Ukraine crisis: Russia 'to respond if its interests' attacked
BBC News online -- 23 April 2014
The BBC visits Ukrainian soldiers on the border with Russia
Russia
will respond if its interests in Ukraine are attacked, Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov has said, drawing a parallel with the 2008 Georgian war.
And in a statement, Russia's foreign ministry repeated its call for Ukraine to withdraw military units from the country's east.
Ukraine's government faces an armed revolt there by pro-Russia separatists.
Kiev and the West say Moscow commands gunmen in eastern Ukraine - something Russia denies.
In recent weeks, pro-Russian militants have seized administrative buildings in at least a dozen towns in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
They have installed their own officials, in similar tactics to those used to take over the Ukrainian region of Crimea earlier this year.
Pro-Russian gunmen largely control at least nine cities in Donetsk region
The Russian foreign minister said Moscow would defend its "legitimate interests"
Joe Biden had talks on Tuesday with Ukrainian leaders including PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk (r)At the scene
As you drive into Krasnoarmiisk, a large sign declares "Glory to the Coal Miners!".
This is an industrial town and people here are proud of their working tradition. One resident told me: "We're too busy working to play politics."
But not everyone is "too busy".
On the square outside the local administration building, 100 people gathered to demand a referendum on greater autonomy for the Donetsk region.
The town square meeting appeared to have been organised by activists from the city of Donetsk 70km (43 miles) away. Some of the local residents in the crowd seemed suspicious of the visitors.
An argument broke out in front of me between two ladies. One said she supported a united Ukraine and claimed the crowd was being "duped" by separatists; the other denounced the government in Kiev and praised Russia and the Soviet Union.
In his interview with Russia
Today, Mr Lavrov said it was "quite telling" that Kiev had re-launched
its "anti-terrorist" operation in the east on Tuesday during a visit by
US Vice-President Joe Biden.
"If our interests, our legitimate interests, the interests of
Russians have been attacked directly, like they were in South Ossetia
for example, I do not see any other way but to respond in full
accordance with international law," Mr Lavrov said.Russian fought a brief war with Georgia in the summer of 2008 after Georgia sent troops into the breakaway region of South Ossetia to regain control from the Russian-backed rebels.
Thousands of Russian troops have massed along Ukraine's borders in recent weeks.
Mr Lavrov also reiterated accusations that Kiev had failed to fulfil commitments laid out in the 17 April Geneva accord designed to end the crisis.
The Russian foreign ministry statement accused Kiev and the West of distorting the agreement, which called for illegal armed groups to be disarmed.
The ministry said the West insisted only on the need for pro-Russian groups to put down their weapons.
Unrest began in Ukraine last November over whether the country should look towards Moscow or the West.
Labels: Aggression, Conflict, Intervention, Russia, Threats, Ukraine, United States
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, April 23, 2014
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