As Ukraine’s acting President Oleksandr Turchynov told parliament on Tuesday that the military was engaged in an “anti-terrorist operation” in the east of the country, Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev warned against the use of force and said that Ukraine is again “on the brink of civil war.”
Pro-Russian activists in cities across the east have risen up against Kiev’s authority, with many calling for the opportunity to vote on their continued inclusion in Ukraine.
“Overnight, an antiterrorist operation began in the north of Donetsk. But it will be phased, responsible and balanced,” Turchynov announced, according to the Interfax news agency. “The purpose of the actions, I stress once again, is to protect the citizens of Ukraine.”
According to CNN, “A spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Evgen Rojenyuk, confirmed that a National Guard battalion made up of 350 troops was sent to eastern Ukraine from Kiev on Tuesday morning.”
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Updates to follow….
(11:25 AM EST):
The Guardian reports:
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(11:18 AM EST):
RIA-Novosti, the Russian state-run news agency, reports:
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Previous ultimatums from Kiev for the pro-Russian activists to relinquish their positions had gone unfulfilled. But as the New York Times reports, “The first indication that the operation represented more than just words this time was a modest Ukrainian military checkpoint established on a highway north of the town of Slovyansk, which has been controlled by militants since Saturday.”
Witnesses confirmed to the Times that a dozen armored personnel carriers were parked on the highway and flying Ukrainian flags about 25 miles, north of the town, but that “no credible reports of confrontations” had yet occurred.
In a phone call Monday night, President Obama spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and again warned that further sanctions would be imposed by the west if Moscow did not end its interference in eastern Ukraine. Putin, however, rebuffed Obama’s claims of Russian interference and said that it was incumbent on the U.S. and its European allies to use their influence with the government in Kiev to make sure violence does not break out.
In a statement made from Beijing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Ukraine’s decision to use military action against the uprisings in the east as “unacceptable.” He reiterated Putin’s claim as well, saying that Moscow’s involvement among the Pro-Russian activists in eastern cities was “the biggest load of nonsense I have ever heard.”
Media outlets report that Russia has threatened to cancel international talks scheduled for later this week if Ukraine follows through with its threat to oust those occupying government buildings.
In a related development, the White House confirmed on Monday that CIA chief John Brennan did visit Kiev over the weekend, though spokesman Jay Carney would not detail who he met or why, exactly, he was there. As the AP reports: “Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is accusing the CIA of being behind the new government’s decision to turn to force. But the CIA denies that Brennan encouraged Ukrainian authorities to conduct tactical operations.”
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