Ukraine

[Beco]

kerry doing a lot of yacking

Kerry Says Venezuela Crackdown Is ‘Unacceptable’
Thousands of protestors gathered in Caracas on Saturday. Many held pictures of the arrested opposition leader, Leopoldo López.
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
As the demonstrations continued to grow, Secretary of State John Kerry strengthened his criticism of the Venezuelan government’s response to the protesters.

 

[KingOrfeo]

New elections will be May 25. If the interim "Unity Government" can form as planned and hold things together until then, I think the crisis is over.

 

[bill-pix-trade]

There is something about topless women climbing wire fences that gets me off! The only things missing are the razor wire with a sliced bra hanging off it.

That would be a great pic for sure.

 

[bill-pix-trade]

Are those Ukrainians? Why is everything on their bodies written in English?

They have to be. It said on the internet they were so it must be true.

 

[KingOrfeo]

Kerry Says Venezuela Crackdown Is ‘Unacceptable’
Thousands of protestors gathered in Caracas on Saturday. Many held pictures of the arrested opposition leader, Leopoldo López.
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
As the demonstrations continued to grow, Secretary of State John Kerry strengthened his criticism of the Venezuelan government’s response to the protesters.

Oh, yeah, about that . . .

 

[mark197205]

Are those Ukrainians? Why is everything on their bodies written in English?

Probably so those in the west can read it.

 

[KingOrfeo]

Probably so those in the west can read it.

That must be it. On TV and the Intertubes, I've seen protest-signs in English in a lot of countries.

 

[richard_daily]

Russian Spring?

Putin says the US is behind the protests. I reckon we probably are, but what does the Ukraine have that we want? We always want something.


And Chicken Kiev is delicious.

The US created the shitty conditions in the Ukrane how exactly?

 

[JohnnySavage]

The US created the shitty conditions in the Ukrane how exactly?

I don't know, maybe you should ask whoever said the US created shitty conditions in Ukraine.

Or at least learn to read the posts you are quoting. Dummy.

 

[richard_daily]

I don't know, maybe you should ask whoever said the US created shitty conditions in Ukraine.

Or at least learn to read the posts you are quoting. Dummy.

Perhaps, "I reckon we probably are" has a different meaning in your neck of the woods... or are you just pulling a veteman?

 

[JohnnySavage]

Perhaps, "I reckon we probably are" has a different meaning in your neck of the woods... or are you just pulling a veteman?

You don't think the US meddles in other country's internal politics???

How very trusting of you. I have some book reccos for you if you'd like to educate yourself though. Or not, it doesn't really matter to me.

 

[JohnnySavage]

Maybe I just don't understand your phrasing about shitty conditions though.

Could be those words have different meanings in your neck of the woods.

Conditions in Ukraine are far from shitty... In my humble opinion. It has a well-educated population, very low debt to GDP, lots of natural resources, beautiful vistas. It's a nice place.

 

[renard_ruse]

Kerry Says Venezuela Crackdown Is ‘Unacceptable’
Thousands of protestors gathered in Caracas on Saturday. Many held pictures of the arrested opposition leader, Leopoldo López.
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
As the demonstrations continued to grow, Secretary of State John Kerry strengthened his criticism of the Venezuelan government’s response to the protesters.

"Protests" are being used as a tool of US/European violence against countries that don't do what the US/Europe want.

Democracy is being killed in front of our eyes and being replaced by the rule of mobs. Its the most incredible thing I've seen in my lifetime. Very scary world emerging.

 

[renard_ruse]

New elections will be May 25. If the interim "Unity Government" can form as planned and hold things together until then, I think the crisis is over.

How on earth do you think the "crisis" is or will soon be over?

Crimea is on the verge of open rebellion already. Will the new Ukrainian regime use violence to keep Crimea in the Ukraine?

One of the first acts the new regime did was to strip Russian of official status in eastern and southern Ukraine. Why, with all the other pressing issues, did they do this? You think Russian speakers are just going to accept this loss of rights?

 

[jeninflorida]

where is gomer pig shit pile obama?

off golfing?

