Russian President Vladimir Putin today issued multiple statements condemning the Ukrainian government’s military offensive against eastern protesters, warning they were “anti-constitutional” and bringing the nation to the brink of civil war.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev made similar comments, saying he hoped Ukraine’s interim government, which he reiterated Russia won’t recognize as legitimate, “has brains to avoid driving the country to such shocks.”
Ukraine has presented the offensive against its eastern provinces as an “anti-terrorist” operation, but is really targeting protesters, many of them ethnic Russians, who are calling for either increased autonomy or outright secession from the Ukraine.
After the secession of Crimea, many in the Ukraine interim government believe they need to be pro-active top prevent future secession, though as has been seen elsewhere, military offensives against protests have a tendency to increase resentment and drive the demonstrators to more militant stances.
Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
- Spanish Prosecutors Formally Accuse Catalan Separatists of Sedition - September 22nd, 2017
- Thousands More Spanish Police Arrive for Catalonia Crackdown - September 22nd, 2017
- US-Made Bomb Killed 16 Civilians in Yemen's Capital - September 22nd, 2017
- Aides Warned Trump Not to Personally Attack Kim at UN - September 22nd, 2017
- Official: US Takes North Korean Pacific H-Bomb Threat Seriously - September 22nd, 2017
