Blog 10: Ukrainian Forces Kill 3 Pro-Russian Demonstrators

Ukrainian Forces Kill 3 Pro-Russian Demonstrators

Summary:
Ukrainian security killed three pro-Russian activists, they wounded 13 and took 63 captive in a firefight overnight in the eastern city of Mariupol, on Thursday.A crowd made up of civilians as well as militants formed outside the base, the conflict indicated another challenge for the new government, as in other cases where pro-Russian groups have seized administrative buildings and police stations.In a glaring humiliation for the government, a military operation to confront pro-Russian militants in the east unraveled on Wednesday with the entire contingent of 21 armored vehicles that had separated into two columns surrendering or pulling back.The separatists are well armed and have been accompanied by bold local supporters, including unarmed civilians and elderly women, who mingle in front of and among the armed men.There are few signs that the Ukrainian military or the National Guard is trained or equipped for such crowd-control tactics. Ukraine disbanded the country’s riot police. The eastern protesters are also accompanied by far more heavily armed groups, which Western governments say include Russian soldiers or soldiers equipped by Russia.In Mariupol, the attackers opened fire on the perimeter guards at the base at about 300 people.Though gunshots were fired throughout the day and continued sporadically through the evening in Slovyansk. A pro-Russian militant climbed into the driver’s seat of one of the vehicles and spun it around on its tracks, screeching and roaring, to please the watching crowd.The events on Wednesday underscored the weakness of the new Ukrainian government as it begins critical talks about the country’s future with the United States, Russia and the European Union in Geneva on Thursday. The Ukrainian contingent that surrendered handed over their vehicles to men in unmarked green uniforms. They drove them to the central plaza of Slovyansk and parked them there for all to see.The acting head of the Fatherland party in Parliament, claimed that the armored vehicles had flown Russian flags as part of an ingenious subterfuge to get through pro-Russian crowds.Ukrainian news media quoted saying it was a “guerrilla approach” to infiltrate separatist-controlled areas through pro-Russian civilian mobs. Later, the Ukrainian military conceded that six vehicles had been captured but said nothing of the surrender of rifles from the other column.After the first column of six vehicles surrendered, the second, which consisted of 15 vehicles and a radio communication van, halted on the outskirts of the town .Elsewhere in Ukraine, armed pro-Russian separatists reportedly seized the City Hall building in the provincial capital of Donetsk. Militants blockaded an administrative building in Yanakiyeve. A Russian website, Regnum, citing an unnamed source identified as a Polish diplomat, reported that the deposed president, Mr. Yanukovych, intended to travel to eastern Ukraine over the weekend. Mr. Yanukovych has been living in Russia.In Brussels, the head of NATO said Wednesday that the alliance would strengthen its military presence in Eastern Europe.

Analysis:

Yesterday and today, marks one of the lethal and biggest days of protesting in Ukraine against Russian supporters. This is a hate crime and some call it "gorilla warfare" because of the actions with stealing cars and taking people, while killing 3 members that were pro Russia, and wounding many more. It sounds like a violent protest to me. This has gotten out of hand and shows how weak the Ukraine government is over its own people, due to the fact that they do not have a current president and are using outside sources like the United States to help their government for the mean time. Some say that this shows that because of U.S help and European help, that Ukraine is weak and lenient on other nations. This is a Global Issue because it represents what can potentially happen when Ukraine uses help from other countries. It seems as though the U.S and Europe are unwelcome there and can potentially hurt the U.S and European groups, because look what they did to pro-Russian people already. This can cause a War that we do not need as a whole World. It seems as though it has just begun since there are people captive this is just the beginning, because there will have to be actions done to retrieve the people back. Violence has now occurred, showing that violence will continue until each country gets what they want. This is not a good sign Globally, and if matters seem to get worse, It seems as though troops will be strengthened and cause a possible World War III this is not going to end well and can cause destruction of the world, if actions like this continue. Another point that this article made was the president of Ukraine who disappeared, was now found hiding in Russia, and is traveling back to Ukraine this weekend, this helps build the argument from weeks prior when they said that the beginning of it all and the feud between Ukraine and Russia was planned out to begin with, shows that this could be potentially true since Russia was hiding him from his own country. I find this sketchy and hard to believe what is going on between the two countries, I feel there is some inside scoop that no one knows. There are more complications to this than we know, and I feel like it will all blow up, causing more tension and more of a chance for war. This needs to settle down and stop the Global issues before it gets out of hand.