March 12, 2014

EU tells Russia: start Ukraine talks or face sanctions.

Source: The Guardian

The European Union is on course to impose travel bans and to freeze the assets of Russian officials and military officers involved in the occupation of Crimea by next Monday if Moscow declines to accept the formation of a "contact group" to establish a dialogue with Ukraine.

A meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday is being seen as an unofficial deadline for the introduction of the sanctions, which would exempt the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, as the EU tries to keep open lines of communication. The sanctions could be imposed a day after Sunday's referendum in Crimea to allow the Black Sea peninsula to join the Russian Federation. Ukraine's parliament warned the regional assembly in Crimea on Tuesday that it faces dissolution unless it cancels the referendum, which has been condemned by the EU and the US as illegal. But the Russian foreign ministry said it would respect the result of the vote.

Officials from the EU, US, Japan and Turkey met in London on Tuesday to draw up a list of Russians who could be subject to the sanctions, as Kiev called on London and Washington to live up to their commitments to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Britain, the US and Russia were signatories to the Budapest memorandum in 1994 in which they agreed to uphold the newly independent Ukraine's borders in exchange for the surrender of the nuclear arsenal it inherited from the Soviet Union.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the interim Ukrainian prime minister, said: "If you do not uphold these guarantees which you signed up to in the Budapest memorandum, then explain how you will convince Iran and North Korea to give up their nuclear status."

(snip)

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/11/eu-tells-russia-start-ukraine-talks-or-face-sanctions

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Good luck with ordering the President of Russia to obey your demands.

What has happened to diplomacy these days? Doesn't anyone do that any more? Russia is not Iran or Syria, for crying out loud! In this kind of a game, one size (the do-what-we-say-or-else size) does not fit all.

March 10, 2014

Ethnic Russians of eastern Ukraine protest "interim government," and call for a referendum.

The Russian-speaking majority in several eastern Ukrainian regions are protesting against the governors appointed by Kiev's so-called "interim government." They have seized government buildings and forced at least one such governor to resign and flee. They are demanding their own referendums on separation from Kiev. Some have even called for the eventual formation of a "Southeastern Federation of Regions," to be formed as an independent nation.

Putin defends Crimean referendum legitimacy to EU leaders as Ukraine's southeast rallies.

(snip)

Southeastern Ukraine rallies against govt.

On Sunday, thousands of anti-Maidan demonstrators rallying in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lugansk blocked and occupied the regional administration building, hoisting a Russian flag on top. The protesters have demanded that Mikhail Bolotskikh, the region’s head, step down. Bolotskikh was appointed by the self-proclaimed Kiev authorities. Some 3,000 people took part in the rally and about 1,000 broke inside the building, according to Itar-Tass and local media reports. Twitter users claimed that Bolotskikh has already signed his resignation and escaped the city center in a car through a “disgrace corridor” formed by the protesters. Later on Sunday, the fugitive official declared that he signed the document under pressure and that he is still carrying out his duties.

Before the takeover, pro-Russian demonstrators reportedly clashed with Euromaidan activists demonstrating near a monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, whose 200th birthday was celebrated on Sunday. Shevchenko’s anniversary attracted rallies in support of Ukraine’s unity all across the country. One of the largest demonstrations took place in Kharkov, where some 10,000 people marched with a huge 100-meter Ukrainian flag and chanted, “No to war!”

The eastern Ukrainian city, which is located just 26 kilometers away from the Russian border and has a large Russian minority, has been extremely divided on whether to accept the current Kiev regime as a legitimate power. On Saturday, more than 10,000 pro-Russian Kharkov residents rallied in favor of rejecting Kiev’s rule, urging the formation of a southeastern federation of regions. The issue of the federation, referred to as the Autonomous South-Eastern Republic within the Ukrainian state, should be decided by a popular vote as soon as possible, the people demanded.

