DCSaints_fan Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 how much more before someone makes a move to stand up to this? Are we just gonna hand over Ukraine and protect the other countries? If Russia does make a move for Eastern Ukraine I think they most the US does is up the sanctions against Russia and military aid to Ukraine. I don't think we would ever get involved in a shooting war with them. It will be up to Europe and the rest of NATO, and to some extent the people of Ukraine. They will have to be willing to protect their national territory = many Ukrainians would have to be willing to die, something they weren't willing to do for Crimea That would make Russia look like the bad guy. There's no way the US is going to unilaterally try to stop Russia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Heck, we've made it clear that the worst we'll do is tell a few members of Putins cabinet that, if they want to come to Disney, they won't be able to use their credit cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 If Russia does make a move for Eastern Ukraine I think they most the US does is up the sanctions against Russia and military aid to Ukraine. I don't think we would ever get involved in a shooting war with them. It will be up to Europe and the rest of NATO, and to some extent the people of Ukraine. They will have to be willing to protect their national territory = many Ukrainians would have to be willing to die, something they weren't willing to do for Crimea That would make Russia look like the bad guy. There's no way the US is going to unilaterally try to stop Russia. From a military capacity perspective the US essentially is NATO. The UK and France have some useful military assets and especially special forces capability but nothing which would get the attention of Russia in more than a token line in the sand sort of way. Any meaningful military response would be centred around US equipment and boots on the ground along with UK, French and of course Ukrainian units as well. I seriously doubt though that there is the political will in Washington, London and certainly not Paris to contemplate an actual shooting war with Russia over the Ukraine. That certainly seems to be what Putin believes as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 8, 2014 Author Share Posted April 8, 2014 http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikegiglio/inside-the-pro-russia-occupation-fueling-invasion-fears-in-e Inside The Pro-Russia Occupation Fueling Invasion Fears In Eastern Ukraine When pro-Russia crowds stormed the regional government building in this eastern Ukrainian city on Sunday night — and then declared a referendum on secession in the assembly hall while asking Russia to send in “peacekeepers” — fears flared that another Crimea scenario was on the way.First the protesters would occupy key infrastructure, then Russia would use the pretext of local support to send troops to the region — and eventually annex it.Activists standing guard at the Donetsk building late Monday night said that’s exactly what they had in mind. “Most of us here want to rejoin Russia,” one said.“We are fighting for our freedom,” said another young man, in his early 20s, wearing a mask and carrying a metal rod, like many of his fellow activists. None gave their full names, fearing arrest. But they buzzed with talk of revolution.A few were even from Crimea and had arrived earlier in the day, eager to help what had happened at home play out next in Donetsk. “We think the authorities in Kiev are illegal,” said one, named Alex, pulling aside his ski mask so he could smoke. “They said the referendum wasn’t allowed in Crimea either, but we did it anyway.”By Tuesday evening, organizers inside the occupied government building said they were pressing ahead with plans for a referendum on secession, which they had set for May 11, even as local authorities tried to mediate. Fears that Russia was attempting to play its hand in east Ukraine — either ahead of an invasion or in order to destabilize the region ahead of presidential elections set for next month — were rife. It wasn’t just Donetsk that saw government buildings occupied, but the eastern cities of Kharkiv and Luhansk as well. The Obama administration warned that the protests were far from a “spontaneous set of events,” saying it had proof that many demonstrators had been paid and suggesting that Russian intelligence had been involved. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304640104579487473582984500?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304640104579487473582984500.html Putin's Moment http://news.yahoo.com/russians-sent-foment-chaos-east-ukraine-kerry-153942005.html;_ylt=AwrBJSCdH0RTTk0APgrQtDMD Russians sent to foment 'chaos' in east Ukraine: Kerry US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Tuesday that Russia was sending agents into eastern Ukraine to "create chaos" the Kremlin could use as a pretext for more military intervention. With tensions again on the boil in Ukraine, Kerry said he would meet next week with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as Washington seeks to tamp down the most serious East-West crisis since the Cold War. But Kerry bluntly accused Russia of mounting an "illegal, illegitimate effort to destabilize a sovereign state." In recent days pro-Kremlin activists have seized government buildings in several cities in Ukraine's east, declaring independence and vowing to vote on splitting from Ukraine. "Everything that we've seen in the last 48 hours, from Russian provocateurs and agents operating in eastern Ukraine, tells us that they've been sent there determined to create chaos," Kerry told US lawmakers. http://www.interpretermag.com/ukraine-liveblog-day-50-russia-warns-of-civil-war/#1556 1524 GMT: Russia’s Foreign Minister has said that leaders from eastern and southern Ukraine should be part of international talks, to be held in Brussels, on ways to diffuse the conflict. The Russian state-run outlet Voice of Russia reports: Russia’s top diplomat suggested that some of the candidates set to run in May 25 snap presidential elections and representing Ukraine’s pro-Russian east and south could take part in the talks, AFP reports. On Monday, Washington said it wants within the next 10 days to see four-way talks between Washington, Russia, Ukraine and the European Union to find a way to calm tensions in the east of Ukraine. Does anyone think this will go well? When negotiating with Russia there's generally two outcomes, we roll over and give them what they want, or we don't agree on anything. http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_08/Russia-calls-restricted-access-to-NATO-HQ-Cold-War-Mentality-5312/ Russia calls restricted access to NATO HQ 'Cold War' Mentality NATO decision to limit the access of Russian diplomats to its headquarters in Brussels reflects the persistent "Cold War" mentality among the alliance's officials, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. NATO said Monday the access to NATO Headquarters will be denied to all representatives of the Russian Mission, except the Russian Ambassador, his Deputy Head of Mission, and two support staff. Other Russian diplomats will have to notify NATO about their planned visit to its headquarters in advance, register upon arrival and be escorted by security staff throughout their visit. "We noted that information about the move was posted on the main page of NATO's official website. It looks like access by Russian diplomats to the NATO office is the North Atlantic alliancea's number one problem," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "The introduction of restrictive measures against [Russian diplomats] confirms once again that the alliance is not capable of overcoming the "Cold War" mentality, preferring the language of sanctions over dialogue," the statement reads. Ties between Moscow and the West plunged to record lows in recent weeks surrounding disagreements over Crimea, which rejoined Russia after 60 years as part of Ukraine last month. In the ongoing diplomatic strife that followed, NATO froze all practical aspects of its military cooperation with Russia last week. The Russian Foreign Ministry described the Atlantic alliance's moves as "Cold War-style sword swinging." http://live.aljazeera.com/Event/Ukraine_liveblog/112595507 Ukraine's security service (SBU) says pro-Russian activists have placed explosives in seized building in the eastern city of Luhansk, holding around 60 people against their will. [Reuters] "The anti-terror group of the security services of Ukraine (SBU) .. has established that the criminals have mined the building ... and are holding around 60 people, threatening them with weapons and explosives." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichmondRedskin88 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 They invade a country and are pissed that the world doesn't want them getting to have access to NATO unchecked? Simple solution pals. Get out of Ukraine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 8, 2014 Author Share Posted April 8, 2014 http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/04/i-watched-russian-state-television-for-a-whole-day/360286/ I Watched Russian State Television for a Whole Day http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/world/europe/ukraines-jews-dismiss-claims-of-anti-semitism.