Ukraine's Security Service on Friday vowed harsh measures against "separatist" movements.
“The Security Service of Ukraine will take strict measures to cut
short encroachments upon the territorial integrity and inviolability of
Ukraine and to have persons complicit in such activities brought to
prosecution,” the service said in a statement.
“The situation that occured in Ukraine today offers evidence
of attempts by individual politicians, members of local government
bodies, leaders of nongovernmental associations, and radicals to lay the
basis for the escalation of the civil conflict and for the spread of
autonomist and separatist sentiments among the population, which
threatens an end of the existence of our country as a unitary state and
the loss of national sovereignty,” the service said.
Individual parliament deputies and members of local representative
bodies “have begun separate negotiations with representatives of foreign
states,” it said.
“Consultations are being held openly on the possible division of the
country into several parts with the violation of the Constitution. This
may lead to the escalation of the confrontation between different strata
of the population, to the fanning of ethnic or religious strife, and to
a military conflict,” the statement said.
