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Two weeks on, Kiev has no answer to separatists in east

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On April 6, pro-Russian separatists first attacked public buildings in the east of Ukraine. Two weeks on, they now have an impressive arsenal of arms and control some 15 towns, with the Kiev government having no answer on how to regain control of the situation.

The separatist activists are notably occupying the regional administration building in the million-strong city of Donetsk, the former stronghold of ousted pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych.

They are also holding the town hall, police and security service headquarters in the city of Slovyansk north of Donetsk, as well as the security service headquarters in the city of Lugansk close to the border with Russia.

In all three cities, armed rebels guard the buildings protected by barricades made of tyres, barbed wire, sandbags, planks and paving stones.

Throughout eastern Ukraine, numerous road blocks have been put up by the pro-Russians for checks that are sometimes simply symbolic and sometimes more rigorous.

The armed activists have proclaimed a separatist "Republic of Donetsk" with its own flag that flutters -- sometimes alongside the Russian tricolour -- over the town halls in a dozen towns in the east of the country instead of the Ukrainian flag.

They have announced a "referendum" on May 11 to decide the fate of the region: whether to stay part of Ukraine as an autonomous region, declare independence or join Russia.

Generally, the Russian-speaking east and south of Ukraine have traditionally been far more pro-Moscow than the centre and west of the country.

But it is far from certain that all inhabitants of the region would be in favour of becoming part of Russia.

A pro-Russia activist holds a portrait of Stalin to protest a planned campaigning visit of  presiden...
A pro-Russia activist holds a portrait of Stalin to protest a planned campaigning visit of presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko to the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on April 22, 2014
Anatolii Stepanov, AFP

- 'They cannot restore order' -

Ukraine is still in shock after a lightning operation by Russia that resulted in the annexation of Crimea last month through a referendum overwhelmingly backed by locals.

Now it faces losing control of much of the east and south of the country, which, even more than Crimea, would represent a crumbling of Ukraine as a state.

The Kiev government on April 13 announced an anti-terrorist operation aimed at disarming the militants and regaining control of the official buildings.

But 10 days on, the operation has made almost zero progress on the ground.

Until now, no action has been undertaken to retake the buildings or the arms the pro-Russia militants have humiliatingly seized from the army soldiers sent to subdue them.

"The Kiev authorities have recognised that they receive no help from the local police forces," said Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta political studies centre in Kiev.

"The ultimatums from the authorities about the return of arms were just threats based on no real force.

"Is it that the authorities do not want to, or are unable to, restore order? I think that they cannot."

The impotence of the federal security forces is clear to anyone in the east of Ukraine. Apart from a few roadblocks, there is no active operation to be seen.

A pro-Ukraine supporter speaks to policemen during a rally in the center of the eastern city of Done...
A pro-Ukraine supporter speaks to policemen during a rally in the center of the eastern city of Donetsk on April 22, 2014
Anatolii Stepanov, AFP

And the police do nothing against the pro-Russian activists, who just put up their own roadblocks and barriers a few kilometres (miles) farther.

The Ukrainian army managed to thwart attacks on the airport in Kramatorsk near Slovyansk and against a barracks in the southeast in Mariupol. But they have launched no offensive to retake the region itself.

"The army showed in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk that it was impossible to produce a significant military operation on a territory where the large part of the population is hostile," said Fesenko.

A column of Ukrainian armoured personnel carriers found itself blocked last week by local residents of a village near Kramatorsk.

Six of the APCs were seized by pro-Russian activists, supported by militants who Kiev says are members of Russian special services, something Moscow repeatedly denies.

The other APCs lumbered back to their base after a humiliating day in which a unit of 100 paratroopers was blocked by a few dozen civilians.

"If the authorities had decided on the mass use of force, then this would have no doubt caused numerous victims among civilians," said Olexei Haran, director of political studies at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, underlining the difficulty of Kiev staging a military operation to retake east Ukraine in these conditions.

