UKRAINE: Pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk take military oath on the central square, denounce the ceasefire ordered by President Poroshenko and vow to continue their fight against Ukrainian forces

Record ID: 450903

  • Title: UKRAINE: Pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk take military oath on the central square, denounce the ceasefire ordered by President Poroshenko and vow to continue their fight against Ukrainian forces
  • Date: 21st June 2014
  • Summary: DONETSK, UKRAINE (JUNE 21, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PRO-RUSSIAN SEPARATISTS IN MILITARY UNIFORM AMONG SMALL CROWD ON SQUARE LOCAL RESIDENTS, INCLUDING WOMAN WITH PRO-RUSSIAN ST. GEORGE RIBBON WOMAN WITH BUNCH OF FLOWERS VARIOUS OF SEPARATISTS LINED UP TO TAKE MILITARY OATH GUNS AND BOOTS SEPARATISTS WITH GUNS GUN SEPARATISTS STANDING TO TAKE MILITARY OATH SMALL CROWD ON SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SELF-PROCLAIMED DONBASS REGION GOVERNOR, PAVEL GUBAREV, SAYING (READING OUT MILITARY OATH): "I take the oath and solemnly swear before the people of the Donetsk land to be an honest, brave, disciplined, vigilant fighter, to keep military and state secrets." VARIOUS OF COMMANDERS READING OUT OATH IN MICROPHONE / PAN TO SEPARATISTS IN MILITARY UNIFORMS LINED UP TO TAKE OATH COMMANDERS READING OUT OATH SEPARATISTS SHOUTING "WE SWEAR!", APPLAUSE GUN WITH STICKER OF SELF-PROCLAIMED DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC SEPARATISTS SHOUTING "HOORAY!" WOMAN GIVING OUT FLOWERS TO SEPARATISTS SMALL CROWD ON SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SELF-PROCLAIMED DONBASS REGION GOVERNOR, PAVEL GUBAREV, SAYING: "We are taking a military oath today. That means that the rebels become an army and we will continue to arm ourselves to defend our native land from the fascist, neo-fascist invasion." DONBASS REBELS' SLEEVE PATCH (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SELF-PROCLAIMED DONBASS REGION GOVERNOR, PAVEL GUBAREV, SAYING: "I read all the points (of the plan). This plan is utopian. It has absolutely nothing to do with reality, it does not take into account the will of the people of Donbass they expressed in a referendum. Therefore to resolve this conflict by peaceful means does not seem possible according to this plan." SEPARATISTS HUGGING EACH OTHER PRO-RUSSIAN ST. GEORGE RIBBON ATTACHED TO GUN (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) PRO-RUSSIAN SEPARATIST , SERGEI BOK, SAYING (ON WHY HE HAS JUST TAKEN MILITARY OATH): "To defend our freedom. Taking into account the genocide that is happening now, we need to defend women, children and our land. Those people in Kiev don't see any limits anymore, they want to exterminate all Donbass population - they are already partially trying to do this and they succeed in it." SEPARATISTS LEAVING, PEOPLE APPLAUDING OLDER MAN IN COSSACK UNIFORM WITH FLOWER VARIOUS OF WOMAN IN CROWD CRYING VARIOUS OF SEPARATISTS IN MILITARY UNIFORMS AND BLACK FACE MASKS WITH FLOWER
  • Embargoed: 6th July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ukraine
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA81DXM42V55RPMS5S0XP6QI7N8
  • Story Text: About 100 troops of the self-proclaimed separatist Donetsk People's Republic took an oath of an allegiance on Saturday (June 21), in an apparent sign of defiance to the peace plan announced by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
    In a ceremony in Donetsk on the town's Lenin Square, armed fighters, some wearing face masks, pledged they would "defend the Donetsk People's Republic to the last drop of blood."

    "We swear, we swear, we swear," they chanted in unison.
    A number of women, many in tears, rushed to hug troops and give them flowers.
    The rebels, who have seized strategic points in major towns including Donetsk and set up "people's republics", saying they want to join Russia. They also insisted Ukraine has already broken its own ceasefire and vowed to fight.

    "We are taking a military oath today. That means that the rebels become an army and we will continue to arm ourselves to defend our native land from the fascist, neo-fascist invasion," said a prominent rebel leader, self-proclaimed "people's governor" of Donbass, Pavel Gubarev.
    He also dismissed Poroshenko's peace plan which includes a unilateral ceasefire.

    "I read all the points (of the plan). This plan is utopian. It has absolutely nothing to do with reality, it does not take into account the will of the people of Donbass they expressed in a referendum. Therefore to resolve this conflict by peaceful means does not seem possible according to this plan," Gubarev said.
    Poroshenko, announcing the week-long ceasefire on Friday night (June 20), urged the rebels to lay down their arms and warned them that Ukrainian forces would return fire if attacked.
    However, the rebels who took the oath in Donetsk on Saturday did not show any intention to disarm. One of them, Sergei Bok, explained why he felt necessary to join the rebels and take the oath.

    "To defend our freedom. Taking into account the genocide that is happening now, we need to defend women, children and our land. Those people in Kiev don't see any limits anymore, they want to exterminate all Donbass population - they are already partially trying to do this and they succeed in it," he said.
    The insurgency in the Russian-speaking east erupted in April after street protests in the capital Kiev toppled the Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovich. Russia subsequently annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
    Poroshenko has offered an amnesty to separatists who disarm voluntarily as well as corridors to allow fighters from Russia or pro-Russian Ukrainian separatists to leave safely for Russia.
    The Kremlin on Friday denounced the ceasefire as an ultimatum rather than a peace offering and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern about Ukrainian military action.
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