visionary Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 http://abcnews.go.com/International/russia-outraged-deadly-ukraine-shootout/story?id=23399299 Russia 'Outraged' by Deadly Ukraine Shootout The Russian government said today it is "outraged" by a shootout overnight near Slovyansk that left at least three dead, saying the attack was carried out by a Ukrainian right-wing nationalist group. The attack took place before just before 2:30 a.m. on the outskirts of Slovyansk, a town under the control of pro-Russian forces. Four vehicles reportedly approached a checkpoint and opened fire, and video of the aftermath showed spent bullet casings and two burned out vehicles. According to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, three people were killed and three wounded in clashes between armed groups, but it denied Ukrainian forces played any role. The Sloviansk hospital declined ABC News' request for comment, but Slovyansk's pro-Russia mayor confirmed the three dead to reporters. "The Russian side is outraged with the provocation, which indicates that Kiev is unwilling to put in check and disarm nationalists and extremists," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted by the state-run Russia Today channel. Moscow "insists on the strict implementation by the Ukrainian side of its commitments to de-escalate the situation in southeastern Ukraine," the ministry statement said. Ukraine's Security Service called the incident a "cynical provocation" by "armed offenders and saboteurs who are terrorizing the local population in Slovyansk." http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/at-least-one-killed-in-deadly-shootout-overnight-in-slovyansk-breaking-uneasy-truce-on-easter-344328.html Deadly shootout in Sloviansk kills three persons, breaks uneasy truce on Easter (UPDATE) The promise of a peaceful Easter Sunday was shattered early on April 20, after at least three person were killed in a gun battle in eastern Ukraine. The shootout broke out around 3 a.m. in Bylbasovka, a suburb of the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast. Local witnesses said four cars drove up to the checkpoint with headlights on and opened fire at the pro-Russian militiamen guarding it, killing Serhiy Rudenko, a local school bus driver, and two others. Some of the locals told the Russian media the gun battle outside Sloviansk killed three and wounded one. Ukraine's Interior Ministry, which confirmed that three men were shot dead and three others were injured during the incident, adding that it believed the event to be fabricated. In a statement on its website, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) called the incident a "cynical provocation" and said it, too, believed the whole thing was staged. Rudenko, one of the identified victims, was born in 1954 and was a local pro-Russian activist and one of those who built a barricade in his village and spent a lot of his time guarding it. Anatoliy Kurochka, his neighbor, says he knew the victim for years. “I have known him since childhood. He built this barricade, and has been there from the first day," Kurochka says. “He wanted to defend us, he did not want us to be shot by people coming from western Ukraine.” Local militants insist that the shootout was started by the nationalist group Right Sector because they say the business cards of its leader Dmytro Yarosh were found in one of the vehicles involved in the shooting. Two of them were seized by the pro-Russian self-defense representatives and burned. They have brand-new Dnipropetrovsk number plates. Russia's RIA Novosti and Life News blamed the far-right nationalist group Right Sector for instigating the gun battle. In a video report, Life News showed what it said was the body of one man killed during the shootout next to weapons, ammunition and gear left behind by Right Sector members at the scene. It also showed crisp U.S. $100 bills, uncreased printed satellite images of Slovyansk from Google Maps. In a post on Facebook, prominent Right Sector member Borislav Bereza denounced the reports that his organization was involved and called Life News a "cesspool." https://twitter.com/stopnarcotics I decided to make a stop and came to the ace of fire exchange that allegedly happened near Sloviansk 5:03 AM I see two cars completely burnt down with bullet holes all over 5:04 AM Investigators are going through the burnt cars looking for something 5:10 AM The cars look like fire was coming from the back. 5:14 AM The plates of the burned cars in Sloviansk. I think it would be easy to identify who they belonged two pic.twitter.com/pICtdNGWSH 5:23 AM https://twitter.com/stopnarcotics They blame "right sector" because they say attackers spoke Ukrainian. 5:27 AM They say they took the bodies and all evidences with them 5:28 AM Judging by car positions the second car came later. Probably the driver was killed before it stopped pic.twitter.com/mFjMTa825y 5:33 AM I don't really know what happened here. But it doesn't look like ambush run by crazy well trained people. So looks like setup really 5:40 AM The car is shot in the tank. This way its burning the best. Sloviansk pic.twitter.com/0V9dm7r8Y4 5:48 AM https://twitter.com/stopnarcotics But what Life News is showing us is extremely hard to believe. Dollars and guns! Everything is new and shining right out of the box. 11:05 AM well if you look at the pic crashbar of the front car did't burn. And the scnd plate is probably from the back of the other car 11:09 AM https://twitter.com/DanielePinto The scene at the ambushed checkpoint near Slavyansk this morning. Ukraine pic.twitter.com/rpEEhObUiD from Ukraine 8:37 AM Ukraine forensic investigators on the scene of what pro-Russia activists called the Easter massacre in #Slavyansk pic.twitter.com/UhIyQRAv4E from Ukraine 8:43 AM there are so many incongruous elements here. 9:14 AM very strange. The scene has elements that don't add up. cars are riddled with bullets in the wrong places, too. 8:51 AM the checkpoint tires and the sand bags have no holes. According to events reconstructions they should be riddled. from Ukraine 9:16 AM https://twitter.com/dandemoustier The Sloviansk shoot out story seems to be a complete set up. the holes in the cars are not bullet holes but punched in after. 1:20 PM there has been an incident but the aftermath is staged completely 1:55 PM the holes didn't went through the car and are to clean. Clearly made after the cars were put on fire. 2:18 PM Seems like every journalist who's been there or seen pictures from the scene has been very suspicious of the incident so far. https://twitter.com/shustry Separatist troops just showed us a "Maidan" agent they caught. A young woman in a beige coat. I feel sick. 1:59 PM Irma Krat is a journalist, activist from Kiev. Separatists interrogating her on suspicion of torture at Slavyansk SBU building. 2:36 PM This is all I got: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= -JSn336zC0Q&feature=youtu.be But I am confident this is her: https://www.facebook.com/irmakrats Please help contact her family, friends. 3:35 PM Russian newsreel of Irma Krat, blindfolded. Separatist says she will be held pending investigation for "war crimes" 3:44 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-heads-to-ukraine-as-tensions-rise/2014/04/21/83c5138e-c925-11e3-b81a-6fff56bc591e_story.html Biden in Ukraine to show support as tensions rise Vice President Joe Biden on Monday launched a high-profile visit to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to Ukraine and push for urgent implementation of an international agreement aimed at de-escalating tensions even as violence continues. Biden planned to meet Tuesday with government leaders who took over after pro-Russia Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February following months of protests. The White House said President Barack Obama and Biden agreed he should make the two-day visit to the capital city to send a high-level signal of support for reform efforts being pushed the new government. Biden has scheduled a series of meetings Tuesday, including with Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Oleksandr Turchynov, the acting Ukrainian prime minister and president. He also is scheduled to meet with legislators from across the country and democracy activists before returning to Washington Tuesday night. A senior administration official told reporters onboard Air Force Two en route to Kiev that Biden plans to announce new technical support to the Ukrainian government to implement energy and economic reforms. The official, speaking on a condition of anonymity to allow Biden to publicly announce any agreements, said the vice president also will follow up on recent U.S. commitments of non-lethal security assistance and discuss what more Washington can offer to help. Biden also plans to discuss preparations for next month’s presidential election and the latest developments in eastern Ukraine, where insurgents are accusing leaders in Kiev of aiming to suppress the country’s Russian speakers concentrated in the region. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27100749#TWEET1107251 Russia says Kiev 'breaking Geneva accord' on Ukraine Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the Kiev authorities of breaking last week's Geneva accord on resolving the Ukraine crisis. He said the Kiev government - not recognised by Moscow - had not moved to disarm illegal groups, especially the ultra-nationalist Right Sector. "Extremists are calling the tune," he alleged, condemning a fatal shooting near Sloviansk, in eastern Ukraine. He also condemned the continuing Maidan street protests in Kiev. He said it was "absolutely unacceptable" that the Ukrainian authorities had failed to end what he called the illegal protests in the capital. However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said he was "surprised" Mr Lavrov did "not know what is being done in Ukraine regarding the Geneva agreements", Kiev-based news agency Unian reported. The government had been having regular consultations with the parties to the agreement in an attempt to find "ways of de-escalating the situation in the east of Ukraine", Mr Deshchytsya was reported to have said. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/21/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA3A1B520140421 Ukraine peace deal falters as rebels show no sign of surrender An agreement reached last week to avert wider conflict in Ukraine was faltering as the new week began, with pro-Moscow separatist gunmen showing no sign of surrendering government buildings they have seized. U.S. and European officials say they will hold Moscow responsible and impose new economic sanctions if the separatists do not clear out of government buildings they have occupied across swathes of eastern Ukraine over the past two weeks. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Kiev, where he is expected to announce a package of technical assistance. The visit is likely to be more important as a symbol of support than for any specific pledges Biden makes in public. "He will call for urgent implementation of the agreement reached in Geneva last week while also making clear ... that there will be mounting costs for Russia if they choose a destabilizing rather than constructive course in the days ahead," a senior administration official told reporters. Russia, Ukraine, the European Union and the United States signed off on an agreement in Geneva on Thursday designed to lower tension in the worst confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War. The agreement calls for occupied buildings to be vacated under the auspices of envoys from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. But no sooner had the accord been signed than both sides accused the other of breaking it, while the pro-Moscow rebels disavowed the pledge to withdraw from occupied buildings. An OSCE mediator held his first meeting with the leader of separatists in Slaviansk, a town which rebels have turned into a heavily-fortified redoubt. Mark Etherington said he had asked the pro-Russian self-proclaimed "people's mayor" of the town, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, whether he would comply with the Geneva agreement, but gave no hint about Ponomaryov's response. Etherington said he had also asked about people being held in Slaviansk, including the woman who was serving as mayor until the uprising. Her fate has not been made clear. Separatists told Reuters they would not disarm until Right Sector, a Ukrainian nationalist group based in Western Ukraine, does so first. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/22/world/europe/ukraine-crisis.html?ref=world&_r=0 Russian Foreign Minister Accuses Kiev of Flouting Ukraine Accord The Obama administration has warned that it will impose increasingly harsh sanctions on Russia if it does not help defuse the crisis in eastern Ukraine. But Mr. Lavrov threw that warning back at the Americans in his angry assertions at a news conference in Moscow. “Before giving us ultimatums, demanding that we fulfill demands within two or three days with the threat of sanctions, we would urgently call on our American partners to fully accept responsibility for those who they brought to power,” Mr. Lavrov told reporters. He said all attempts to isolate Russia would fail, because Russia is “a big, independent power that knows what it wants.” He rejected accusations that Russia is covertly manipulating events in eastern Ukraine and subverting the accord reached in Geneva last Thursday between himself, Secretary of State John Kerry and representatives of Ukraine’s interim government and the European Union. “The authorities are doing nothing, not even lifting a finger, to address the causes behind this deep internal crisis in Ukraine,” Mr. Lavrov said. The Geneva agreement, he said, “is not only not being fulfilled, but steps are being taken, primarily by those who seized power in Kiev, that are grossly breaching the agreement reached in Geneva.” Mr. Lavrov blamed the killings of three people in a shootout at a checkpoint in eastern Ukraine on Sunday on the interim government and its sympathizers. “The fact that extremists started to shoot at unarmed civilians is unacceptable,” he said. At the same time, an international observer mission with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was unable to enter Donetsk, an epicenter of pro-Russia separatism, for reasons that were not clear. Russia agreed to the observer mission at Germany’s insistence, and the group’s inability to reach the area made it all the more difficult to determine why law and order seemed to be unraveling there. A spokesman for the European organization told the Russian news agency Interfax that the observer mission “could not access this town out of concern for security,” without elaborating. Russia and Kiev have blamed each other for the violence. Vyachislav Ponomaryov, the de facto mayor of Slovyansk appointed by militants, told the Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets that he had identified the two corpses pulled from the river as pro-Russian militants.Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story Advertisement They had died, he said, from stab wounds and been thrown in the river. Mr. Ponomaryov said the city was under attack by a Ukrainian nationalist group, Right Sector, and the Ukrainian Army, although there has been no clear sign of either since a Ukrainian armored column surrendered to the separatists in a humiliating setback for the central government last week. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-21/why-putin-isn-t-scared-by-115-billion-of-debt-russia-credit.html Why Putin Isn’t Scared by $115 Billion of Debt: Russia Credit Russian companies, facing $115 billion of debt due over the next 12 months, will have the funds even as bond markets shut because of the Ukraine crisis, according to Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings. Firms will have about $100 billion in cash and earnings at their disposal during the next 18 months, Moody’s said in an analysis of 47 businesses April 11. Almost all 55 companies examined by Fitch are “well placed” to withstand a closed refinancing market for the rest of 2014, it said in a note on April 16. Banks have more than $20 billion in foreign currency to lend as the tensions prompted customers to convert their ruble savings, ZAO Raiffeisenbank said. “The amount of cash on balances of Russian companies, committed credit lines from banks and the operating cash flows they will get is sufficient for the companies to comfortably service their liabilities,” Denis Perevezentsev, an analyst at Moody’s in Moscow, said by phone on April 17. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/21/us-ukraine-crisis-crimea-tatars-idUSBREA3K0BH20140421 Putin signs decree to rehabilitate Crimea Tatars Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday to rehabilitate Crimea's Tatars and other minorities who suffered under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, courting a group that largely opposed Moscow's annexation of the region from Ukraine. Stalin deported Crimean Tatars to Central Asia en masse during World War Two, accusing them of sympathizing with Nazi Germany, and many died in grueling conditions on arrival in exile. The Muslim Tatars were allowed to return in the waning days of the Soviet Union, whose 1991 collapse left Crimea in an independent Ukraine. They now make up 12 percent of the Crimea peninsula's mostly ethnic Russian population of 2 million. Many boycotted the March 16 referendum in Crimea in which an overwhelming majority of voters supported joining Russia, whose annexation of Crimea in April sparked the biggest crisis in relations between Russia and the West since the Cold War. "I have signed a decree to rehabilitate the Crimean Tatar population, the Armenian population, Germans, Greeks - all those who suffered (in Crimea) during Stalin's repressions," Putin told a State Council meeting shown live on state television. He was speaking as tension between Russia and Ukraine continued with an agreement last week to avert wider conflict faltering. Putin's order appeared aimed at easing minorities' concerns about joining Russia by depicting Moscow as a supporter, not an oppressor, and calling for measures to encourage the "national, cultural and spiritual renaissance" of the minority groups. https://twitter.com/mfa_russia Lavrov: Russia is increasingly called upon to save southeastern #Ukraine from chaos. We are in a very difficult position @osce_ru @RF_OSCE 10:02 AM https://twitter.com/RolandOliphant Waiting for mr people's mayor to speak to press in Slavyansk. Camera men fighting their own little civil war over spots. 'twas ever thus. 10:21 AM mayor hasn't shown, but a woman has threatened entire foreign press corps with getting kicked out of city if we don't tell the "truth" 10:47 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichmondRedskin88 Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 You know its serious when its becomes part of soccer. I was worried that particular club would fall into Russia support. Glad to see Donetsk is dedicated to Ukraine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 22, 2014 Author Share Posted April 22, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/22/world/europe/under-russia-life-in-crimea-grows-chaotic.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimesworld&_r=0 Under Russia, Life in Crimea Grows Chaotic After Russia annexed Crimea practically overnight, the Russian bureaucrats handling passports and residence permits inhabited the building of their Ukrainian predecessors, where Roman Nikolayev now waits daily with a seemingly mundane question. His daughter and granddaughter were newly arrived from Ukraine when they suddenly found themselves in a different country, so he wonders if they can become legal residents. But he cannot get inside to ask because he is No. 4,475 on the waiting list for passports. At most, 200 people are admitted each day from the crowd churning around the tall, rusty iron gate. “They set up hotlines, but nobody ever answers,” said Mr. Nikolayev, 54, a trim, retired transportation manager with a short salt-and-pepper beard. “Before we had a pretty well-organized country — life was smooth,” he said, sighing. “Then, within the space of two weeks, one country became another.” He added, “Eto bardak,” using the Russian for bordello and meaning “This is a mess.” The chaotic transition comes amid evolving tensions in nearby eastern Ukraine, where the possible outcomes include a Crimea-annexation replay. In Crimea now, few institutions function normally. Most banks are closed. So are land registration offices. Court cases have been postponed indefinitely. Food imports are haphazard. Some foreign companies, like McDonald’s, have shut down. Other changes are more sinister. “Self-defense units,” with no obvious official mandate, swoop down at train stations and other entry points for sudden inspections. Drug addicts, political activists, gays and even Ukrainian priests — all censured by either the government or the Russian Orthodox Church — are among the most obvious groups fearing life under a far less tolerant government. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/21/us-ukraine-crisis-biden-idUSBREA3K0HK20140421 Biden offers Ukraine U.S. help on energy, aid allocation U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will announce a package of technical assistance focused on energy and economic aid distribution during a two-day visit to Ukraine that began on Monday, a senior administration official said. Biden is the highest ranking U.S. official to visit the country since the crisis with Russia erupted months ago. His trip is largely symbolic. But during talks with Ukrainian leaders on Tuesday he will announce U.S. assistance, primarily of technical know-how to boost energy efficiency as well as production in Ukrainian natural gas fields and extraction of "unconventional" gas resources, a senior administration official told reporters traveling on board the vice president's plane. A U.S. team was also in Ukraine to help deal with the issue of securing gas flows from EU countries such as Slovakia and Hungary in the event that Russia cuts off Ukraine's supply, the official said. Kiev gets about half of its gas from Moscow and a large proportion of Europe's gas is pumped from Russia via Ukraine. The United States is pushing Ukraine and the European Union to diversify their energy supplies and become less reliant on Russia. Biden arrived in Kiev as an agreement reached last week to avert wider conflict in Ukraine began to falter. Pro-Moscow separatist gunmen have maintained their grip on seized government buildings across swathes of eastern Ukraine as Washington threatens to impose new economic sanctions on Moscow, which it says it will hold responsible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 22, 2014 Author Share Posted April 22, 2014 http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/22/us-ukraine-crisis-biden-idUSBREA3L0WD20140422?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews U.S. backs Ukraine, warns Russia with Biden visit In a show of U.S. support for Ukraine's embattled government, Vice President Joe Biden delivered an aid package on Tuesday and demanded Russia back off but also warned Kiev it must tackle the "cancer of corruption". Demanding Moscow "stop talking and start acting" to disarm pro-Russian separatists who Ukraine says aim to undermine the May 25 election, Biden told presidential candidates it may be "the most important election in Ukrainian history". Part of the $50-million aid package was earmarked to support the "integrity" of the vote. But after 23 years of post-Soviet independence from Moscow that have seen endemic graft sap the economy and public faith in the state, Biden told lawmakers: "To be very blunt ... you have to fight the cancer of corruption." Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, who took office after the overthrow of Ukraine's Kremlin-backed president two months ago, told him that this would be a priority of the new administration. Repeating a threat of heavier economic sanctions after those impose following the annexation of Crimea last month, Biden renewed U.S. calls for Russia to pull back troops from Ukraine's eastern border and said "time is short" for Moscow for show it is upholding its commitments under a four-way agreement signed at Geneva on Thursday that is intended to defuse the crisis. I thought they had until yesterday to at least show some sign if compliance. Time actually seems to be getting longer and longer by the day. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27107893 Ukraine crisis: Inside Luhansk protest camp The BBC's Natalia Antelava visits a protest camp in Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. Protesters there say they do not trust Kiev, but at the same time feel let down by a lack of support from Russia. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/22/germany-helped-prep-russia-for-war-u-s-sources-say.html Germany Helped Prep Russia for War, U.S. Sources Say Over the past few years, NATO countries have helped Russia revolutionize its armed forces. Now questions are arising about a German defense contractor that trained the Russian military. The world was shocked when Russian special operations forces invaded Crimea with advanced technology, drastically improved operations, and with so much operational security that even agencies in the U.S. intelligence community didn’t see it coming. In Washington, government and congressional leaders are wondering how the Russian special operations forces got so good, so fast, without anyone noticing. Some are wondering how much help Russia had from the West. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/globe-in-ukraine-in-a-former-mining-town-nostalgia-for-soviet-era/article18089123/#dashboard/follows/ Globe in Ukraine: In a former mining town, nostalgia for Soviet era You can smell Horlivka before you see it: the acrid output from the aging chemical plants and machinery factories that still limp along, though only at a fraction of the pace they once did. Then you hit the jarring, metre-long potholes and get a glimpse of the city’s grim skyline of crumbling apartment blocks. The Soviet Union fell 23 years ago. Horlivka has kept falling ever since. The next thing you sense in Horlivka is anger. Armed men have taken over the city’s main police station, and have built a wall of tires around it. Checkpoints flying the black-blue-and-red banner of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, often alongside the flag of the Russian Federation, block the roads into the city. But residents of Horlivka and other parts of eastern Ukraine don’t really want to live in an independent Donetsk. In many ways, they don’t even want to live in today’s Russia, although there’s a lot of admiration for President Vladimir Putin here. What they want is to go back in time, to when the Soviet Union still existed and Horlivka residents had jobs producing things that people in other places wanted to buy. “We don’t need the $30-billion [in financial aid] that the Ukrainian government is asking America and the European Union for,” said Oleg Korenyev, whose handmade badge identifies him as the deputy commandant of the pro-Russian militants occupying Horlivka’s police station. “Just $2-billion would be enough, if it went to modernizing our factory equipment and fixing our roads and buying new ambulances.” The battle for Ukraine is often defined in Cold War terms, with Ukrainians identified as belonging to either the pro-Russian or pro-Western camp. There are also linguistic and religious elements to the struggle. But in many ways, this argument is really between those who see themselves as Ukrainian – who want to see the country break free from its Soviet past – and those who wish the USSR still stood. http://www.unian.net/politics/910438-sem-selsovetov-donetchinyi-prosyat-prisoedinit-ih-k-dnepropetrovskoy-oblasti.html Seven village councils Donechchyna asking them to join the Dnipropetrovsk region Seven rural councils and Dobropilskiy Krasnoarmeiskii districts of Donetsk region appealed to the headquarters of the National Protection Dnipropetrovsk region, asking them to join the territory of Dnipropetrovsk region. As UNIAN correspondent, told journalists today said the chief of staff of the National Protection Region Yuri Birch. According to him, these village councils intend to hold a referendum on accession to Dnipropetrovsk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 22, 2014 Author Share Posted April 22, 2014 http://mashable.com/2014/04/22/vice-journalist-captured-ukraine/ Report: Vice Journalist Captured in Eastern Ukraine Vice journalist Simon Ostrovsky has been taken by militia in Eastern Ukraine, Mashable has learned. The reporter for Vice News, who has been filing a series of compelling video dispatches from Ukraine since early March, was "taken" in Sloviansk, Russian media outlet gazeta.ru reports. The "People's mayor" of Slavyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, said that the militia has taken the American journalist, Simon Ostrovsky, hostage, reports a correspondent for Gazeta.ru, Ponomarev announced this during a press conference at the House of Culture in Slavyansk. Sloviansk's self-appointed "People's Mayor," Vachislav Ponomaryov, reportedly held a press conference where he claimed to call Ostrovsky's parents to assure them that their son was okay, the outlet reports. "Nobody abducted him, nobody is holding him hostage, he's with us now in at the SBU, preparing material and working," Ponomaryov said, raising the remote possibility that Ostrovsky is merely embedded with the militia. In a statement sent to Mashable, a Vice News spokesman said the media organization is in touch with the U.S. State Department and working to secure their reporter's safety: "VICE is aware of the situation and is in contact with the United States State Department and other appropriate government authorities to secure the safety and security of our friend and colleague, Simon Ostrovsky." Vice News also tweeted a similar statement shortly after noon on Tuesday: "We are aware of @SimonOstrovsky's situation and are working to ensure the safety and security of our friend and colleague." http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27118875 Ukraine alert as politician 'killed' Acting Ukraine president calls for relaunch of anti-terrorist operation in east after politician "tortured to death" https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak Ukraine's president calls for relaunch of anti-terrorism operation in east of the country after a politician was found dead near Slavyansk 12:45 PM https://twitter.com/markmackinnon BBC also reporting Ukrainian military plane has been hit by gunfire near Slavyansk. 12:51 PM https://twitter.com/CharlieKayeCBS BREAKING. Pentagon says company-sized contingent of US paratroopers to arrive in Poland tomorrow for exercises with Polish troops. 