Pro-Russians rally in Ukraine as Putin holds firm

DONETSK, Ukraine, Mar 8 (AFP): Pro-Russian activists rallied in the eastern heartland of Ukraine's ousted leader Saturday after Moscow threatened to cut off gas to its ex-Soviet neighbour following its tilt toward the West.
Rallies in industrial cities that rely on Russia for trade and whose cultural roots lie closer to Moscow than Kiev come as Kremlin-backed troops tighten their grip on the flashpoint peninsula of Crimea.
The predominantly Russian-speaking southern and eastern swathes of Ukraine have been in upheaval since three months of deadly protests brought new pro-European leaders to power in Kiev whom they view with disdain and mistrust.
The Kremlin says the new rulers have fomented a lawless atmosphere of intimidation against ethnic Russians that President Vladimir Putin says prompted him to threaten to use force in Ukraine-a shock decision that has sparked the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War.
Now activists who have set up a round-the-clock picket on Donetsk's central Lenin Square under a red Soviet flag with the golden hammer and sickle are calling for a secession referendum just like the one planned in Crimea on March 16.
"Only Russia can help us so that our rights are not dragged through the mud!" said one protester named Natalia who works at a local beauty salon in the eastern city.
"There needs to be a referendum," she said.
Similar protests have hit nearby Russian-speaking cities such as Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk.
The imposing Donetsk city adminstration building has flown both Russian and Ukrainian flags after being repeatedly raided in the past week by irate protesters from both sides. The city was the regional stronghold of deposed president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia late last month.
Russia says it has stepped up protection of its Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea and is working together with local self-defence militias but refuses to acknowledge it has deployed extra troops to the peninsula.
Ukrainian border guard general Mykola Kovil said Friday there were now 30,000 Russian troops in Crimea-higher than the 25,000 allowed under an existing agreement with Ukraine.
Successive attempts by 47 unarmed military and civilian observers from the Organisation from Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSE) to verify what is actually happening in Crimea came to nothing after gunmen blocked their entrance from the Ukrainian mainland.
Moscow blamed the OSCE Friday for trying to enter Crimea "without considering the opinions and recommendations of the Russian side" despite a push by US President Barack Obama for monitors to be let through as part of an "off-ramp" to de-escalate the crisis.
More news from Washington adds: President Barack Obama hailed the "unified position" of the European Union and the United States against Russia's incursion into Ukraine during a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday.
The call came as Ukraine braced for new pro-Russian protests in the tense eastern city of Donetsk after Moscow threatened to cut crucial gas supplies to the country, further escalating hostilities with the West.
Obama and Merkel "agreed on the need for Russia to pull back its forces, allow for the deployment of international observers and human rights monitors to Crimea, and support free and fair presidential elections in May," a White House statement said.
"They discussed the need for Russia to agree quickly on the formation of a contact group that will lead to direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia to de-escalate the situation and restore Ukraine's territorial integrity.
"The leaders reiterated their grave concern over Russia's clear violation of international law through its military intervention in Ukraine."
The West has warned of sanctions against Moscow over its actions in Crimea, where pro-Kremlin gunmen blocked a foreign observer mission aimed at defusing tensions on the semi-autonomous peninsula.