On one of the most transformative days in modern Ukrainian history, Russian officials condemned the opposition for failing to uphold the stipulations of an agreement signed by former President Victor Yanukovych and opposition leaders on Feb. 21.
According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a phone conversation with U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry, drew attention “to the fact that, after the
signature on Feb. 21 of the agreement between the Ukrainian government and
opposition, the situation in that country deteriorated sharply because of the
inability or unwillingness of the opposition forces to respect the terms of the
agreement.”
After opposition leaders signed the
agreement, American leaders offered their support for what they considered to
be a step towards a peaceful resolution of the crisis. In a statement, White
House press secretary Jay Carney said
“We support the efforts of all those who negotiated this agreement, commend the
courageous opposition leaders who recognized the need for compromise, and offer
the support of the United States in its implementation.”
Lavrov’s statement came as Kyiv seemed to extricate
itself from the Russian sphere of influence. On Saturday, the Ukrainian
parliament voted to impeach Yanukovych, to release Prime Minister Yulia
Tymoshenko from prison, and to approve a new interim Cabinet of Ministers.
In response, Lavrov blamed “illegal extremist groups (who
refuse to surrender their weapons.”
Russian media also condemned the transfer of power on
Saturday. Russia Today, the government’s English-language international news outlet
questioned whether a “lack of leadership” was to blame for the “downfall” in
Ukraine.
Whereas Russian media portrayed Saturday’s events
negatively, many in the West welcomed the peaceful creation of a new
government. Carney said in a statement that “We welcome the constructive work
in the (Verkhovna) Rada and continue to urge the prompt formation of a broad
technocratic government of national unity.
We welcome former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s release from a prison
hospital today…”
Stefan Fuele, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and
European Neighborhood Policy, tweeted on Saturday night that it in the coming
days “it is essential to balance (the) need for justice with (the) spirit of
compromise and unity.”
Yet, despite Western optimism, many fear that,
following Yanukovych’s impeachment, the Russian government will attempt to gain
influence as a new government forms in Kyiv. Many saw Yanukovych as little more
than a puppet of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted that a
“Belarusian tourist bus came under fire in Rovno region (of) Ukraine (and a)
Russian citizen was heavily wounded. We demand to ensure safety of civilians.”
Protesters and opposition leaders speculated that
Russia may be looking for a pretext to intervene militarily on behalf of ethnic
Russians in Eastern Ukraine.
The arrival of a Russian delegation, led by Alexey
Pushkov, a representative on the Russian State Duma’s Committee on
International Affairs, at a meeting in
Kharkiv on Saturday of deputies from south-western Ukraine and Crimea, did
little to quell fears of Russian intervention.
When Tymoshenko appeared on the stage on Independence
Square, Russian officials were quick to denounce her speech to hundreds of
thousands of protesters as mere theatrics. State Duma representative Alexander
Sidyakin tweeted that they should “Give Yulia an Oscar” for her performance.
