Ukraine Launches Airstrike on Pro-Moscow Rebels
Ukraine's president-elect said Monday he wants to begin talks with
Moscow and end a pro-Russia insurgency in the east, but the rebels
escalated the conflict by occupying a major airport, and the government
in Kiev responded with an airstrike.
As darkness fell in Donetsk, a city of about 1 million in eastern
Ukraine, it was unclear who was in control of the airport. Hundreds of
fighters of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic had been brought by
trucks to a wooded area on the fringes of the airport, many of them
armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and automatic rifles. At
least one warplane streaked over the city, firing flares, and explosions
were heard from the direction of the airport.
Early Tuesday, the DPR said on its Twitter account that a truck carrying
wounded from the airport area came under fire and that the driver was
killed.
The rebels, who declared independence for Donetsk and the neighboring
Luhansk region after a hastily called and dubious referendum two weeks
ago, regarded Sunday's election of candy tycoon Petro Poroshenko as
president to be illegitimate.
In a victory speech, the billionaire promised to open a dialogue with
residents of eastern Ukraine and to guarantee their rights. The rebels
and many others in the region say they fear the February ouster of
pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych will lead to the repression of
its predominantly Russian-speaking population by Ukrainian nationalists.
Poroshenko also said he would not negotiate with armed insurgents that he calls terrorists.
"Peace can only be achieved through a dialogue with people," he said
Monday. "This process cannot be stopped with the use of arms only; arms
can be used exclusively against killers and terrorists."
Russia has heavily criticized an offensive by Ukraine's military against
the rebels, and Poroshenko indicated he wants it to end quickly.
"The anti-terrorist operation cannot and should not last two or three months," he said. "It should and will last hours."
But aggression by rebels, as at the Donetsk airport, could make it impossible for Ukrainian forces to back off.
News reports said scores of armed insurgents descended on the airport
about 3 a.m., and all flights were canceled. Heavy gunfire broke out,
Ukrainian fighter jets and helicopters flew overhead, and dense black
smoke rose in the air.
Vladislav Seleznyov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian operation, wrote on
his Facebook account that the military had given an ultimatum to the
gunmen occupying the airport to disarm. They didn't comply, he said, and
the military launched an airstrike.
Denis Pushilin, a leader of the separatists, said they sent their men to
the airport after some of their supporters were detained, but news
reports cited the airport's press service as saying the insurgents were
demanding Ukrainian forces be withdrawn from around the facility.
Donetsk news outlets, citing an unidentified health official, reported
that two people were injured and one person killed by gunfire at the
city's main train station. In Slovyansk, a city about 100 kilometers (60
miles) to the north that has seen sustained clashes, an Associated
Press reporter saw the bodies of an elderly woman and a young man
following mortar fire from a government position.
Sunday's presidential balloting was praised by international observers
as a "genuine election," saying it was held freely and fairly.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered