April 10, 2014 -- Updated 1346 GMT (2146 HKT)
Put down your weapons and leave occupied buildings -- then you won't be
prosecuted, Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov tells
pro-Russian protesters. FULL STORY
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ZAKARIA: RUSSIA TRIES TO CREATE CHAOS
April 10, 2014 -- Updated 1006 GMT (1806 HKT)
Ukrainian protesters who disarm and leave occupied buildings will not be
prosecuted, the country's acting president Oleksandr Turchynov said. FULL STORY
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SEARCHING FOR TANKS
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PROTESTERS: WE WANT OUT
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PROTESTERS: WE WANT OUT
Ukrainian leader to protesters: Surrender and you won't be prosecuted
April 10, 2014 -- Updated 1301 GMT (2101 HKT)
Donetsk protesters demand independence
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Ukraine financial office freezes assets of people close to ousted President Viktor Yanukovych
- Acting President says protesters will not be prosecuted if they disarm, leave seized buildings
- NATO chief says Russian troops near Ukraine border are "not training, but ready for combat"
- He also accuses Moscow of using propaganda to seek to justify its illegal actions
"In the case when people
put down their weapons and free administrative buildings, we don't need
to approve laws about amnesty. We guarantee there will be no criminal
prosecutions of people who put down their weapons and leave the
buildings. And I am prepared to formalize it with a presidential
decree," Turchynov told parliament.
He added that "the main
problem is that the people who are holding the buildings in Donetsk and
Luhansk are being used by the enemies of Ukraine."
The announcement came a
day after Ukrainian acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the
separatist protests in Ukraine's eastern region would be resolved within
48 hours -- either through negotiations or the use of force.
Searching for tanks on the Russian border
Kiev issues 'ultimatum' to protestors
Putin keeping options open in Ukraine
The protests, which began Sunday, have been centered in three eastern cities: Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv.
The United States has accused Russia of fomenting the separatist unrest as a pretext for military intervention.
Speaking Thursday in the
Czech Republic, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also
accused Moscow of "stirring up ethnic tensions in eastern Ukraine and
provoking unrest."
And he cast doubt on
Russia's assertion that the troops it has along Ukraine's eastern border
are simply there for military exercises.
"As I speak, some 40,000
Russian troops are massed along Ukraine's borders," he said. "Not
training, but ready for combat. We have seen the satellite images, day
after day."
The United States also
estimates there are up to 40,000 Russian troops near the border, based
on classified and commercial satellite imagery.
'Nothing but propaganda'
Russia's Foreign
Ministry said Wednesday that Ukraine and the United States have "no
reason for concern" about the presence of Russian forces, which it says
are on military exercises.
"Russia has repeatedly
stated that it does not conduct unusual or unplanned activities which
are militarily significant on its territory near the border with
Ukraine," the ministry said in a prepared statement.
But Rasmussen had stern words for Russia's leaders, accusing them of spreading misinformation to justify their actions.
"Russia is trying to
justify its actions by accusing the Ukrainian authorities of oppressing
Russian speakers. And by accusing NATO of a Cold War mentality," he
said.
"This is nothing but
propaganda. Designed to subvert the Ukrainian government, pervert the
truth and divert attention from Russia's own illegal and illegitimate
actions."
The West has strongly
condemned Russia for annexing Ukraine's southeastern Crimea region last
month, in the wake of a referendum held while pro-Russian forces
controlled the Black Sea peninsula.
It fears Russian President Vladimir Putin may next seek to invade eastern Ukraine, where there are also many ethnic Russians.
Putin said Thursday that
Russia had not planned in advance to absorb Crimea, according to
Russian state news agency ITAR-Tass. "I made final decisions only after
the mood of the people became clear, because we had not been preparing
for such developments," Putin is quoted as telling Russian social
activists.
Armored vehicles
The U.S. ambassador in
Kiev, Geoffrey Pyatt, posted photos via Twitter Wednesday to illustrate
the U.S. estimates of Russia's troop buildup.
The photos depict what
is purportedly a field outside the southern Russian city of
Rostov-on-Don -- empty in October, but filled with troops and armored
vehicles on April 2.
A U.S. official with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN those photos "are consistent" with classified imagery.
Washington is sharing some information with the Ukrainians, but not highly classified intelligence, the official said.
Ukraine was aligned with
Moscow until a month ago, and it is believed that Ukraine's security
services are still penetrated by the Russians, the official said.
As the interim
government works to realign the country with Europe, the state financial
monitoring office announced asset freezes Thursday against ousted
President Viktor Yanukovych and dozens of those close to him.
Bank accounts belonging to 67 representatives of the previous government have been blocked, the office said.
The action comes as the
office investigates the alleged laundering of money "obtained as the
result of corruption, theft and appropriation of budget resources and
property by the Ukrainian ex-President and his family, as well as
members of the previous government and people connected with it," it
said.
It also concerns people
accused of involvement in the deaths of protesters whose street
demonstrations pushed Yanukovych out of office, and of those accused of
organizing separatist activity in Ukraine, the office said.
Gas prices
Besides the heightened tensions with Russia, Ukraine's interim government also is seeking to shore up its struggling economy.
Its dependence on Russia
for supplies of natural gas is another a key area of concern,
especially in light of a hefty price hike last month that took the cost
to nearly $500 per 1,000 cubic meters.
Ukraine owes about $2.2 billion for natural gas bills to Gazprom, Russia's state-owned energy monopoly.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan told CNN that Russia was using its energy dominance as a weapon.
"Russia announced an
unacceptable price for Ukraine. There is no justification for this, and
of course Ukraine cannot accept that price, which is almost $500 for
1,000 cubic meters," he said.
"This is a political cost. It is an economic weapon which Russia is now using after they made a war in Crimea."
He said that Ukraine is
ready to pay its debt but wants to pay it within the parameters of a
2013 agreement -- a deal that has since been torn up by Russia.
Negotiations continue over the price, which Russia has increased by 81% since Yanukovych was ousted in February, he said.
Prodan says Ukraine is
not piping gas from Russia and has enough in reserve to last three
months. But it needs a new deal either with Russia or Europe for gas
before July, when it has to start stockpiling gas for essential winter
heating, he said.
Russia on Wednesday
warned Ukraine it could demand payment a month in advance for future
natural gas supplies, according to ITAR-Tass.
But Putin said other
options were still on the table, reportedly ordering Gazprom not to
force prepayment before further Russia-Ukraine consultations.
This came after Putin met with Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev and Cabinet ministers Wednesday.
CNN's Kellie Morgan reported from Kiev and
Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London. CNN's Lindsay Isaac,
Carol Jordan, Holly Yan and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
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