Poroshenko reconsiders strategy

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko threatened to tear up a truce deal with the rebels on Monday evening, as a reaction to the separatist ballot in the east.

Poroshenko called a meeting of his top security chiefs for Tuesday, and a slammed the controversial vote as an "electoral farce."

"We should reexamine our action plan. I have discussed it with the defense minister," he said while addressing the nation on Monday evening, pointing out the election, which had taken place the previous day, was a "flagrant violation" of a bedrock agreement meant to shape a solution to the conflict in the east, that had been reached in Minsk two months ago.

Following a controversial vote, pro-Russian separatists were elected as leaders of the rebel-controlled regions in Eastern Ukraine. Rebel commander Alexander Zakharchenko won 81 percent of the vote in so-called Donetsk People's Republics, while Igor Plotnitsky was elected leader in Luhansk with 63 percent. EU called the elections "illegal and illegitimate."

Poroshenko is proposing to abolish a law agreed under the Minsk protocol, which grants a certain level of autonomy to pro-Russian strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, for three years.

That self-rule offer for the separatist region was meant to win support for the peace deal, said Poroshenko, but Sunday's elections have "put the entire peace process in great jeopardy " and "significantly worsened the situation in Donbass."

Donetsk and Luhansk moving towards Russia

On Monday, Moscow publicly supported rebel-organized elections in eastern Ukraine - a move heavily criticized by the Western powers.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said Germany found it incomprehensible that "official Russian voices" were talking of recognizing the election results.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said that it "respected" the results, but indicated that it would refrain from supporting outright independence for Donbass, as Ukraine's two heavily industrial eastern regions are collectively known.

At the same time, the head of the election body in Donetsk, Roman Lyagin, said inescapable conclusions needed to be drawn from the polls.

"Kyiv has to come to terms with the idea that Donbass is not part of Ukraine," Lyagin said. "Whether they will recognize the result of our vote or not is Kyiv's problem."

The separatists declared their independence several months ago, with their leaders saying they would like to eventually join Russia.

Truce in jeopardy

The Ukrainian government warned Monday that more Russian soldiers and armored vehicles were being deployed in the separatist-controlled territories.

"The presence of Russian troops is not even being disguised," Ukrainian security spokesman Andriy Lysenko said.

AFP journalists in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk reported heavy shelling between government and pro-Russian forces after a day's lull around the city's disputed airport.

dj/kms (Reuters, AFP)