Deadly Mariupol attack could spark new sanctions against Moscow
JTW News Analysis, Fatma elik
In eastern Ukraine, the city of Mariupol was the scene of escalating violence in which 30 died as a result of shelling by pro-Russian separatists on January 24. The Guardian quoted Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Sunday as stating that The intercepted radio and telephone conversations, which were given to me by Ukraine’s security services, irrefutably prove that the attack was conducted by the terrorists, who, unfortunately, are supported by Russia.
The attack appeared to come from a multiple-rocket launcher, which fires a large number of missiles over a spread-out area. “The city is in shock,” Mariupol resident Yelena Khorshenko said by telephone to the Ukrainian media, adding “The streets are empty, and people are boarding up their windows and preparing for the worst.” In Kyiv, hundreds gathered on the central square in memory of those who died in Mariupol. In addition to the 30 people killed, 95 people were wounded.
Saturdays attack on Mariupol, the main city standing between separatist occupied territory near the Russian border and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea that was annexed by Moscow in March, alarmed the West. European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini announced that EU foreign ministers would hold an “extraordinary” meeting in Brussels on Thursday to discuss Ukraine.
Some European leaders have recently talked of easing economic sanctions against Moscow. But, Donald Tusk, the former Polish prime minister who now serves as European Union President tweeted in a message, “Once again, appeasement encourages the aggressor to greater acts of violence. Time to step up our policy based on cold facts, not illusions.”
US President Barack Obama has also signaled that he was prepared to significantly increase US sanctions against the Kremlin as he considers all options that could isolate Russia short of military action. Obama told a news conference during a visit to India that We are deeply concerned about the latest break in the ceasefire and the aggression that these separatists with Russian backing, Russian equipment, Russian financing, Russian training, and Russian troops are conducting.
Obama additionally told reporters that I will look at all additional options that are available to us short of military confrontation and try to address this issue. And we will be in close consultation with our international partners, particularly European partners. He later went on to say, We have a profound interest, as I believe every country does, in promoting a core principle, which is: large countries dont bully smaller countries, they dont encroach on their territorial integrity, they dont encroach on their sovereignty. And thats whats at stake in Ukraine.
According to a UN report published on 9 January, some 5.2 million people live in conflict-affected areas and 1.4 million are considered “highly vulnerable and in need of assistance”. In Ukraine, more than a million people have fled their homes with 633,523 living as displaced persons within the country and 593,622 living abroad, mostly in Russia. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the fighting and more than 10,300 have been injured.