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Fighting Intensifies in Ukraine After Cease-Fire Is Ended Fighting Intensifies in Ukraine After Cease-Fire Is Ended
(about 1 hour later)
MOSCOW — Heavy fighting resumed in eastern Ukraine early Tuesday, including artillery shelling around the rebel-controlled city of Slovyansk, shortly after President Petro O. Poroshenko declared an end to a 10-day cease-fire and ordered government forces to renew their effort to squash the pro-Russian separatist insurrection in the east. MOSCOW — The simmering standoff in eastern Ukraine exploded in heavy fighting early Tuesday, with ground assaults and air bombardments by government forces throughout the region, including heavy artillery shelling around the rebel-controlled city of Slovyansk.
Mr. Poroshenko’s announcement, in a nationally televised statement after midnight, came on the heels of two consecutive days of conference calls with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany that failed to yield concrete steps toward a peace agreement. On Friday, European leaders issued an ultimatum to Russia, demanding that it do more to end the violence caused by the rebels in eastern Ukraine. But attacks on government forces continued. The fighting broke out shortly after President Petro O. Poroshenko declared an end to a 10-day cease-fire and ordered government forces to renew their effort to quash the pro-Russian separatist insurrection in the east.
Dmytro Tymchuk, a military analyst close to the Ukrainian government, praised Mr. Poroshenko’s decision, saying that the one-sided adherence to the cease-fire by the Ukrainian military had only strengthened the rebel forces, allowing them to rearm and regroup. Mr. Poroshenko’s announcement, in a nationally televised statement after midnight local time, came after two days of conference calls with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany that failed to yield concrete steps toward a peace agreement. On Friday, European leaders issued an ultimatum to Russia, demanding that it do more to end the violence caused by the rebels in eastern Ukraine. But attacks on government forces continued.
At least 27 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in clashes with rebels since Mr. Poroshenko announced the unilateral ceasefire on June 20, and he had come under heavy political pressure to resume military action and to cut off negotiations with the rebels, who the government and many Ukrainians regard as terrorists. Many Ukrainians also disapproved of Mr. Poroshenko’s discussions with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who is widely reviled after the invasion and annexation of Crimea earlier this year.
There were reports of heavy shooting and bombardments all across eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, with civilian casualties. In the city of Kramatorsk, four people were killed when a minibus was hit by artillery fire, Ukrainian news agencies reported.
In a strategic victory for the government, Ukrainian forces retook control of a border checkpoint at Dolzhanksy in the Lugansk region, one of three important border crossings with Russia that had been seized by rebels. European leaders demanded on Friday that the three crossings be surrendered to the Ukrainian authorities.
Mr. Poroshenko issued a statement congratulating his troops for reclaiming the border checkpoint. Ukrainian officials said troops had cleared 20 explosive devices that had been set at the border post, and another 15 from surrounding roads.
As the fighting intensified, officials said there were scattered interruptions of bus and train service across the region.
Overnight, there were reports that two explosions damaged railroad lines in the east. A television tower serving the besieged city of Slovyansk was also destroyed by artillery fire. Photographs posted on the Internet showed the metal lattice of the tower reduced to a tangled pile of rubble.
The resumption of military operations was cheered by many supporters of the Kiev government, who had begun to despair that negotiations were not being conducted in good faith, particularly by Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, and that Ukraine was at risk of losing the eastern region of Donbass, just as it lost the Crimean peninsula.
Alyona Getmanchuk, the director of the Institute of World Policy, a research organization in Kiev, said that by engaging in protracted talks, even as soldiers continued to be killed, Mr. Poroshenko had failed to live up to campaign promises that he would not negotiate with terrorists and that he would swiftly crush the insurrection.
“He was elected as a crisis manager, not as a diplomat, and even before elections he said that anti-terror operations should last hours not days or months or weeks,” Ms. Getmanchuk said in an interview. “People liked it and people thought he would be very decisive and he would resolve the problem within a couple of days, maximum weeks.”
Ms. Getmanchuk added, “When he declared the unilateral ceasefire, many people were very disappointed and extremely frustrated because they didn’t want him to start negotiating with terrorists, with separatists and with Putin, because Ukrainians think it is not effective to negotiate.”
Mr. Putin, in a speech to diplomats in Moscow on Tuesday, said that he and other leaders had sought to persuade Mr. Poroshenko to continue the ceasefire during the conference call on Monday but that the Ukrainian leader had chosen war over peace and would now bear personal responsibility for the outcome.
While Mr. Putin reiterated his pledge to defend Russian-speaking people wherever they live, he did not threaten any imminent military force or announce any redeployment of Russian forces along the Ukrainian border, as he has in other instances when tensions flared.
