Russia has not recognised the new president of Ukraine although it had said earlier that the verdict of the May 25 elections would be honoured. This has infuriated the Kiev government, which accuses Moscow of unleashing a global propaganda not to recognise the recent polls that elected pro-West tycoon Petro Poroshenko as the new leader of the country. While this issue has come as a contentious matter for the Kremlin and the West, pro-Russian activists continue to defy the authority in several places in eastern Ukraine. All these further complicate the overall Ukraine scenario that took a serious turn following the annexation of Crimea, an autonomous region of Ukraine, by Russia. Moscow insists that Crimea was originally a part of it and that the strategically important peninsula has only come back under its fold.
Earlier, a last-ditch effort among the parties with high stakes in the Ukraine crisis failed as the pro-Russian separatists were hell-bent in carrying forward the "referendum" in several areas in eastern Ukraine for "independence" from the "Kiev" authority. The decision by these pro-Kremlin activists, despite suggestions by Russian president Vladimir Putin to postpone the 'referendum", brought them into direct collision with the Ukraine troops who were determined to halt such "so-called" referendum on May 11 as the government in Kiev said it would not allow another "Crimea" in its territory-- meaning no separatists agitation would be allowed any more. The West fully supported the Ukraine government. Nevertheless, the "referendum" took place and Moscow saw it as an endorsement of pro-Russian people for independence from Kiev. Clashes that occurred took lives on both sides. Then came the May 25 presidential elections in Ukraine which was won by the "chocolate King" - billionaire tycoon Poroshenko - who vowed to crush the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Not unexpectedly, Moscow is opposing him although it earlier promised to honour the verdict of the polls.
Earlier, Russia warned Ukraine of "catastrophic consequences" unless it halted military operations against "pro-Moscow" gunmen in eastern Ukraine in an indication that Kremlin is moving closer to direct involvement in the months-long crisis. On the other hand, the United States and its European allies have threatened Moscow with more sanctions and other forms of punishments if Russia continued its "designs" to destabilise Ukraine. The situation has already taken a nosedive as Russian president Vladimir Putin says the Geneva accord among the US, Ukraine, EU and his country on certain matters relating to the crisis is "now dead". Pro-Russian separatists, who rejected Putin's pleas for the postponement of the May 11 referendum, finally went ahead with the programme that has complicated the Ukraine situation.
Tensions and hostilities continue to characterise the Ukraine scenario with the US and the European Union stepping up pressure on Moscow over the worst East-West crisis since the cold war. Tensions on the ground further spiked when pro-Russian separatists clashed with the Ukraine troops and the rebels seized several towns in clear demonstration of the worsening situation in Ukraine. Moscow seems to be in no mood to control its supporters in eastern Ukraine although it says Kremlin has no role as regards the rebels. The US and the EU have flatly rejected Moscow's views on the issue and slapped more sanctions to dissuade Russia from its further involvement. Moscow says, it has no plan to invade Ukraine, but the West is hardly assured and continues to mount pressure on Russia through economic and other form of restrictions. In a fresh round of sanctions, the US has named many officials and firms alleged to be close to President Putin while the EU also named many others, especially the high ranking military officials.
Russia's "annexation" of Crimea -- the autonomous region of Ukraine-- now seems to be an almost "dead issue" since the development has been accepted as a reality even though the West is talking about the illegality of Crimea's annexation with Russia. Ukraine itself is also convinced that Moscow has dealt its final blow against the sovereignty of the "Kiev" authority by taking control of everything in Crimea and is now concerned about actions in other largely Russian-speaking areas in Ukraine where the rebels are creating serious problems.
The presence of President Putin in Crimea and his taking the salute at the military parade in Moscow marking the "victory of the Russia" against Germany in the Second World War only shows that Moscow is serious in asserting its authority. The scenario of the Ukraine crisis is shrouded in uncertainty and much would depend on how the new president of Ukraine deals with the pro-Russian separatists and the extent of support and assistance from the West to the Kiev government. Moscow has accused Ukraine of breaching the Geneva Convention by killing "innocent" pro-Russian people while the Kiev government has vowed to take on the separatists at any cost. Evidently, the situation is getting increasingly complicated as Moscow seeks to assert influence like the former communist giant Soviet Union. The cold-era condition of extreme hostility now seems to be back surrounding the Ukraine crisis.
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