You're reading: Ukraine moves to restrict entry on eastern border with Russia, will prosecute separatists (UPDATES)

During an emergency Cabinet of Ministers meeting on March 16, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that Ukraine's eastern border has been almost completely shut down with Russia. Many Russians have been refused entry to Ukraine if they are suspected by border guards of being sent to Ukraine to stir up demonstrations or cause violent unrest. Deadly demonstrations have taken place in the last week in Kharkiv and Donetsk, killing at least three people. 

Yatsenyuk said: “Now on the territory of Crimea there is a circus spectacle directed by Russia. This spectacle is so-called referendum which is held at the gunpoint of the 21,000 Russian soldiers. Because of this invasion, Russia has ended up in international isolation. The entire world condems Russia for its military aggression against Ukraine. We have asked the OSCE to send the international observers to Ukraine. I hope that at the special meeting of the OSCE this decision will be made. Ukraine will find all the instigators of separatism which are trying to destroy Ukraine’s independence and are working under the Moscow’s cover up. They will be judged in Ukrainian and international courts. There will be no place where they will feel free, and Russia will not protect them.”

Ukrainian and Western officials have blamed provocateurs who are sent in to create disorder, giving Russia a pretext to send in their military forces to restore public peace.

Yatsenyuk asked about the same people who have been seen at pro-Russian protests in Kharkiv and Donetsk. A minister told him that these are the same people who have also been seen in protests in Odesa and Mykolayiv, as well as in 2009 during pro-Russian protests in the Baltic nations.

The televised meeting is being held as a pro-Kremlin government in Crimea, backed by thousands of Russian troops, are holding a “gunpoint” and “illegal” referendum in which voters are asked whether they want to join Russia.

While Ukraine and the West don’t recognize the current government in charge of the two-million person peninsula, Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that he would consider Crimea’s request for annexation after the referendum.

Yatsenyuk said that people who advocate separatism of Ukraine, which is illegal, will be prosecuted.

Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh said 21,000 Russian military troops are in Crimea now.

He said Ukrainian armed forces are getting ready to mobilization while the army is getting ready for battle, with deployments strengthening the vulnerable southern and eastern areas.

The military is requesting an Hr 4.5 billion budget, or roughly $450 million to cover the expenses until July.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that “due to the extraordinary social and political situation in the country, the escalation of criminal situation, ongoing provocations in Crimea and south regions of Ukraine, we, together with (Security Services of Ukraine) head Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, urge Ukrainian citizens who have unregistered weapons to give their weapons to the police. Now we have a dangerous situation in the east of Ukraine. In Donetsk, Kharkiv and Lugansk oblasts, the pro-Russian organized rallies are held.

“Today in Kharkiv, 4,000 people came to the meeting organized by Russian provocateurs,” Avakov said. “They plan to seize the state administration building in Kharkiv. It is obvious, and we have a lot of proof that these rallies are inspired by extremists from Russia. The SBU has recorded a number of official ballots of Russian intelligence officers who were detained on the territory of Ukraine. The acting extremist pro-Russian organizations receive funding from the Russian Federation.”

Now that Ukrainian border guards do not let pass through Ukrainian border Russians with suspicious intentions, “every day hundreds of provocateurs are banned from entry to Ukraine,” Avakov said.

The SBU is investigating professional Russian provocateurs who took part in the rallies in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Odesa.

The National Guard will mobilize 20,000 people soon.

Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko said that “there are solutions of numerous international institutions regarding the illegitimate status of the referendum in Crimea. First of all, the Venice Commission has recognized that this referendum does not meet the norms of Ukrainians Constitution, Ukrainian legislation and international standards. The European Court of Human Rights said that the presence of Russian military troops on the territory of Ukraine is unacceptable. The Constitutional Court of Ukraine concluded the Crimean referendum to be illegal. The whole international community and international judicial institutions do not recognize the legitimacy of the so-called referendum. According to Ukrainian and international law, this referendum is not legitimate.