Ukraine creates National Guard
Ukraine's parliament is expected today to consider the bill on setting up a 20,000-strong National Guard force formed from volunteers.
20 thousand volunteers will be summoned to help defend the Ukrainian borders and keep the public order in the country, Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov said. The measure is Ukraine’s response to the destabilisation from outside, nn.by quotes Avakov.
Russian troops occupied Crimea and created a puppet government there on February 26-28. A referendum about the annexation of the peninsula by Russia will be held in Crimea. Meetings in support of the annexation are also being organized in East Ukraine’s cities – Kharkiv, Donetsk and Lugansk.
Ukrainian power structures’ reaction to the intervention of Russian troops into Crimea has been rather passive so far.
