Rifts Appear Within Ukraine's Government

As Ukraine resumes anti-terrorism operations in the country's east after a failed cease-fire, these operations — as well as the government's overall ability to function — will depend on the Ukrainian government's ability to avoid debilitating divisions. Early signs of such rifts have begun to emerge within the government on the issues of imposing martial law and when to hold parliamentary elections. Pressure in Kiev will grow in the coming months over these security and political issues, playing into Russia's hands at least in terms of preventing a major defeat of the pro-Russian and Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine's embattled east.