Breaking News: Russian Troops Intervening in Ukraine Elections

Friends: some of you know I am in Ukraine as an election monitor. The presidential election was Sunday. There was rampant cheating and falsification reported throughout the country. I can't go into all details of election. I'm using a blackberry to communicate with lots of USA people, news agencies and Ukrainians. Please check news sources on the Ukrainian election background if you're not familiar. Also, I'll be regularly updating the Denver Post. They're setting their web site to post my updates.

Russian special forces dressed in Ukrainian Special forces uniforms are in Kyiv. Ukrainian militia have been instructed by the mayor to protect the people from the Russian troops. Ukrainian militia have established a hotline for Ukrainians to report any incidents with the Russians and pledged to protect Ukrainians. These Russians flew into Ukraine this morning. They're now surrounding the administration buildings they say "to protect Kuchma (the outgoing president and his PM Yanukovich). Following is a chain of email messages I've been sending by blackberry. Please pass along to others. Bob Schaffer

PETER: PLEASE SEE UPDATES BELOW. GETTING QUITE SERIOUS NOW. OUR EMBASSY'S PHONES ARE DOWN AND WE'RE NOT SURE THEY'RE AWARE OF THE NEWS OF RUSSIANS (SEE BELOW). YES, PLEASE SEND INFO TO ANYONE YOU CAN, ESPECIALLY PRESS. BOB

---------- Dan: is there anything you can do to alert someone in the Denver media to look at news coming out of Ukraine? I know this isn't our normal "beat," but this seems quite serious here. I'll paste below a message I just sent to a ukrainian group. I've been updating several people by blackerrying them events from the street and from the local news. Bob

---------- Yes. I'm safe for now. Demonstrators are reassembling in Kyiv. They're coming back stronger than yesterday coming in from the rest of the country. The authorities are trying to stop them. Cars and busses are being stopped by police at the outskirts of the city. The authorities have scattered road spikes on inbound lanes to stop traffic/protesters. People are walking down the highways to protest. Trains into the city have been stopped.

The parliament is meeting now but without the president's supporters or the Communists. After several speeches, they called Yushchenko to the podium to swear him in as the new president (escorted to the podium with guards). The Rada Speaker Litvin walked out. Then the TV station (only one station covers anything about the election and it only covers 30% of the country) went off then cut to news and footage from earlier in the day. This is similar to the revolution in Georgia.

It seems the opposition has now claimed control of the parliament and most likely named Yushchenko as the president. He walked to the podium with a Bible and a copy of the oath in his hand. 300,000 pro-Yushchenko supporters are in the city square and watched what I described above on a jumbo TV. They're celebrating what they believe is their new president. Provocateurs are infiltrating the crowd. Special forces are said to be moving in to disband the crowd. This is now a clearly declared revolutionary effort. A confrontation seems unavoidable now.

It's very tense here. School has been cancled (again) for tomorrow. I'll report more as I learn it.

Now we hear Yushchenko is headed to the city center to address the masses. His lieutenants will be giving instructions to the people outside the Rada building on "what to do."

I'll report more as I learn it. May God bless and protect Ukraine and her people.

A representative of the Greek Catholic Church (a man who appeared to be a priest -- dressed as one) announced at the demonstration that he was speaking on behalf of the Greek Catholic Churchn the Kyiv Patriarchiat and several Protestant denominations (Lutheran was the only specific one I heard but there were several others). He said this coalition of churches recognizes Yushchenko as president.

Yuschenko is now leading 1 million people from the square and surrounding streets to the administration headquarters of the Ukrainian government. He is in front of the column and many fear he is vulnerable to getting shot. They should be at the steps in 15 mins. Keep in mind, this is where the Russian special forces are stationed, dresses in Ukrainian garb.

The Georgian President (surrounded by Orthodox priests) just appeared on Ukrainian TV congratulating and encouraging the opposition supporters and "President" Victor Yushchenko. He spoke in Ukrainian which is very significant.

The Russian special forces just stopped the crowd approaching the administration headquarters.

Here's the latest from Fox News.
Ukrainian Leader Calls for Talks to Avert Violence
Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Ukraine PM, Challenger Headed for Runoff
KIEV, Ukraine — President Leonid Kuchma (search) called for negotiations among all sides in Ukraine's spiraling political crisis Tuesday, hours after the opposition leader declared himself the winner of a disputed presidential election and took a symbolic oath of office.

A top opposition figure accepted the outgoing president's proposal, the Interfax news agency reported.

"We now have decided to give the possibility to Kuchma to form proposals for talks," Yuliya Tymoshenko said, according to Interfax. It was not immediately clear when the talks might take place.

The startling development in the three-day standoff came as the Bush administration urged the Ukrainian government not to certify results of Sunday's runoff election results that showed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych (search), backed by Kuchma, defeating the Western-leaning Viktor Yushchenko (search).