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimesworld&_r=0 Ukraine’s Jews Dismiss Claims of Anti-Semitism From his office atop the world’s biggest Jewish community center, Shmuel Kaminezki, the rabbi of this eastern Ukrainian city, has followed with dismay Russian claims that Ukraine is now in the hands of neo-Nazi extremists — and struggled to calm his panicked 85-year-old mother in New York. Raised in Russia and a regular viewer of Russian television, she “calls every day to ask, Have the pogroms happened yet?” Rabbi Kaminezki said. He tells his mother that they have not, and that she should stop watching Russian TV. “It is a total lie,” he said. “Jews are not in danger in Ukraine.” Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, added his own voice to the scaremongering in a speech at the Kremlin on March 18, when he described the ouster of President Viktor F. Yanukovych of Ukraine as an armed coup executed by “nationalists, neo-Nazis, Russophobes and anti-Semites” who “continue to set the tone in Ukraine to this day.” But instead of reeling in panic at any fascist resurgence, the Jewish community of Dnipropetrovsk, one of the largest in Ukraine, is celebrating the recent appointment of one of its own, a billionaire tycoon named Ihor Kolomoysky, as the region’s most powerful official. “They made a Jew the governor. What kind of anti-Semitism is this?” asked Solomon Flaks, the 87-year-old chairman of the region’s Council of Jewish Veterans of the Great Patriotic War, an association of a rapidly shrinking number of World War II veterans. Since being formed in 1994, when it had 970 members, the council’s membership has fallen to 103, the result of old age and emigration to Israel. A few Jewish leaders do endorse Russian claims of a resurgence of anti-Semitism in Ukraine, but they are nearly all outsiders, most notably Berel Lazar, Moscow’s chief rabbi and a firm ally of the Kremlin. In an interview with The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Mr. Lazar criticized Ukrainian Jews for denouncing Mr. Putin and suggested they had played down the risk of anti-Semitism in Ukraine out of fear for their safety. http://www.interpretermag.com/ukraine-liveblog-day-50-russia-warns-of-civil-war/#1830 1830 GMT: UkrInform.ua reports that the deputy head of Ukraine’s Presidential Administration, Andriy Senchenko, has announced that an agreement has been reached on the return of Ukraine’s ships from Russian-held Crimea. The first ships to return will be the corvette Ternopil, the missile boat Priluki and the tanker, Fastov, all of which are currently in Sevastopol. Simultaneously, the head of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry’s Crimean media centre, Vladislav Seleznev, announced that an agreement had been made on the return of Ukrainian aircraft from Crimea, adding that: One plane will fly home under its own power following maintenance, several more will be transported over land. 1605 GMT: Kyiv Post reports that pro-Russian crowds have attacked police in Kharkiv, demanding that separatists arrested last night be released: Several hundred aggressive men and women gathered on April 8 at Freedom Square near Kharkiv Oblast’s head administration office, cursing at and violently beating policemen who were guarding the building. “****s! Animals! They imprisoned innocent people,” the crowd shouted, demanding to release 70 separatists who had been arrested earlier in the morning by police during during an anti-terrorist operation. https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPR Canada demands Russian diplomat, a deputy of military attache, to leave the country http://zn.ua/WORLD/kanada-vydvoryaet-zamestitelya-voennogo-attashe-posolstva-rossii-142864_.html 2:02 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixcuincle Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 There was a big fight in the Ukraine GOVERNING BODY today. Fisticuffs and all. US doesn't have that anymore. Last time there was violence in a government chamber here, that guy got caned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/08/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/index.html Russia warns of civil war if Ukraine uses force to quell eastern revolts Russia warned Tuesday that any use of force in Ukraine's eastern region could lead to civil war, as Kiev seeks to regain control after pro-Moscow uprisings in three cities. Pro-Russian protesters seized government buildings in the cities of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv on Sunday. Rebels occupying Donetsk's regional government building Monday declared a "people's republic" and called for a referendum on secession from Ukraine to be held by May 11. There were conflicting reports over whether demonstrators who seized control of a Security Service of Ukraine building in Luhansk were holding hostages. A security service anti-terrorism unit outside the building claimed the demonstrators are holding 60 people, Victoria Syumar, a security service spokeswoman, and Yarema Duh, spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council, told CNN. But pro-Russian demonstrators holed up in the building denied they have taken anyone hostage, according to Reuters news reports. The security service also accused the demonstrators of placing explosive throughout the building, a claim the protesters denied, Reuters reported. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/world/europe/russia-ukraine-unrest.html?_r=0 U.S. and NATO Warn Russia to Stay Out of Ukraine As the government in Kiev moved to reassert control over pro-Russian protesters across eastern Ukraine, the United States and NATO issued stern warnings to Moscow about further intervention in the country’s affairs, amid continuing fears of an eventual Russian incursion. Secretary of State John Kerry accused the Kremlin of fomenting the unrest, calling the protests the work of saboteurs whose machinations were as “ham-handed as they are transparent.” Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he added: “No one should be fooled — and believe me, no one is fooled — by what could potentially be a contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea. It is clear that Russian special forces and agents have been the catalysts behind the chaos of the last 24 hours.” The secretary general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said Russia would be making a “historic mistake” by going into Ukraine, and he urged the Kremlin to “step back.” At a news conference in Paris, he said any such actions “would have grave consequences for our relationship with Russia and would further isolate Russia internationally.” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/08/exclusive-u-s-won-t-share-invasion-intel-with-ukraine.html Exclusive: U.S. Won’t Share Invasion Intel With Ukraine American spies have spotted all the signs of an all-out Russian invasion of Ukraine. Why won’t they tell the Ukrainians about the forces on their border? U.S. intelligence agencies now have detailed information that Russia has amassed the kind of forces needed for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But the Obama administration hasn’t shared with Ukraine the imagery, intercepts, and analysis that pinpont the location of the Russian troops ready to seize more Ukrainian land, The Daily Beast has learned. President Obama has repeatedly and publicly expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people—and warned Russian leader Vladimir Putin that there will be consequences if he takes over any more Ukrainian territory. Yet Obama’s administration has so far been reluctant to hand over the kind of intelligence the Ukrainians could use to defend themselves. U.S. officials and members of Congress briefed on the crisis in Ukraine tell The Daily Beast that senior U.S. military officers have been instructed to refrain from briefing their Ukrainian counterparts in detail about what the United States knows about the Russians troops amassing on the border. “I am not confident we are sharing any of that kind of information,” said Rep. Michael Turner, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee that oversees NATO and U.S. tactical air and land forces. “It’s clear we are not giving them critical military advice about the Russian capability on their border and the best utilization of the Ukrainian military to counter that.” Instead, the U.S. intelligence community’s detailed analysis of a potential Russian invasion has been shared only with the Congress, American policy makers, and members of the Obama administration. The analysis includes details such as the geographic location of specific Russian units and predictions for how those units would be used in combination for a potential invasion http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26946807 Ukraine crisis: Key four-way talks announced Senior officials from the EU, Russia, the US and Ukraine are to meet next week to discuss the worsening situation in Ukraine. It will be the first four-way meeting since the crisis erupted. