In Ukraine, Ultranationalist Militia Strikes Fear In Some Quarters
By Christopher Miller
KYIV -- The gathering was large and formidable, with hundreds of mostly young men in fatigues keeping tight ranks on Kyiv's central Independence Square before marching in formation to a torch-lit fortress on a hillside in the Ukrainian capital.
There, in the January 28 spectacle, 600 of them swore an oath to clean the streets of illegal alcohol, drug traffickers, and illegal gambling establishments.
Their mission would seem righteous enough. And it was featured in a slickly produced video with aerial drone footage, sweeping edits, and menacing music that caught the attention of many on social media.
But Ukraine observers and rights groups are sounding the alarm, because this was not a typical commencement, and the men are not police officers. They are far-right ultranationalists from the Azov movement, a controversial group with a military wing that has openly accepted self-avowed neo-Nazis, and a civil and political faction that has demonstrated intolerance toward minority groups.
"We will not hesitate to use force to establish order that will bring prosperity to every Ukrainian family!" reads a message alongside the video, published on the Facebook page of the newly formed group, called the National Militia. In the clip, they vow also to protect the nation "when government organs can't or won't help Ukrainian society."
That approach could concern Western backers in Kyiv's campaign against armed Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country, where a conflict that has lasted nearly four years has killed at least 10,300 people.
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Tuesday, January 30, 2018. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage. Thanks for reading and take care.
Kyiv says soldier killed in east:
By RFE/RL
Ukraine says one of its soldiers was killed and two wounded in clashes that took place in the country's east.
The Defense Ministry said on January 31 that Russia-backed separatists violated a frequently breached cease-fire three times during the previous 24 hours, firing machine guns, grenade launchers, and mortars.
Meanwhile, the separatists claimed that Ukrainian government forces shelled the town of Dokushayevsk, which they control, damaging an apartment in a five-story building.
Since April 2014, more than 10,300 people have been killed by fighting between Kyiv's forces and the separatists who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Cease-fire deals announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed to resolve the conflict -- have failed to hold.
A new cease-fire agreement was reached in late 2017 and was meant to begin on December 23, but both sides have accused each other of cease-fire violations since then. (w/Interfax, TASS)