JMS Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Opinion: A divided Ukraine? Think again Editor's note: Maia Mikhaluk is a freelance photographer and Christian ministry worker in Ukraine. She has been participating in protests in the country ever since former President Viktor Yanukovych reversed a decision to sign a trade deal with the European Union and instead turned toward Russia, a move that sparked mass demonstrations in the country's capital, Kiev. Her essay first appeared on CNN iReport and has been edited for length and clarity. (CNN) -- I am a Russian-speaking Ukrainian. I am ethnically half-Russian, as my father was born in Siberia. I spent much of my life in Donetsk, a Russian-speaking area of Ukraine. Now I live in Kiev. My kids speak Ukrainian in school and with many of their friends, and we speak Russian at home. When my son's fourth-grade teacher talks to me, she speaks Ukrainian. I respond in Russian. We don't even notice that our conversation is in two languages. I understand Ukrainian but don't speak it as easily as I speak English. I just never had any pressure to learn it. In Lviv, in the western part of Ukraine, most speak primarily Ukrainian, but even there, I never had anybody look down on me for my Russian. In the eastern and southern regions, many people speak Russian, and there is absolutely no forced "Ukraineization." You might be asking what all this fuss is about in Crimea, the autonomous region of eastern Ukraine with strong ties to Russia. Why are thousands coming to the streets with Russian flags? It's easy to explain. Many people in Crimea and eastern Ukraine don't want the protection of Russian President Vladimir Putin. But there are some who are afraid of forced Ukraineization because they have been fed propaganda by Russian TV channels for years. The purpose is to convince Ukrainians that we are divided, not one country, and that the safest course of action for Russian-speaking areas is to break away and join Russia. These ideas have been cultivated since I was a child. I remember when I lived in Donetsk in the '90s, how scared we were that a candidate from western Ukraine would win an election and force us to speak Ukrainian. But when I moved out of the area of aggressive Russian information, I quickly realized I can speak Russian in Kiev or Lviv and no one will ever be upset with me! http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/04/world/europe/ukraine-divided-opinion-irpt/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 So the fear is Putin will send Russian forces into other countries that want to be annexed by Russia? The fear is Russia will send forces into other countries which didn't know they wanted to be annexed by Russia until after the invasion. Like I said, let it happen. The fact that no shots have been fired should be a major clue to anyone with an opinion on this. Interesting. You think the no shots fired into crowds suggests Russia's holding back? Or that the Ukrainians favor the Russians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26447682 Marched off at gunpoint in Crimea The Belbek airbase in Crimea is now famous for a tense confrontation between soldiers in Russian uniforms - without insignia - and Ukrainian troops, filmed by Western journalists. Here Olga Ivshina, a BBC Russian Service reporter, describes her own tense exchanges with Russian-speaking troops controlling the base just outside Sevastopol. "Don't move or I'll shoot!" someone shouts from the bushes. Slowly, I turn my head and see a gun fitted with a silencer, pointing at me. That morning we haven't recorded much - and clearly it is of no interest. But they ask us to wipe it anyway, just to be sure. Slowly I retrieve a water bottle and chocolate bar from the rucksack. "Snickers?" asks a soldier. "You shouldn't eat that American food. Bad for your health." "You can have it if you want," I say. "No, no. We don't eat American food," says the soldier with the grenade-launcher, smiling contentedly. We carry on emptying the rucksack - and reach the first aid kit. "American kit!" says the man with the grenade-launcher. Instantly the soldiers raise their rifles again. Ukrainian fighter jets remain grounded as men in Russian uniforms patrol the base "Judging by your physique, you are both British spies!" says another soldier rapidly. "Is that a compliment or a rebuke?" I ask. Tense silence. "And your boots are a bit special," he tells me. "Ordinary people don't wear boots like that. Quality leather." "Yes, they're good," I reply. "But they're rather small. They won't fit you." "Do you have tattoos?" "No," I answer. "Take your clothes off, we're going to check." http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/03/222988.htm#.Uxehigidbh0.twitter President Putin's Fiction: 10 False Claims about Ukraine From the State Department https://twitter.com/shustry About 40 angry Pro-Russian protesters waiting for OSCE delegates outside hotel in Crimea. "Black-ass" is the nicest thing they called Obama 1:55 PM https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPR About 100 Crimean citizens came to Lviv (western Ukraine) as refugees. Staying in native Crimea for them were dangerous 5channel |PR News 5:13 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 The fear is Russia will send forces into other countries which didn't know they wanted to be annexed by