What And Who Are Behind Recent Bombings In Ukraine

Terrorist attacks in various Ukrainian cities, explained.

Four people have been killed in a blast at a pro-government demonstration in Kharkiv, East Ukraine on Feb 22nd, 2015. Photo: EPA

What You Need to Know:

✓A bomb blast in the eastern city of Kharkiv reportedly killed four people, one of them were a police officer, at the rally to commemorate the Maidan Massacre on February 22;

✓The attack is the latest, and most deadly, in a spate of bombings deep inside government-controlled Ukraine;

✓ There have been 16 other bombings in Ukraine, most of which did not result in death or injury;

✓The Ukrainian government blames Russia for sponsoring the attacks, apparently with the intention of de-stabilizing Ukraine;

✓The bombing raises questions about the possibility of lasting peace in Ukraine;

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What And Who Are Behind Recent Bombings In Ukraine

Kharkiv Bombing

On February 22, many Ukrainians took part in public events to commemorate the first anniversary of the massacre on Maidan square, in which nearly one hundred protesters were killed and led to the overthrow of former President Viktor Yanukovych. The largest of these gatherings was held in Kyiv, while smaller peace marches and public actions occurred elsewhere, including Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, previously the site of clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian demonstrators in March and April of 2014. During the march, a bomb was detonated, killing three participants and a policeman. The Security Service of Ukraine claims that evidence proves that Russia trained and supplied the attackers. While it is the most deadly and publicized terrorist attack in Ukraine to date, the Kharkiv bombing is just the latest in a string of attacks throughout the country, including smaller bombings and attempted attacks in Kharkiv, Odessa, and even Kyiv.

The Rise of Terror in Ukraine

Several attacks which could be classified as political terrorism first appeared over the summer of 2014, when conflict in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine was raging. In July, the residence of the outspoken pro-Western mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadoviy, came under attack by rocket-propelled grenades. No one was injured in the attack. On the same day, the mayor of the medium-sized central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was killed in what appears to have been a professional hit. The attacks immediately raised speculation that pro-Russian and Russian-backed groups were turning to terrorism to destabilize Ukraine.
Since this time, several attacks and suspected attempted attacks have occurred throughout the country, primarily affecting the cities of Odessa, Kharkiv, and Kyiv. Actual bombings and attempted bombings have also been matched by countless bomb threats designed to disrupt everyday life in the country.

Explosion in Odesa last night at Automaidan leader's property - latest in a series of attacks https://t.co/fxe8j5WBEz via @hromadske_od_ua— Hromadske (@Hromadske) February 18, 2015

In October in Kharkiv, explosives were intercepted in the mail and a military warehouse came under attack by rocket propelled grenades. In November, eleven people were wounded at a bar which served as a hangout for soldiers and volunteers. The internal security services of Ukraine, the SBU, also announced that it had uncovered a plot to attack Dutch investigators into the MH17 tragedy in December.
Meanwhile, the black sea port of Odessa, another largely Russian-speaking city and the site of deadly clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian demonstrators in May, also suffered an onslaught of politically-motivated bomb attacks.

Another bombing in Odesa, South Ukraine. A bank office is attacked. No one's injured. pic.twitter.com/tnqms8aMIa— Hromadske (@Hromadske) February 6, 2015

A flurry of bombings in December and January apparently aimed to disrupt transportation networks and the work of pro-Ukrainian activists. In early December, a bomb blasted a building hosting an organization collecting supplies for Ukrainian servicemen fighting in the east. Towards the end of the month, more explosions rocked the southern Ukrainian city and nearby port city of Kherson, killing two. Finally, in January, a sizable blast hit a military donation center in the port city.

Photos of bomb attack in Zaporizhia, East Ukraine. A bank office is targeted. No one is hurt pic.twitter.com/zoyXR0xDCQ— Hromadske (@Hromadske) January 20, 2015

Here's the video from the bomb site in Odesa, South Ukraine. A bomber died in accident self-detonation https://t.co/W4lYnO8brX— Hromadske (@Hromadske) December 27, 2014

The bombings in southern Ukraine and Kharkiv were matched by what the Ukrainian government described as an attempt by a Russian-trained Ukrainian citizen from Luhansk to detonate explosives in central Kyiv.

With Kharkiv a new potential hotspot for unrest, some believe that Ukraine should brace for a contracted campaign of attacks that seek to test Ukrainians’ resolve and undermine faith in the Ukrainian government. Pro-Russian and pro-separatist media outlets have portrayed the attacks as the work of heroic “partisans”, while the Ukrainian government has said that it is part of a campaign orchestrated by the Kremlin.
Many Ukrainian experts also support this view, believing that the attacks can continue for some time in order to keep the government off-guard and wear out the population. Even following the second installment of the Minsk cease fire agreements, violence in eastern Ukraine and a deadly attack far behind the front lines continue to undermine faith in the possibility of lasting peace. A reported rebel offensive near the port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov is furthering raising the specter of the cease fire’s inability to bring about peace. Many observers and analysts believe that the present instability is likely to continue for some time, including targeted bombings.