Unrest in Ukraine: Rival groups clash in divided Crimea

Thousands of pro-Russia separatists and supporters of Ukraine's new pro-Western government confronted each other on Wednesday outside Crimea's regional parliament in Simferopol before a debate on the recent political upheaval that swept away President Viktor Yanukovich.

About 2,000 people, many of them ethnic Tatars, an indigenous group on the Black Sea peninsula, converged on the parliament building to support the Euro-Maidan movement, which overturned Yanukovich in Kiev, Ukraine's capital, after three months of protests. They waved Ukrainian flags and chanted, "Ukraine is not Russia."

They were met by a similar number of pro-Russia demonstrators who bellowed loyalty to Moscow and denounced the "bandits" who have seized power.

Protesters shouted and punched each other in scuffles, as police and leaders from both sides struggled to keep the two groups apart.

The tensions in Crimea — a peninsula jutting into the Black Sea that is strategically critical because it is home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet — highlight the divisions that run through this country of 46 million people.

They also underscore fears that the country's mainly Russian-speaking east will not recognize the interim authorities' legitimacy.

Crimean Tatars took an active part in the protest movement against Yanukovich and harbor deep resentment against the Kremlin, having been deported en masse on the orders of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin during World War II.

"We will not let the fate of our land to be decided without us," said Nuridin Seytablaev, 54, an engineer. "We are ready to fight for Ukraine and our European future."

Nearby, Anton Lyakhov, 52, waved a Russian flag. "Only Russia can defend us from fascists in Kiev and from Islamic radicals in Crimea," he said.

With Crimea the last big bastion of opposition to the new post-Yanukovich political order in Kiev, Ukraine's new leaders are voicing alarm over signs of separatism there. On Tuesday, a Russian lawmaker visiting Crimea said Moscow would protect the region's Russian-speaking residents, raising concern that Russia could be trying to justify military action.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has reportedly ordered an immediate test of combat readiness of troops in central and western Russia. Russia's state news agencies quoted Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying that Putin ordered the test at 2 p.m. Moscow time on Wednesday. The report did not mention Ukraine. The Kremlin was unable to confirm the order.

Valentina Matvienko, speaker of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, on Wednesday dismissed claims that Russia could conduct a military operation in Ukraine. "That scenario is impossible," she said.

"Russia has been stating and reiterating its stance that we have no right and cannot interfere in domestic affairs of a sovereign state," said Matvienko, a close Putin ally who was born in western Ukraine. "We are for Ukraine as a united state, and there should be no basis for separatist sentiments."

In Kiev, meanwhile, Ukraine's acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov on Wednesday ordered the disbanding of a feared riot police force that many accuse of attacks on protesters during the country's three-month political turmoil.

Avakov wrote on his Facebook page that he had signed a decree to disband the force known as Berkut.

Anti-Yanukovich protesters have blamed Berkut for violent attacks against peaceful demonstrators protesting Ukraine's decision to ditch closer ties with the European Union and turn to Moscow instead.

Those attacks galvanized long-brewing anger against police. The protests quickly grew into a massive movement, attracting crowds exceeding 100,000 and establishing an extensive tent camp in Kiev's Independence Square. The force, whose name means "golden eagle," consisted of about 5,000 officers. It was unclear Wednesday if its members would be dismissed or if they would be reassigned to other units.

Yanukovich and protest leaders signed an agreement last week to end the conflict that left more than 80 people dead in just a few days in Kiev. Shortly thereafter, Yanukovich fled the capital for his power base in eastern Ukraine, but his whereabouts are unknown.

Ukraine's interim general prosecutor on Wednesday said Kiev had requested an international arrest warrent for Yanukovich, who is wanted on charges of "mass murder" of protesters. 

Al Jazeera and wire services