Russia until after the invasion. . That is an irrational fear If that were to happen, entire situation would be different. As it stands, Crimeans want Russians there. The only people that don't want the Russians in Crimea are western nations. It is ultimately not for us to decide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 That is an irrational fear If that were to happen, entire situation would be different. As it stands, Crimeans want Russians there. The only people that don't want the Russians in Crimea are western nations. It is ultimately not for us to decide And your support for this assertion that "Crimeans want Russians there", (I assume you're saying that "most Crimeans want Russians there", since saying "at least two Crimeans want Russians there" wouldn't really be all that important), is what? That unarmed civilians have not en masse attacked the thousands of mechanized infantry occupying their country? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 That is an irrational fear Evidently not. If that were to happen, entire situation would be different. As it stands, Crimeans want Russians there. The only people that don't want the Russians in Crimea are western nations. It is ultimately not for us to decide Actually that's exactly the situation we are dealing with. There was no protests going on in Crimea before Russia invaded. There was no popular Independence movement in Crimea prior to the Invasion. The newly appointed President of Crimea was a local politician with a pro Russian annex platform and he only got 4% of the vote in the last elections. Russia didn't invade because the people in Crimea wanted it. Putin invaded because Putin wanted Crimea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 https://twitter.com/MatthewKeysLive RT anchor resigns on-air, says "cannot be part of a network that whitewashes the actions of (Russian President) Putin." 5:28 PM https://twitter.com/DavidClinchNews the anchor who quit on air is Liz Wahl 5:33 PM https://twitter.com/grasswire Donetsk now Ukraine pic.twitter.com/lb3KespBD3 4:59 PM https://twitter.com/lizwahl resigned RT reporter My girl @AbbyMartin: Russia Today Host Abby Martin Goes Spectacularly Off-Message In Ukraine Broadcast http://huff.to/1fXpnLx 11:49 AM Mar 4 Just spoke to grandparents who came to US as refugees escaping Soviets during Hungarian revolution. Amazing to hear amid new Cold War fears 12:48 AM http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2014/03/05/rt-anchor-quits-on-air.html Video: RT Anchor Quits On Air An American anchor working for state-owned television station Russia Today quit on air on Wednesday. Liz Wahl, in the network's D.C. bureau, said she could no longer be "part of a network that whitewashes the actions of Putin. I'm proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth, and that is why, after this newscast, I am resigning." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Now, JMS, I will point out that visionary (I think it was him) did post an interview with at least one Crimean (couple?) who did say that they were happy to see the "not Russian" troops. This also led me to the notion that maybe that's what a majority of the people in that area, wanted. I certainly agree that when "protests" consist of masked men who may not even be citizens (and who may actually be Russian soldiers) are kidnapping and/or assaulting people, then it's kinda tough to gather a consensus as to what the actual people who actually live there, actually feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearrock Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 That is an irrational fear If that were to happen, entire situation would be different. As it stands, Crimeans want Russians there. The only people that don't want the Russians in Crimea are western nations. It is ultimately not for us to decide If rest of Ukraine doesn't want to cede Crimea to Russia, what then? Also, what percentage of Crimean support is sufficient? What if New England region decides they like Canada better? If Texas wants to be an independent country? How much say does a locality get in splitting from a country? And to what extent does the locality have to split properly first before putting boots on foreign soil is not considered invasion? Is bloody resistance by Ukraine really necessary for this to constitute a Russian invasion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Now, JMS, I will point out that visionary (I think it was him) did post an interview with at least one Crimean (couple?) who did say that they were happy to see the "not Russian" troops. This also led me to the notion that maybe that's what a majority of the people in that area, wanted. I saw that. I've seen a few other such statements too. All taken after the invasion. My point is you don't get to claim some sort of popular uprising, after you've moved in with 8-16000 troops. There was no popular uprising or popular independence movement before Russia invaded. Russia is trying to sell their invasion as a liberation, or a justified intervention. It's none of those things. It's a land grab. There is not even a record of Ukrainians discriminating against much less persecuting ethnic Russians. I certainly agree that when "protests" consist of masked men who may not even be citizens (and who may actually be Russian soldiers) are kidnapping and/or