Kyiv has issued a stark warning about potential attempts by Russia to disrupt Ukraine’s parliamentary election on Sunday (26 October).<br /><br /> Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said: “It’s absolutely clear that there are still provocations from the Russian side and that will continue in the future.”<br /><br /> “They had no success (in provoking Ukraine) during the presidential election (in May). There were some attempts and they didn’t abandon these plans,” Yatseniuk continued.<br /><br /> Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said 61,000 police officers – including 4,000 members of Ukrainian special forces - would be on guard at polling stations across the country.<br /><br /> Ukraine is holding its first parliamentary election since mass street protests last winter drove Moscow-backed leader Viktor Yanukovich to flee the country.<br /><br /> Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said that Russia hoped the elections will be held according to all “democratic principles and norms,”<br /><br /> “We also hope that the new parliament of Ukraine will provide the necessary conditions for the renewal of our cooperation through the parliamentary structures,” Lukashevich added.<br /><br /> The “party of peace” bloc supporting Ukraine’s pro-Western President Petro Poroshenko is leading in pre-election polls.
