Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Sunday that he has ordered his forces to find and bring to justice those responsible for handing out leaflets ordering Jews to register in the eastern city of Donetsk.
“I made a clear statement and urged Ukrainian military and security forces and Ukrainian Department of Homeland Security urgently to find these bastards and to bring them to justice,” Mr. Yatsenyuk said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
A report released by USA Today on Thursday said notices bearing the name of Denis Pushilin, who identified himself as chairman of “Donetsk’s temporary government,” were distributed near the Donetsk synagogue and other areas asking Jews to identify themselves to the Commissioner for Nationalities in the Donetsk Regional Administration.
Mr. Pushilin has denied any involvement with the notices and said they were a hoax meant to portray separatists as anti-Semitic.
Ukraine’s parliament named Mr. Yatsenyuk as the head of the country’s interim government after pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych fled Kiev in February after months of protests, NBC News reported.
Mr. Yatsenyuk said he fears Russian President Vladimir Putin will stop at nothing in his quest to restore the Soviet Union.
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“President Putin has a dream to restore the Soviet Union. And every day, he goes further and further. And God knows where is the final destination,” he said. “I consider that the biggest disaster of this century would be the restoring of the Soviet Union under the auspices of President Putin.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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