In Donetsk and Kharkov, local militias supported by large crowds in the streets had occupied Ukraine Security Service (SBU) offices over the weekend, as well as the Donetsk regional government building. Acting President Alexander Turchynov charged that these were Russian-backed separatist "saboteurs," language that was echoed by U.S. State Department spokesman Jen Psaki.
In an afternoon statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkov, while continuing to believe that stabilization of Ukraine will only be achieved through constitutional reform that includes "federalization" - extensive autonomy for different regions of the country. It accused Kiev of irresponsibility and failure to give cogent answers to "legitimate demands" from the population. Saying that "it is time to quit blaming Russia," the Foreign Ministry called for international efforts, especially on the part of Germany, France and Poland, which had witnessed the government-opposition agreement of Feb. 21 - just before the coup - to "promote a genuine national dialogue of all political and regional forces in Ukraine."
In the evening, the Russian official agency Itar-TASS reported that Lavrov had delivered the same call for national dialogue to Acting Foreign Minister of Ukraine Andriy Deshchitsa, by phone, offering to support such a process alongside the USA and the EU. Lavrov called on Kiev "to respect the aspirations of the inhabitants of southeastern Ukraine" and not react with force against "legitimate demands" for linguistic and socioeconomic rights. Itar-TASS cited ousted Kharkov Governor Mikhail Dobkin, now running as the Party of Regions nominee in the Presidential elections, saying that the protests in the eastern cities stem from "a refusal to conduct a dialogue with the population in these regions."
Politicians rushed from Kiev to the east, including Batkivshchyna candidate Yulia Tymoshenko arriving in Donetsk today, while Security and Defense Council Secretary Andriy Paruby was in Kharkov. Amid reports that units of the new National Guard had been deployed in these cities, Turchynov announced in the evening that the buildings had been retaken. Acting Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov, according to Russian and Ukrainian media, posted on Facebook that special forces from other parts of the country had been sent in, because "they were prepared to operate without being influenced by local nuances."
The latest Russian statement of tonight, dated April 8, refers to these deployments. According to Itar-TASS, the Foreign Ministry"is calling for an immediate halt to any military preparations in Ukraine, which are fraught with the danger of unleashing a civil war in the country.
It specified:
"According to information received, units from the Internal Affairs forces and the National Guard of Ukraine, including guerrillas from the illegal armed organization Right Sector, are streaming into the southeastern areas of Ukraine, including Donetsk. It is of special concern that around 150 American specialists from the private military firm Greystone are involved in this operation; they are wearing uniforms of Sokol [special forces] units. It is reported that their mission is the forcible suppression of protests by residents of the southeast against the policies of those currently holding power in Kiev. The organizers and participants in this provocation bear enormous responsibility for creating threats to the rights, freedoms, and life of Ukrainian civilians and to the stability of the Ukrainian state."
Whom do you believe?
Somebody is fibbing, for they cannot both be right.
They might both be seeking to take advantage.
Only for the bumbling West, it seems to play into Russia's hands every go-around.
Watching the West act is like watching the Keystone Cops: mishaps and confusion are their norm.