Ukraine creates ‘border’ around separatist zone
KYIV: Ukraine on Thursday announced passport controls around areas held by pro-Russian separatists in the latest step toward what resembles the breakup of the ex-Soviet republic, as heavy artillery fire erupted in Donetsk.
Ukraine’s border guards service said anyone crossing in or out of rebel areas will have to present a passport. Foreigners will “be sent to filtration points to determine the purpose of their visit” and will have “to show a passport or the required visa,” a statement said.
The rule was explained as a security measure to seal off the separatist region in the east, where artillery fire violated a tattered cease-fire deal on multiple occasions early Thursday.
However, the passport regime will create a de facto internal border, underscoring the Russian-backed guerrillas’ success in carving out two self-declared statelets centerd on Donetsk and Lugansk. Already, Ukraine has lost control of its real border with Russia, which is in the hands of separatist guerrillas and Russian troops.
In another sign that Ukraine’s government has given up regaining control of the east anytime soon, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Wednesday that subsidies and social payments, including pensions, would be halted to rebel-controled areas.
The developments in Kyiv came against a background of almost constant cease-fire violations, raising fears of a total breakdown in a peace plan signed in September.
Almost non-stop artillery fire rained down around the outskirts of Donetsk, where a shell killed two teenagers late Wednesday while they were playing football.
Russia’s investigative committee said it had opened a criminal case against Ukrainian forces over the incident, while Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said a case had been opened against the separatists. Given the frequent exchanges of artillery fire in the neighborhood, near the ruins of Donetsk’s former international airport, it was not possible to verify independently which side was responsible, AFP correspondents said.
Lysenko said that in the latest shelling across the conflict zone nine Ukrainian servicemen had been wounded. The separatists rarely release casualty figures.
He also repeated accusations that “Russian units and mercenaries” continued to cross into Ukraine. Russian denies directly aiding the rebels, although Russia soldiers and equipment have been frequently spotted by journalists in the conflict zone.
Officials said the passport regime will apply to the area of what the government calls the “anti-terrorist operation,” but did not specify the exact outlines of the zone.