Russia wants to start third world war, says Ukraine

Russia wants to start third world war, says Ukraine

... Excerpt

theguardian.com, Friday 25 April 2014

Prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk accuses Moscow of acting like a gangster by aiming to occupy Ukraine 'militarily and politically'

 The Ukrainian prime minister, Arseny Yatseniuk, has accused Russia of wanting to start a third world war by occupying Ukraine "militarily and politically".

"The world has not yet forgotten world war two, but Russia already wants to start world war three," he told his interim cabinet in remarks broadcast live. "Attempts at military conflict in Ukraine will lead to a military conflict in Europe."

In some of the strongest language he has used so far during the crisis, Yatseniuk accused Moscow of acting like a gangster supporting terrorists.

"It is clear that Russia's goal is to wreck the election in Ukraine, remove the pro-western and pro-Ukrainian government and occupy Ukraine politically as well as military," he added.

Both sides have deployed troops close to their frontier.

Yatseniuk took office in February after pro-European protests prompted the Kremlin-backed president to flee to Russia.

Ukraine plans to hold an election on 25 May to replace Viktor Yanukovich, but the Russian-speaking east of the country has been disrupted by pro-Moscow militants who have taken over the city of Slavyansk and public buildings elsewhere, demanding to follow Crimea and be annexed by Russia.

Russia denies involvement in the protests but has denounced the Ukrainian government, which it says is illegitimate and backed by Ukrainian nationalists it describes as fascists, and has threatened to step in to protect ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers in Ukraine.

Yatseniuk called on Moscow to fulfil its obligations to persuade activists in eastern Ukraine to lay down arms under a four-way agreement signed last week in Geneva by the two governments, as well as Ukraine's US and EU allies.

"Russia's support for terrorists and bandits who torture peaceful citizens is an international crime. It is a crime against humanity," added the prime minister.

Ukraine's state security service has accused Russian intelligence officers operating in Ukraine, and the separatist leader in Slavyansk, of involvement in the torture and murder of a local councillor from Yatseniuk's Batkivshchyna (fatherland) party.

He said Kiev was still waiting for a response to an official request for details of Russian military exercises on the border. It made the request through Europe's OSCE security body and set a deadline of Saturday.

Yatseniuk said: "If the United States, the European Union and the entire international community continues to be united and act together to compel Russia to fulfil its obligations, then we will maintain the peace, stability and international security system that Russia wants to destroy."