Separatist clashes continue in Ukrainian cities for second day

Clashes involving pro-Russian separatists extended for a second day on April 7 in several southeast Ukrainian cities. About 30 activists from both the pro-Russian and pro-EU sides were injured in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes told Hromadske Radio. An elderly man died during the unrest. A set of declared alternative council members will lead a referendum, the Ukrayinska Pravda news site reported, without specifying whether they are seeking federalism or joining the Russian Federation, as had been declared in Donetsk the prior day.

 

This morning, Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov announced law enforcement authorities were conducting anti-terrorist operations in the city, shutting down its center and the metro system. Avakov built his business in Kharkiv and served as its state oblast administration chair for five years, which the representative organ of the Presidential Secretariat.

 

In Mykolayiv, Ukraine’s shipbuilding center, more than 300 activists from both the pro-EU and pro-Russian sides took part in late night clashes involved stun grenades, fireworks and cartridges, resulting in numerous injuries. In Luhansk, the center of Ukraine’s easternmost region, separatists failed to muster enough citizens for a rally at the state oblast administration, reported Ukrayinska Pravda.

 

Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man and resident of Donetsk, visited the separatists on April 7 to call on them to negotiate with the Kyiv government, reported the Ukrayinska Pravda news site. The separatists reportedly selected Akhmetov to lead a Donbas committee to set forth the people’s demands. “What do the people want? Government needs to be in the regions. Moreover, so that we’re not told what language to speak and what church to attend,” he reportedly said. “What’s our task? To invite the government and say, ‘There is Donbas and it needs to be heard’.” He called upon the separatists not to storm the government buildings.

 

Separatists stormed the Luhansk office of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in order to destroy the records of investigations into the oblast’s biggest businessman, Oleksandr Yefremov, another local businessmen, Volodymyr Landik, told espresso.tv. The separatists numbered no more than 50 and were brought from Russia, he alleged. Yefremov denied his involvement in organizing the raid on the SBU offices.

 

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on April 7 to inform him that the U.S. government is monitoring the events in southeastern Ukraine, which he said don’t look spontaneous but a “carefully orchestrated campaign with Russian support,” said on April 7 Jen Psaki, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department. “He called on Russia to publicly disavow the activities of separatists, saboteurs and provocateurs, calling for de-escalation and dialogue, and called on all parties to refrain from agitation in Ukraine,” she said. The U.S. government has been relying on information provided by the Ukrainian government, not the Russians, she said. The Russian government organized the separatist takeovers of the last two days, Psaki said, with many involved being paid and not being local residents.

 

In response, Russia’s Foreign Ministry posted on its Facebook page on April 7 that Ukrainian law enforcement officers are descending on eastern cities to suppress violently the protests, with the support of Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary forces and 150 American Greystone private soldiers dressed as Ukrainian special forces. It called for halting such operations that could lead to civil war.

 

Zenon Zawada: The Ukrainian government is playing the situation well so far, avoiding exacerbating violent conflicts while dispatching law enforcement authorities in those moments when they can be effective in undermining the saboteurs. It’s performing so well that the Russians are resorting to lies and distortions to encourage the separatist activity.

 

At the same time, it’s disturbing to see local businessmen, like Akhmetov, working in conjunction with the Russian efforts, which is playing with fire. Certainly, Akhmetov isn’t interested in eastern Ukraine’s merger with Russia. His desire is to get more political power for the Donetsk region. So far, the interim Kyiv government hasn’t appeared to have started a dialogue with him, possibly not wanting to intimidate him and radicalize him further.

 

In the short term, we expect to see such conflicts will continue with the hope that they don’t escalate. In the long term, we do not rule out that Akhmetov will get the local autonomy he wants to pursue his business interests with Russia. Yet that could emerge as among the biggest threats to Ukraine’s Euro-integration efforts. So with Euro-integration, it seems inevitable that Akhmetov will have to relinquish his unlimited power on the Donetsk Oblast.