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will join US Secretary of State John Kerry, his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia. Russia annexed Crimea in February and has troops massed along the border. Moscow has so far refused to recognise the new authorities in Kiev following the ousting of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February. The exact time and place of next week's talks were not made clear although an EU official confirmed they would be in Europe. A spokeswoman for Baroness Ashton said she "continues the diplomatic efforts aiming at de-escalating the situation in Ukraine. In this context she will meet foreign ministers of the US, Russian Federation and Ukraine next week" https://twitter.com/myroslavapetsa SBU statement: 51 unarmed person left SBU office in Luhansk as a result of negotiations http://bit.ly/1kI3Eao 7:27 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-luhansk-standoff-police/25324437.html Luhansk Dispatch: Armed Pro-Russian Protesters Set For Standoff With Police LUHANSK, Ukraine -- In Luhansk, everything is now in place for a potentially bloody standoff between pro-Russian protesters and Ukrainian police that could dramatically escalate tensions in the east of the country. The hundreds of protesters who seized the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) regional headquarters on April 6 have broken into the building's armory and can now arm themselves from it at will. And while police fear they may try to smuggle the weapons out, the protesters themselves said they had no intention of doing so. Instead, they were barricading themselves within the building for an apparently extended stay. A spokesman for the protesters, who gave his name only as Oleksiy, refused to tell reporters outside the building on April 7 how many guns had been seized. But he said there were "enough to resist takeover of the building" by security forces. The situation in Luhansk is made particularly volatile not just by the fact the protesters were digging in but also by the nature of their demands. The protesters were calling for the release of 15 activists who were arrested by the SBU earlier this week on suspicion of plotting violent unrest. The 15 men were seized in the Luhansk region along with a cache of 300 assault rifles, a grenade launcher, and large numbers of grenades, Molotov ****tails, and knives. https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPR 5 more hostages freed from seized Security Service building in Lugansk, 56 in toto. No injured, negotiations continue. 2:20 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/world/europe/ukraine-russia.html?_r=0&gwh=5ACD995E10B19F0407C05C61E4450E05&gwt=regi&assetType=nyt_now Pro-Russian Demonstrators in Eastern Ukraine Urged to Stand Down A group of protesters who have seized the government headquarters in Donetsk were urged by local politicians to give up and hand over weapons. http://euobserver.com/foreign/123797 US and EU prepare to strike Russian banks, energy firms The US and EU are preparing to strike at Russian banks, energy and minerals firms if Russia invades mainland Ukraine. Speaking to US senators in Washington on Tuesday (8 April) secretary of state John Kerry used blunt terms to describe events in Ukraine's Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions in recent days. “Everything that we’ve seen in the last 48 hours from Russian provocateurs and agents operating in eastern Ukraine tells us that they’ve been sent there determined to create chaos … These efforts are as ham-handed as they are transparent,” he said. “No one should be fooled, and believe me, no one is fooled by what could potentially be a contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea.” A Kiev-based diplomat from one EU country told EUobserver: “Russia is getting ready to occupy eastern and southern Ukraine, cutting it off from the sea, and securing key Ukrainian arms industry facilities which service its own military.” If Russia escalates, the US is ready to impose sanctions immediately on the basis of an existing White House “executive order”. EU foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. But they are playing catch-up because EU sanctions proposals are unlikely to be finalised before the middle of next week. The options paper is being drafted by commission line departments, primarily DG energy and DG trade, and co-ordinated by the commission’s secretary general, veteran Irish official Catherine Day. It is taking time because it includes impact assessments on potential Russian retaliations, including “asymmetric” retaliations along the lines of its recent ban on EU pork, as well as on “burden sharing” of the impact among EU countries. https://twitter.com/BSpringnote Ukraine press says EU sanctions black list prepared in which "almost all of Russia's political leadership" is included. 2:01 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/04/10/un_hints_russia_and_its_allies_rigged_crimeas_secession_vote Exclusive: U.N. Hints Russia and Its Allies Rigged Crimea's Secession Vote http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/politicians-in-ukraine-maneuver-for-a-deal-to-end-standoff/2014/04/09/5f878bfe-bfbc-11e3-bcec-b71ee10e9bc3_story.html Politicians in Ukraine maneuver for a deal to end standoff The pro-Russian militants who have put this country on the brink by seizing buildings and declaring independent republics in the east appeared to be ready to soften their tactics Wednesday, and politicians saw an opportunity to promote a deal. A new regional poll showed very limited support for the building occupations, and even pro-Russian party leaders began to suggest that the agitators should call it a day. Negotiations were taking place here in the city of Donetsk, and the governor said he was hopeful that an agreement that included an amnesty for the protesters would be reached by as early as Thursday. But a deal could still go wrong. The separatists are part of a ragged, murky and disjointed movement, without identifiable leaders, and the politicians on the other side, from various parties, are sure to be looking for personal advantage. The authorities in Kiev, echoed by officials in Washington, accuse Russia of trying to stir up trouble in eastern Ukraine as a prelude to a Crimea-style invasion, and Moscow’s unspecified intentions loom over everything. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that Ukraine’s ever-mounting debt to Russia now totals $16 billion. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/10/russia-west-trading-places-freedom-of-speech-sanction-eu-dmitry-kiselev-putin Russia and the west are trading places on freedom of speech Dmitry Kiselev EU calls me 'Putin's chief propagandist', yet in Russia journalists are free to tackle difficult issues without fear of state sanction• For an alternative view of media freedom in Russia, read this ( ) Russian journalists are free to tackle difficult issues in their reporting without fear of government sanction. To take one such issue, unlike in Great Britain or the US, gay men in Russia are not prohibited from donating blood or organs, a heart, for example. In the US, any man who has had sex with another man after 1977 is banned for life from donating blood. The UK recently relaxed its rules, requiring that at least a year pass after the last contact with another man, but continues to bar homosexuals from being donors. Gay men who die in accidents cannot donate organs, and their bodies are buried or cremated along with their perfectly healthy hearts. Personally, I believe the US and the UK have the right policy, and I have discussed this at length on the air. My opponents have called me a homophobe and used their freedom of speech to wage a war of words against me. But Russian journalists are free to comment on this or any other issue, from events in Ukraine to problems in Russia and the world. There are no government sanctions restricting freedom of speech or freedom of movement in my country. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2014/Apr-10/252914-russian-lawmakers-stripped-of-voting-rights-at-council-of-europe.ashx#axzz2yUiGTF7F Russian lawmakers stripped of voting rights at Council of EuropeRussian lawmakers at the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly were stripped of their voting rights until the end of 2014 on Thursday over Moscow's annexation of Crimea. The assembly at the Council, a body that promotes cooperation on human rights and democracy between all European countries -- including many states that are not in the European Union -- gathers lawmakers from the parliaments of 47 member states, including 18 Russians and 12 Ukrainians. http://www.interpretermag.com/kyrgyz-nation-not-tired-of-independence-despite-what-moscow-propagandists-claim-baysalov-says/ Kyrgyz Nation Not ‘Tired’ of Independence Despite What Moscow Propagandists Claim, Baysalov Says Pro-Moscow groups in Bishkek are actively promoting the idea that “Kyrgyzstan is tired of being independent,” that the West is the source of all its problems, and that it is time “to sign everything that is required” in order to have once again a comfortable life, according to Edil Baysalov, an advisor to that Central Asian country’s president. Such messages have become so frequent and widespread that they now “form the main information background” for everything else, he continues, and as a result, an increasing number of people assume that “normal people and healthy patriots are in a terribly small minority” and are asking themselves what can be done. And on the basis of these suggestions and apparently with an eye on joining Kyrgyzstan to Russia, Baysalov says, some