Ukrainian Riots Accelerating

[Lauren Johnson]

The civil war escalates:

Graham Phillips is a British freelance journalist living in Ukraine. These are tweets by him during the last three hours. The last one just 15 minutes ago.

• Reports of 5 killed in shooting in the night here in #Sloviansk - working to confirm that now - http://rt.com/news/slavyansk-checkpoint-shooting-killed-640/ … #Ukraine #Russia
  
• En route to hospital here in #Sloviansk to confirm those reports of deaths in the night - http://rt.com/news/slavyansk-checkpoint-shooting-killed-640/ … #Ukraine #Russia
  
• Pretty extreme scenes out here, reports of up to 5 killed outside #Sloviansk. pic.twitter.com/XK4egOpj1m
  
• Bullets littering the ground as anti-Kiev activists say they were victims of a 'military style attack'. #Sloviansk pic.twitter.com/MLSCEu5xa3
  
• Mood here, some 6km outside #Sloviansk - shock, sadness. Working to find identities of those killed. pic.twitter.com/Yw0hmockuM
  
• I'm here reporting with @RT_com - latest report from ground there soon, will also put some video up to my YouTube channel asap. #Sloviansk
  
• New video - here's by the scene of shooting out at #Sloviansk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agzGDcRldoc … #Ukraine #Russia
  
• Number plates of 2 destroyed cars (reported convoy of 4 originally) displayed - Ukrainian. #Sloviansk pic.twitter.com/v0fEcDh1hT
  
• Now 'self-defence' with guns here, but sitting as seem to be in state of shock at this 'Easter massacre' as one says. pic.twitter.com/hXq9gRTYeg
  
• If these death reports are confirmed, this marks the bloodiest escalation of violence yet here in the east of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/9ZkiQwEWj1
  
• Here filming for @RT_com holding bullets - they are all over the ground here, along with bloodstains. #Sloviansk pic.twitter.com/bhaUDaRo7K
  
• New video - a walk right through scene of #Sloviansk shooting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0RnVhw2shI … #Ukraine #Russia
  
• 1/2 Reports from ground here in #Sloviansk - 4 cars approached at 1am, opened fire on unarmed anti-Kiev activists. 3 killed immediately.
  
• 2/2 Armed anti-Kiev activists quickly to scene returned fire, destroyed 2 vehicles, reports of 2 deaths on other side, they say Pravy Sektor
  
• This was filmed to air on @RT_com , member of self-defence holds up bullets and gives interview as to what happened. pic.twitter.com/6GdqJapCB9
  
• Member of 'self-defence' holds up spent bullet casing in #Sloviansk pic.twitter.com/cJZdc0C3V9
  
• New video - a close-up look at the cars destroyed when fire was returned by anti-Kiev activists here in #Sloviansk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgAHiW5KGSk …
  

This is very bad news. The OSCE had reported that Pravyi Sektor paramilitaries were moving to the eastern Donbass region. It looks like they have arrived.

It seems the U.S. neocons found out that they can not have the Ukraine and are responding like they always do. "Can't have it? Will destroy it!"

This is likely the beginning of an intense civil war in Ukraine. One that is sure to draw external powers into it. Let us not forget who started this. The EU made an "offer" to Yanukovich which could not accept without destroying the Ukrainian economy, especially the eastern industries. When he rejected the "offer" a "color revolution" was instigated in Kiev and the democratically elected Yanukovich was removed by force. The new coup government, a mixture of oligarchs and western Ukrainian fascists, wants to suppress the Russian affine eastern Ukraine. The east responded by calling for greater regional autonomy.

It seems it will now have to fight for such.

Easter is the highest holiday in the Orthodox believe prevalent in eastern Ukraine. Today's killings will therefore reverb deeply in the soul of the people living there. Some people will surely feel the need to "actively" respond to this incident which again guarantees even further escalation. Do not expect any "western" politician to step back from this and to call on the coup government in Kiev to calm things down. We will rather likely see more bellicosity towards Russia and the people it supports.

Posted by b on April 20, 2014 at 05:24 AM | Permalink