KIEV, April 16 (RIA Novosti) – Reports of Ukrainian armored vehicles hoisting Russian flags were a guerilla tactic to penetrate the federalist-held region, a member of the Batkyvshchina (Fatherland) Party claimed Wednesday.
“Those were units of our Armed Forces that sneaked into the region using a guerrilla tactic,” Ukraine’s UNIAN news agency cited Serhiy Sobolev as saying.
Earlier reporters indicated that crews of several armored vehicles of the Ukrainian army in the besieged towns of Slaviansk and Kramatorsk outside Donetsk had allegedly changed sides and raised Russian flags.
The vehicles had arrived as part of a division dispatched by Ukraine’s acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov to crack down on the rebellious region in an “anti-terror operation.”
At least four protesters were killed and two others wounded Tuesday as Ukrainian troops stormed an airfield in Kramatorsk, local pro-federalization supporters said.
Eastern Ukraine has been swept by rallies since last month. Federalization supporters in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Gorlovka, Slaviansk and Kramatorsk have refused to recognize the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian government and have urged interim authorities to hold referendums similar to the one in Crimea last month, which led to the republic’s reunification with Russia.
Russia condemned the decision by the new Ukrainian authorities to use force against the federalization supporters, saying it was an extremely unpleasant turn of events.