assaulting people, then it's kinda tough to gather a consensus as to what the actual people who actually live there, actually feel. I think the very presence of the Russian soldiers, and they are Russian soldiers; negates any informal testimonials from Crimea. I think the fact those Russian soldiers are scaring the hell out of folks and intimidating folks makes it even worse. Thus you have to go by what was occurring prior to the invasion... No popular sovereignty movement predating the invasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 Well there was a poll saying that around 42% of people in Crimea supported merging with Russia. Not sure if things have changed in one way or another since then. But we do know that a large portion of the population there support Russia. Jewish and Muslim leaders and communities in the area have made it clear they do not support Russia. There are also many Ukrainians and family members of military down there who are unhappy with Russia. So it's very unclear what amount of folks in the Crimea support Russia's involvement. There certainly haven't been huge protests against them since troops and military vehicles started occupying everywhere, but there were before. There were also some protests in favor of separatism and Russian intervention, but nothing significant and only a couple of days before the troops arrived. https://twitter.com/Indira_L So that hoped-for mtg btwn Lavrov & Ukraine foreign min in Paris? Never happened, "Who is that?" Lavrov said airily when asked if they met 6:17 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Well there was a poll saying that around 42% of people in Crimea supported merging with Russia. In the absence of information to the contrary, I'm gonna consider that number accurate. And that's a pretty impressive number of people. But, not a majority. Thanks for the info. (Have you considered a job with CIA or State or some such? You certainly seen like the expert of ES, on all things foreign.) Maybe a news service? (Guess it would have to be a foreign news service, since the American ones don't seem to think research is all that important.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearrock Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Seriously, Visionary's updates have been so much more informative then traditional news outlets for me. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 What makes you think I'm not working for the CIA already? JK. But seriously, I just constantly check through updates from a lot of various sources on twitter, including journalists, activists, and traditional media sites. It's mostly a matter of devoting time and energy and being able to think through bs, than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexey Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Seriously, Visionary's updates have been so much more informative then traditional news outlets for me. Thanks again.Yes, thank you visionary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/french-made-warship-destined-for-russia-sets-sail/2014/03/05/f3d0f0e0-a43f-11e3-b865-38b254d92063_story.html French-made warship destined for Russia sets sail A French-built warship designed to strengthen Russia’s ability to deploy troops, tanks and helicopter gunships embarked on its first test run Wednesday — just as Western powers are trying to rein in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military threat to Ukraine. The Vladivostok helicopter carrier set sail from the French Atlantic port of Saint-Nazaire, while just a few hundred kilometers (miles) away in Paris, France’s government hosted American, Russian and other leading world diplomats amid mounting tensions over Ukraine. The warship is part of a 1.2-billion-euro ($1.6-billion) deal that marked the biggest-ever sale of NATO weaponry to Moscow, a deal that already raised eyebrows both within Russia’s military circles and among France’s Western allies when it was struck in 2011. France has criticized Russia’s military incursion into Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, but says it has no plans to scrap the defense deal. That’s because France, like many of Russia’s European trading partners, has found itself wedged between efforts to squeeze Russia diplomatically and its own economic interests. The French government’s top priority is reviving a lackluster economy and reducing unemployment, and this deal underpins some 1,000 jobs. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/03/05/angie_the_good_cop_merkel_putin_ukraine Angie the Good Cop Why Germany can’t afford to get tough on Russia. BERLIN — Germany has long taken the easy path with foreign policy -- content to write checks for international engagements while leaving the heavy lifting to its allies in Washington, Paris, and London. Today, there's no such luxury: Germany is now the pivotal player in the Ukraine crisis. And the world is watching. Berlin's relations with Moscow are complex, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's relations to Russian President Vladimir Putin even more so. Yet the ball is now in Germany's court, and its instinct to pursue diplomacy is right. Not so long ago, of course, it would have been the United States calling the shots, with Germany following along like the humble, reliable ally it had been. But the tables are turned. Washington