and authorities in Crimea.
SSM/AB
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