 

[KingOrfeo]

Crimea is on the verge of open rebellion already.

Perhaps. However:

But the territory is not as staunchly pro-Russian as it may seem at first glance, and several key factors may come into play.

Although ethnic Russians are still a majority (58.5%), there are also a significant Ukrainian (24.4%) and Crimean Tatar populations (12.1%).

And it is the latter two which have formed an unlikely alliance, resisting any secessionist attempts.

They have their separate reasons to distrust Moscow.

Many ethnic Ukrainians have natural loyalties towards Kiev and are happy with the territory's status quo.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Tatars still remember the horrors of the mass deportation under Stalin in 1944 on the pretext of mass collaboration with the Nazis during World War II.

Tatar national leaders have warned they will resist any attempts to transfer Crimea to Moscow.

And then there is mass corruption.

In 2011, the last time I visited Crimea, I was shocked by how many people there had a feeling of outrage towards what they described as corrupt authorities on every level.

Cab drivers, fruit sellers, hotel managers - ethnic Russian, Ukrainian or Crimean Tatar - everyone was disgusted.

The hope is that this could gradually start to change with "people power" and the pledge of war on corruption spreading from Kiev's Maidan.

Many also believe that a promised association with the EU will help root out corruption.

Finally, Ukraine is not Georgia, where the Russians fought a war in 2008, managing to wrestle South Ossetia and Abkhazia out of Tbilisi's control.

Despite the present revolutionary chaos, Ukraine - Europe's second biggest country (by area) - still has capable armed forces, particularly its anti-aircraft defences.

One may also count on many thousands of battle-hardened Maidan activists joining in to defend the country.

And facing growing Western warnings, President Putin may think twice whether Crimea - as well as Ukraine's south-eastern regions - is worth the fight.

 

[renard_ruse]

Perhaps.

I saw that article. You could say the same thing about Central Ukraine and the level of support for the Party of Regions there. Not everyone in central Ukraine was in favor of the coup. The coup might be reversed again in time, like after the Orange thing a few years ago. Clearly, this is not going to be over for a long time.

 

[trysail]

What now all you armchair politicians?

Ukraine is a failed state in charge of Europe's heat and electricity. The country is bankrupt and it owes $2.1 billion to Gazprom.
​

_____________________

Kiev Says It's "Helpless" To Restore Order In East

by The Associated Press
April 30, 2014

HORLIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's police and security forces are "helpless" to quell unrest in two eastern regions bordering Russia, and in some cases are cooperating with pro-Russian gunmen who have seized scores of government buildings and taken people hostage, the country's acting president said Wednesday.

Oleksandr Turchynov said the goal now was to prevent the agitation from spreading to other territories.

"I will be frank: Today, security forces are unable to quickly take the situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions under control," Turchynov said at a meeting with regional governors.

"The security bodies ... are unable to carry out their duties of protecting citizens. They are helpless in those matters. Moreover, some of those units are either helping or cooperating with terrorist organizations."

Turchynov instructed the governors to try to prevent the threat from overtaking more central and southern regions.

"Mercenaries and special units that are active on Ukrainian territory have been tasked with attacking those regions. That is why I am stressing: our task is to stop the spread of the terrorist threat first of all in the Kharkiv and Odessa regions," Turchynov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Russia has placed tens of thousands of troops near the border with Ukraine and Turchynov said the threat of a Russian invasion was real. He called on creating regional self-defense units throughout the country, according to Interfax.

He spoke hours after pro-Russian gunmen seized more administrative buildings in eastern Ukraine. Insurgents wielding automatic weapons took control and hoisted an insurgent flag on top of the city council building Wednesday morning in the city of Horlivka in the Donetsk region. They also took control of a police station in the city, adding to another police building which they had controlled for several weeks.

An Associated Press reporter saw armed men standing guard outside the building and checking the documents of those entering. One of the men said that foreign reporters will not be allowed in and threatened to arrest those who don't obey orders. Similar guards were also seen outside the police station in the city.

The insurgents now control buildings in about a dozen cities in eastern Ukraine, demanding broader regional rights as well as greater ties or outright annexation by Russia. The militiamen are holding some activists and journalists hostage, including a group of observers from a European security organization.