"The United States is deeply concerned by extensive and credible indications of fraud committed in the Ukrainian presidential election," White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin (search), who supported Yanukovych in the campaign, criticized Western assessments of the vote as flawed, stressing that the results were not yet official. On a state visit to Portugal, he called for calm and respect for the law in this former Soviet republic.

Kuchma's statement was read on state television as tens of thousands of Yushchenko's supporters stood their ground in the tense, freezing streets of Kiev for a third straight day. They have vowed to stay until officials nullify the results of an election they say was rigged.

In his statement, Kuchma referred to the demonstrations as "political farce ... [which is] extremely dangerous and may lead to unforeseeable consequences."

Although the harsh description seemed to indicate that Kuchma was disinclined to take the opposition's position seriously, he nonetheless called for all the country's political factions to enter into talks.

"We should peacefully and with consideration discuss the complicated situation and propose to society real steps for getting out of the crisis," the statement said.

"I am convinced today that this is the only route in the search for a balanced position on not allowing Ukraine to split into pieces," he added.

During the day, Yushchenko supporters followed their candidate to a special session of parliament, waving orange flags and chanting "Criminals go away!" As night fell, more than 10,000 marched to the presidential administration building, skirting some heavy trucks that blocked the street and facing off with hundreds of police in full riot gear who were guarding the site.

The demonstrations have been peaceful so far, but fears are running high they could deteriorate into violence — either out of the protesters' frustration or attacks by foes.

After dusk, more than a dozen busloads of Yanukovych supporters were seen parked on the fringes of downtown Kiev in the falling snow, and rumors persisted that provocateurs would try to infiltrate the rallies, disguising themselves by wearing orange armbands — Yushchenko's campaign color. Nearer to the protests were two busloads of men, one of whom said they were "volunteers to protect the constitution and prevent a coup d'etat."

Yushchenko and his backers accuse authorities in the Central Election Commission of rigging the balloting in favor of the Kremlin-backed Yanukovych. Western observers criticized the election as widely flawed by multiple voting and apparently inflated turnout figures in Yanukovych's stronghold eastern districts.

"Ukraine is on the threshold of a civil conflict," Yushchenko told an emergency session of parliament. "We have two choices: Either the answer will be given by the parliament, or the streets will give an answer."

The parliament session did not muster a quorum — many of Yanukovych's backers were absent — and concluded without taking action on a measure to nullify the vote. But immediately afterward, Yushchenko went to the podium and took an oath of office, his right hand on the constitution and his left on a Bible. Pro-Yushchenko lawmakers, who had urged him to take the oath, shouted, "Bravo, Mr. President!"

The irregular procedure was not legally binding, parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said. But its symbolic weight was considerable — a declaration that Yushchenko doesn't intend to back off.

In televised comments, Yanukovych called for national unity, saying: "I categorically will not accept the actions of certain politicians who are now calling people to the barricades. This small group of radicals has taken upon itself the goal of splitting Ukraine."

Pro-government political factions late Tuesday called on all sides to negotiate, the Interfax news agency reported, but Yushchenko's backers have dismissed the idea of compromise.

Yuliya Tymoshenko, one of Yushchenko's most fiery allies, urged lawmakers "not to go into any negotiations," saying they should "announce a new government, a new president, a new Ukraine."

A half-dozen large cities already have declared they recognize Yushchenko as president, and Kiev's city council has called on the national parliament to declare the vote invalid.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators were outside the parliament building as the emergency session took place. Several hundred pushed through metal barriers surrounding the building, but backed off at the urging of pro-Yushchenko lawmakers, and much of the crowd later went back to the central Independence Square area, the nerve center of the demonstrations.

Police estimated the total number of demonstrators at 40,000 but independent estimates ranged well above 100,000 and as high as 200,000.

The protest has grown exponentially since its beginning Sunday night as a post-election rally and "parallel vote count." Yushchenko had alleged for weeks that officials were planning to rig the election, and preparations for the protests apparently began well in advance.

The demonstrators have erected hundreds of backpacker-type tents — most of the same make — in neat rows along Khreshchatik Boulevard, the main downtown thoroughfare, placing them on wooden pallets with thick plastic-foam slabs as insulation against the cold and snow.

Obvious police presence at the demonstration has been extremely low.

Earlier, Yushchenko and his allies released a statement appealing "to the parliaments and nations of the world to bolster the will of the Ukrainian people, to support their aspiration to return to democracy."

The opposition will conduct "a campaign of civil disobedience" and "a nonviolent struggle for recognition of the true results of the election."

The election commission's announcement that Yanukovych was ahead of Yushchenko has galvanized anger among many of Ukraine's 48 million people. Official results, with more than 99.48 percent of precincts counted, showed Yanukovych leading with 49.39 percent to his challenger's 46.71 percent. But several exit polls had found Yushchenko to be the winner.

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