Ukraine prepares for 'full-scale' military offensive on militants

[Jefferson23]

Russian foreign ministry says Ukraine's decision is 'criminal,' plans to put issue before Security Council, while thousands of Russians protest Kremlin belligerence.

By Reuters and The Associated Press | Apr. 13, 2014 |

Ukraine's authorities plan to launch a "full-scale anti-terrorist operation" involving the army against pro-Russian separatist militants, the acting president said on Sunday.

Oleksander Turchinov said in a televised address to the nation that Russia was waging a war against Ukraine by sowing disorder in the east of the country, but he offered not to prosecute any militants who gave up their weapons by Monday morning.

Referring to the death of a state security officer and the wounding of other members of law-enforcement bodies in an earlier clash with pro-Russian militants near the town of Slaviansk, he said: "The blood of Ukrainian heroes has been shed in a war which the Russian Federation is waging against Ukraine."

"The aggressor has not stopped and is continuing to sow disorder in the east of the country," he said, referring to a rash of attacks on state buildings by pro-Russian militants in towns in Russia-speaking areas of the east.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/1.585483

[maddezmom]

1. This is getting uglier and uglier

[Jefferson23]

2. Very much so, yes...disturbing. n/t

[Igel]

3. They're taking Tusk's comments to heart.

And Lukashenko's criticism.

How could the Crimea be "Ukrainian" if not one Ukrainian was willing to fight for it? Lukashenko said he'd fight for Belorusian land, and Ukraine's response told him Crimea was de facto Russian.

Tusk's comments were more along the line of 'Russia will get away with whatever you let them get away with. Do nothing and they'll try to get away with more and more. Nobody's going to defend you more than you defend yourself.'


And, bluntly, in the case of Slov'ansk it's not a problem. Shots were fired and blood spilled by the "pro-Russians" in taking over the buildings. They drew first blood; they can't say their hands are clean, even if their mayor takes a bullhorn and declares that she spoke with the men inside the buildings and they said they were all from the Donetsk oblast. On the other hand, it's where they have the unis and firearms that mirror what the "Crimean self-defense forces" had--the forces whose conduct was such a credit to the Russian Army, according to Putin, after he withdrew the Russian Army forces and the self-defense forces and their equipment vanished.