Gun battles claim two victims in struggle for power in Ukraine’s troubled east
Gun battles claim two victims in struggle for power in Ukraine’s troubled east
At least two people have been killed in gunfights today between Ukrainian
security officers and pro-Russian insurgents as the government in Kyiv tries
to regain its authority over east Ukraine.
It has begun an “anti-terror” operation that represents the most volatile
moment yet in the most serious confrontation between Russia and the West
since the Cold War.
A pro-Russian protester is reportedly among the dead and Moscow, which has
massed between 40,000 and 80,000 troops over the border, has repeatedly
emphasised its readiness to step in to defend the lives of Russian speakers
in Ukraine if it deems they are threatened.
Ban Ki Moon, the United Nations secretary-general, said he was deeply
concerned about the deteriorating situation and “the growing potential for
violent clashes”.
Arsen Avakov, the Ukraine interior minister, said that “Russian aggression”
was behind a series of weekend raids by heavily armed and well co-ordinated
groups of men