As Eastern Ukrainians in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk
vote on their future the world watches on and tensions run high. Reports are already
coming in of clashes in Krasnoarmeysk leaving one dead and others injured as
National Guardsmen open fire.
According to reports from journalists on the ground the
bloodshed took place after guardsmen shut down voting in the referendum which
could see the region split from Ukraine. The shooting has already started to
raise questions about how much control the Ukrainian government in Kiev has
over the pro-Ukrainian forces in the region.
Monika Kalinowska,@mkalinowskaa, who was visiting the area,
reported on Twitter that she had witnessed the shootings from the Guardsmen. “Before
the shooting took place in Krasnoarmeysk people were negotiating with the ‘national
guards in the adm building,” she tweeted prior, adding “they have told people
that they are here peacefully and were asking for cigarettes, next thing we
know they are starting shooting.”
With the voting stations now closed and the counting started
there are hopes in the region that the situation will start to calm tonight
ahead of tomorrow’s announcement, however, with Ukrainian officials reasserting
their stance that the referendums are illegal these hopes seem slim.
“This is a step into the abyss for the regions,” warned Ukrainian
acting President Oleksandr Turchynov yesterday (Saturday).
Meanwhile the escalation of fighting in the region comes as
reports state that 400 Blackwater Mercenaries arrived in the area to support
pro-Ukrainian forces. Blackwater has been surrounded by controversy following
accusations of killing civilians while deployed in Iraq. Western governments’, including America,
Britain, France and Germany, have condemned the referendums as illegal and
threatened harsh sanctions against Russia if they are allowed to be recognised.
Not everyone in the international community is taking the
same stance. Venezuelan authorities have already warned that they will not back
any efforts in Ukraine. In a statement released to the media officials from the
Foreign Ministry said that they would “not recognise as legal a government that
emerged as a result of a state coup. In view of the regrettable developments of
events in Ukraine, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela confirms that it
rejects violent processes that, with the support of the United States and NATO,
led to the overthrow of the government, jeopardising the peace and the unity of
the Ukrainian people as well as the stability of the entire Eurasian region.”
Until the votes are counted and the results announced
tomorrow (Monday) both sides of the debate will be left powerless to do
anything more than take part in a war of words. For the people on the ground
the situation may take a far more deadly turn.
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