Russia Threatens Ukraine With ‘Irreversible Consequences’ Over Shelling Incident
Russia issued a strong threat to its Ukrainian neighbor on Sunday, warning of “irreversible consequences” in response to an alleged shelling across the border.
The Washington Post reports that the incident resulted in the death of a Russian civilian.
According to Russian news service ITAR-TASS, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry denied the accusations, saying in a statement that “Ukrainian servicemen have never shelled, are not shelling and will not shell territories of a neighboring state or residential quarters.”
The shelling occurred in the border city of Donetsk, which has been a rebel stronghold since former President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country earlier this year. The Russian government accuses the Ukrainian government of responsibility for “a shell [that] hit a private house killing one Russian resident and seriously wounding another two,” according to ITAR-TASS.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued its own statement Sunday, in which it said that “this incident highlights the extremely dangerous escalation of tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border and may have irreversible consequences, the responsibility for which lies on the Ukrainian side.”
But the Financial Times reports that “late on Sunday [Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko] accused Russia’s military of violating Ukrainian territorial integrity and waging attacks on its army as it advanced on pro-Russian separatists in breakaway eastern regions.”
According to CBS News, both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Poroshenko were expected to attend Sunday’s World Cup final in Brazil.
Ukraine’s army has seen some success in recent weeks in pushing into rebel-held areas in the eastern part of the country, but during that time peace talks with Russia have failed to advance. The Financial Times reports that Putin, while publicly denying any wish to invade Ukraine, has come under pressure from nationalists within his government.
The FT also quotes an Ukrainian army spokesperson as describing Russia’s statement as “groundless provocations,” and pointed to mounting evidence of Moscow’s involvement in arming and supporting the rebels.
“In past weeks their choppers and tanks have repeatedly briefly crossed the border on to Ukrainian territory,” the FT quoted Oleksiy Dmytriashkivsky as saying. He also pointed to “evidence to prove their supplying of military equipment” and “numerous Russian citizens hospitalized that were fighting on the rebel side.”
The shelling comes two days after an attack on Friday that left 23 Ukrainian soldiers dead. Poroshenko vowed revenge, saying, “For every life of our soldiers, the militants will pay with tens and hundreds of their own. Not one terrorist will evade responsibility, everybody will get what is coming to them.”
As the Washington Post pointed out, neither side could clearly explain how it was certain of its own account given the fact that both the rebels and Ukrainian army have the kind of heavy artillery that could be responsible.
The heightened tensions come just a week after rebels criticized Moscow for failing to provide more aide after the Ukrainian army made gains in the east.
Putin, in Brazil, said that “incidents where shells reach Russian territory, leading to today’s tragedy in the Rostov region, are unacceptable.” For its part, Ukraine said it was willing to cooperate in an investigation of the shelling.
[photo: Groundreport.com]