On April 6, pro-Russian separatists first attacked public buildings in the east of Ukraine. Two weeks on, they now have an impressive arsenal of arms and control some 15 towns, with the Kiev government having no answer on how to regain control of the situation.

The separatist activists are notably occupying the regional administration building in the million-strong city of Donetsk, the former stronghold of ousted pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych.

They are also holding the town hall, police and security service headquarters in the city of Slovyansk north of Donetsk, as well as the security service headquarters in the city of Lugansk close to the border with Russia.

In all three cities, armed rebels guard the buildings protected by barricades made of tyres, barbed wire, sandbags, planks and paving stones.

Throughout eastern Ukraine, numerous road blocks have been put up by the pro-Russians for checks that are sometimes simply symbolic and sometimes more rigorous.

The armed activists have proclaimed a separatist “Republic of Donetsk” with its own flag that flutters — sometimes alongside the Russian tricolour — over the town halls in a dozen towns in the east of the country instead of the Ukrainian flag.

They have announced a “referendum” on May 11 to decide the fate of the region: whether to stay part of Ukraine as an autonomous region, declare independence or join Russia.

Generally, the Russian-speaking east and south of Ukraine have traditionally been far more pro-Moscow than the centre and west of the country.

But it is far from certain that all inhabitants of the region would be in favour of becoming part of Russia.

A pro-Russia activist holds a portrait of Stalin to protest a planned campaigning visit of  presiden...

A pro-Russia activist holds a portrait of Stalin to protest a planned campaigning visit of presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko to the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on April 22, 2014
Anatolii Stepanov, AFP

– ‘They cannot restore order’ –

Ukraine is still in shock after a lightning operation by Russia that resulted in the annexation of Crimea last month through a referendum overwhelmingly backed by locals.

Now it faces losing control of much of the east and south of the country, which, even more than Crimea, would represent a crumbling of Ukraine as a state.

The Kiev government on April 13 announced an anti-terrorist operation aimed at disarming the militants and regaining control of the official buildings.

But 10 days on, the operation has made almost zero progress on the ground.

Until now, no action has been undertaken to retake the buildings or the arms the pro-Russia militants have humiliatingly seized from the army soldiers sent to subdue them.

“The Kiev authorities have recognised that they receive no help from the local police forces,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta political studies centre in Kiev.

“The ultimatums from the authorities about the return of arms were just threats based on no real force.

“Is it that the authorities do not want to, or are unable to, restore order? I think that they cannot.”

The impotence of the federal security forces is clear to anyone in the east of Ukraine. Apart from a few roadblocks, there is no active operation to be seen.

A pro-Ukraine supporter speaks to policemen during a rally in the center of the eastern city of Done...

A pro-Ukraine supporter speaks to policemen during a rally in the center of the eastern city of Donetsk on April 22, 2014
Anatolii Stepanov, AFP

And the police do nothing against the pro-Russian activists, who just put up their own roadblocks and barriers a few kilometres (miles) farther.

The Ukrainian army managed to thwart attacks on the airport in Kramatorsk near Slovyansk and against a barracks in the southeast in Mariupol. But they have launched no offensive to retake the region itself.

“The army showed in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk that it was impossible to produce a significant military operation on a territory where the large part of the population is hostile,” said Fesenko.

A column of Ukrainian armoured personnel carriers found itself blocked last week by local residents of a village near Kramatorsk.

Six of the APCs were seized by pro-Russian activists, supported by militants who Kiev says are members of Russian special services, something Moscow repeatedly denies.

The other APCs lumbered back to their base after a humiliating day in which a unit of 100 paratroopers was blocked by a few dozen civilians.

“If the authorities had decided on the mass use of force, then this would have no doubt caused numerous victims among civilians,” said Olexei Haran, director of political studies at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, underlining the difficulty of Kiev staging a military operation to retake east Ukraine in these conditions.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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