WATCH: William Hague confirms sanctions against Ukraine
With all eyes focused on the Sochi Winter Olympics on the eastern shores of the Black sea, you could be forgiven for not keeping track of the escalating crisis further west on the coastline. Ukraine, Russia’s neighbor, has been paralyzed politically since the pro-Putin government, led by Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, turned its back last November on developing stronger economic ties with the European Union.
It appears that the crisis has now reached a breaking point. While demonstrators have been bullied and intimidated by police and security officers, the gloves are now off. Images coming out of Kyiv have documented violence and destruction. Today it is being reported that over 70 civilians have been killed by security forces. Digital evidence has emerged showing protesters and medical professional being shot at by snipers. A famous hotel in the capital is now being used as both a hospital and a morgue. This is an escalation that will be very hard to contain and may indeed act as a trigger that brings about the country’s downward spiral.
It appears that much of the Ukrainian public has lost all trust and confidence in the government. Yanukovich can no longer be trusted. Opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko has called for ordinary citizens to form self-defence groups, taking the law into their own hands. It appears that many ordinary men and women in Kyiv are doing just that, putting on military fatigues, pulling out bricks from the street and stockpiling Molotov cocktails.
When a government begins to use deadly violence against its people and those same citizens beginning arming themselves for self-protection, what follows is not usually positive. In Ukraine’s case either the government cranks up repression to another level and is successful in wiping out the “opposition,” or the country splinters into chaos and a civil war ensues.
Understanding how grave the situation has become, the European Union just announced it would impose sanctions on President Yanukovych and others in power who have had a direct role in ordering security forces to employ violent measures against civilians. Financial assets will be frozen and travel bans put in place against key figures in the government.
The next few days could very well be a turning point in modern Ukraine’s history. A key factor to watch will be how Moscow responds. With the world’s attention focused on Russia because it is hosting the Winter Olympics, many observers believe Vladimir Putin would not do anything foolish, like intervene militarily, until after the closing ceremonies. Just a few weeks ago an adviser to Putin made such a threat.
Ukraine has a sad history of bearing the brunt of Russian aggression and being a pawn on a geopolitical chessboard. Putin sees the world as a zero sum game. It would be naïve to believe Russia will remain on the sidelines for much longer.
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