“Unfortunately, President Porosehnko has resolved to resume military action,” Mr. Putin said. “We failed — when I say ‘we’, I mean my colleagues in Europe and myself — we failed to convince him that the road to a secure, stable and inviolable peace cannot lie through war.”
Mr. Putin added, “Now he has taken the full responsibility for this, and not only military responsibility, but also political.”
In his speech, Mr. Putin called the economic sanctions by the West against Russia “blackmail,” and said that the West had precipitated Russia’s actions in Crimea by blithely ignoring Russia’s interests for years.
“I would like to stress that what happened in Ukraine was the climax of the negative tendencies in international affairs that had been building up for years,” Mr. Putin said. “We have long been warning about this, and unfortunately, our predictions came true.”
Dmytro Tymchuk, a military analyst close to the Ukrainian government, praised Mr. Poroshenko’s decision to end the cease-fire, saying that the one-sided adherence to the truce by the Ukrainian military had only strengthened rebel forces, allowing them to rearm and regroup.
“Every day the truce, whatever its political significance, provided tangible reinforcement to the terrorists from a military point of view,” Mr. Tymchuk wrote on Facebook, adding, “A longer truce period would give terrorists a chance to drastically increase their combat readiness.”“Every day the truce, whatever its political significance, provided tangible reinforcement to the terrorists from a military point of view,” Mr. Tymchuk wrote on Facebook, adding, “A longer truce period would give terrorists a chance to drastically increase their combat readiness.”
Mr. Tymchuk said that government forces had begun pounding rebels shortly after receiving Mr. Poroshenko’s new orders. “Air and artillery strikes are being carried out against all sites where there are terrorist strongholds and groups of terrorists are located,” he wrote.Mr. Tymchuk said that government forces had begun pounding rebels shortly after receiving Mr. Poroshenko’s new orders. “Air and artillery strikes are being carried out against all sites where there are terrorist strongholds and groups of terrorists are located,” he wrote.
In Kiev, the Parliament speaker, Oleksandr V. Turchynov, confirmed that Ukrainian forces were once again on the offensive against insurgents. “The active phase of the counterterrorism operation resumed in the morning,” he said, opening the day’s session. “Our armed forces are striking the bases and strongholds of the terrorists.”In Kiev, the Parliament speaker, Oleksandr V. Turchynov, confirmed that Ukrainian forces were once again on the offensive against insurgents. “The active phase of the counterterrorism operation resumed in the morning,” he said, opening the day’s session. “Our armed forces are striking the bases and strongholds of the terrorists.”
Mr. Turchynov also said that Parliament was prepared to consider a request by Mr. Poroshenko to impose a state of emergency in the east, but that such a move toward martial law could be made only by the president.Mr. Turchynov also said that Parliament was prepared to consider a request by Mr. Poroshenko to impose a state of emergency in the east, but that such a move toward martial law could be made only by the president.
The decision by Mr. Poroshenko to call off the cease-fire, while saying he still hoped to reach a truce in the coming days, reflected his conclusion that Russia was not genuinely working to bring the rebel forces under control even as President Vladimir V. Putin participated in conference calls and the Kremlin issued statements in support of a peace process. In addition to the domestic political pressure, Mr. Poroshenko’s decision to call off the cease-fire reflected his conclusion that Russia was not genuinely working to bring the rebel forces under control, even as Mr. Putin participated in conference calls with other leaders issued statements in support of a peace process.
Mr. Poroshenko’s decision also reflected a clear lack of confidence from the Ukrainian government that its European allies would follow through on threats of additional economic sanctions against Russia. Mr. Poroshenko’s decision also seemed to reflect a lack of confidence by the Ukrainian government that its European allies would follow through on threats of additional economic sanctions against Russia.
European leaders had issued a series of demands of Russia on Friday, and had set Monday as a deadline for tangible results, including that rebel forces relinquish control of three border crossings to the Ukrainian authorities. On Sunday and Monday, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France held lengthy conference calls. European leaders had issued a series of demands of Russia on Friday, and had set Monday as a deadline for tangible results, including that rebel forces relinquish control of the three border crossings. On Sunday and Monday, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France held lengthy conference calls.
But with no sign of progress — and with no indication from the Europeans that they were prepared to go forward with new sanctions — Mr. Poroshenko met with his national security team on Monday night and emerged resolute that the Ukrainian military would go back on the offensive. But with no sign of progress — and with no indication from the Europeans that they were prepared to go forward with new sanctions — Mr. Poroshenko met with his national security team on Monday night and emerged resolute that the Ukrainian military go back on the offensive.