deputies in the Kyrgyzstan parliament are pushing initiatives which “word for word repeat the xenophobic practices introduced in recent months by the State Duma of the Russian Federation.” Kyrgyzstan is not Russia and does not need to behave the way Russia does, he continues. It doesn’t need to crush anyone who speaks out against the government, and it doesn’t need to proclaim that it is pursuing “a special path” that means international rules don’t apply to it. And it doesn’t need to promote xenophobia and hatred to foreigners. What Moscow is doing is nothing new, Baysalov says. It has done it again and again and again, and the Kyrgyz alone with the rest of the world have become “witnesses of the unset of a dark era in the history of this state.” But Kyrgyzstan has no reason to follow that path, to make enemies of others, or to cut itself off from the world. At the same time and as a first order of business, the presidential advisor argues, Bishkek “must oppose the unceasing attempts to project on our state the alien phantom fears and imperial habits” of Russia. http://news.yahoo.com/putin-warns-russia-may-cut-ukraine-gas-142202616.html Putin threatens gas shut-down amid Ukraine standoff Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened on Thursday to cut off Ukraine's gas unless Europe drummed up the cash to help cover its debts in an intensifying standoff over the splintered ex-Soviet state. Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened on Thursday to cut off Ukraine's gas unless Europe drummed up the cash to help cover its debts in an intensifying standoff over the splintered ex-Soviet state. The veteran strongman's most direct warning about deliveries on which European nations also depend came with Ukraine facing a secession crisis and relations between Moscow and the West plumbing new post-Cold War lows. The latest sign of the Kremlin's growing isolation came with a decision by the Council of Europe's human rights body to strip Russian lawmakers of their voting rights through the end of the year over Moscow's annexation of Crimea. Ukraine's embattled leaders meanwhile tried to keep what was left of their nation of 46 million people whole by vowing to amnesty pro-Russian separatists occupying eastern state buildings if they laid down their arms and halted a four-day seige. The militants' demand to join Russia has added extra urgency to the first round of direct talks that EU and US diplomats have managed to convince both Moscow and Kiev to attend, set for April 17 in either Geneva or Vienna. But Putin did not appear to be in a conciliatory mood as he dispatched a note to EU leaders warning that his energy-rich country was tired of accruing debts from a Western-backed leadership in Kiev whose legitimacy it did not recognise in the first place. http://ukrainianweek.com/News/107239 The UK, Poland and Sweden propose to set up a civilian mission to Ukraine The UK, Poland and Sweden propose that a European Union civilian mission is set up to help Ukraine improve its justice system. BBC reports according to the leaked joint paper of the three countries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/us/russia-failed-to-share-details-on-boston-marathon-bombing-suspect.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimesworld&_r=2 Russia Didn’t Share All Details on Boston Bombing Suspect, Report Says The Russian government declined to provide the F.B.I. with information about one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects that would most likely have led to more extensive scrutiny of him at least two years before the attack, according to an inspector general’s report. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/09/us-troops-eastern-europe_n_5121124.html?utm_hp_ref=world Top NATO Commander: U.S. Troops May Be Sent To Eastern Europe NATO's top military commander in Europe, drafting countermoves to the Russian military threat against Ukraine, said Wednesday they could include deployment of American troops to alliance member states in Eastern Europe now feeling at risk. U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove told The Associated Press he wouldn't "write off involvement by any nation, to include the United States." Foreign ministers of the 28-nation alliance have given Breedlove until Tuesday to propose steps to reassure NATO members nearest Russia that other alliance countries have their back. "Essentially what we are looking at is a package of land, air and maritime measures that would build assurance for our easternmost allies," Breedlove told the AP. "I'm tasked to deliver this by next week. I fully intend to deliver it early." Asked again if American soldiers might be sent to NATO's front-line states closest to Russia, the four-star U.S. general said, "I would not write off contributions from any nation." http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/valery-pavlukevich/sorting-out-opposition-in-samara-russian-antiwar-protests-harassment#.U0X0rAHN0CI.twitter Sorting out the opposition in Samara http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/04/08/why-donetsk-isnt-crimea-in-two-maps/ Why Donetsk isn’t Crimea, in two maps It's tempting, when we hear that pro-Russian protesters have declared a "Donetsk People’s Republic" in the eastern Ukrainian city, to imagine it as the next step in the Kremlin's gradual takeover of their beleaguered neighbor: a "Crimea 2.0" to follow the successful annexation last month. But Crimea had a unique place in Russian history, and its relationship to Ukraine (which it only joined in 1954) was always quirky. Donetsk –and other cities, like Kharkiv, that have been hit by pro-Russian protests – are very different beasts. The maps above show two of the most important differences. On the left, you can see that Donetsk does not have the Russian ethnic majority found on the Crimean peninsula, where almost 58.5 percent of the inhabitants were Russian and just 24.4 percent Ukrainian (a further 12.1 percent were Crimean Tatars, according to the 2001 census). Donetsk city may have a slim Russian plurality (48.15 percent vs. 46.65 percent Ukrainians), but the oblast it is at the center of a significant Ukrainian majority (56.9 percent Ukrainians to 38.2 percent Russians). That first map is one good reason to doubt the popular support of the "Donetsk People’s Republic," but the other shows you something else: why Ukraine would care so much about it. The oblast, and in particular its namesake city, are renowned as the economic backbone of Ukraine for their coal mines and steel production (even if the truth about Donetsk's economic strength may not be so rosy). https://twitter.com/MaximEristavi Reality check via Donetsk poll: ✓18% want to join Russia ✓15% want federalization ✓65.7% prefer to stay with Ukraine http://www.ostro.org/general/politics/news/442124/ 9:37 AM https://twitter.com/maxseddon Nuland tells Kiev security forum that Crimeans will "come to regret the choice they have made" - as if the U.S. tacitly accepts annexation 10:44 AM https://twitter.com/myroslavapetsa In Donetsk, boss of regional state TV channel, Oleg Dzholos, sacked over separatism 10:58 AM https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPR Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry concerned as Russia claims Kazakh eastern regions historically belong to them http://news.liga.net/news/world/1319960-kazakhstan_obespokoen_pretenziyami_politikov_iz_rf_na_vostok_strany.htm 1:56 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/putin-warns-europe-about-ukraines-mounting-gas-debt-n77056 Russian Economy Hammered by Massive Money Drain While Russian President Vladimir Putin plots his next move into Ukraine, capital is fleeing Russia. Russia's central bank this week confirmed that some $64 billion in assets held by Russians headed for the exits in the first three months of this year — roughly matching the total for all of 2013. That amounts to roughly 12 percent of Russia's gross domestic product. The hemorrhaging is expected to continue if the turmoil in the Ukraine continues. Officials at the World Bank have warned that Russia could watch another $150 billion in capital leave the country if the crisis deepens. Since 2008, nearly half a trillion dollars has fled the country. As the money flowing out of Russia surges, the upheaval in Ukraine has put a damper on investment coming into the country. The cash squeeze comes as Russia's economy is barely growing, inflation is rising fast and the central bank has been forced to raise interest rates to prop up a sagging ruble. Earlier this week, Russia's Economy Ministry predicted that GDP growth could slow to around 0.5 percent — from 1.3 percent last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share Posted April 12, 2014 This is getting ****ing ridiculous. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27000700 Ukraine gunmen seize two buildings in Sloviansk Armed men have seized a police station and a security services building in eastern Ukraine, officials say. Police said the men fired shots and used stun grenades to seize the offices in Sloviansk, near the Russian border. The interior minister called the gunmen "terrorists" and said special forces would repel the attack. Pro-Russian activists have seized government buildings elsewhere in east Ukraine. Kiev accuses Moscow of orchestrating the unrest. Interim Foreign Minister Andrei Deshchytsia urged Moscow to end "provocative" actions by its agents. Meanwhile, regional police spokesman Ihor Dyomin described how armed men were bussed to the police station in Sloviansk. "Six or seven unknown persons got out. They fired several shots in the air and attempted to storm the police department," he said. He added that "people in camouflage uniform" and with weapons" were inside the building. Interim Interior Minister Arsen Avakov promised to deal with the attackers. "The response will be very tough because there is a difference between protesters and terrorists," he said in Ukrainian on his Facebook page. The Interior Ministry said the aim of the attack was to seize arms from the police station, where some 40 automatic rifles and 400 pistols were stored along with ammunition. http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikegiglio/russian-war-tourists-stirring-trouble-in-east-ukraine Russian “War Tourists” Stirring Trouble In East Ukraine As pro-Russia crowds stormed government buildings across eastern Ukraine last Sunday, two men approached a makeshift military base in the small town of Olexeyevka, less than half a mile from the Ukraine-Russia border, and began to menace the soldiers inside. “We will kill you if you don’t leave this place,” they said.The base belonged to a contingent of Ukrainian border guards who had built it only the previous month, hauling Soviet-era tents out of storage and cleaning out old debris from what had been a storage lot. With Russian forces massed across the border and fears of intervention high, the men at the base had come to reinforce Ukraine’s first line of defense against the growing threat from its neighbor — and the mysterious men that night showed how murky it could be.When they slipped back into the night, the border guards were left wondering just who exactly the two men were — locals angry at the sudden influx of troops? Separatist agitators on orders from Moscow? Or maybe even Russian spies? The men had said they were from a nearby Ukrainian town, but locals later said that no one matching their description lived there. Border guards like Lt. Col. Vasiliy Polevoy, an 11-year veteran of the guards and senior officer at the base, have spent most of their time dealing with this issue since unrest first gripped eastern Ukraine in March following a bloody revolution in Kiev that ousted the country’s president. Tens of thousands of Russian troops have since massed just a few dozen miles away at the border, prompting Ukraine’s government and Western powers to voice fears of an impending invasion. Guards like Polevoy, however, say they are more concerned about infiltration: “provocateurs” sent across the border from Russia to stir the kind of unrest that had been gripping eastern Ukraine since March. http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/126324 Turkey Rejects Russian Claims over U.S. Ships in Black Sea Turkey on Saturday dismissed as "out of the question" claims from Russia that it had allowed U.S. warships to stay longer in the Black Sea than permitted under international law. Russia has complained that U.S. warships have remained in the Black Sea longer than the 21 days allowed by an international treaty, amid ongoing tensions between Moscow and the West. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week that U.S. vessels had "a couple of times" stayed longer than 21 days, contravening the 1936 Montreux Convention. "We brought this to the attention of the American side and of course Turkey, which is the country that hosts the straits," Lavrov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti state news agency. But Ankara hit back, with the foreign ministry dismissing as "odd" Russia's insistence on the convention, which limits the stay of warships from countries that do not border the Black Sea. A Russian diplomat was called into the foreign ministry on Friday to hear Turkey's views on the matter. https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM Situation in east Ukraine escalating today. Bldg seizures reported across region, several journalists reportedly assaulted by pro-Russians. 10:02 AM Despite what some say, in my experience living in east Ukraine city of Artemivsk > 2 yrs, working across region, majority of pop not pro-Rus 10:05 AM https://twitter.com/RolandOliphant Where'd you get the guns? The state. Eh? (Nods at Russian flag) you know, that state. 10:39 AM https://twitter.com/DanielePinto At least 15 armed pro-Russia militants seized police HQs in eastern Ukraine city of Slaviansk on SAT, demanding autonomy from Kiev. 7:20 AM Pro-Russia militants have seized at least 400 handguns and 20 automatic weapons x Ukraine's Slaviansk police HQs which they occupied SAT. 7:53 AM Donetsk regional police chief is quitting his post, bowing to demands from pro-Russia protesters. 10:44 AM Ukraine flag no longer flying over Donetsk regional police HQs; replaced with a separatist flag -- @Reuters witness 10:45 AM https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPR Masked armed men outside of the seized police station in Slaviansk, Donetsk region. http://pravda.com.ua |PR Photo pic.twitter.com/kf4mFvmkJb 4:26 AM Eastern Ukraine today: 'Locals' cooperate with another 'Locals' pic.twitter.com/B6o7JHRgdT 11:25 AM https://twitter.com/bishopk Video of start of attack on police station in Slavyansk, Ukraine. Love the commentary. m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=CJkfbumGbYA 6:47 AM Another administration building taken by pro-Russian forces - this in Druzhkovka, south of Slavyanks http://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/20140412172537.shtml 11:42 AM A journalist roughed up by armed men in Slavyansk. Quite scary video. Anyone know who he is and if he's OK? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y0SD4 11:50 AM https://twitter.com/dpatrikarakos 'We are not allowing any cars from Kiev into Slaviansk' say Pro-Russia militia at checkpoint. Ukraine pic.twitter.com/oa9bDjQaOL 9:51 AM Militia on outskirts Slaviansk'. Laughing & Pointing at bus up the road filled with militia: 'Do u like our bus!' pic.twitter.com/6vdXA07FGt 10:10 AM Just had gun pulled on me on outskirts Sloviansk !!! Pro-Russia checkpoint in road. stop us. 6/7 guns pointing at us - make us get out 11:58 AM Miltia at checkpoint outside Sloviansk - screaming at us and pointing half a dozen guns at us: 'Where are you from? Documents!!!! 11:58 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share Posted April 12, 2014 http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_12/Four-way-meeting-on-Ukraine-not-yet-arranged-Moscow-1830/ Four-way meeting on Ukraine not yet arranged - Moscow Moscow on Saturday expressed surprise at alleged statements by US State Department figures that a proposed quadrilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia, the European Union and the United States to seek a solution to the Ukrainian crisis has already been arranged, according to Interfax. "To avoid any contradictions, we would like to reaffirm that preparations for such an event are still continuing but that there is no common understanding yet either on the agenda or on the format," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement. "If the United States has agreed all the points already in a 'narrow circle' - without Russia - with other participants, setting the date and venue for the meeting and approving plans to discuss the situation not just in Ukraine but also 'around it,' maybe it will be in a position to announce the results right now? Perhaps the United States will also tell us what needs to be done to clear Ukraine's Gazprom debt?" Lukashevich said. Russia's in no hurry to negotiate their victories. Why would they be? https://twitter.com/pravolivo First reaction from the U.S. DoS. “@statedeptspox: Worrisome violence in E Ukraine today. Russia again seems to be behind it. #Sloviansk" 12:15 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 http://news.postimees.ee/2745824/sofi-oksanen-don-t-deceive-us-again Sofi Oksanen: don’t deceive us again About the Baltic States, the world knows precious little – as also about Ukraine. Therefore, Russia’s agenda of questioning self-determination isn’t a task too impossible, thinks writer Sofi Oksanen. Every morning, I wake up wondering if this is the day that Eastern-Europe is sold, again. Checking the telephone and seeing it contains no alarming messages – no good ones, either – I start the computer and scan the news headlines, all the while thinking if this will be the day, or perhaps tomorrow. The day the news of which I could only sense by focussing my mind on my own reactions and these of the world, as it is a writer’s obligation to remember the moments that the pages of history are turned. The new times are already here. The interlude between the cold wars (1989–2014) is over. By word and deed, Russia has assured us it wants to restore her imperial glory. The interlude was just an anomaly, meaning a loss in the war. A defeat, the results of which need to be fixed. The Brezhnev doctrine is updated into the Putin doctrine. Russia thinks it justified to intervene in the matters of independent states, if these are too much turning towards the West, and if Russia thinks these states belong to her sphere of influence. At this very moment, a law is being shaped in the Russian Duma which would make it possible to annex lands formerly occupied by the Soviet Union to Russia. In Eastern-Europe and the Baltics, people are wondering whether their hopes in the West have been in vain. The West has not made good its promises to protect integrity of borders of countries formerly under Russian power; turns out, Ukraine had no business surrendering her nuclear weapons under the Budapest Treaty. Ukraine made a mistake, hoping in the West – the West, which, over these past decades has not cared for the Eastern-Europe except for its cheap labour and production costs. The backlash by the broke empire had already started, as Putin proclaimed the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe if the 20th century. To fix that, among other things history is being taught correspondingly, its renewal explained with geopolitical interests. The aim of the historic narrative is to revive in Russians the national pride and to underline that the Russian Empire has had a favourable meaning for its peoples. Former colonies beg to differ, but in the new treatment of history, facts and feelings play no role. There is no objective history, they say. All there is are ideological models, to be used to erect a patriotic firewall of Russian attitudes. During all these years, the West has, in a friendly way, clapped hands at speeches by Putin on «development of Russian democracy». By Putin personally, the societal model has been defined as a «managed (guided) democracy». That’s no democracy; even so, the West took it as such, as the other euphemisms used by FSB aimed at placating the West, while the Kremlin clique was preparing for a brave new Putin world. The Soviet Union was rehabilitated. Becoming a journalist became a new type of suicide. As early as in 2012, Putin’s bunch begun to repatriate assets from the West, to ensure the heart of the power be independent. Te West, meanwhile, was having a nice siesta. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10763008/Fears-of-full-scale-Russian-invasion-as-eastern-Ukraine-cities-toppled.html Fears of full-scale Russian invasion as eastern Ukraine cities toppled Fears of further Russian land-grabs in Ukraine grew on Saturday as pro-Kremlin gunmen mounted a series of co-ordinated assaults on police stations and security buildings. In what many fear could be the prelude to a full invasion by Russian troops, masked men armed with Kalashnikovs and stun grenades seized two police stations and an intelligence headquarters in eastern Ukraine. Believed to include professional soldiers in their ranks, the gunmen also set up checkpoints along local roads and began barricading the buildings. There were reports of gunfire, but no casualties. The gunmen's main focus of attack was Slavyansk, a city of 120,000 people that lies on a river 35 miles from Donetsk, Ukraine's eastern regional capital. After raising the Russian flag at both the police station and the local security service headquarters, they ransacked the police station armoury of at least 400 handguns and 20 automatic weapons. "The aim of the takeover was the guns," a Ukrainian police statement said. "They are giving these guns to participants in the protest in Slavyansk." http://www.interpretermag.com/ukraine-liveblog-day-54-gunmen-storm-police-buildings-in-east-ukraine/ 2326 GMT: David Patrikarakos, a correspondent for The New Statesman, is in Sloviansk right now and has been tweeting photographs from a city largely in the hands of armed pro-Russian militiamen and what he certainly believes are professional soldiers. The Interpreter‘s Editor-in-Chief Michael Weiss interviewed David briefly via Facebook: Michael Weiss: What did you see today? Is this is a Russian invasion or just some kind of incredibly well coordinated fifth columnist putsch? Any signs of actual soldiers, disguised or otherwise, on the streets? David Patrikarakos: The situation is the most intense I’ve yet experienced. I’ve attended pro-Russia demos and seen and been inside occupied building in Donetsk and Luhansk. And this is on another level. While at the other protests/occupations there were armed men and lots of ordinary people, here it almost universally armed and masked men in full military dress. Automatic weapons are everywhere. Clearly a professional military is here. There’s the usual smattering of local militia with bats and sticks but also a military presence. Of that there is no doubt. This could well be the start of something bigger. My friend just tried to get back into the police station they wouldn’t let him in for his own safety. The people are wild inside. I have heard several rounds of gunfire over the last few hours. MW: Has anyone admitted to being given a script by Moscow? DP: No, the line they always stick to is that they are local people. But definitely a military presence that seems beyond a spontaneous outbreak of the citizenry. MW: There was evidence that one “local” in Sloviansk was actually from Crimea. DP: Yeah, I heard that. It would not surprise me at all. Certainly I think people are coming in from around Ukraine. One woman here tonight we saw in Donetsk, she showed us her passport there. MW: Have you talked to any pro-Kyiv people? What are their views on this crisis? DP: There are no pro-Kyiv people here showing their faces on the streets. But generally the feeling of the pro-Kyiv people in Eastern Ukraine we have spoken to is that the Russians are preparing to invade. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-faces-reluctant-partners-sanctioning-russia For Europe, balancing act on new Russian penalties The United States is working to convince a reluctant Europe of the need to punish Russia more severely for its meddling in Ukraine while at the same time warning Moscow to step back or take more financial hits. It's a difficult balancing act for Europe, which wants to make Russia pay for its aggression but fears the economic turmoil from the fallout of new, harsher trade sanctions by the West. Europe is Russia's largest trading partner and therefore has huge sway over Russia's shaky economy. Economists say the U.S. risks appearing weak without support from Europe. But Europe is far from ready to levy penalties against Moscow that would undercut its own financial stability and possibly endanger its main source of energy. President Barack Obama has signed orders that would allow the U.S. to penalize key Russian industries. European Union foreign ministers are set to meet Monday to decide what additional penalties to impose if Russia continues to ignore the West's warnings. As Ukraine deals with potential bankruptcy as well as Russian troops along its eastern border, the White House announced Saturday that Vice President Joe Biden would leave for Kiev for meetings with government officials on April 22. His trip may overlap slightly with Obama's trip to Asia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/world/europe/xenophobic-chill-descends-on-moscow.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimesworld&_r=0 Xenophobic Chill Descends on Moscow The huge banner was unfurled on Friday morning outside one of Moscow’s biggest bookstores, Dom Knigi, a grand emporium of the written word on Arbat Street across from a Citibank, a Baskin-Robbins and a Dunkin’ Donuts, and down the block from a big movie theater where the main feature at the moment is “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” “Fifth Column,” the banner declared. “Strangers Among Us.” It showed black-and-white portraits of three of Russia’s better-known political opposition figures and two Soviet-era dissident rock musicians, along with two evil-looking space aliens, one carrying a briefcase marked with the white ribbon that has been the symbol of political protests against President Vladimir V. Putin and the Russian government. From the moment that Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea cast a new, bitter chill over relations with the West, a sinister jingoistic vibe has pervaded this unsettled capital — stirred up by state-controlled television and Mr. Putin himself. Moscow today is a proudly international city, where skateboarders in Gorky Park wear New York Yankees hats they bought on vacation in America, and where the designer French or Italian handbags might just as well have been picked out in Paris or Milan as in one of the boutiques in Red Square. Apple iPhones and iPads are nearly as common on the subway here as they are in Washington. In the weeks since the military incursion into Crimea, however, Russian flags have been hung from the windows of apartment buildings all over the city, just as American flags appeared in profusion after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. There is also now a website with a name that translates as “traitor.net” that includes photos and quotations of public figures who have spoken out in some way against Russia’s policy toward Ukraine. The bottom of the site has a button inviting viewers to “suggest a traitor.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak Reuters: Ukrainian interior minister announces the start of an "anti-terrorist operation" in Slaviansk in Eastern Ukraine 1:45 AM https://twitter.com/maxseddon Ukrainian interior minister Avakov says anti-terror operation begins in Slavyansk. Helicopters spotted, shots heard pic.twitter.com/QdN2bkp3kP 2:04 AM Mariupol: separatist gunmen tried & failed to seize local TV-station & news-website, @novostidnua reports 2:49 AM https://twitter.com/AymanM my observations after visiting Slavyansk any police op to regain control will be violent & met w very strong firepower by separatists 2:14 AM https://twitter.com/NaomiSkouta Shooting between Russian/pro-Kremlin forces and Ukr special forces has already begun in Slavyansk. 