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Putin Commends Separatist Militias in Ukraine Ukraine Rebels Advance on Key Port, in Hint at Putin’s Strategy
(about 4 hours later)
MOSCOW — In a rare direct address to the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin hailed on Friday the success of a recent rebel offensive and asked that a humanitarian corridor be opened to allow encircled Ukrainian Army units to retreat. NOVOAZOVSK, Ukraine — Backed by Russian troops and weaponry, hundreds of Ukrainian rebel militiamen mobilized on Friday in this southeastern town, vacated by the Ukrainian military two days ago, and began to push toward the strategic seaport of Mariupol 27 miles away. The leader of the rebels called the advance a broad new effort to wrest control of a wide swath of coastal territory from the central government.
In an address to the “Novorossiya,” or New Russia, militia that was posted on the Kremlin website at 1:10 a.m., Mr. Putin said the rebels had “achieved a major success in intercepting Kiev’s military operation,” an offensive that Western governments have accused the Russian military of leading. The militiamen flew the flag of “Novorossiya,” or New Russia, a reference to Russia’s historical claims over the southeastern area of Ukraine that encompasses the rebellious Donetsk and Luhansk regions under siege by the Ukrainian Army.
In light of the heightened tensions, the Ukrainian prime minister, Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, announced on Friday that a bill had been introduced in Parliament to cancel Ukraine’s status as a nonaligned country and to “restore its aspirations to become a NATO member.” Their thrust toward Mariupol, the biggest city in the southeast, was the most prominent evidence that the insurgency in eastern Ukraine bordering Russia has been given a new infusion of vitality by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. It came as Mr. Putin directly addressed the insurgents for the first time on Friday in a message posted on his website in which he called them the fighters of Novorossiya.
“This law also reaffirms the main political goal of Ukraine — to become a member of the European Union,” Mr. Yatsenyuk said on his Facebook page, which is used as a clearinghouse for public announcements. “This law will prohibit the Ukrainian state to become part of any other economic, political or military alliances that would hinder the main goal of accession to the E.U.” The developments offered new insights into the strategy of Mr. Putin, who has supported the rebels in defiance of the United States and its Western allies as part of a broader effort to keep Ukraine within Russia’s sphere of influence. The rebel advance along the southeastern coast suggested that Mr. Putin may be establishing the basis for a more independent eastern Ukraine, or for an overland route from Russia to Crimea, the southern Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed five months ago.
The law would prohibit Ukraine’s entrance into the Eurasian Customs Union, a Russian-led economic grouping that includes Kazakhstan and Belarus and that Mr. Putin has promoted as a counterweight to the European Union. Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of increasingly brazen military aggression, sending troops, tanks and other weapons across the border to support the rebels. The Kremlin has denied the accusations and asserted that any Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine are volunteers on vacation.
The decision in December by the former President Viktor F. Yanukovych to spurn an association agreement with the European Union in favor of stronger ties with Russia sparked the Maidan protests in Kiev that eventually led to Mr. Yanukovych’s ouster. A takeover of Mariupol, an industrial city of 450,000, would go a long way toward helping the separatists gain control over land that would connect Russia to Crimea.
“We plan to take Mariupol,” said a commander of the rebels in Novoazovsk, who identified himself by his nickname, Svet. “Now we are fighting for the southeast of Ukraine for Novorossiya.”
Journalists who visited Mariupol earlier Friday saw Ukrainian workers digging trenches with backhoes and building defensive positions in anticipation of an assault. Civilian residents, household belongings piled into their cars, were leaving.
While Ukrainian militiamen manned Novoazovsk checkpoints, evidence of a Russian presence was abundant, including unmarked Russian military vehicles with no license plates. A soldier on a truck greeted journalists and shouted in English: “Back in the U.S.S.R.!”
A cashier at a Novoazovsk grocery store said Russian soldiers had purchased sausages and cigarettes earlier. Asked how she knew they were Russian soldiers, the cashier, who identified herself as Olga, snapped: “You think I’ve only lived one day?”
Mr. Putin, who resurrected the Novorossiya idea after the Crimean annexation, used that term in his address to the pro-Russian separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine who have encircled Ukrainian Army units north of Novoazovsk. He asked that the fighters of Novorossiya open a humanitarian corridor to allow the Ukrainian units to retreat.
Mr. Putin said the rebels had “achieved a major success in intercepting Kiev’s military operation.”
Ukraine scrambled to counter Russia and align itself even more with the West on Friday, with the Ukrainian prime minister, Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, announcing that a bill had been introduced in Parliament to cancel Ukraine’s status as a nonaligned country and to “restore its aspirations to become a NATO member.”
“This law also reaffirms the main political goal of Ukraine — to become a member of the European Union,” Mr. Yatsenyuk said on his Facebook page.