Mr. Putin said in a speech to diplomats in Moscow on Tuesday that he and the other leaders on the conference call Monday tried to persuade Mr. Poroshenko to continue the cease-fire. “Unfortunately, President Porosehnko has resolved to resume military action,” Mr. Putin said. “We failed — when I say ‘we’, I mean my colleagues in Europe and myself — we failed to convince him that the road to a secure, stable and inviolable peace cannot lie through war. The United States and its NATO allies have accused Russia of sending tanks, artillery and other weapons to the rebels, and of allowing fighters from Russia to cross the border to join rebel militias. Some rebel leaders had demanded a complete withdrawal of government troops from eastern Ukraine as a precondition for formal peace negotiations.
“Now he has taken the full responsibility for this,” Mr. Putin said of Mr. Poroshenko, “and not only military responsibility, but also political.” Mr. Putin and other senior Russian leaders have repeatedly blamed the government in Kiev for the violence in the east. They said that the former Ukrainian president, Viktor F. Yanukovych, was ousted illegally in a coup, and insisted that the rights of Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the east have been under threat.
Mr. Putin called the West’s economic sanctions against Russia “blackmail” and said that the West precipitated Russia’s actions in Ukraine, including invading and annexing Crimea, by blithely ignoring Russia’s interests. In Russia’s first comment on the ending of the cease-fire, the foreign ministry on Tuesday said that Mr. Poroshenko’s decision had undermined the personal diplomatic efforts of the four heads of state, and suggested that Mr. Poroshenko had been pressured by his Western allies to end the cease-fire.
“I would like to stress that what happened in Ukraine was the climax of the negative tendencies in international affairs that had been building up for years,” Mr. Putin said. “We have long been warning about this, and unfortunately, our predictions came true.” In a statement, the foreign ministry said, “This step by Kiev is very regrettable.”
The United States and its NATO allies have accused Russia of sending tanks, artillery and other weapons to the rebels in Ukraine, and of allowing fighters from Russia to cross the border to join rebel militias. Some rebel leaders had demanded a complete withdrawal of government troops from eastern Ukraine as a precondition for formal peace negotiations. In addition to asserting that the West had pressured Mr. Poroshenko to end the cease-fire, the ministry again described the rebel activity in eastern Ukraine as the actions of political protesters.
Mr. Putin and other senior Russian leaders have repeatedly blamed the government in Kiev for the violence in the east. They said that the former Ukrainian president, Viktor F. Yanukovych, was ousted illegally in a coup, and insisted that the rights of Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the east had been under threat. “We are urging yet again to stop using Ukraine as a loose coin in geopolitical games and to stop imposing a criminal line for the forceful suppression of protests,” the agency said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Mr. Poroshenko’s decision to end the cease-fire “is very regrettable.” It described the antigovernment activity in eastern Ukraine as political protests and called for the Kiev government and its Western allies “to stop using Ukraine as a loose coin in geopolitical games and to stop imposing a criminal line for the forceful suppression of protests.” Russia said peace negotiations should resume immediately and blamed the Ukrainian government for the failure of previous talks.
Russia called for an immediate resumption of peace talks. “We are convinced that the efforts to put the situation back on the negotiation track should be continued, including urgent meeting of the contact group,” the ministry said, referring to representatives of the government and the rebels who met twice last week in Donetsk. “We will assist this in every way,” the Russian statement said. “We are convinced that the efforts to put the situation back on the negotiation track should be continued, including urgent meeting of the contact group,” the ministry said. “We will assist this in every way.”
In Kiev, an aide to Mr. Poroshenko, Iryna Gerashchenko, told reporters on Tuesday that the contact group’s next session might be held in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
Overnight, there were reports that two explosions damaged railroad lines in the east. A television tower serving the besieged city of Slovyansk was also destroyed by artillery fire, Ukrainian news agencies reported.
Rebel leaders said on Tuesday that government forces had never adhered to Mr. Poroshenko’s truce to begin with. “After Kiev declared its so-called cease-fire, strikes conducted by Ukrainian servicemen against Slovyansk and Semenivka did not stop for a day,” Kostyantyn Knyrik, a spokesman for one rebel faction, told the Interfax news agency. He was quoted as saying that the rebels had documented 200 instances of violations of the cease-fire by government troops.
“As a matter of fact, there was no cease-fire there,” Mr. Knyrik told Interfax. “The decision not to extend the cease-fire will not significantly impact military operations.”
The Ukrainian government has said that at least 27 of its soldiers were killed by militants in the days after Mr. Poroshenko declared the cease-fire on June 20.
In Kiev, some supporters of the Ukrainian government cheered Mr. Poroshenko’s decision to end the cease-fire as brave but necessary in the face of aggression by rebels and political stalling by Russia. Mustafa Nayyem, an influential journalist with the online news site Ukrainska Pravda, wrote on Facebook, “It is a living illustration of the proverb ‘Better a horrible end than horror without end.'  ”