Kiev to send special forces into Odessa against

pro-Russians
MONDAY 05 MAY 2014
A new special forces unit will go
into the Ukrainian city of Oessa following the police!s failure to stop a wa"e of
"iolence o"er the weeken that kille o#ens$ the country!s interior %inister says&
Arsen Avakov accused the police, who failed to tackle pro-Russian
separatists, of having acted in an "outrageously, possibly in a criminal
fashion". He added: "he !honour of the uniform! will offer no cover."
"krainian leaders warned that they see the police force across wide areas
of the country as unreliable in the face of rebellion they say is backed by
#oscow and led on the ground by Russian special forces, according to
Reuters.
he fighting in $dessa, which is much further west than the other areas
held by pro-Russian separatists, is seen as an especially worrying escalation
for %iev. "ntil now, pro-Russian separatists "krainian leaders say are
backed by #oscow were taking over in largely Russian speaking areas.
$dessa, however, has a broad ethnic mi& from Russians and "krainians to
'eorgians and atars. (t is a key city of one million people with a grand
history as the cosmopolitan southern gateway for the tsars! empire, has two
ports, including an oil terminal, and is an important transport hub.
An escalation of the violence in the city would also heighten )estern
concern that "kraine, already culturally divided between an industrial,
Russian-speaking east and a more westward looking west, could
disintegrate.
%iev accuses #oscow of being behind a plan to dismember "kraine, a
country the si*e of +rance. "krainian leaders will be desperate to get the
situation there under control as it fights battles further east.
,ut their efforts, in particular the use of some special forces groups, could
fuel anger among the government!s opponents, who accuse it of promoting
"fascist" militant groups, such as Right -ector, which took part in the %iev
uprising over the winter.
!Oessa is a 'ussian city!
Reuters reported that %iev!s anger on #onday focused on the $dessa police
decision to release ./ largely pro-Russian militants after supporters
besieged and stormed a police station on -unday.
he crowd of several hundred chanted "$dessa is a Russian city0" Russian is
the first language of many of its residents.
As the first of the funerals of those who died in fighting in $dessa were due
to take place on #onday, the battle continued further east near -laviansk. A
Reuters correspondent said gunfire seemed to be coming closer to the city
centre.
he agency reported that at least two separatist armoured personnel
carriers and several rebels fled the area, where almost continuous gunfire
had been heard since morning.
"(n the morning, a s1uad in the anti-terrorist operation was hit by an
ambush by terrorist groups. hey are using heavy weapons," Avakov was
1uoted as saying by (nterfa&-"kraine news agency near -laviansk.
He said there were fatalities on the "krainian side but did not say how
many.
And a spokesman for 'erman chancellor Angela #erkel said that a
referendum on secession planned by pro-independence campaigners in the
eastern city 2onetsk would violate the country!s constitution.
-teffen -eibert told a news conference: "-uch a referendum, against the
"krainian constitution, does not calm things down but escalates them." He
added that the people who called the vote had no democratic legitimacy.