In his message to the separatists, Mr. Putin said, “I call on the militia groups to open a humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian service members who have been surrounded, so as to avoid any needless loss of life, giving them the opportunity to leave the combat area unimpeded and reunite with their families, to return them to their mothers, wives and children, and to quickly provide medical assistance to those who were injured in the course of the military operation.”In his message to the separatists, Mr. Putin said, “I call on the militia groups to open a humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian service members who have been surrounded, so as to avoid any needless loss of life, giving them the opportunity to leave the combat area unimpeded and reunite with their families, to return them to their mothers, wives and children, and to quickly provide medical assistance to those who were injured in the course of the military operation.”
Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the rebel leader who said on Thursday that more than 3,000 Russians, including active soldiers on leave, had fought among the separatists, quickly agreed to Mr. Putin’s proposal.Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the rebel leader who said on Thursday that more than 3,000 Russians, including active soldiers on leave, had fought among the separatists, quickly agreed to Mr. Putin’s proposal.
“With all respect to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the president of the country, which has helped us very much with moral support, we are ready to grant humanitarian corridors to the Ukrainian divisions surrounded in these pockets,” Mr. Zakharchenko said. Conditions included the surrender of all heavy armaments and ammunition.“With all respect to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the president of the country, which has helped us very much with moral support, we are ready to grant humanitarian corridors to the Ukrainian divisions surrounded in these pockets,” Mr. Zakharchenko said. Conditions included the surrender of all heavy armaments and ammunition.
The separatist counteroffensive, which began on Wednesday, has opened a new military front along the Sea of Azov and put the rebels within striking distance of Mariupol, a port city that is the second-largest in Ukraine’s southeast. Separatist leaders also said they had encircled 7,000 regular and irregular Ukrainian troops who had been cut off by the rapid advance of rebel tanks and artillery.
The offensive prompted fresh criticism from the West, and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said on Thursday that the possibility of imposing new sanctions against Russia would be discussed at a European Union summit meeting in Brussels on Saturday. In preparation for the meeting, European Union foreign ministers gathered in Milan on Friday to discuss the bloc’s position on the crisis.The offensive prompted fresh criticism from the West, and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said on Thursday that the possibility of imposing new sanctions against Russia would be discussed at a European Union summit meeting in Brussels on Saturday. In preparation for the meeting, European Union foreign ministers gathered in Milan on Friday to discuss the bloc’s position on the crisis.
The dollar was trading at more than 37 rubles on Friday morning, a historical high that exceeded the spike after the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia in March, and after the 2008 financial crisis. In a new sign of Russia’s economic isolation over the Ukraine crisis, it cost more than 37 rubles to buy a dollar on Friday morning, the weakest exchange rate for the Russian currency since the Crimean annexation.
Natalia Orlova, head economist for Alfa Bank, said that reports of a Russian military presence in Ukraine, which would indicate the possibility of “a new round of escalation,” had caused the rapid fall of the ruble on Thursday.
“I think it’s all about sanctions,” Ms. Orlova said by telephone on Friday. “The market doesn’t perceive Russia as being a very active part of the military conflict; so the market, in other words, is not really pricing in Russian participation in the war. The market is just pricing the new round of sanctions.”
A decision by the Russian central bank not to support the ruble had also made the drop more dramatic, she said. That decision was made in June after Moscow had already spent an estimated $25 billion to prop up the ruble.
Ukrainian and Western leaders have accused Mr. Putin of backing the rebels with arms, money and men, and have demanded that Russia use its influence over the separatists to put a stop to the fighting. With NATO and Western governments accusing Russia on Thursday of having well over 1,000 active troops in Ukraine, it seemed unlikely that Mr. Putin’s curt and congratulatory statement would assuage anger toward him.Ukrainian and Western leaders have accused Mr. Putin of backing the rebels with arms, money and men, and have demanded that Russia use its influence over the separatists to put a stop to the fighting. With NATO and Western governments accusing Russia on Thursday of having well over 1,000 active troops in Ukraine, it seemed unlikely that Mr. Putin’s curt and congratulatory statement would assuage anger toward him.
On Friday, the secretary general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, offered the alliance’s support for Kiev and condemned what he called a “serious escalation of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.” He was speaking after ambassadors of the 28-nation alliance met at its headquarters in Brussels, first to discuss the Ukraine crisis among themselves and then to hold talks with representatives of the government in Kiev.On Friday, the secretary general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, offered the alliance’s support for Kiev and condemned what he called a “serious escalation of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.” He was speaking after ambassadors of the 28-nation alliance met at its headquarters in Brussels, first to discuss the Ukraine crisis among themselves and then to hold talks with representatives of the government in Kiev.