is paying the price for having neglected Europe for years, tapping the phones of the continent's leaders rather than engaging them in serious consultation and policymaking. Its high-handed dealings with Russia since the end of the Cold War have served to alienate and radicalize the country, which is just part of the explanation for the current disaster in Crimea. As for the European Union, its foreign-policymaking apparatus is still not up to the task of diffusing such a high-level crisis involving the transgression of state sovereignty in Europe itself. So it falls to Germany, the de facto leader of the European Union today -- another role it never wanted. http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikegiglio/ukrainian-commanders-keep-crimea-out-of-a-shooting-war Ukrainian Commanders Keep Crimea Out Of A Shooting War At bases besieged by Russian troops across Crimea, Ukrainian commanders perform a delicate balancing act: trying to stand their ground against a murky invasion, while keeping from sparking a shooting war that neither side seems to want.Ukraine’s new government is uncertain and weak, formed just last week in the wake of months of unrest. It was still finding its bearings — as well as the loyalties of some of its military leaders — when Russia, angry over the ouster of its ally Viktor Yanukovych, deployed troops in Crimea. A pro-Russia government has since been installed there and five days of tension have devolved into an uneasy peace. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Paris on Wednesday, trying, in part, to arrange a direct meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine. He was unsuccessful, but said he thought Russia wanted to see a diplomatic solution. Ukraine’s new prime minister, Arseny Yatsenyuk, meanwhile said Crimea would likely win expanded autonomy. Long days of political posturing likely lie ahead. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/05/exclusive-rt-today-anchor-liz-wahl-explains-why-she-quit.html Exclusive: RT Anchor Liz Wahl Explains Why She Quit Liz Wahl wasn’t just disgusted by the Kremlin-funded TV network’s handling of Ukraine, she says in an exclusive interview. RT’s coverage of the entire world “made me feel sick.” American journalist Liz Wahl just made Vladimir Putin’s enemies list. Wahl, an American anchor for RT-America, a cable news network funded by the Russian government, stunned viewers Wednesday, when, at the end of her 5 PM broadcast, she announced her resignation from the channel. The announcement was stunning. But Wahl’s decision to quit the network was a long time coming. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast, she says that, “When I came on board from the beginning I knew what I was getting into, but I think I was more cautious and tried to stay as objective as I could.” Yet repeated attempts by her superiors at the network to censor her work and distort the truth ultimately convinced Wahl that, to keep her integrity intact, she would have to depart. https://twitter.com/mike_giglio Police keep guard inside the regional govt building in Ukraine’s Donnetsk, now occupied by pro-Russia protesters. pic.twitter.com/9yAKpSUMuA 6:12 PM All the pro-Russia activists I spoke to in Donnetsk tonight were from Donnetsk. 6:29 PM no rival crowds outside (it was midnight, so all settled down). maybe 50 pro-Russia guys camped outside the building...another 15 guarding the door; some cops around the building, and then just scattered activists wandering around. i think some people might have been sleeping though 6:47 PM Night shift of pro-Russia activists in Donetsk, Ukraine on guard to make sure the city’s Lenin statue isn’t torn down pic.twitter.com/VdkhyzBarg 7:04 PM https://twitter.com/McFaul Love all the @RT_com defections. For years, RT people have told me privately how embarrassed they are to work there. 8:22 PM Ha ha! I can see why Russia didn't want him as ambassador anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 If rest of Ukraine doesn't want to cede Crimea to Russia, what then? Also, what percentage of Crimean support is sufficient? What if New England region decides they like Canada better? If Texas wants to be an independent country? How much say does a locality get in splitting from a country? And to what extent does the locality have to split properly first before putting boots on foreign soil is not considered invasion? Is bloody resistance by Ukraine really necessary for this to constitute a Russian invasion? Terrible analogies A better analogy is as follows Communist revolution in Puerto Rico. What does US government do? And do we give a **** what Russia thinks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterMP Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 visionary, I would like to thank you for your continued work too (I've said it in other threads where you contribute greatly). I would like to point out from the one article about NATO under cutting Russia, there has been talk of offering Russia NATO membership as early as 2010 by important people in Germany, and in some academic circles it was discussed even earlier: http://euobserver.com/defence/27890 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/rbth/opinion/7545783/Will-Russia-join-Nato.html The problem was that Russia did not want to do it (at that time at least). We even pro-actively asked them to join a united missile defense system http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11711042 (Their response was that it wasn't really necessary to create an intra-European system as they would join the system and shoot down any missiles headed from their territory to other countries, which even ignoring the technical/practical difficulties of shooting down a missile (what happens if their system failed to shoot it down?) didn't really give countries like Georgia a lot of confidence and so was rejected.