2:16 AM https://twitter.com/MaximEristavi Sloviansk separatists open fire on Ukrainian special forces, Interior Ministry has started anti-terrorist operation - @AvakovArsen 2:43 AM https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPR Separatists remain inside Kramatorsk city council and local police office. @novostidnua 2:43 AM Ukrainian special police forces unblocked one of the checkpoints in Sloviansk. pic.twitter.com/Bkc0Akbsw7 @novostidnua 3:07 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 http://euromaidanpr.com/2014/04/13/pro-ukraine-demonstrations-held-in-luhansk-odesa-and-kryvyy-rih/ Pro-Ukraine demonstrations held in Luhansk, Odesa, and Kryvyy Rih Demonstrations for the unity of Ukraine took place in Luhansk, Odesa, and Kryvyy Rih on Sunday, April 13, reports Ukrainska Pravda, citing Ukrinform and other sources. In Luhansk, on the square by the Taras Shevchenko monument, a demonstration took place with blue and yellow Ukrainian flags and slogans “Luhansk is Ukraine.” Police stood together with the Luhansk self-defense forces. As reported by Ukrinform, some 1,000 people gathered on the square and appealed to the country’s leadership to end separatism in the Donbas region and to bring to criminal prosecution those who finance separatist activities. Demonstrators also demanded the transfer of the government and public utility accounts of the Luhansk region from UkrComBank, which according to several media sources is controlled by one of the leaders of the Party of Regions, Oleksandr Yefremov, to a government bank. The demonstrators also announced the formation of a “Luhansk self-defense unit” responsible for defending Luhansk citizens from attacks by separatist occupiers. Demonstrators proposed working jointly with the police to maintain order. https://twitter.com/MaximEristavi Separatist pro-Russia demo in Zaporizhia today via @euromaidan pic.twitter.com/8FBjqjTBQI 9:27 AM pro-Russia vs pro-Ukraine clashes have started in Zaporizhia too. Watch live-stream http://www.ustream.tv/channel/%D0%93%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%81-%D0%97%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B6%D1%8C%D1%8F … pic.twitter.com/QMOX7bogag 10:15 AM Eggs/milk artillery against pro-Russia demo in Zaporizhia, separatists are encircled http://www.ustream.tv/channel/%D0%93%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%81-%D0%97%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B6%D1%8C%D1%8F … pic.twitter.com/fSFrWASMTc 10:32 AM Insane pics from multi-hour standoff in Zaporizhia: outnumbered pro-Russia ppl covered in layers of flour & eggs pic.twitter.com/yTV0V5ZzMg 1:21 PM Zaporizhia: local police failed to evacuate pro-Russia protesters, pro-Ukraine crowd set on fire police paddy wagons 1:24 PM https://twitter.com/MaximEristavi Separatists are storming Kharkiv City Hall with mayor Kernes reportedly inside it pic via slava.mavrichev FB pic.twitter.com/akNndAHQQO 10:19 AM In Ukraine a growing frustration with inability of Kyiv govt to take control over the country. Ppl channel their rage through social media 11:00 AM The level of passive defection among top-security/police chiefs in Eastern Ukraine is staggering. A complete Kyiv failure to confront it 11:04 AM Khartsyzk City Hall in Donetsk province is also seized by separatists - @VestiRadio 1:06 PM Pro-Russia protesters have ended the blockade of Kharkiv City Hall, left with nothing, @itsector reports pic.twitter.com/PBqn8SrPlA 1:25 PM https://twitter.com/MaximEristavi Russia's FM Lavrov: 'The seizure of govt building in Donbass is the work of local citizens driven to despair' pic.twitter.com/OAgKHsZNMh 3:55 AM Mariupol City Hall in Donetsk province right now, seized by separatists pics via @0629ComUa pic.twitter.com/gAxT2sMjON 7:36 AM Mariupol: pro-Russia separatists chased & attacked pro-Ukraine crowd, 6 people in intensive care @0629ComUa reports pic.twitter.com/KXpeqrdJiD 1:49 PM https://twitter.com/NatVasilyevaAP MOSCOW (AP) — More than 10,000 people have turned out in Moscow for an anti-Kremlin rally to denounce Russian state TV's news coverage. 12:13 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 https://twitter.com/DanielePinto Russia FM Lavrov says decision by Ukraine to mobilise army in east is a 'criminal order'. Says it want to put situation on UN-SC agenda. 2:36 PM https://twitter.com/MarquardtA Russia warns Ukraine's planned anti-terrorist operation is "criminal order," calls on West "to prevent civil war." - Reuters 1:36 PM Count unrest/buildings seized in 10 Ukraine towns: Donetsk,Kharkiv,Lugansk, Sloviansk,Odessa,Krasny Liman, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, Makiivka. Plus Zaporozhia, Enakievo and Artemovsk makes 13 southern and eastern Ukraine cities/towns that are seeing unrest. 2:36 PM https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak Reuters: Russia's RIA news agency reports UN Security Council will meet at 1am UK time for an emergency meeting on Ukraine crisis 2:53 PM https://twitter.com/MaximEristavi Yanukovych gives presser together with fugitive ex-AG & Interior Min: all 3 are wanted for the mass murder in Kyiv pic.twitter.com/Ls0OcD1B4G 2:53 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPR Donetsk residents sang Ukraine anthem today near the house of oligarch Akhmetov who is tied w/ Putin @novostidnua pic.twitter.com/PROg4nbZHs 7:30 PM US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power started her speech from the words: Russia tells us Fairytales" 8:31 PM “Russia denied its troops in Crimea and now denying its troops in eastern Ukraine. This is false” - UK at UNSC live 8:31 PM “Russia ia a clear threat to sovereignty of Ukraine” - UK at UNSC live 8:32 PM "Russia probably thinks people have no Internet" - France at UNSC live pic.twitter.com/f0IwrVLq2N 8:37 PM https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPR UK at UN states they have fresh and clear satellite images of Russian build up on border of Ukraine 8:49 PM "We heard Russia's statements abt separatism but what we’re witnessing are attempts to destabilization of Ukraine”- Australia @ UNSC live 8:50 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 http://pressimus.com/Interpreter_Mag/press/2267 Russian Lieutenant Colonel In Charge of Mariupol? Mariupol is in a highly strategic location. Take a look at this map, and notice that all of the major towns where separatists have begun seizing territory are on major crossroads that connect vital parts of eastern Ukraine with Russia, except Mariupol - but that is a port that could potentially be used to land Russian troops should Russia decide to launch a full-scale invasion of eastern Ukraine. http://www.interpretermag.com/ukraine-liveblog-day-56-will-kiev-lose-control-of-the-east/#2268 Ukraine Requests UN Peacekeepers The acting President of Ukraine has asking the United Nations to send peacekeepers into eastern Ukraine to help establish order and conduct a "joint counterterrorist operation." The Washington Post reports: A statement posted on his official Web site said President Oleksandr Turchynov raised the matter in a telephone call with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, accusing Russia of sending "special units" to eastern Ukraine to "conduct armed seizure of the administrative buildings and threaten lives of hundreds of thousands of our citizens." He said Russia was repeating the scenario of its takeover of Crimea least month, but he noted that the situation in eastern Ukraine is different "because the majority of people do not want to support separatists." Vowing to "fight back [against] terrorism and Russian aggression," Turchynov raised the prospect of conducting a "joint operation with the U.N. peacekeeping forces" so that the world could "witness the legality" of Ukrainian forces' actions."We do not object and even welcome holding of joint counterterrorist operation in the East," Turchynov said, according to the statement. It said Ban pledged to "do everything I can for the situation to be resolved peacefully as soon as possible." Of course, such a move would require the approval of the United Nations Security Council, and Russia would almost certainly veto such a move. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_UNITED_STATES_RUSSIA_SHIP?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT APNewsBreak: Russian jet passes over US warship A U.S. military official says a Russian fighter jet made multiple, close-range passes near an American warship in the Black Sea for more than 90 minutes Saturday amid escalating tensions in the region. The official says the fighter flew within 1,000 yards of the USS Donald Cook, a Navy destroyer, at about 500 feet above sea level, saying this prompted ship commanders to issue several radio warnings. The fighter appeared to be unarmed and the passes ended without incident. The USS Donald Cook was operating in international waters east of Romania. It was deployed to the Black Sea April 10th, in the wake of the Russian military takeover of Ukraine's Crimea region and ongoing unrest there. The official was not authorized to talk publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/13/obama-administration-preps-new-sanctions-against-russia.html Obama Administration Preps New Sanctions Against Russia The Obama administration had been holding off on new Russia sanctions, but with Russian troops now in Eastern Ukraine, the U.S. government is moving fast to punish Putin. The Obama administration is moving quickly to levy new sanctions against Russia, hoping to stop what the U.S. government now sees as a Crimea-style incursion by unmarked Russian troops in several cities in Eastern Ukraine. But so far, America and its European allies can’t agree on how to hit the Vladimir Putin regime for its latest move onto Ukrainian territory, senior Obama administration officials tell The Daily Beast. This weekend, pro-Russian gunmen seized government buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, and ringed the town with barricades. It’s a scene that’s been repeated in towns across the region, and it’s prompted the Kiev government to send the equivalent of their FBI in an as yet unsuccessful effort to retake control. Moscow attempted to cast these attacks as uprisings by local Ukrainians. But it’s a claim few others are buying. The U.S. State Department said in a Saturday statement that the strikes were “orchestrated and synchronized” by the Russian government and were ”similar to previous attacks in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.” The State Department added that the militants had specialized Russian weapons and wore the same uniforms as the Russian forces that invaded Crimea. The State Department Sunday also issued fact sheets with evidence of Russian involvement in the Easter Ukraine violence. http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/natosource/head-of-nato-says-ukraine-only-part-of-putin-s-ambitions Head of NATO Says Ukraine Only Part of Putin's Ambitions "I see Ukraine and Crimea in a bigger context," Mr. [NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh] Rasmussen says. "I see this as an element in a pattern, and it's driven by President Putin's strong desire to restore Russian greatness by re-establishing a sphere of influence in the former Soviet space."Destabilizing Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus is a pillar of the Kremlin's strategy. "It's in Russia's interest to see frozen, protracted conflicts in the region, such as in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia, Transnistria in Moldova, and Crimea," Mr. Rasmussen says of regions where Moscow has asserted control. "If you look at a map, you will see why it's of strategic importance for Russia."Moscow's interfering with states on the Continent's eastern periphery prevents them from joining NATO, Mr. Rasmussen says, since the alliance is reluctant to accept new members involved with border disputes. "At the same time," he says, "it plays a role in energy security. The possibility to establish alternative pipelines circumventing Russia—including through Azerbaijan and in the South Caucasus—is very much dependent on peace and stability in that region. All this is part of President Putin's geopolitical and strategic thinking." http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-14/eu-weighs-tougher-russian-sanctions-amid-ukraine-unrest.html EU Weighs Tougher Russian Sanctions Amid Ukraine Unrest European officials weighed expanding sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, where they say the government in Moscow is stoking deadly separatist unrest with the same methods it used to destabilize and annex Crimea. European Union foreign ministers, meeting today in Luxembourg, said the bloc should be prepared to impose a third round of sanctions, including economic measures, as armed separatists in eastern Ukraine ignored a deadline to free official buildings they’ve occupied. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied his nation is involved. Mounting tensions in Ukraine’s east, where at least one serviceman was killed at the weekend, are overshadowing crisis talks with Russia, the U.S. and the EU planned for April 17. Russia and the U.S. traded barbs at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council last night, blaming one another for the latest unrest. https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak Reuters: Foreign Secretary William Hague says EU foreign ministers agree to expand list of people subject to sanctions against Russia 1:20 PM https://twitter.com/peterbakernyt WH’s PressSec confirms that CIA’s John Brennan was in Kiev this weekend, as Russian media reported. 1:20 PM https://twitter.com/margbrennan SecKerry spoke to Ukraine's PM today & on Friday; thanked him for showing "restraint" in face of provocations 1:21 PM CIA Director Brennan was in Kiev to bolster "security cooperation"; claims of tactical ops are "completely false" -statedeptspox 1:28 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 https://twitter.com/WilliamsJon Kremlin: Putin & Obama speak on Ukraine 4:19 PM Kremlin: protests in Ukraine result of Kiev failing to take into account interests of Russian-speaking population in the east of country. 4:30 PM Kremlin: Putin called on Obama to use US influence on Kiev to avoid the use of force and bloodshed in Ukraine. 4:30 PM https://twitter.com/mitchellreports Obama talked to Putin this afternoon about rising tensions in Ukraine POTUS looking for a diplomatic way out 4:26 PM https://twitter.com/markknoller WH says Pres Obama conferred again today with French Pres Hollande about the "worsening situation in Ukraine." 4:38 PM WH says Presidents Obama & Hollande "underscored Russia will face significant additional costs" if it continues destabilizing activity. 4:41 PM Ok.... We've been saying that for a while now. https://twitter.com/NATOSource Russian Defense Ministry: French destroyer Dupleix expected to enter the Black Sea on April 14 http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_14/Russia-to-take-measures-in-case-if-NATOs-force-configuration-changes-Russian-envoy-5157/ 1:25 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/15/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA3A1B520140415?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=992637 Separatists tighten grip on east Ukraine, Obama and Putin talk Pro-Russian separatists on Monday ignored an ultimatum to leave occupied government buildings in eastern Ukraine and instead seized more buildings as the government failed to follow through on a threatened military crackdown. U.S. President Barack Obama criticized Russia in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Monday, saying Moscow's actions in Ukraine were not conducive to a diplomatic solution. The Kremlin said it had requested the call. The White House said the call was frank and direct. "President Putin called on Barack Obama to do his utmost to use the opportunities that the United States has to prevent the use of force, and bloodshed," the Kremlin said in a statement. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-14/fragile-europe-weakens-u-s-push-for-russia-sanctions.html Fragile Europe Weakens U.S. Push for Russia Sanctions The U.S. readiness to impose new economic sanctions on Russia over Ukraine is offset by the European Union’s reluctance to introduce stronger measures that could threaten its already fragile economic recovery. While the Obama administration said yesterday that it’s prepared to ramp up sanctions, possibly to target specific sectors of the Russian economy such as financial services and energy, the EU limited its decision to expanding an existing list of individuals under asset freezes and travel bans. U.S. officials concede that squeezing Russia’s economy is the only realistic weapon the U.S. and its European allies have to respond to the clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian authorities. Without European support, though, U.S. sanctions will have little effect on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine, said Simon Mandel, vice president for emerging Europe equity sales at Auerbach Grayson & Co. “The level of trade between the U.S. and Russia directly is quite limited,” Mandel said in a phone interview. “Whatever sanctions the U.S. comes out with, unless the Chinese government or the EU are willing to support them, they will still have a minimal impact on the Russian government.” “It will have a meaningful impact in terms of the perception, and that will, I think, come as a detriment to the market generally,” said Mandel, who’s based in New York. “But in some of the fundamental impact, I think that would be quite limited.” https://twitter.com/mitchellreports White House: Obama expressed grave concerns about grave concern about Russian support for armed pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine 7:33 PM Obama tells Putin irregular forces in Ukraine need to lay down their arms urges Putin to influence armed groups to leave bldgs they seized 7:35 PM Obama also tells Putin contact group meeting Thurs in Geneva cant succeed if Russian military intimidates on borders & inside Ukraine 7:38 PM https://twitter.com/AFP BREAKING: US President Barack Obama calls for all pro-Russian insurgents to lay down arms in Ukraine 8:06 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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