Russia warns West of ‘catastrophe’ in Ukraine

Russia has urged the West to prevent Ukraine sliding into "catastrophe" after fighting intensified between Kiev's forces and pro-Moscow rebels who shot down a military helicopter, killing at least 12 servicemen.

The separatists, who include Chechen and Cossack fighters from Russia, brought down a Mi-8 transport helicopter yesterday with an advanced Russian-made shoulder-fired missile, Ukraine's acting president Oleksandr Turchinov told parliament.

He said 14 men onboard were killed, including a general, while Ukraine’s national guard said 12 men had died in the latest deadly attack on Kiev’s military helicopters by rebels based in the town of Slovyansk, in Donetsk province.

Sowing chaos

The national guard said its men were also attacked by separatists in the neighbouring region of Luhansk, through which Kiev claims Russia is sending large numbers of fighters and weapons to sow chaos in Ukraine.

Russia denies allegations of destabilising its neighbour, but has failed to explain how groups of heavily armed Chechens reached and then crossed the border unchallenged.

Dozens of rebels were killed in a fierce battle for Donetsk airport on Monday, including Chechens and other Russian citizens. At least 30 bodies were transported from Donetsk to the Russian border yesterday.

“We once again demand that the Kiev authorities stop the fratricidal war and start a real national dialogue with all political forces and representatives of the country’s regions,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.

“The international community expects from Kiev an immediate end to the military action in the east of the country and the withdrawal of forces. It is impossible to achieve peace without this . . . We again call on our western partners to use all their influence on Kiev to stop Ukraine’s slide into national catastrophe.”

Strong suspicion

The US has defended Ukraine’s right to crack down on the separatists, who claim to have the support of local people in eastern regions where ties to Russia are strong and suspicion of Kiev’s new pro-EU government runs deep.

The militants, whose leaders include Russian citizens, are holding four foreign observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which has about 300 people in Ukraine monitoring compliance with a moribund plan to ease tensions.

“I addressed the OSCE mission to warn them that their people should not over the coming week travel in areas under our control. And they decided to show up anyway,” said Slovyansk’s self-declared “people’s mayor” Vyacheslav Ponomaryov.

“No one arrested them. We detained them. Now we will work out who they are, where they were going and why, and we will let them go,” he said of Turkish, Estonian, Danish and Swiss monitors who are not the first to be held by the rebels.

Russia has threatened to cut gas supplies to Ukraine as early as next week unless it covers unpaid bills, a move that could affect flows to Europe; talks on the issue will continue in Berlin today.