Ukraine appeared to be on the brink of civil war Wednesday as the battles between protesters and government forces that left blood in the streets of Kiev spread to other cities in the beleaguered country.
In Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Tarnopol, rebels determined to oust President Viktor Yanukovych took over government offices and battled security services.
In Lutsk, jeering activists captured the local governor Oleksandr Bashkalenko and handcuffed him to a stage in the central square.
Meanwhile, Yanukovych fired the head of his army and replaced him with the country’s chief naval officer after protesters seized control of Kiev’s main post office — and after clashes left 25 demonstrators dead in the capital.
SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA
Protesters fight government forces with Molotov cocktails and rocks on Tuesday in Kiev’s Independence Square.
PHOTOS: DEATH TOLL CLIMBS AS VIOLENT PROTESTS CONTINUE IN UKRAINE
Over in Sochi, Ukrainian pole-vaulting legend Sergei Bubka, who is heading his country’s team at the winter Olympics, pleaded with his people to resume peace talks.
“I am once again urging all parties to stop the violence, which puts our country on the brink of catastrophe,” Bubka said. “There is no ‘their’ Ukraine, or ‘your’ Ukraine. It is our Ukraine.”
But Yanukovych showed no sign of backing down and refused to negotiate — and ordered the rebels to get out of Kiev.
SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA
The bloody clashes killed 25 and injured 351 in Ukraine on Tuesday.
“I again call on the leaders of the opposition … to draw a boundary between themselves and radical forces which are provoking bloodshed and clashes with the security services,” he said in a statement.
RELATED: 25 DIE IN UKRAINE PROTESTS’ WORST DAY OF VIOLENCE: COPS
At the Kremlin, the minions of Russian president Vladimir Putin accused the West of attempting a “coup” and fomenting the revolt against Yanukovych.
In Ukrainian expat strongholds such as Chicago, rebel supporters warned that Putin could sent in troops to put down the uprising — and re-impose Russian rule on a country that has been independent for just 14 years.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
An anti-government protester shoots a homemade gun during ongoing clashes.
We are “very concerned, very worried,” said Pavlo Bandrisky of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.
Tuesday’s violence was the worst in nearly three months of anti-government protests that have paralyzed a country divided in loyalties between the West and Moscow.
Bloodshed prompted the European Union to threaten sanctions against Ukrainian officials who sicced the riot police on the protesters.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
In response to the violence, Ukraine’s top security agency declared a nationwide operation against ‘terrorists.’
“It is the political leadership of the country that has a responsibility to ensure the necessary protection of fundamental rights and freedoms,” said EU chief Jose Manuel Barroso. “It was with shock and utter dismay that we have been watching developments over the last 24 hours in Ukraine.”
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt flat-out blamed Yanukovych for the chaos in his country.
“Today, President Yanukovych has blood on his hands,” Bildt said.
RELATED: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOWS TO SCRAP ANTI-PROTEST LAWS THAT SPARKED CLASHES
STRINGER/REUTERS
Protesters break the door of the regional administration headquarters in the town of Uzhhorod in western Ukraine as the unrest spread.
Meanwhile, protesters in Kiev fought back with Molotov cocktails and rocks and forced their way into the post office in Independence Square, also known as the Maidan.
The sky was black with smoke from burning tires and the cobblestone streets were slick with blood.
“The revolution turned into a war with the authorities,” said Vasyl Oleksenko, 57. “We must fight this bloody, criminal leadership. We must fight for our country, our Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s top security agency — apparently seeking justification for cracking down harder — accused protesters of seizing hundreds of firearms from its offices and declared a nation-wide operation against “terrorists.”
DANYLO PRYHODKO/EPA
Riot police officers take a nap after bloody and volatile clashes with demonstrators.
RELATED: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT GOES ON SICK LEAVE
Yanukovych blamed the protesters for the violence and said the opposition leaders “crossed a line when they called people to arms.”
Not all of Ukraine is in revolt. Most of the anti-Yanukovych fighting was in the western part of the country, a big swath of which was Polish territory before World War II.
There, Ukrainians are demanding that Yanukovych resign and that the country loosen its ties to Russia and join the west.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
Anti-government protesters throw stones during clashes with riot police in Kiev’s Independence Square.
Yanukovych’s support is in eastern and southern Ukraine, where there is a large Russian minority and where ties to Moscow are stronger.
RELATED: UKRAINIAN ACTIVIST BADLY BLOODIED AFTER WEEK-LONG DISAPPEARANCE
The fighting erupted in late November after Yanukovych, struggling to right his country’s teetering economy, bended to Russian pressure and said no to a long-anticipated deal with the EU.
In exchange, Ukraine got a $ 15 billion bailout from Moscow.
With News Wire Services
csiemaszko@nydailynews.com
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
http://ift.tt/NbCjCr
via Great Local News: New York http://ift.tt/1iZiLP1
No comments:
Post a Comment