As Ukraine’s KGB-successor agency announced the start of a nationwide “anti-terrorist" operation in coordination with other law enforcement and defense bodies, the public’s ire with President Viktor Yanukovych become visible in western Ukraine once again.
On Feb. 19, activists took over or
set on fire regional and local government buildings in at least nine regional capitals:
Zhytomyr, Khmelnytsky, Chernivtsi, Ternopil, Lutsk, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk,
Uzhgorod and Rivne.
While Yanukovych has never been popular in western Ukraine, the discontent — coming after at least 26 persons were killed on Feb. 18 in Kyiv after clashes between police and protesters — also exists in northern and eastern parts of the nation.
Scuffles also broke out between protesters
and police during takeover attempts and other incidents in the regional capitals of Sumy, Poltava and
Kharkiv.
One death was reported in Khmelnytsky when a woman was shot dead during a takeover attempt of the regional Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) building. Two men were also suffered gunshot wounds. Afterwards, activists set the regional
SBU building on fire with burning car tires.
Eight regional and local government
buildings were taken over in Ternopil, according to national television and
local media reports. Seven governmental buildings were taken in Lviv, including
the gubernatorial, SBU, traffic police, prosecutor and Berkut riot-control police
buildings.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadoviy said that
activists have formed their own police units “since law enforcement authorities
stopped functioning in the city.” Firearms were reported to have gotten into
the hand of protesters there.
Altogether, the SBU announced that, in the last 24 hours, some 1,500 firearms and 100,000 rounds of ammunition have fallen into the hands of “criminals.”
In Lutsk, the capital of Volyn Oblast, activists were shown on television beating the governor for refusing to
resign his post.
Gubernatorial buildings in Uzhgorod, the capital of Zakarpattya Oblast, as well as Rivne and Lutsk were taken, including the regional
Interior Ministry and prosecutor’s office buildings. The Khmelnytsky Oblast administration
building was taken over, as was Chernivtsi’s, where protesters forced the
governor to resign his post.
Scuffles broke out in Sumy where
protesters tried taking over the regional Interior Ministry building. Poltava’s
regional administration building was also the scene of a takeover attempt.
In addition to taking over Zhytomyr’s
gubernatorial building, activists set the regional Interior Ministry building on
fire there. The mayor of Zhymotyr, a member of the ruling Party of Regions, resigned.
Kharkiv, the nation’s second largest
city, saw scuffles break out between activists allied with local soccer fans
and Interior Ministry and Berkut riot troops when they tried blocking the academy
that trains interior troops.
Thousands are picketing the Interior Ministry building in Chernihiv, reported Espresso TV.
Similar incidents took place starting
on Jan. 23 after deadly fights broke out between anti-government protesters and
police in Kyiv following the passing of draconian laws four days earlier. Then,
protesters focused only on regional administration buildings, but this time
other government buildings have been targeted.
A video shows a woman being shot outside the Security Service of Ukraine regional headquarters in Khmelnytsky. After the shooting, protesters set the building on fire.
Kyiv
Post editor Mark Rachkevych can be reached at [email protected].
