Armed pro-Russian gangs patrol Crimean airports. Appeal of Christian leaders from 13 countries of the former Soviet
Kiev ( AsiaNews) - The two most important airports in the Crimea, Simferopol and Sevastopol are being patrolled by armed men. In Sevastopol men are wearing Russian uniforms and in Simferopol the gangs have hoisted Russian flags.
These latest developments further
complicate the already delicate relationship between the new Ukrainian
government and the mostly pro- European people of the west with the population
of the more pro-Russian Crimea. Yesterday,
after a new interim government was appointed in Kiev, Simferopol gunmen
occupied the seat of the provincial parliament, hoisting the Russian flag. They
also announced from parliament that a referendum on the autonomy of Crimea will
be held on May 25.
People
of Russian descent are the majority on the Crimean peninsula, which in 1954 was
transferred from Russia to Ukraine.
However, it is also inhabited by
the Tatar population - Muslim - who under Stalin were persecuted and deported. For
this reason, the Tatars and Ukrainians loyal to Kiev, prefer closer ties to
Europe and less Russian control.
In
recent days, the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, and the Russian Foreign
Minister, Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Ukraine's territorial integrity will be
respected. But
the reappearance of former President Viktor Yanukovych in Russia, his rejection
of the new government and the Russian military exercises on the border with
Ukraine have raised fears that a growing polarization could lead to a civil war
or secession of the Crimea.
Meanwhile, the Orthodox,
Protestant and Catholic leaders from 13 former Soviet republics have launched
an appeal for dialogue and peace "and mutual understanding among all citizens of
the fraternal Ukraine, regardless of their nationality or religion".
Christian
leaders from Azerbaijan , Armenia, Belarus , Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan , Latvia,
Lithuania , Moldova , Russia, Tajikistan , Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Estonia are
asking all the Ukrainian "people to exert every effort to avoid provocations and to preserve in
their hearts true love for the neighbours, for their human dignity and
religious beliefs. We
express our sincere willingness to promote by prayer and deeds the fraternal
dialogue and to contribute to the re-establishment of peace in the Ukrainian
society".
The Christian leaders are worried that the pro- European and pro-Russian divisions will be passed on within the churches, bringing back old wounds of the past and new vendettas. Their chief concern is mainly linked to the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, judged too close to Vladimir Putin and proprietor of many churches, originally belonging to other denominations seized during the Stalinist regime.
At the peak of tensions, some groups tried to desecrate some Orthodox monasteries and take over churches. But the Ukrainian faithful and police stopped them.
.png)
12/02/2016 15:14
