In Donetsk, men
in the uniforms of Ukraine's, now-defunct riot police, Berkut, occupied police
headquarters. It was not immediately clear if the men who occupied the Donetsk
police building had made any demands. However, the Donetsk police chief was
forced to offer his resignation. Later on, pro-Russian protesters invited the
former police chief to resume his duties.
Similar
events happened in Slovyansk, a smaller town in the Donetsk region (150 km from the Russian
border). There, about 20 armed militants wearing mismatched
camouflage outfits took over the police and security services headquarters. So-called ‘green men’ were
reportedly just like those seen at the beginning of the Russian occupation of
Crimea. These men captured Hromadske TV and Lenta.ru journalists and forbade
them to remain near the buildings.
After these events the
Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs, Arseniy Avakov, said that the
Government is considering the facts of today as a display of external Russian
aggression. This is precisely the type of escalating tension and violence that
Russia has been waiting for to justify continuing Russian intervention in
Ukraine. Russia will not give up seeing Ukraine as a part of its political and
economic ambit.
Further, there is evidence
that the weapons that are being used by militants in the Donetsk Oblast are a
special series of Kalashnikov guns with grenade launchers. This type of
armament is owned only by armed forces of the Russian Federation.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian security
officials are preparing to implement an ‘operational response plan’. Meetings
between Ukrainian and Russian officials are scheduled for next Thursday.
Moreover, the US also announced that Joe Biden, American Vice-President, will
travel to Kyiv on 22 April to demonstrate the US support for the Ukrainian
government.
In
Kyiv, medics who volunteered on Maidan believe that the clashes on the square and
the related events throughout Kyiv ended up in a count of 780 fatalities. According
to a news briefing with volunteer medics in Kyiv: ‘this number includes 300 people who disappeared from the hospitals
(emergency hospitals and other medical institutions); they were taken away and
burnt in the crematories. These people have been asked for and have been looked
for but can not be found.’ Further, there were 200 people reported injured
at the Trade Union’s House in the Maidan square who could not be moved when it
was lit on fire (floors 4-8). The medics claim that in this case people were
burnt alive, also bodies were carried away by black VW mini-vans without plates
in unknown directions.
The extent of
the violence, and responsibility for the deaths, since November 2013 and
culminating in those days of Feb 18-20th continues to be
investigated. Ukrainians throughout the country continue in a state of trauma,
fear and profound mistrust of government and centralised power.
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