Ukraine leader warns of civil war

OUTGOING President Leonid Kuchma yesterday warned civil war could “become a reality” in Ukraine as he asked the international community to stay out of the country’s affairs.

His warning came after opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko called for a national strike in protest at the declaration that his Moscow-backed rival had won election as president.

Mr Yushchenko said the naming of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich to succeed Mr Kuchma, after an election marked by reports of widespread electoral fraud, brought Ukraine to “the brink of civil conflict”.