(snip)

Around 7,000 pro-Russian demonstrators in the city of Donetsk on Sunday also supported the holding of a referendum on the status of their region. The people demanded that the status of the Russian language, stripped by the coup-imposed government, be reinstated, and that the “People’s Governor” of Donetsk, Pavel Gubarev, be freed. Gubarev, who was detained in Donetsk by Special Security Forces, has reportedly been brought to Kiev on charges of violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine, takeover of power, and seizure of government buildings.

Read more at: http://rt.com/news/ukraine-referendums-putin-merkel-802/

March 9, 2014

Venezuelan protest overrun by government forces.

Source: Al Jazeera America

In a major show of force, hundreds of National Guardsmen in riot gear and armored vehicles prevented an "empty pots march" from reaching Venezuela's Food Ministry on Saturday to protest now-chronic food shortages.

President Nicolas Maduro's government, meanwhile, celebrated an Organization of American States (OAS) declaration supporting its efforts to bring a solution to the country's worst political violence in years, calling it a diplomatic victory. The United States, Canada and Panama were the only nations to oppose the declaration. "The meddling minority against Venezuela in the OAS, Panama, Canada and the U.S., is defeated in a historic decision that respects our sovereignty," government spokeswoman Delcy Rodriguez tweeted.

Later Saturday, several hundred student protesters trying to block streets with barricades skirmished with tear gas-firing riot police in Caracas' wealthy Chacao district in what has become a nearly daily ritual. There were no immediate reports of injuries as motorcycle-mounted riot police, taunted from apartment buildings, chased protesters through darkening streets.

(snip)

The capital's government-allied mayor had refused the marchers a permit to hold the "empty pots" rally, leading opposition leader Henrique Capriles to accuse authorities of trying to criminalize" peaceful protests. "Nicolas (Maduro) is afraid of the empty pots of our people. He mobilizes hundreds of soldiers against empty pots," he said of the man who defeated him by a razor-thin margin in April presidential elections. Capriles also reiterated opposition complaints that the government is sending "functionaries and groups of paramilitaries — which they have armed — to put down protests."

Read more: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/8/venezuelan-protestoverrunbygovernmentforces.html

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The OAS majority is clearly behind Maduro's government, only Panama of all Latin nations voting against him. This support is bound to encourage the government to go the way of more forceful actions in putting down street protests.

March 9, 2014

How involved is the violently fascist "Right Sector" party in Ukraine's "Interim Government?"

Sadly, it may be much more involved than you dare to imagine. It is also directly implicated in the deadly violence which lead to the overthrow of Ukrainian President Yanukovich's government two weeks ago:

Lavrov: Right Sector radicals call the tune in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s new government is under the influence of the radical nationalists, according to Russia’s Foreign Minister, who believes his foreign counterparts are well aware of the fact, but are unwilling to acknowledge it. “The so-called interim government is not self-sufficient, and, to great regret, depends upon radical nationalists, who carried out the military coup,” Sergey Lavrov told journalists on Saturday, when he was answering the question of whether Russia was ready to have direct talks with the coup-imposed government.

The Right Sector movement, consisting of several far-right groups, was very active in the violence leading to the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovich. After the February-21 agreement between Yanukovich and opposition leaders was signed, the Right Sector declared they did not recognize it and would continue the armed struggle.

At Saturday’s press conference, Lavrov gave an example of how exactly the Right Sector is influencing the current decision-making in Kiev. “The new government’s officials asked this Right Sector to approve their choice of ministers and now the Right Sector is dissatisfied. Its leaders say the reloading of the government system in Ukraine has not been completed. They are demand each of the ministers go to the Maidan protesters and report on how well they implement the demands of the protest leaders.”

Sergey Lavrov said the group, which allegedly demanded access to the country's arsenals, had the security situation in Kiev under its control. The capital of Ukraine has not been safe since ousted President Viktor Yanukovich removed all the police from the streets in compliance with the February-21 agreement. "Actually there’s no state control over public order and the so-called Right Sector calls the tune, the group that has resorted to terror and intimidation.”

(snip)

Read more at: http://rt.com/news/lavrov-kiev-government-radicals-618/

March 8, 2014

Wealthy and powerful who wanted us to replace Yanukovich in Ukraine are learning they were wrong.

The mega-bankers thought this whole Ukraine coup would just be an unmitigated cash cow for them. With a Harvard educated technocrat replacing the democratically elected, and less than cooperative, Yanukovich, they knew the Ukraine would be a gold mine for vulture capitalists like Mitt Romney's "Baine Capital." Added to that, they imagined, would be the boost to their World-wide "austerity" strategy which would accompany a U.S. installed "interim government" agreeing to the IMF's radical budget cutting demands.

Instead they now may face non-repayment of their sizable loans to Russia and her allies, as well as the loss of any future profits from those sources. This is why Business Administration majors at U. S. Universities should be required to take a few hours of World History before receiving their degrees.

Russia warns could 'reduce to zero' economic dependency on US.

Moscow (AFP) - Russia could reduce to zero its economic dependency on the United States if Washington agreed sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine, a Kremlin aide said on Tuesday, warning that the American financial system faced a "crash" if this happened.

"We would find a way not just to reduce our dependency on the United States to zero but to emerge from those sanctions with great benefits for ourselves," said Kremlin economic aide Sergei Glazyev. He told the RIA Novosti news agency Russia could stop using dollars for international transactions and create its own payment system using its "wonderful trade and economic relations with our partners in the East and South."

Russian firms and banks would also not return loans from American financial institutions, he said. "An attempt to announce sanctions would end in a crash for the financial system of the United States, which would cause the end of the domination of the United States in the global financial system." He said that economic sanctions imposed by the European Union would be a "catastrophe" for Europe, saying that Russia could halt gas supplies "which would be beneficial for the Americans" and give the Russian economy a useful "impulse."

(snip)

Read more at: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-warns-could-reduce-zero-economic-dependency-us-083926261.html

March 7, 2014

Getting decidedly touchy in Eastern Ukraine. Blackwater (Xe) is reported to be on the ground!

Popular uprising looming in eastern Ukraine.

Protests against the self-proclaimed government in Kiev continue in eastern regions of Ukraine. Thousands-strong gatherings in Donetsk and Lugansk are rallying in support of the Russian language and holding a referendum on the federalization of Ukraine.

In Donetsk, the city that once used to be the stronghold of the ousted President Viktor Yanukovich, people are protesting against the new governor appointed by Kiev last Sunday. he appointee is Ukrainian oligarch, billionaire Sergey Taruta, the owner of ISD, one of the biggest mining and smelting companies in the world, he also owns the Donetsk-based Metallurg Football Club. The oligarch governor failed to come to Donetsk immediately after the appointment, so demonstrators have chosen a “people’s governor” of their own, the leader of the ‘National levy’ Pavel Gubarev advocating setting a referendum that might ask the citizens of Donetsk region about reunification with Russia. The ‘National levy’ also started collecting signatures to conduct referendum on allegiance of the region.

During this week the regional administration building in Donetsk changed hands many times, with either the ‘National levy’ or pro-Kiev forces declaring capture of the authority headquarters. Several videos allegedly made in downtown Donetsk on March 5 exposed that armed pro-Kiev forces had come to Donetsk, as a group of unidentified men in military outfits and equipped with Russian AK assault rifles and American М4А1 carbines were securing protection of some pro-Kiev activists amidst anti-government popular protests.

Later, Rossiya 1 TV channel made an assumption that these people could be from a group of several hundred mercenaries that allegedly arrived to Kiev recently. Rossiya 1 1 maintained that mercenaries work for the notorious Academi (formerly known as Blackwater and Xe Services), a privately owned American security services provider that employ over 20,000 guns for hire. But even the appearance of mercenaries in the center of Donetsk did not stop the citizens from protesting against self-proclaimed government in Kiev.

(snip)

Read more at: http://rt.com/news/popular-uprising-eastern-ukraine-314/

March 7, 2014

Ukraine crisis: Live Updates.

Source: The Guardian.

France will not send a minister to the Sochi Paralympics...but will deliver two state-of-the-art warships to Russia, despite the Ukraine crisis, French president François Hollande has confirmed.

The controversial deal – and it was controversial even before the Crimea crisis – involves France handing over two Mistral vessels. These are 22,000-tonne warships capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing craft, 13 battle tanks and up to 450 soldiers, and giving the ageing Russian naval fleet the capacity for a quick sea response. The deal, worth €1.2bn, was criticised by several of Paris’s NATO allies back in 2011 after Russia invaded Georgia in the Caucasus in 2008, leading to what became known as the Five-Day War.

This week the first of the two ships, named the Vladivostok, left the French Atlantic port of Saint Nazaire for sea trials. “We respect our signed contracts,” Hollande said. The other vessel will be called Sebastopol, which is of course in Crimea.

France’s reluctance to use the ships as a bargaining chip against Moscow, has cast doubt on Paris’s determination to back tough sanctions to force Russia to respect Ukrainian territorial integrity.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/07/ukraine-crisis-putin-russia-crimea-us-eu-sanctions-live-updates

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So much for NATO unity in response to the so-called "Russian invasion of Crimea." We have already seen that the British government will insist on still allowing Russia to deposit money in "The City of London," now the French government doesn't want to lose out on it's two billion or so in ship building contracts with President Putin's government. Note that these ships may actually be based in Crimea!

March 7, 2014

One Ukrainian RT News reporter's first person account of what happened.

First, all fun aside, if you have a closed mind concerning reporting from this news service, just don't read any further. This reporter is telling what he personally saw as best he can describe it, and he may not say at all what you want and think you should hear in regard to these events. However, those of you with open minds, interested in different perspectives and points of view, will find his report fascinating. I promise you.

Glory to Ukraine, glory to Russia, glory to ALL the heroes.

Well, my friends, another one of my hellish trips to my beloved Ukraine is over, and it’s time to draw breath and sum it up. Right after this, I probably won’t go back to this nightmare of a topic for a very long while. I’ll say right away that it’s going to be a long piece, and just like last time, these are just my observations and impressions; there has never been and never will be any external influence on my opinion. I fully realize that some will agree with me and some won’t, but this is how I, a person for whom Ukraine isn’t just another assignment, saw and felt everything happening in Kiev and in the country.

So I want to ask you not to take offense, since everyone is so sensitive about this subject right now. I’m not trying to impose my opinion or take sides. These are, again, just my observations. As they say, FYI. I’ll start with the previously undisclosed details of the “Black Thursday” of February 20, when so much blood was spilled on the streets of Kiev (you have already doubtless seen my video from the battleground).

I was leaving Maidan on Wednesday night at about 1am (that is, the side of the barricades where the police were; for the first time in one and a half months, we got there almost without any obstacles), and both the police and Berkut tried to tell me in various ways to be careful on my way from the Ukraine Hotel to the Dnipro Hotel. I was genuinely confused, and they told me, “There’s gunfire from Maidan.” It was just over an hour since the “truce” between the opposition and the president had been declared.

The “truce” was questionable even then, even without the police talking about gunfire. We were reporting near the “frontlines” opposite the Khreschatyk Hotel when someone threw several Molotov cocktails from the windows of the almost completely burnt-out Trade Unions Building. We could hear petards and stun grenades going off and see bottles and stones flying from Maidan. “Truce”? No damn way, I thought. I was scheduled to go live from the parking lot near the Ukraine Hotel at 9am. I woke up at 8am, and, catching up on the news while brushing my teeth, saw that the situation seemed to be calm. So I relaxed. How wrong I was!

(snip)

The bulk of this riveting article can be read at: http://rt.com/op-edge/ukraine-kiev-gunfire-yaroshevsky-266/

March 6, 2014

Russia Today News offers a response concerning the resignation of its presenters.

This is some fairly fascinating stuff, if one can still enjoy a good argument, that is. Here is the opinion offed by Margarita Simonyan, RT's editor-in-chief:

About Abby Martin, Liz Wahl and media wars.

Today RT America anchor Liz Wahl resigned on air, claiming she disagrees with the channel’s editorial stance. And here’s what I have to say about it.

These days it takes a lot of courage to work for RT. Never before have I seen RT and its journalists bullied like this. See for yourselves what they did to poor Abby. First, she openly voiced disagreement with Russia’s stance on air – and was virtually made an American hero. But then Abby reminded everyone how much she disagrees with America’s stance as well, adding she takes pride in working at RT, where she is free to express her views. Less than an hour passed before Abby had her name dragged through something I have difficulty finding a decent name for this late at night. The US mainstream media even went as far as claiming we had orchestrated the whole thing as a publicity move. They labeled Abby a conspiracy theorist, bringing to light her past as an activist. In less than 24 hours, they first sang her praises and then excoriated her. All of this in front of her colleagues, including Liz Wahl. How do you think they felt watching that?

Yesterday I spent quite some time explaining to a New York Times correspondent why I consider Russia’s position to be right. I’m Russian. I support my country and I will fight for the truth for as long as it takes. Neither Abby, nor Liz, nor many other employees are Russian nationals, but foreign. And now their country is likening my country to Nazi Germany. For many years they have worked for RT in good faith, proving every day that a voice that stands out from the mainstream media can be beautiful and strong, attract an audience that grows daily. These are the people who were the first to tell their country about the Occupy movement, who were detained at protest rallies, handcuffed for hours and then tried in court for doing their job. These are the people who were outraged by US hypocrisy in Syria, Libya – you can finish the list yourself – and reminded the world who used chemical weapons most often, even resorting to nuclear bombs. These are the people who did things the Western mainstream media would have never done. But those were peaceful times. And now we’ve got a genuine war going on – no, thank God, it’s not in Crimea. It’s a media war. Every single day, every single hour the guys who work for us are told, “You are liars, you are no journalists, you are the Kremlin propaganda mouthpiece, you’ve sold yourselves to the Russians, it’s time you quit your job, and everybody is laughing at you, so change your mind before it’s too late.”

The storm of articles posted about RT over the last couple of days – literally tons of printed copy - looks as if it were written to dictation. Hardly any respectable media outlet refrained from lambasting and lynching RT journalists in articles or reports. Our employees listen to their colleagues, their fellow citizens, and their potential employers, as career prospects are obviously important to every journalist. How many could withstand this pressure? Well, some will and some won’t. Some sincerely disagree, as they believe their own country more than mine. Others are simply thinking about their future. And it’s hard for me to judge them.

This is all typical of a media war. We’re not the first and we will not be the last to go through this. During the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera staff in Lebanon made headlines by resigning en masse. Their Egyptian colleagues followed suit. Over twenty journalists resigned citing disagreement with the channel’s editorial line. That this happened without any pressure from the world mass media was due to the fact that, throughout the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera was completely in tune with the global mainstream. So no one sought to criticize the channel, on the contrary, everyone praised its coverage.

(snip)

Read more at: http://rt.com/op-edge/about-liz-wahl-media-wars-126/

March 6, 2014

Amy Goodman gives Ukrainian news an even-handed treatment this morning.

I was happy to hear Amy Goodman give recent events in Ukraine an even-handed treatment this morning. It takes courage to tell both sides of such a charged story as that concerning the identity of who began firing on protesters in Maidan Square.

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/6/headlines