DONETSK, Ukraine -- With guns locked and loaded, about 40 heavily armed pro-Russian rebels in two trucks descended upon a military academy in Donetsk on May 6, temporarily blocking access to the building and threatening to engage with anyone who might pose a threat to them.
“If there is any provocation against us, first shoot in the air, and then at them,” one rebel commander was heard shouting to his men at the military academy.
The group of Kremlin-backed rebels, armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled grenades, said they were responding to a tip that members of the far-right nationalist Right Sector group were set to seize or be given weapons from the building to be used against them.
The group took up positions behind fences and trees, tracing their rifles on the two access points of the military academy. All cars that left the premises were thoroughly searched by the jumpy rebels who nervously fingered the triggers of their weapons. They allowed the academy’s cadets to leave the compound during the stand-off.
At one point, several of the fighters trained their sights on a journalist who approached the scene to observe the event. They ordered him to stop and throw his hands in the air before clearing him to pass their roadblock.
The scene lasted a mere hour, but highlighted the growing tensions here as a referendum on secession planned for May 11 approaches.
To ensure the referendum takes place, pro-Russian rebels have fortified their barricades surrounding several key government buildings seized by them in past weeks and tightened security, including at the Donetsk Regional State Administration.
After the rebels boarded their trucks and drove off, the cadets, marching in unison, returned to the academy. Members of the nationalist Right Sector never showed.
Editor’s Note: This article has been produced with support from the project www.mymedia.org.ua, financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and implemented by a joint venture between NIRAS and BBC Media Action.The content in this article may not necessarily reflect the views of the Danish government, NIRAS and BBC Action Media