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearrock Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Terrible analogies A better analogy is as follows Communist revolution in Puerto Rico. What does US government do? And do we give a **** what Russia thinks? The original issue still stands. The entire nation of Ukraine isn't asking to rejoin mother Russia (for that matter, it doesn't appear that even majority of Crimea region feels that way based on the poll cited by Visionary). We are not talking about western countries opposing Ukraine going back into Russia despite Ukraine's wishes. If that were the case, then you would be right, that it's none of anyone's business. The problem is that Crimea is not a country, does not have independence from Ukraine, and Ukraine, the country to which Crimea is currently part of, is opposing Russian occupation of Crimea. It would be exactly like Canada sending in troops to annex Vermont because 42% of the Vermont population wants to leave US and join Canada. If US were to call that an invasion and repel Canadian forces, who would have a problem with that? The only reason Ukraine hasn't done that is because they would lose to Russia, thus the call for international help. But the principle stands, Russia is in the wrong. This is an invasion. Even if majority of Crimea wants to leave Ukraine and join Russia (again, apparently isn't the case), that is not a decision that localities get to make unilaterally. There are many valid reasons to advocate non-intervention. The argument that Russia and Crimea have the right to turn Ukrainian land into Russian land isn't one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stadium-Armory Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 What in the **** is up with John Kerry's face? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Comrade2000 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Putin is a man of peace I tell you. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/05/putin-nobel-prize_n_4904768.html That was his work with Syria, which I think I said back then he would be nominated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Terrible analogies A better analogy is as follows Communist revolution in Puerto Rico. What does US government do? And do we give a **** what Russia thinks? You mean a communist invasion of Puerto Rico... followed by the installation of a minorly successful local politician with Communist leanings as president... Followed by the announcement by popular resolution Puerto Rico would now become communist(without any kind of vote or popular sovereignty); while we see film on the news of heavily armed, masked Russian troops intimidating and suppressing peoples movements. And what revolution are you talking about? The Ukrainian Parliament impeached the President after his policies killed hundreds of peaceful protesters. Even members of the old Presidents own party voted him out of office... Then the Ukrainian parliament installed the speaker of that parliament as the interim President... while announcing new elections for May. There was no "revolution". So a more accurate analogy for Ukraine voting to get into the EU, would be if Canada voted to get into the EU.. Would we go to war over it. Or if Mexico voted to get into OPEC.. ( which they did decades ago)... would we care.. An economic relationship with countries who we have friendly trade with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116833/putin-doesnt-know-what-he-wants-ukraine Putin Doesn't Know What He Wants in Ukraine It's easy to lose your mind in Russia, especially if you try to find a logic in the government's actions, especially in the realm of foreign policy. The more acute the situation, the closer insanity comes creeping in: before your eyes, black turns to white, blatant aggression is “peacekeeping,” and hostilities towards a sovereign state are depicted as noble deeds. And this is where we find ourselves today, as Russia finds itself on the brink of war with neighboring Ukraine. What Russia is trying to accomplish in the Crimea is not clear even in the Kremlin, it seems. Over the last few days, I have carefully read all the statements made by Russian officials; I’ve spoken with many of them. I’ve heard dozens of explanations of Russia’s actions in the Crimea: the defense of military bases, the defense of Russian citizens, reacting to an untrustworthy new government in Kiev. And yet I couldn’t get a clear answer to the simple question of “why?” More and more, I find the Russian position on the Crimea resembles a mad dashing back and forth: Valentina Matvienko, the speaker of the Federation Council, who on Saturday had voiced support for sending Russian troops to Crimea, had completely rejected any possibility of armed conflict only days before. And over the course of the last three