MOSCOW, July 25. /ITAR-TASS/. By announcing his resignation Ukraine’s parliament-appointed Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is trying to avoid responsibility for crimes his government has committed against its own people, a Russian lawmaker said on Thursday.

“We can say with confidence that this intention reveals a wish to avoid responsibility for the troubles and misfortunes that were brought upon the people of Ukraine with his help, for the crimes that were committed by the authorities,” Irina Yarovaya, Chair of the State Duma (lower house of the Russian parliament) Security Committee, told ITAR-TASS.

In her opinion, “the crimes that were committed over this time with Yatsenyuk’s direct participation are appalling”.

Yarovaya thinks that by resigning Yatsenyuk is trying to distance himself from these crimes. “But this won’t work,” she added.

Yatsenyuk announced his resignation from the post of prime minister on Thursday.

“In connection with the breakup of the parliamentary coalition, as well as non-adoption of a number of important bills, I announce my resignation,” he said in parliament.

“What happened today in parliament will have very complicated, if not dramatic, consequences for the country,” he said, adding, “It is good if I am mistaken.”

He said Ukraine was living through a critical time. “This is a difficult decision and a difficult time, not for me personally, but for the country as a whole. This is not the best government in the history of the country, but at least it did what it could and as best it could, as our parents taught us and as we saw proper. Am I satisfied with my own work? Certainly not. But did we do everything we could? Yes, we did,” Yatsenyuk said.

He stressed that the breakup of the coalition and the shortage of money in the budget were unacceptable. “That the coalition broke up today and there is no money to pay salaries, fuel armored personnel carriers and keep the army is unacceptable. What can be done in this situation? Option one: the coalition falls apart and the prime minister begins to form a new coalition, that is, with communists and the Party of Regions. I will never do that. Another option is to resign. So I announce my resignation in connection with the breakup of the coalition and the blocking of the government initiatives,” Yatsenyuk said.

Parliament Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov instructed the deputies to begin consultations on the appointment of an interim prime minister. Yatsenyuk’s resignation automatically means the resignation of the whole government, but it will continue working until a new coalition is formed.

The parliament voted against the government’s bill authorizing budget spending cuts and a draft law on the reorganization of the Ukrainian gas transportation system.