Poroshenko on rising terrorist threat

KYIV – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said the threat of terrorism has “significantly risen” in Ukraine. “The level of guerrilla and terrorist threats in the regions outside the [conflict] zone has significantly risen,” Mr. Poroshenko said during a meeting with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov on July 10. Mr. Poroshenko did not elaborate, but said the flow of weapons from the conflict zone, where Ukrainian troops are fighting pro-Russian separatists, posed a threat. Kyiv considers Russian-backed rebels fighting against government troops in eastern Ukraine to be terrorists. There have been dozens of minor terror incidents across Ukraine, including a bomb attack that killed at least two people and injured at least 10 at a rally in Kharkiv in February. Kyiv has in the past accused Russia of “exporting terrorism” to Ukraine by providing weapons, training and personnel to rebels in eastern Ukraine, a claim Russia denies. In May, two Russian special forces soldiers captured in eastern Ukraine were charged with involvement in “terrorist activity.” (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters)