Chaos out of order

IT IS death by a thousand cuts. Each day sees more bad news for Ukraine’s government in the east. This week buildings were seized in Konstantinovka, armed men backed by 2,000 cheering anti-government protesters took control of government offices in Luhansk, and the city council building was taken in Gorlovka. In most cases, local police and security services did nothing. When anti-government protesters took the television headquarters in Donetsk they met no resistance, switched off Ukrainian television and retuned to Russian channels instead. The police also did little when pro- and anti-government groups fought in the city streets. In Konstantinovka, when the police building was taken, policemen were reportedly told not to come to work until the takeover was complete.

Oleksandr Turchynov, Ukraine’s acting president, rails against police treachery but admits the security forces are “helpless” in the east now. It is not hard to fathom why. The police are paid little, unlike their peers in Russia. Many were sent to Kiev during anti-government protests last winter and told they were fighting “fascists”. Now these people are...Continue reading