KIEV/MOSCOW , APR 13 -
Armed separatists took control of a city in eastern Ukraine
on Saturday and Kiev prepared troops to tackle what it called an "act
of aggression by Russia", pushing the conflict between the neighbors
into a dangerous new phase.
Pro-Russian activists carrying automatic weapons seized government
buildings in Slaviansk, a town about 150 km (90 miles) from the Russian
border, and set up barricades on the outskirts of the city.
In Kramatorsk, some 80 km (50 miles) to the north, gunmen seized the
police station after a shootout with police, a Reuters witness said.
Government buildings in several other towns in the Donetsk and Luhansk
regions were attacked in what Washington said were moves reminiscent of
the events that preceded Russia's annexation of Ukraine 's Crimean peninsula.
"We are very concerned by the concerted campaign we see under way in eastern Ukraine
today by pro-Russian separatists, apparently with support from Russia,
who are inciting violence and sabotage and seeking to undermine and
destabilize the Ukrainian state," said Laura Lucas Magnuson, spokeswoman
for the White House National Security Council.
"We saw similar so-called protest activities in Crimea before Russia's
purported annexation," she said in a statement, adding: "We call on
President (Vladimir) Putin and his government to cease all efforts to
destabilize Ukraine , and we caution against further military intervention."
Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Kiev on April 22 to show support for Ukraine
's government, the White House said on Saturday. He will be the most
senior U.S. official to visit the country since the crisis began there.
The West accuses Russia of destabilizing the region as a pretext to
potentially sending in troops to protect the local Russian-speaking
population, as it did in Crimea. NATO says Russian armed forces are
massing on Ukraine 's eastern border, while Moscow says they are on normal maneuvers.
Any escalation would increase the risk of a "gas war" that could disrupt energy supplies across Europe.
'DISPLAY OF AGGRESSION'
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov called the attacks in the east "a display of external aggression from Russia."
"Units of the interior and defense ministries are implementing an operational response plan," he added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine
was "demonstrating its inability to take responsibility for the fate
of the country" and warned that any use of force against Russian
speakers "would undermine the potential for cooperation" including talks
due to be held on Thursday among Russia, Ukraine , the United States and the European Union.
In a phone call with Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry "made
clear that if Russia did not take steps to de-escalate in eastern Ukraine and move its troops back from Ukraine 's border, there would be additional consequences," a senior State Department official said.
The official did not state what the consequences would be.
The United States and EU have slapped sanctions on Russian officials
and leading business figures in response to Moscow's annexation of
Crimea. The Canadian government said on Saturday it imposed sanctions on
two more individuals and a Crimean oil and gas company in response to
the crisis.
Moscow has scoffed at the Western measures.
In Slaviansk, at least 20 men with pistols and automatic weapons took
over the police station and a security service headquarters before
spreading out through the city.
Officials said the militants, wearing mismatched combat fatigues,
balaclavas and bulletproof vests, seized hundreds of pistols from
weapons stores in the buildings.
The city's mayor said she supported the protesters, and more than a
thousand people gathered in front of the police station, chanting:
"Moscow, Crimea, Russia!".
They cheered as the Ukrainian flag was replaced with the blue, black and red of the self-declared Donetsk Republic.
"We want to join Russia. We would be very grateful if Russia helps us,"
said a gunman who gave his name as Alexander, wearing camouflage
fatigues and a black balaclava mask.
"We will stand until victory. Honestly, it's not scary for me to die for freedom."
On a road into Slaviansk, men with automatic rifles set up a roadblock and checked vehicles entering the city.
It was unclear if local law enforcement agencies were taking orders from Kiev any more after the regional police chief quit.
Kostyantyn Pozhydayev came out to speak to pro-Russian protesters at
his offices in the regional capital, Donetsk, and told them he was
stepping down "to avoid bloodshed".
Ukrainian commentator Sergei Leshchenko said the burst of activity by
pro-Russian groups was an attempt by the Kremlin to secure a strong
negotiating position before the international talks about Ukraine in Geneva next week.
Russia is expected to argue at the talks for a revamp of Ukraine 's constitution to give a large degree of autonomy to eastern Ukraine , something Kiev and its Western backers reject.
"Russia will come to the talks with the position that 'Donetsk and
several neighboring regions are already ours - now let's talk about
federalization'," said Leshchenko, a commentator with the Ukrainska
Pravda newspaper.
'GAS WAR'
With the crisis in Ukraine still unresolved, the gas dispute threatens to affect millions of people across Europe.
A large proportion of the natural gas that EU states buy from Russia is
pumped via Ukrainian territory, so if Russia makes good on a threat to
cut off Ukraine for non-payment of its bills, customers farther west will have supplies disrupted.
Russia is demanding Kiev pay a much higher price for its gas, and
settle unpaid bills. Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom and its
Ukrainian counterpart, Naftogaz, are in talks, but the chances of an
agreement are slim.
"I would say we are coming nearer to a solution of the situation, but one in the direction that is bad for Ukraine ," Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan said in an interview with the German newspaper Boersenzeitung.
"We are probably steering towards Russia turning off its gas provision," he was quoted as saying.
That raised the specter of a repeat of past "gas wars", when Ukraine 's gas was cut off with a knock-on effect on supplies to EU states.
The scope for compromise narrowed after the Naftogaz chief executive
told a Ukrainian newspaper that Kiev was suspending payments to Gazprom
pending a conclusion of talks on a new deal.
Ukraine has de facto stopped payments already because it failed to make an installment of over $500 million due this month to Gazprom.
Moscow says it does not want to turn off Ukraine
's gas if it can be avoided, and that it will honor all commitments to supply its EU customers.
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