Ukraine forces helpless in quelling unrest: Kiev
Iran Press TV
Wed Apr 30, 2014 4:50PM GMT
Ukraine's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov says the country's police and security forces are "helpless" in quelling pro-Russian protests in the east.
Turchynov made the comments in a meeting with regional governors on Wednesday.
'I will be frank: Today, security forces are unable to quickly take the situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions under control,' said Turchynov.
The acting president added that in some cases, the Ukrainian forces are either helping or cooperating with pro-Russian protesters.
Turchynov continued by saying that the ongoing security operations in eastern Ukraine are now aimed at preventing the protests from spreading to other regions.
The remarks by Turchynov come as the interim government has been conducting "anti-terrorist operations" in the country's eastern cities over the past two weeks in a bid to root out the pro-Russian demonstrations.
However, the pro-Russian protesters have instead tightened their grip on the east.
Earlier on Wednesday, pro-Russian forces seized the eastern city of Horlivka in the Donetsk region, after they took control of the city council building and the police headquarters.
The pro-Russian forces now control government buildings in about a dozen cities in eastern Ukraine, demanding local referendums on either independence or integration into Russia.
Pro-Russia protests gained momentum in Ukraine after Crimea declared independence from the former Soviet state and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum in March.
CAH/AB/SS
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