In Luhansk, one of the largest cities in eastern Ukraine, gunmen in camouflage uniforms maintained control of several government offices they seized Tuesday.

Eastern Ukraine, which has a large Russian-speaking population, was the heartland of support for Viktor Yanukovych, the ousted president who fled to Russia in February. The government that replaced him in Kiev has resisted the insurgents' demands, fearing they could lead to a breakup of the country or mean that more regions could join Russia, as Crimea did.

Kiev and Western governments accuse Moscow of orchestrating the protests in eastern Ukraine. The United States and the European Union rolled out a fresh set of economic sanctions against Russia this week, but Moscow has remained unbowed, denying its role in the unrest and saying the actions were Kiev's fault.

 

[suehprom]

Putin expresses deep condolences to families of Odessa fire victims - Kremlin spokesm

Russian president feels keen sorrow and compassion for those killed as a result of punitive action of the Kiev authorities and those injured.

------------------

MOSCOW, May 03./ITAR-TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin expresses deep condolences to the families of those killed in Odessa, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“We, unfortunately, have no possibility to express condolences to official Kiev, according to the international practice, because there is no official Kiev as such,” Peskov said. “But nevertheless, the president expresses his condolences to the relatives of those killed and burned alive in Odessa and wishes the earliest recovery to those injured in the mentioned punitive operation.”

In the words of Peskov, Russian president feels keen sorrow and compassion for those killed as a result of punitive action of the Kiev authorities and those injured. According to Peskov, the tragedy of Odessa, where nationalists and radicals burned unarmed people alive with the obvious connivance of the authorities - it’s indeed a crime.

http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/730335

 

[Joeybagadonuts]

It's called that because the name means "The Frontier." (From a Russian POV, that is.)

However, the Russian language has no definite article. I don't know whether Ukrainian does.

then they should change their name to piss of the Russians.

 

[Joeybagadonuts]

The Russians chased the Ukrainians off of the own military base in Crimea without firing a shot. When the Ukrainian solders felt embarrassed at being punked to walked back up the hill unarmed and asked the Russians if they can please have their base back. The Russian said NO!

That sounds like a scene from a Peter Sellers movie. Why would anyone consider even giving them small arms. The Russians will just take them away.

 

[trysail]

Today's most important news story (and nobody has paid any attention to it):
​

Putin Going To France For D-Day's 70th Anniversary
by The Associated Press
May 08, 2014 11:43 AM ET
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=310725713

MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin is planning to go to France to attend events on June 6 marking the 70th anniversary of the allied landing in Normandy.

If Putin makes the trip, it will be his first meeting with President Barack Obama and other Western leaders since the start of Ukraine's crisis, which has plunged relations between Russia and the West to their worst level since the Cold War ended.

French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that Putin is welcome to visit Normandy. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement that details of the visit are being worked out.

The United States and the European Union have slapped members of Putin's entourage with travel bans and asset freezes in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea.

 

[Beco]

Today's most important news story (and nobody has paid any attention to it):
​

Putin Going To France For D-Day's 70th Anniversary
by The Associated Press
May 08, 2014 11:43 AM ET
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=310725713

Touching.....

 

[Goldenfire]

Whoa! Politics.

The elected government of Ukraine was edging closer to Moscow, and the EU and US supported a "revolution". Russia, naturally, took offence, and I don't blame them. It's geopolitics, it's about the post cold-war capitalist expansion and it's about genuine Russian concern about what's being orchestrated in its own back yard. Ukraine is a complex "country" composed of many ethnic and political factions, and is also in a strategically important location both for NATO and Russia. In the end, as always, human beings will die and the whole sickening charade will carry on as it always has. Syria. Nigeria. Afghanistan. All just bullshit names for places where people just want to live in peace and get on the internet and look at porn.

 

[Goldenfire]

And remember, kids, pay your taxes and don't make a fuss. It's not like kids are being burned alive with barrel bombs or schoolgirls are being stolen and used as sex slaves by crackpot Islamists? Are they?