1:05 PM https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense Approximately 600 U.S. troops to participate in exercises with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia 1:12 PM http://www.interpretermag.com/ukraine-liveblog-day-64/#2399 Russia Preparing For More Sanctions 13:57 (GMT) 2014-04-22 09:58:56 In a televised speech, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that his country is prepared for more sanctions and can weather the storm. Voice of America reports: The prime minister said he is confident his government will be able to minimize the consequences of sanctions and that it will act under what he calls new conditions. He assured lawmakers that Russian industries that rely on support from other markets would get it from the government. He said Russia has no plans to ease trade with the European Union, but pointed out that thanks to cooperation with other markets, Russia can minimize its losses. Izvestia reports that all employees of Russian security agencies will be banned from travelling abroad. The decision is possibly another hedge against sanctions that could eventually find some of these employees banned from travelling anyway. It's also possible that some of them could find their assets frozen or even confiscated -- and the U.S. and its allies sometimes announce new sanctions without announcing who is affected. The move also comes after the Russian Foreign Ministry advised its citizens not to travel to the United States or any countries that extradite to the U.S. for fear of being detained or abused as retribution for this crisis. http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/russia-examines-us-nuclear-missile-silos-amid-tensions/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter Russia Checks U.S. Nuclear Missile Silos Amid Tensions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichmondRedskin88 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 A country that invades another country is trying to scare its citizens into believing if they travel here they will be tortured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 22, 2014 Author Share Posted April 22, 2014 http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/04/22/top_european_mediator_ukrainian_military_push_could_escalate_tensions Top European Mediator: Ukrainian Military Push Could Escalate Tensions A Ukrainian military push into the country's restive east after the brutal murder of a local politician would complicate efforts to reduce tensions between Kiev and Moscow and prevent further violence in the country, the head of the international organization charged with helping resolve the crisis said in an interview. Last week, major powers meeting in Geneva tasked the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) with helping end the violence in the country. The Geneva agreement did not specifically prohibit security operations by Ukraine, but it called on all sides to refrain from violence. Under the terms of the deal, the pro-Russian militants occupying government buildings throughout eastern Ukraine were supposed to leave the facilities under the watchful eye of the OSCE. The deal has in many ways fallen apart, with pro-Russian fighters solidifying their control over several cities and showing no signs of disarming or leaving the occupied buildings. Lamberto Zannier, the secretary general of the OSCE, said a new Ukrainian effort to oust the militants had the potential to setback international efforts to reduce tensions. "The whole spirit of Geneva was promoting de-escalation," he told Foreign Policy. "It's certainly tough at this moment." On Tuesday acting President Oleksandr Turchynov ordered his forces back to eastern Ukraine after the murder of local politician Vladimir Rybak, a member of the president's own Fatherland party. The move immediately raised fears of open conflict between Ukrainian security personnel and heavily-armed, well-entrenched, pro-Russian militiamen. That type of confrontation would be particularly dangerous because top Russian officials have openly threatened an armed intervention into eastern Ukraine to protect fellow Russian speakers there. "Russia is increasingly called upon to save southeastern Ukraine from chaos," read a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday. Zannier acknowledged the risks of further escalation in the wake of Rybak's death. In a statement earlier Tuesday, Turchynov said his compatriot's corpse was found near the separatist-controlled city of Slaviansk. He said Rybak had been tortured to death and said "the terrorists who effectively took the whole Donetsk region hostage have now gone too far." The Ukrainian leader said he was ordering his security forces to resume operations in the east -- a situation that could pose problems for Zannier's organization. "This will require us to redouble our efforts ... and invite everyone to engage in a peaceful manner," Zannier said in an interview. http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/osce-calls-for-release-of-american-journalist-ostrovsky-others-in-eastern-ukraine-344665.html OSCE calls for release of American Ostrovsky, other journalists in eastern Ukraine Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has called for the immediate release of Simon Ostrovsky, a journalist with Vice News whose gutsy video reports has shed light on the raw and militant nature of government building seizures in eastern Ukraine by Kremlin-backed groups. “I remain deeply concerned about the ongoing negative pattern in relation to journalists’ safety in Ukraine,” OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said. “I call on all those responsible to stop harassing and attacking journalists and let them do their job. Simon Ostrovsky should be released immediately.” On April 22, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the self-proclaimed mayor of Slovyansk in northern Donetsk Oblast – the city most heavily occupied by Moscow-backed militants and suspected Russian special forces – confirmed that unidentified people in uniform captured the American and Israeli citizen. Ostrovsky had been filing periodic video reports from eastern Ukraine, in particular, of Kremlin-backed militants taking over Ukrainian government buildings, including police stations. Officials in Moscow have consistently denied any involvement in the unrest in eastern Ukraine. Ponomaryov, however, stated that “nobody abducted him (Ostrovsky), nobody is holding him hostage, he's with us now in at the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine building), preparing material and working." Also, on April 19, separatists kidnapped Interior Minister Lieutenant Colonel Oleh Prokhorov, the chief of the local police station in Slovyansk, local media reports say, citing the Donetsk Oblast police. The OSCE also stated that on April 21, Tochka Opori magazine writer Maxim Danilchenko, “was attacked by unidentified individuals and sustained several injuries while covering a protest in Luhansk.” According to the OSCE: “On the same day Dmitriy Galko, journalist with Belarusian Noviy Chas newspaper, and Italian and French journalists Paul Gogo and Kossimo Attanasio were reportedly detained by unidentified individuals in uniform in Sloviansk. They were released shortly after being detained.” http://euromaidanpr.com/2014/04/22/russians-censor-crimean-tatar-tv/ Russians censor Crimean Tatar TV Management at the Crimean Tatar television broadcasting company Krym received verbal instructions to avoid “showing” the leader of the Crimean Tatars Mustafa Dzhemilev and several members of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People (executive-representative body), a source at the company confirmed to Ukrainska Pravda. According to the source, the new “powers” in Crimea decided to impose sanctions against the leader of the Crimean Tatars and to introduce censorship regarding coverage of the activities of the Mejlis. In addition to keeping images of Dzhemilev and other members of the Mejlis off the air, Krym employees were “advised” to avoid doing interviews with the Tatar leader, broadcasting any information on his plans and whereabouts, or even mentioning his name. The source said these “recommendations” were announced verbally and confirmed information that an unofficial ban on any coverage of the Mejlis is already in place. The Krym staff intends to meet with the direction of the broadcasting company for greater clarification. “If this is censorship, we will demand an official document that spells out the requirements that had been announced verbally,” the source explained. https://twitter.com/margbrennan Kerry phoned Lavrov this afternoon & told him to "tone down" rhetoric, deal with the @OSCE & Ukrainian govt, make separatists stand down 6:56 PM https://twitter.com/WilliamsJon Another warning! @JohnKerry tells Russia FM Lavrov "without measurable progress on implementing Ukraine deal will be additional sanctions" 7:00 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 I love this. Armed thugs armed with military weapons by a foreign power, (and possibly with the aid if covert special ops soldiers) are seizing entire towns. And the mediator is urging the lawful government not to stop it, because we don't want the lawful government to be provoking things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/23/putin-s-men-in-ukraine-seize-u-s-journalist.html?utm_content=buffer345ad&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer Putin’s Men in Ukraine Seize U.S. Journalist Russian-backed insurgents in this eastern Ukraine town, a flashpoint in the tug of war between Moscow and Kiev, seized American journalist Simon Ostrovsky on Tuesday, claiming that under the “laws of war” they had the right. “He was not reporting in a correct way,” said Stella Khoraeva, a former journalist and spokeswoman for the separatist leader Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the pro-Russian militant leader in Slovyansk, a rust belt industrial town on a tributary of the Donets River an hour’s drive from the Russian border. The Vice News journalist was grabbed at a checkpoint in Slovyansk on Tuesday afternoon. Initially Ponomaryov, a former Soviet soldier, denied that the Vice News journalist, who holds dual American and Israeli citizenship, had been kidnapped, saying, “Nobody is holding him hostage, he’s with us now at the SBU [intelligence service building], preparing material and working.” But Khoraeva told The Daily Beast on Wednesday that Ostrovsky’s apprehension was planned. “We knew where he was going, and the men manning the checkpoint were told to look out for him,” she said. She added that Ponomaryov himself was carefully examining the video footage Ostrovsky had with him. She accused Ostrovsky of reporting in an “incorrect way,” but added he might be released shortly. Later in the day, though, hopes of a quick release were dashed when Ponomaryov told an ABC News journalist that Ostrovsky’s reporting was one-sided and that he needed to be taught a lesson. He accused Ostrovsky of being an informer for Ukrainian ultranationalists, heightening Western media anxiety about the plight of the reporter. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27138300#TWEET1110136 Ukraine move in Sloviansk draws stern Putin warning Ukrainian commandos have moved on the separatist stronghold of Sloviansk, prompting a warning of "consequences" from Russia's President Vladimir Putin. At least two separatists were reported killed as the commandos, backed by armoured vehicles, cleared checkpoints on the outskirts of the eastern town. But a BBC correspondent says the centre of Sloviansk is quiet. Pro-Russian separatists are occupying key buildings in at least a dozen eastern towns, defying Kiev. There was also further unrest earlier on Thursday in the south-eastern city of Mariupol. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said government forces had ousted pro-Russian militants from the city hall building there. However, the BBC's Natalia Antelava in Mariupol says that although it appears the mayor and an armed contingent did enter early in the morning there is no sign of Ukrainian troops now. She says pro-Russian activists plan to re-enter once the building has been checked for mines. Some reports say the Ukrainian armoured vehicles and troops in the Sloviansk operation have now pulled back. BBC correspondents visited one checkpoint, south of a village called Makatikha, and reported seeing smoking tyres and broken sandbags. But they say there was no live fire and no sign of bodies. Speaking on Russian TV as news of the Sloviansk operation was coming in, Mr Putin said: "If the regime in Kiev has begun using the army against the population inside the country, then this is undoubtedly a very serious crime. "Of course, this will have consequences for the people who take such decisions, and this also affects our inter-state relations." http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/24/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA3L11A20140424 Ukraine forces kill up to five rebels, Russia starts drill near border Ukrainian forces killed up to five pro-Moscow rebels on Thursday as they closed in on the separatists' military stronghold in the east and Russia launched army drills near the border in response, raising fears its troops would go in. Under an international accord signed in Geneva last week, illegal armed groups in Ukraine, including the rebels occupying about a dozen public buildings in the largely Russian-speaking east, are supposed to disarm and go home. But they have shown no signs of doing so and on Thursday the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said its forces backed by the army had removed three checkpoints manned by armed groups in the separatist-controlled city of Slaviansk. "During the armed clash up to five terrorists were eliminated," it said in a statement, adding that one person had been wounded on the side of the government forces. A rebel spokeswoman in Slaviansk said two fighters had died in a clash in the same area, northeast of the city center. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_RUSSIA_PUTIN_INTERNET?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT RUSSIA'S PUTIN CALLS THE INTERNET A 'CIA PROJECT' President Vladimir Putin has mocked the Internet as a CIA project and pledged to protect Russia's interests online. The Kremlin has been anxious to exert greater control over the Internet, which opposition activists - barred from national television - have used to promote their ideas and organize protests. Russia's parliament this week passed a law requiring social media websites to keep their servers in Russia and save all information about their users for at least half a year. Also, businessmen close to Putin now control Russia's leading social media network, VKontakte. Speaking Thursday at a media forum in St. Petersburg, Putin said that the Internet originally was a "CIA project" and "is still developing as such." To resist that influence, Putin said, Russia needs to "fight for its interests" online. Is Putin going to invade and annex the internet next? https://twitter.com/BoothWilliam Checkpoints on road outside Donetsk and on way to slovyansk are now manned by ukraine security forces Anti Kiev militia gone. 6:48 AM Putin says using ukraine army in eastern ukraine is a crime and warns of "consequences" 6:52 AM A couple of unnamed elderly gents at checkpoint at konstantinovka. No sign of ukraine security forces here. 6:57 AM Reporters in slovyansk say its quiet. Armed milita are taking defensive positions. Ukraine interior ministry advises locals to stay indoors 7:00 AM Ukraine mil op is running. Airborne unit with tanks sets up checkpoint outside Slovyansk. Checking trunks. Low key. pic.twitter.com/PpeSQR0iTB 8:49 AM https://twitter.com/WilliamsJon [Russian] Defense minister Shoigu says military exercises on Ukraine's border have already started, both ground forces & air patrols. 9:34 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichmondRedskin88 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Seizing US reporters huh. They are really pushing that line. You are in a foreign country seizing reporters from another country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 https://twitter.com/markmackinnon Dow Jones reporting that Ukraine paused military operation in Slavyansk because of "heightened risk" of Russian attack. 9:36 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 https://news.vice.com/articles/simon-ostrovsky-has-been-released Simon Ostrovsky Has Been Released VICE News is delighted to confirm that our colleague and friend Simon Ostrovsky has been safely released and is in good health. We would like to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time. Out of respect for Simon and his family's privacy, we have no further statement at this time. https://twitter.com/belangerjf Breaking: hostage @SimonOstrovsky is free and safe. He is with us in CBC car en route to Donetsk pic.twitter.com/9uSyr81zDD 12:42 PM @SimonOstrovsky says he was beaten, blindfolded and hands tied at first, then treated well. pic.twitter.com/eL6xLIBDeF 12:48 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 http://finance.yahoo.com/news/john-kerry-just-gave-russia-223320960.html?soc_src=mediacontentsharebuttons John Kerry Just Gave Russia A Final Warning U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry provided Russia with a stern warning Thursday evening: Start complying with the de-escalation agreement brokered last week in Geneva, or face the wrath of new U.S. sanctions. Kerry delivered a terse statement from the State Department's briefing room late Thursday, during which he blasted Russia for not taking a "single step in the right direction" toward de-escalation. He criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for what he called outlandish claims that the Internet is a "CIA plot." And he accused Russia of waging a propaganda campaign, led by "propaganda bullhorn" network Russia Today. " What is happening in eastern Ukraine is a military operation that is well planned and organized," Kerry said. " If Russia continues in this direction, it will not only be a grave mistake — it will be an expensive mistake." Kerry's comments came on the same day U.S. President Barack Obama said during a press conference in Japan that new sanctions were "teed up." On the ground in eastern Ukraine, the crisis escalated, as Russia embarked on new military drills along the Ukrainian border after Ukraine said it had killed up to five pro-Russian militants. Putin warned Ukraine's actions would "have consequences," after which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the new military drills. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry gave Russia a 48-hour ultimatum to explain its military drills. A week after the deal in Geneva was reached, however, Kerry praised Ukraine as being the only country to "keep its word." "The window to change course," Kerry said, "is closing. We are ready to act." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 http://pressimus.com/Interpreter_Mag/press/2460 Russia May Invade Ukraine For Reasons of Self Defense It may get lost in today's headlines, but last evening the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, told the Russian media that Russia is considering citing article 51 of the UN charter, the article that applies to self defense, in order to justify the invasion of Ukraine. Gazeta.ru reports (translated by The Interpreter) The Russian ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin has announced that Russia has the international legal grounds for introducing peace-keepers into Ukraine in the event of necessity. Churkin told Interfax: 'There are relevant norms in the UN Charter, Art. 51 of the Charter, which speaks of self-defense, and which we, by the way, activated during the conflict in the Caucasus in 2008," he said on the air in the program 'Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyev.' 'So we have international legal grounds. There is the relevant decision of the Federation Council,' noted Churkin. At the same time, the ambassador emphasized that there was still a chance to settle the conflict in Ukraine through the Geneva accords. 'The authorities in Kiev must show that they really mean what is written in the Geneva accords. I think that there is a chance to return to the Geneva agreement. In fact, there isn't any other rational path,' said Churkin. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/04/kiev-moscow-wants-start-third-world-war-2014425131911324361.html Kiev: Moscow wants to start third world war Kiev has accused Moscow of seeking to trigger a "third world war" as military tensions soared in east Ukraine and US President Barack Obama led a diplomatic charge against Russia. Ukraine's military on Friday mounted a second phase of an aggressive operation to regain control of the besieged city of Slovyansk even as one of its helicopters was blown up after being hit with rocket fire at a base outside the city. Officials in Kiev said a rocket-propelled grenade blew up the military helicopter sitting on the tarmac at a base near the eastern town of Kramatorsk. The cause of the explosion has not yet been verified. The incident came amid an offensive to drive pro-Kremlin gunmen out of eastern Ukraine. Kiev announced its forces were seeking to "blockade" rebels inside the flashpoint town of Slovyansk to prevent more of what it calls "terrorists" arriving. Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from the Ukraine border said Slovyansk was still accessible despite claims it had been surrounded. "We haven't seen any sign of that yet on the ground. Based on what we have seen over the past ten days it seems they have had some false starts it is difficult for them to apply on the ground," she said. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/25/putin-s-crimean-medal-of-honor-forged-before-the-war-even-began.html Putin’s Crimean Medal of Honor, Forged Before the War Even Began A now-hidden medallion awarded to former Ukrainians undermines the Kremlin’s narrative of when the ‘liberation of Crimea’ really began. Who would have thought that one of the more controversial details to emerge from the annexation of Crimea would come from a simple medal presentation for “heroes”? Reports first emerged on the Facebook page of Volodimir Prosin, a historian and journalist from the Luhansk region of Ukraine, showing photographs and documents about a medal being awarded by the Russian government to former Ukrainians. On one side of the silver medallion is a raised image of the outline of the Crimean peninsula. The controversy, though, is on the flipside of the coin. On that side, there’s an emblem of the Russian Federation’s ministry of defense. Below that, this inscription: “For the return of Crimea 20.02.14 - 03.18.14.” Yet how could the dates of Crimea’s “liberation” have begun on February 20th? An image of the medal was quickly removed from the Russian defense ministry’s website after the ceremony on March 25, but the damage was done. How could Crimea have been “liberated” in an operation beginning on February 20, the day on which a bloody assault against the Maidan protesters began in Kiev, killing nearly 100 people? Even more perplexing is that Viktor Yanukovych was still officially the president of Ukraine and Crimea on February 20. So how could this operation have begun on that day, while he was still president—or more importantly, why? Most reports indicate that this was some kind of “oversight” by the Russian government. Putting the date of the beginning of the liberation as February 20 may not mean that Russia intended to annex Crimea by sending snipers to Kiev while Yanukovych was still president, but what it does indicate is that one of the bloodiest days in recent Ukrainian history is being celebrated, deliberately or not, on a medal marking the beginning of Crimea’s “liberation.” The dates on the medal also contradict Putin’s statement that the annexation of Crimea was not even considered until secret polls were carried out in late February indicating the Crimean population’s desire to be annexed. Even more disturbing is the subtext that some of those same snipers who killed so many in Kiev and who later fled to Crimea may be receiving these same medals for their actions. https://news.vice.com/articles/i-had-it-pretty-easy-because-i-was-let-go-simon-ostrovsky-on-his-detention-in-sloviansk?trk_source=homepage-lede ‘I Had It Pretty Easy, Because I Was Let Go’: Simon Ostrovsky On His Detention in Sloviansk On Thursday, armed gunmen who held me prisoner for four nights and three days released me into the streets of Sloviansk, in eastern Ukraine. My release was as unexplained as my capture. On Monday night I was pulled out of a car at a checkpoint, then blindfolded, beaten, and tied up with tape. After spending hours alone on the floor of a damp cell with my hands tied behind my back and a hat pulled over my eyes, I was led into a room where I was accused of working for the CIA, FBI, and Right Sector, the Ukrainian ultra-nationalist group. When I refused to give the password to my laptop, I was smacked in the arm with a truncheon. When I was asleep on the floor, masked men came to wake me up and tell me how no one would miss me if I died, and then kicked me in the ribs as they left. But as it turns out, I had it pretty easy, because I was let go. In the four nights that I was held captive, a dozen other nameless detainees were ferried in and out of the cellar of the Ukraine state security (SBU) building by the pro-Russia militants who had taken it over. Some were journalists, some were drunks, and others were Ukrainian activists stupid or brave enough to visit what’s become a stronghold for Russian nationalists within Ukraine. I only got to know a few of them. Most had been in that cellar far longer than I had. They had been there for up to two weeks, and are most likely still there now. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/25/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-lavrov-idUSBREA3O0I420140425 Russia says Kiev will face justice for 'bloody crime' in Ukraine Russia warned Kiev on Friday that it would face justice for a "bloody crime" in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces killed up to five pro-Russian rebels a day earlier, while Washington said Moscow was running out of time to defuse the crisis before facing further sanctions. "They (Kiev) are waging a war on their own people. This is a bloody crime, and those who pushed the army to do that will pay, I am sure, and will face justice," Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, told a meeting of diplomats. Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's also provided a reminder of the costs of the dispute to Moscow, as it cut the country's ratings, forcing Russia's central bank to raise its key interest rate to reverse a drop in the ruble. Lavrov said Moscow was committed to implementing an agreement struck in Geneva on April 17 between Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the European Union to ease tensions in Ukraine and disarm illegal groups but accused Washington of distorting it with "one-sided demands". The Defence Ministry said it was ready for "unbiased and constructive" talks with the United States to stabilize the situation. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-25/russia-raises-main-rate-as-ukraine-crisis-weighs-on-ruble.html Russia Raises Main Rate as Ukraine Crisis Weighs on Ruble Russia’s central bank unexpectedly raised borrowing costs amid increased inflation risks as mounting tensions over Ukraine and the threat of sanctions squeeze the economy and weaken the ruble. The central bank in Moscow increased its one-week auction rate, the benchmark introduced in September, to 7.5 percent from 7 percent today, according to a website statement. That came as a surprise after 22 of 23 economists in a Bloomberg survey forecast no change. One predicted an increase to 8 percent. The escalating crisis in Ukraine is pushing the economy to the brink of recession with inflation above the central bank’s target for a 19th month and the ruble trading near a record low. The worst standoff against the U.S. and Europe since the collapse of the Soviet Union has sparked a selloff in Russian assets as the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions against officials and threatened to broaden the penalties. The decision was made “due to higher inflation risks,” policy makers said in the statement. “The probability of inflation exceeding the 5 percent target at the end of 2014 has increased substantially.” The ruble has lost more than 8 percent this year against the dollar, the second-worst performance among 24 emerging-market currencies tracked by Bloomberg after Argentina’s peso. The ruble pared losses after the rate announcement and was 0.3 percent weaker at 35.8765 per dollar. The ruble is trading at 42.15 against the central bank’s target basket, compared with a record-low 43.06 reached on March 14. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 http://www.politico.com/multimedia/video/2014/04/obama-responds-would-save-putin-if-he-was-drowning.html Obama responds: Would save Putin if he was drowning President Obama responds to Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that Obama wouldn't save him if he was drowning at a press conference in South Korea https://twitter.com/markmackinnon NATO troops have arrived in Latvia. In other news, I have too. 8:10 AM Ukraine claims it has lost contact with OSCE monitors in east of country. "They could be kidnaped by the terrorists" https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1429632960620330&set=a.1420185801565046.1073741828.1420141588236134&type=1&stream_ref=10 8:20 AM Germany confirms it "cannot contact" German-led team of OSCE monitors who were operating near rebel-held Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine. 11:21 AM https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak White House: President Obama spoke to European leaders and they agreed to work together "to impose costs on Russia" due to Ukraine crisis 11:34 AM https://twitter.com/julianborger Downing St: Obama, Merkel, Cameron, Hollande, Renzi agree that second wave of targeted sanctions needed on Ukraine. 11:38 AM https://twitter.com/sangwonyoon Ukraine interior ministry: 13 ppl captured by separatists w @OSCE bus in Slovyansk, bus taken to separatist-held security bldg in city 12:18 PM Ukraine interior ministry: negotiations underway for @OSCE hostages in Slovyansk 12:21 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 https://ph.news.yahoo.com/russian-jets-cross-ukraine-airspace-184649384--politics.html Russian jets cross into Ukraine airspace U.S. officials say Russian fighter jets flew into Ukrainian airspace a handful of times over the last 24 hours, in what one called a continued provocation of the heightened tensions in the region. The officials say it's not clear what the intent was, but the aircraft could have been testing Ukrainian radar or making a show of force. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about the issue. The flights come as Russia increases military exercises along the Ukraine border, including moving a broad array of fixed wing and rotary aircraft, infantry and armor troops. The West has threatened additional sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean region and the ongoing escalation of military operations along the border. http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/04/rt-wants-john-kerry-to-apologize-187444.html RT wants John Kerry to apologize RT is demanding an official response and apology from Secretary of State John Kerry for calling the Kremlin-backed network a “propaganda bullhorn” that is distorting the situation in Ukraine. "We are planning to write an official request to the State Department for concrete examples of when RT has distorted facts,” RT's Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said in an article on RT. “It’s unfortunate that the head of the State Department knows so little about what’s going on in Ukraine at the moment." In a Thursday press conference, Kerry said the network is promoting Russian President Vladimir Putin's "fantasy." “Russia Today Network has deployed to promote President Putin's fantasy about what is playing out on the ground. They almost spend full time devoted to this effort to propagandize and to distort what is happening or not happening in Ukraine,” he said. Simonyan tweeted she found it surprsing that "at this difficult and embarrassing time for the US, Secretary of State John Kerry has nothing else to worry about apart from our television channel," according to an RT translation. http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/fourth-pro-russian-roadblock-cleared-near-slovyansk-345222.html Fourth pro-Russian roadblock cleared near Sloviansk Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reports that a fourth illegal roadblock manned by Kremlin-backed militants has been eliminated in the span of two days along a road that leads into the hostile and restive city of Sloviansk in northern Donetsk Oblast. The latest pro-Russian roadblock to be cleared is on the Izium-Sloviansk route, the SBU’s Counterterrorism Center states. “Specially-designated forces of the Interior Ministry and SBU continue to conduct investigative operations, the positions of armed extremists have been fixated,” reads an April 25 SBU update of the multi-government task force operation. Counterterrorist forces earlier on April 24 cleared three additional illegal roadblocks manned by pro-Russian militants situated on roads that lead into Sloviansk. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-25/g-7-may-act-quickly-against-russia-as-accord-falters.html G-7 Leaders Agree to Act on Russia as OSCE Monitors Held The Group of Seven nations are preparing new measures against Russia, European officials said, as Ukraine’s government said separatists had seized international monitors as hostages in eastern Ukraine. President Barack Obama discussed deepening sanctions against Russia with the leaders of Germany, France, the U.K. and Italy in a conference call today, a day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia of trying to impose its will in Ukraine at “the barrel of a gun.” They spoke after Russia renewed military exercises on its neighbor’s border and explosions in two Ukrainian cities wounded eight. Russia hasn’t fulfilled its part of an April 17 accord signed in Geneva aimed at calming the crisis, the U.S. and European officials said. The conflict -- the biggest between Russia and its former Cold War enemies since the collapse of the Soviet Union -- escalated yesterday when Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine against continuing an anti-separatist offensive that killed five rebels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/25/exclusive-putin-halts-all-talks-with-white-house.html Exclusive: Putin Halts All Talks With White House As new U.S. sanctions against Russia loom, the Kremlin has shut down—at least for now—intensive high level communications between top U.S. and Russian officials. Since the invasion of Crimea, President Vladimir Putin and President Barack Obama have had regular phone calls in an often half-hearted attempt to deescalate the ongoing crisis inside Ukraine. But as the U.S. and EU prepare to unveil new sanctions against Russia, Putin has decided the interactions should stop. The Kremlin has ended high-level contact with the Obama administration, according to diplomatic officials and sources close to the Russian leadership. The move signals an end to the diplomacy, for now. “Putin will not talk to Obama under pressure,” said Igor Yurgens, Chairman of the Institute for Contemporary Development, a prominent Moscow think tank, and a close associate of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. “It does not mean forever.” Obama and Putin last spoke over the phone on April 14, a call that the White House said was initiated at Moscow’s request. Obama urged Putin in the call to end Kremlin support for armed, pro-Russian activists creating unrest in eastern Ukraine. Obama also warned that the U.S. would impose more “costs” on Russia if Putin continued his current course. According to the Kremlin’s readout of the call, Putin denied Russian interference in eastern Ukraine and said “that such speculations are based on inaccurate information.” https://twitter.com/jhseher .@statedeptspox to @jaketapper on @joshrogin scoop: We still continue to work with Russia on a number of high-level issues. 4:07 PM .@statedeptspox re: @joshrogin story: "We've continued to work w/ Russia even while we've had strong disagreements" re: Ukraine, cites Syria 4:18 PM .@statedeptspox also insisted to @jaketapper that admin.'s sanctions, "They are working." 4:19 PM https://twitter.com/OSCE Comms with military observers in Donetsk region lost.Team not OSCE monitors but sent by States under Vienna Doc on military transparency 1:35 PM All members of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission and OSCE/ODIHR election observers are safe and accounted for 1:36 PM Military verification team - led by Germans – and composed of 8 members – 4 Germans, 1 Czech, 1 Danish, 1 Polish, 1 Swedish 1:36 PM Military verification team sent following invitation from Ukraine under terms of Vienna Document 2011 1:37 PM https://twitter.com/RT_com (Russia Today) UPDATE: OSCE dismisses claim of Ukrainian Interior Ministry that its mission has been detained in Slavyansk 4:00 PM http://rt.com/news/154948-eastern-ukraine-osce-detained/ Self-defense forces detain intl military observers in eastern Ukraine Anti-government activists in Slavyansk have detained military observers who had been traveling with the OSCE mission. The OSCE dismissed the claim of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry that its mission has been detained in Slavyansk. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Friday said that an international military mission has been detained in eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region but the group is not connected to the OSCE observers. The detained team is "not OSCE monitors" but was sent by OSCE member states in accordance with the 2011 Vienna Document on military transparency, the organization explained on Twitter. The “people’s mayor” of Slavyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, said that a vehicle containing the international inspectors has been stopped because it contained officers of the General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces, military-looking men and munitions. “It is true that we have detained the bus, as there we immediately found forbidden bullet shells and other munitions. We are currently sorting out who are these people driving inside it,” Ponomaryov told Interfax by telephone. Ponomaryov later told RIA Novosti that the situation with the detained group will be resolved “by morning.” “It is the line-up of the delegation that has raised our suspicion. I had met with representatives of the OSCE before, we had normal businesslike talks. But back then the line-up was totally different. Now there were some military, more like some special-service agents,” Ponomaryov said. “You have to understand that it is wartime here. We had to detain and check them,” he added. http://rt.com/business/154592-standard-poor-russia-rating/#.U1rDe2mU_GY.twitter Ukraine drag: S&P cuts Russia’s credit rating to step above junk For the first time in five years Standard & Poor’s has cut Russia’s credit rating to 'BBB-', just above junk status. It warns the tension in Ukraine and 'significant' capital outflow could mean another downgrade. Moscow says it is "politically motivated." "In our view, the tense geopolitical situation between Russia and Ukraine could see additional significant outflows of both foreign and domestic capital from the Russian economy and hence further undermine already weakening growth prospects," the ratings agency warned. The last time S&P downgraded Russia was in December 2008. In the first 3 months of 2014 $50.6 billion left Russia, and more is expected to flow out as the situation in Ukraine harbors instability in the markets and uneasiness for investors. Russian government officials estimate capital outflow in 2014 could reach $70-80 billion. “Clearly this is partially a politically motivated decision. And in part, perhaps, a reaction to the deteriorating macroeconomic situation we find ourselves in,” Russia’s Minister of Economic Development, Aleksey Ulyukaev said, as quoted by Vesti Finance. As the West ramps up economic threats against Russia, policymakers in Moscow are preparing colossal changes to their role within the global financial structure. Russia hopes to create its own ratings agency, independent of the western "big three" - S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch, in an effort to break the world monopoly of rating systems. Over-reliance on the western financial paradigm has caused Moscow great pain- especially the US decision to wind down its asset buying program, which has had a negative effect on emerging markets worldwide. Decreasing reliance on the dollar and switching to a national payment systems, like China and Japan already have, is also a main goal for Russia. In March, as a result of sanctions, US credit card company’s Visa and MasterCard erroneously blocked transactions at three Moscow banks. Services shortly resumed, but the slip up may cost these companies market share in Russia, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday while addressing journalists in St. Petersburg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/25/us-ukraine-crisis-sanctions-exclusive-idUSBREA3O22B20140425?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=992637 Exclusive: U.S., EU to impose sanctions on Russia on Monday - sources The United States and the European Union are expected to impose fresh sanctions on Russian individuals on Monday as a result of Moscow's alleged efforts to destabilize eastern Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter said. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the EU was expected to name 15 previously unidentified individuals to be sanctioned and would focus on those whom it believes are responsible for the unrest in Ukraine. The United States was expected to sanction individuals and entities, they said, with the U.S. list of individuals expected to include "cronies" of Russian President Vladimir Putin. As a result, the lists will overlap but will not be identical. The sources said the one thing that might prevent the EU and the United States from moving ahead with the sanctions on Monday would be a sudden reversal of what they say is Russian-sponsored separatist movements in eastern Ukraine. https://twitter.com/RT_com US collapsing, becoming Casino Gulag state youtu.be /-U4eohphF2E 6:52 PM Um.... https://twitter.com/CoalsonR Lavrov: "We prefer not to act through ultimatums within CSTO and CIS...We are decent people, after all. " 6:53 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaconBlue Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Am I the only one that finds the silence deafening? I mean aside from you visionary... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Im reading, just don't have anything to add. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Comrade2000 Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Am I the only one that finds the silence deafening? I mean aside from you visionary... And what do you propose we do? There is nothing we realistically the U.S. can do other than sanctions. Putin will eventually invade Ukraine and take what he wants. If he decides to go further; then we are heading for WWW3 and the end of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/world/a/22976614/west-prepares-russia-sanctions-amid-fears-of-ukraine-invasion/ West prepares Russia sanctions amid fears of Ukraine invasion The United States and Europe could slap fresh sanctions on Russia on Monday over the escalating crisis in east Ukraine, as Western leaders fear Moscow is preparing to send in troops. The Group of Seven top economies and the European Union signalled they would step up economic pressure on Moscow early next week as tensions spiked over the kidnapping of a team of international military observers by pro-Kremlin rebels. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk claimed Russia violated his country's airspace seven times overnight with an aim "to provoke" Ukraine into starting a war. US Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that Washington was concerned about "provocative" troop movements along its border with Ukraine and its support for the separatists, which he said "are undermining stability, security and unity in Ukraine". Yatsenyuk cut short a visit to the Vatican as concern grew that the tens of thousands of Russian troops conducting military drills on the border could soon be ordered to invade. But Moscow denied any transgression by its warplanes, with Lavrov calling for "urgent measures" to calm the crisis, which has plunged East-West relations to their lowest point since the Cold War. A Western diplomat warned: "We no longer exclude a Russian military intervention in Ukraine in the coming days." The diplomatic source noted that Russia's UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, "has been recalled urgently to Moscow" for consultations. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/world/europe/ukraine-crisis.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0 Militants Resist Calls to Free European Military Observers Held in Eastern Ukraine Antigovernment militants in eastern Ukraine on Saturday rebuffed international calls for the release of a group of European military observers, but suggested that they would consider a prisoner exchange. The military observers — at least seven officers reportedly from Germany, Poland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Denmark — were detained on Friday at a rebel checkpoint at the edge of this city while traveling with a Ukrainian military delegation, which was also held. The militants have accused the observers of espionage. Their detention and the allegations led to a day of swift-moving diplomatic developments. Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, spoke by telephone with his counterparts in the United States and Germany and with the president of Switzerland, Didier Burkhalter, who is also the chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The observers, known as a military verification team, had been working under the auspices of a document from the security organization that allows member nations — Ukraine, in this case — to invite other member nations to send observers to examine security conditions. In a phone call with Mr. Lavrov, Secretary of State John Kerry urged Russia to use its influence with the pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine to ensure that the observers and their Ukrainian guides be released “without preconditions,” a senior State Department official said. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s foreign minister, said he welcomed Mr. Lavrov’s pledge to help free the observers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/26/ukraine-separatist-leader-defends-capture-nato-spies?CMP=twt_gu Ukrainian separatist leader defends capture of 'Nato spies' An alleged Russian colonel commanding the separatist uprising in Ukraine broke cover yesterday, and said his militia in the eastern town of Slavyansk would not release a group of EU military observers kidnapped on Friday. Igor Strelkov – whom Ukraine's intelligence service describes as a wanted terrorist – made his first public appearance in the rebels' de facto capital. In an interview with Russian channels, he described the captured military representatives as "Nato spies". Strelkov said there was little prospect of them being freed unless Kiev's pro-western government traded them for jailed pro-Russian activists. Slavyansk's self-proclaimed mayor, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, repeated the spy claim later, adding that an investigation into the observers was going on and could be finished soon. They were being held in "good conditions", he said. The mayor alleged they had tried to pass themselves off as "sightseers" and were not wearing military uniforms. "If the observers had been honest with us, no problem," he claimed. Officers made clear they had no orders to storm Slavyansk. Instead they said their role was to prevent weapons reaching the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic". Andrei said he had arrived at the checkpoint that morning. "We are going to win," he declared cheerfully. "We're stronger." Another soldier, lying under a blossoming tree, chipped in: "We're going to win because we believe in God. He's on our side." Despite the threat of war, the situation in Slavyansk was remarkably calm. Traffic, including scheduled buses, flowed in and out of town, waved through tyre checkpoints by militia volunteers. One militia checkpoint proclaimed "Stop Nato" and "Love, family and peace." "The government in Kiev doesn't want to listen to us," said Volodya, a 49-year-old electrician. "They say they're the good guys and that we are bad guys and separatists." Volodya said that when he went to school in the Soviet Union in the 1980s he learned that Stepan Bandera – the Ukrainian nationalist leader during the second world war, venerated by the west of the country – was a fascist. He called Ponomarev a "hero on the barricades". In a press conference yesterday Ponomarev insisted that the European military observers working under the auspices of Germany's foreign ministry were engaged in espionage. He has been the face of Slavyansk's militia for the past two weeks, giving daily afternoon press conferences and updates on his latest hostages, whom he refers to as "guests". But the emergence of Strelkov – a more sophisticated figure – suggests a tweak in rebel media strategy. Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency says Strelkov is the mastermind behind the uprising. It claims he ordered the kidnapping and murder of an outspoken city councillor, Vladimir Rybak, and a 19-year-old Kiev student. Their naked bodies were found near Slavyansk last week. They had been tortured and drowned. http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_306481/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=IuU9X8gn European military observers report no mistreatment Eight European military observers held prisoner by pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine appeared in public Sunday and gave assurances that they weren't being mistreated, but there was no indication they would be released soon. The insurgents in Slovyansk have taken a number of people hostage, including journalists and pro-Ukraine activists, as they strengthen their control in the east of the country in defiance of the interim government in Kiev and its Western supporters. On Sunday, they captured three Ukrainian security service officers, who were shown to Russian journalists bloodied and blindfolded with packing tape. Also on Sunday, a crowd of several hundred pro-Russia activists stormed the television broadcasting center in Donetsk, the regional capital of eastern Ukraine, to demand that Russian state channels be put back on the air. The Kiev government last month blocked the broadcasts of the Russian channels, which serve as propaganda tools for the Kremlin. The crowd included several dozen men wearing camouflage fatigues and face masks, the standard uniform of the pro-Russia forces that have seized government buildings in at least 10 cities in eastern Ukraine. Col. Axel Schneider from Germany, who spoke for the group of military observers detained on Friday, stressed that they were on a diplomatic mission under the auspices of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe and weren't spying for NATO, as the insurgents claim. The observers, who appeared nervous, were in the custody of armed men wearing camouflage fatigues and black balaclavas, who escorted them into the Slovyansk city hall for the news conference and led them away afterward. Schneider, however, said they were being treated as well as possible under the circumstances. "The mayor of this city granted us his protection and he regarded us as his guests," Schneider told journalists in Slovyansk, which has become the center of the pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine. "I can tell you that the word of the mayor is a word of honor. We have not been touched." https://twitter.com/cjchivers Eight detained observers on stage w anti-Kiev mayor in Slovyansk 6:34 AM Detained German colonel giving statement, says breaks hearts to see poverty of people of this city. (Slovyansk) 6:39 AM German col says observer team is under mayor's "protection" and treated as "guests," & says team has not been harmed #Slovyansk 6:41 AM Detained German col says all euro mil observers are in good health 6:43 AM Detained German colonel then says, in answer to q, he is not sure conditions under which observers will be allowed to go home. 6:46 AM https://twitter.com/lukeharding1968 A crowd of about 300 pro-Russian activists marching through centre of Donetsk now, pulling down Ukrainian flags. Masked guys with them 8:18 AM Same crowd an hour ago on Lenin Square, Donetsk. About 300 pro-Russia activists, in city of one million pic.twitter.com/QK9KXrOeKr 8:21 AM Just come from Donetsk TV station, seized by pro-Russia militia two hours ago. They want to shut Ukrainian channels; replace with Kremlin TV 10:33 AM Police made no effort to stop group from Donetsk People's Republic, armed with baseball bats, and including teenage girls. TV chief shaken 10:35 AM https://twitter.com/MaximEristavi Around 7K football ultras at pro-Ukraine demo in Kharkiv right now, local journos report 10:25 AM Kharkiv pro-Ukraine demo is initiated by football ultras => many locals joined later, local reporters told me pic.twitter.com/2CeSS4pM2Q 10:32 AM Kharkiv today: 7k at pro-Ukraine rally pic.twitter.com/YnonbiV5Q5 vs 500-600 at separatist demo via local media 10:46 AM Clashes broke out in Kharkiv b/w pro-Ukraine & pro-Russia protesters pic.twitter.com/XfAEHjgMK6 pic.twitter.com/dAHsY918UR pic.twitter.com/kCbc13ROAU 11:22 AM Injured people in Kharkiv after pro-Ukraine & pro-Russia protesters clash, @itsector reports pic.twitter.com/Xgj6evN4ir 11:28 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 https://twitter.com/cjchivers Swedish observer, Major Johansson, held by armed anti-Kiev militia in Slovyasnk released to OSCE diplomats minutes ago. 12:28 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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