<blockquote>'The riot police moved in hours after Moscow gave Ukraine $2 billion in aid for its crippled economy which it had been holding back to demand decisive action to crush the protests.'
- Pavel Polityuk and Marcin Goettig,
Ukraine police charge protesters after nation's bloodiest day, February 18, 2014</blockquote>
'.. a civil war was under way, he added, between “the people of Ukraine, and the Berkut [special police] and titushki” – the nickname for hired, pro-regime thugs that authorities have used in Kiev and elsewhere to beat up protesters.'<blockquote>' “There is no civil war between the east and west of Ukraine,” said Olexiy Haran, a political scientist and member of the protest co-ordinating committee. “There are no people in the east of Ukraine who are going to die for Yanukovich.”
But a civil war was under way, he added, between “the people of Ukraine, and the Berkut [special police] and titushki” – the nickname for hired, pro-regime thugs that authorities have used in Kiev and elsewhere to beat up protesters.
With only about 4,000-5,000 Berkut police, and perhaps 15,000-20,000 well-trained and equipped interior ministry troops, analysts say the government would struggle to prevail over widespread and determined opposition, especially in the west. But plenty of blood could potentially be spilled along the way.
“This week we realised it isn’t easy to resist when you’re not armed and you are facing people who are using real bullets,” said Mr Haran.'
- Financial Times (
Spotlight on Ukraine: Riots in Kiev, EU Weighs Sanctions, Emergency Meetings; Fear of Default Contagion Spreads, February 19, 2014)</blockquote>
Context<blockquote>
Ukraine - '..a situation that civilians should resolve.'</blockquote>