Right Sector's "Donbass" battalion to assist crackdown on federalists in eastern Ukraine

Dmitry Yarosh. AP photo.The candidate for president of Ukraine, the leader of Ukraine's nationalist Right Sector Dmitry Yarosh has announced plans to create a special battalion “Donbass”, manned by his supporters from the Donetsk region, azh.kz reportgs citing Ukrainian media.

Yarosh told reporters on Wednesday that the Right Sector activists and trained fighters were ready to assist the Ukrainian law enforces in cracking down on federalization supporters.

“We coordinate all of our moves with the leadership of the SNBO (National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine), the Interior Ministry and the SBU (Ukrainian Security Service). Presently, there are no grounds to fear that Right Sector activists' participation in the special operation conducted by the Interior Ministry and the SBU in the east might provoke a wave of clashes with Donbass residents,”- said Yarosh.

There are approximately 800 people in the battalion. According to Ukrainian medai, Yarosh also assured that “many Donbass citizens are asking the Right Sector to bring order to the region”.

According to Arsen Avakov, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, created by the Right Sector “Donbass” battalion will become the part of special “Dnepr” battalion that was formed earlier in April by the Internal Affairs Ministry. “Dnepr” is a voluntary division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that enrolls men aged from 18 to 45, who have military background.

This division, according to Avakov, should become “an answer to saboteurs, ‘men in green’ and other armed gangs that are tasked to attack the integrity of Ukraine”.

At the beginning of April in Donetsk, as well as in other cities of the southeast Ukraine, a wave of pro-Russian actions took place. Their participants seized regional administration and proclaimed “The Donetsk National Republic”. Administrative and other buildings were seized in other districts of Donetsk region, in particular, in Slavyansk.

The Ukrainian authorities announced the start of anti-terrorist operations in Donetsk region that is still ongoing. They failed to suppress the protest movement yet.