“Despite Moscow’s hollow denials, it is now clear that Russian troops and equipment have illegally crossed the border into eastern and southeastern Ukraine,” Mr. Rasmussen said in a statement. “This is not an isolated action, but part of a dangerous pattern over many months to destabilize Ukraine as a sovereign nation.”“Despite Moscow’s hollow denials, it is now clear that Russian troops and equipment have illegally crossed the border into eastern and southeastern Ukraine,” Mr. Rasmussen said in a statement. “This is not an isolated action, but part of a dangerous pattern over many months to destabilize Ukraine as a sovereign nation.”
“Russian forces are engaged in direct military operations inside Ukraine,” he added. “Russia continues to supply the separatists with tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and rocket launchers. Russia has fired on Ukraine from both Russian territory and within Ukraine itself.” NATO leaders are to meet in Wales next week, and Mr. Rasmussen said the alliance would assure the Ukrainian president, Petro O. Poroshenko, of NATO’s “unwavering support for Ukraine.”
“Moreover, Russia continues to maintain thousands of combat-ready troops close to Ukraine’s borders,” he said. This is a blatant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It defies all diplomatic efforts for a peaceful solution,” he added, expressing “strong solidarity with Ukraine.” Mr. Putin and his subordinates have sought to frame the Ukraine insurgency as a struggle by the people in the heavily pro-Russian east against an oppressive central government that is backed by neo-Nazi and other fascist elements.
NATO leaders are to meet in Wales next week and Mr. Rasmussen said the alliance would assure the Ukrainian president, Petro O. Poroshenko, of NATO’s “unwavering support for Ukraine.” In remarks to students in Russia on Friday, Mr. Putin said the Ukrainian government actions against southeastern cities reminded him of the Nazi siege of Leningrad, one of the darkest and most emotional touchstones of recent Russian history. Mr. Putin said the government in Kiev was trying to destroy the will of the people who resist.
“We urge Russia to cease its illegal military actions, stop its support to armed separatists, and take immediate and verifiable steps” toward the de-escalation of the crisis, Mr. Rasmussen said. Earlier this week, Mr. Rasmussen said that NATO would seek a more visible presence in support of eastern European states nervous about Russia’s intentions. “It reminds me of World War II, when German forces encircled Russian cities like Leningrad and hit residential quarters with heavy artillery,” he told the students during a question-and-answer session at an education forum that was broadcast live on state television.
NATO has a formal partnership with Ukraine founded on agreements in 1997 and 2009, alliance officials said, but has pursued what Mr. Rasmussen called a “nonalliance” policy. On Friday, the NATO chief said the alliance would respect Ukraine’s wishes if it decided to change the policy, as Mr. Yatsenyuk has suggested. Mr. Putin also repeated his position that Russian soldiers captured inside Ukraine this week had gotten lost. He described the fighting as a “common tragedy” for the Slavic people, who shared the same roots.
In 2008, Mr. Rasmussen said, NATO had decided that “Ukraine will become a member of NATO provided, of course, Ukraine so wishes and provided that Ukraine fulfill the necessary criteria.” The idea has always been vehemently opposed by Russia.
“In the meantime, Ukraine has decided to pursue a so-called nonalliance policy. We fully respect that.” Mr. Rasmussen said. “We fully respect if the Ukrainian Parliament decides to change that policy because we adhere to the principle that each and every nation has a right to decide itself, without interference from outside, and we hope that other nations adhere to the same principle.”
Mr. Putin said on Friday that Ukrainian government actions against cities in that country’s southeast reminded him of the Nazi siege of Leningrad — one of the darkest and most emotional touchstones of recent Russian history. Mr. Putin said the government in Kiev was trying to destroy the will of the people who resist.
“It reminds me of World War II, when German forces encircled Russian cities like Leningrad and hit residential quarters with heavy artillery,” he told students during a question-and-answer session at an education forum that was broadcast live on state television.
Talking about the West, Mr. Putin said the position of “our partners,” as he understood it, was to give the Ukrainian authorities some time to shell the cities before Kiev sat down to negotiate.
But Mr. Putin said he thought the solution was to force the government in Kiev to sit down to substantive talks with the rebels, not just on technical issues like the exchange of prisoners of war.
“You have to launch substantive negotiations, you have to understand what kinds of rights the people of Donbas and Luhansk will have,” Mr. Putin said at the forum at a lake resort in Seliger, northwest of Moscow. “You have to assure the rights of these peoples.”
“But they don’t want to do that, that is the problem,” he said.
Mr. Putin also repeated his position that Russian soldiers captured inside Ukraine had gotten lost. He described the fighting as a “common tragedy” for the Slavic people, who shared the same roots.