months, until just recently, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had strictly warned against any intervention in Ukraine by outside actors. http://eajc.org/page32/news43672.html Open letter of Ukrainian Jews to Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin. To the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin Mr. President! We are Jewish citizens of Ukraine: businessmen, managers, public figures, scientists and scholars, artists and musicians. We are addressing you on behalf of the multi-national people of Ukraine, Ukraine's national minorities, and on behalf of the Jewish community. You have stated that Russia wants to protect the rights of the Russian-speaking citizens of the Crimea and all of Ukraine and that these rights have been flouted by the current Ukrainian government. Historically, Ukrainian Jews are also mostly Russian-speaking. Thus, our opinion on what is happening carries no less weight than the opinion of those who advise and inform you. We do not believe that you are easy to fool. You consciously pick and choose lies and slander from the massive amount of information about Ukraine. And you know very well that Victor Yanukovich's statement concerning the time after the latest treaty had been signed that “...Kyiv is full of armed people who have begun to trash buildings, places of worship, churches. Innocent people have begun to suffer. People have simply been robbed and killed in the street...” are lies, from the first word to the very last. The Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine are not being humiliated or discriminated against, their civil rights have not been limited. Meanderings about “forced Ukrainization” and “bans on the Russian language” that have been so common in Russian media are on the heads of those who invented them. Your certainty of the growth of anti-Semitism in Ukraine also does not correspond to the actual facts. It seems you have confused Ukraine with Russia, where Jewish organizations have noticed growth in anti-Semitic tendencies last year. http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/obama-vacation-plans-vladimir-putin-russia-104319.html#ixzz2v9luZo89 Obama’s vacation plans in jeopardy Vladimir Putin has put President Barack Obama’s vacation plans on hold. Obama’s headed to Coral Reef High School in the southern part of the city for an event about education and the economy Friday, which first lady Michelle Obama had been expected to attend as well. What hadn’t been known was that Obama’s daughters were planning to come with them, and that the four were going to extend the trip for a brief family getaway. Now the White House tells POLITICO that he’s reconsidering. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/07/world/europe/ukraine.html?gwh=13B4EEB630DDAE136642C46A047AA8C0&gwt=pay European Union Freezes Assets of 18 Ukrainians https://twitter.com/mike_giglio Word in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk this morning is that pro-Russia separatist leader Pavel Gubarev has been arrested 2:02 AM Pavel Gubarev's FB page denies his arrest "MarkSleboda1: @ChristopherJM @novostidnua He says differently https://www.facebook.com/pgubarev?fref=ts 2:20 AM https://twitter.com/bishopk Raising the flag on the blockaded Slavutich this morning in Sevastopol Crimea pic.twitter.com/ZHSvh5Z4dx 1:17 AM Come to see Daddy - a sailor on board the blockaded Ternopil talks to his wife and children in Sevastopol Crimea pic.twitter.com/6tODjzPP6J 2:50 AM https://twitter.com/BBCDanielS Ukrainian naval HQ in Sevastopol still blockaded by a few troops and pro-Russian activists, according to colleagues 4:02 AM Still Russian troops around Perevalnoye bases pic.twitter.com/2MpYLQ46u3 4:16 AM BBC cameraman manuelfocus filming Russian troops with a 7.62 machine gun pic.twitter.com/Su1osow0yV 4:27 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 https://twitter.com/AFP BREAKING Ukraine police retake regional HQ in Donetsk, arrest 75 people: source 4:14 AM https://twitter.com/NATOpress LIVE at 16:15CET: AndersFoghR and Ukraine PM Arsenii Yatseniuk will hold a press conference at NATO HQ 4:28 AM https://twitter.com/lauraphylmills Crimea referendum moved up to March 16. There will be only two options: join Russia or stay with Ukraine. http://echo.msk.ru/news/1273350-echo.htm 4:39 AM https://twitter.com/myroslavapetsa Referendum questions are:1) Do you want Crimea to join Russia? 2) Do you support return to 1992 Constitution(Crimea's stays with Ukraine)? 4:48 AM https://twitter.com/WilliamsJon List of 18 top Ukranians sanctioned by EU - including Yanukovich & his son! pic.twitter.com/5y6MGge3yh 4:47 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveakl Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 That is an irrational fear If that were to happen, entire situation would be different. As it stands, Crimeans want Russians there. The only people that don't want the Russians in Crimea are western nations. It is ultimately not for us to decide http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/05/opinion/russia-ukraine-austria/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 Fantastic article. Read the links about what Russia is doing to stir up and promote the false notion that Crimea wants to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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