Ukraine scrambles to avoid new unrest flashpoint in the east

KOSTYANTYNIVKA — Residents in the eastern Ukrainian town of Kostyantynivka angrily confronted police yesterday after an armored military vehicle struck and killed an 8-year-old girl, showing the tensions still simmering in the war-torn region.

Although now under government control, Kostyantynivka was held by rebel forces for almost three months last year. Attitudes toward the Ukrainian authorities vary widely and many residents retain sympathies for the Russia-backed separatists the government is fighting.

On Monday night, hours after the accident, clashes broke out in front of a dormitory commandeered by soldiers fighting the separatists. Enraged crowds turned over a police car and set fire to a bus. Authorities said they detained the ringleaders of the unrest.

Donetsk region head of police Vyacheslav Abroskin, who rushed to Kostyantynivka on yesterday in a bid to soothe tempers, was met by more than 50 people, including mothers with small children, at the scene of Monday's accident. Many vented their frustration at what they said was the often-drunken conduct of soldiers in the town.

"It has become dangerous to walk around. We have seen it all before, military vehicles are driving very fast here and there all the time," said Kostyantynivka resident Alexander Tsibulyev.

At a later gathering, an even larger crowd, which included clusters of aggressive and drunk young men, shouted demands for all troops to leave.

Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said troops in charge of the light-armored tow vehicle involved in the crash were among several people under investigation and their commander had been suspended.

"The case is being supervised personally by the chief military prosecutor and the president of Ukraine," he said.

The prompt reaction by senior Ukrainian officials underlines anxiety over any renewal of the unrest that last year spiraled into a war which has left more than 6,000 dead.

A February cease-fire between government and rebel forces in the east has eased hostilities, but Russia has complained that Ukraine is falling short on holding local elections. Under the cease-fire, Ukraine was to rewrite its constitution to decentralize power and adopt a law recognizing the special status of rebel-held areas.

Russia's Foreign Ministry complained yesterday that a draft bill presented to parliament by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had reneged on holding talks with representatives of areas under rebel control.

Poroshenko, however, said Kiev would deal only with eastern representatives elected in line with international standards.