Russian troops 'on hand in Ukraine'

From correspondents in Sofia
26nov04
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11508523%255E1702,00.html

UKRAINE'S opposition claims a thousand Russian troops are in Kiev ready to intervene if violence breaks out between supporters of the two candidates in the country's disputed presidential vote.

There was no official confirmation of the report, which came as Ukraine was embroiled in a major political crisis over the elections.
"I confirm the presence of Russian special units in Kiev, I can tell you where they are staying. They arrived in Kiev by plane and put on Ukrainian uniforms. They are armed with submachine guns," Boris Tarassuk told bTV private television.

Mr Tarassuk is the president of the Ukraine parliament's foreign affairs commission and a close ally of opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, who claims that Sunday's vote was stolen by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich.

He alleged that the Russian troops were plotting "an operation to physically eliminate the leaders of the democratic opposition."

"We know that there are plans to provoke clashes between Prime Minister Yanukovich's men and ours, which the special units plan to exploit," he said.

Asked whether outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma was aware of the alleged presence of the Russians, Mr Tarassuk said: "Who else could be involved?"

"The presence of foreign troops with the permission of parliament is unconstitutional... it is an act of aggression," Mr Tarassuk said.

He said the opposition, which has brought tens of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets, was "ready for a political solution" which entails "not recognising the false results announced by the election commission."

He said in 5000 of the country's 33,000 voting stations no international observers were present to monitor the vote, which Europe and the US have refused to recognise.

Mr Tarassuk gave the interview at Vienna airport while in transit between Warsaw and Sofia.

He was invited to Bulgaria by the conservative Union of Democratic Forces, and was due to hold talks with the president of the Bulgarian parliament Ognian Guerdjikov and the leaders of the various political parties in parliament.