...
Interviewed by independent Russian newspaper Svobodnaya Pressa, Noginsky recalled that "the Ukrainian government  has boasted that since January 1st, [Ukrainian producers] have been issued more than 900 [EUR1] certificates," ostensibly providing Ukrainian companies with duty-free access to the EU.

"At the same time, Kiev is tactfully silent about the fact that most of these certificates were issued for raw, unrefined products. This includes things like apple concentrates, seeds, honey – that is, purely raw goods. As experts had earlier predicted, the certification of enterprises producing finished products is going ahead very slowly. In the last year, only eight companies were given such certification, and this despite the fact that they have been working at it for several years now."

"In other words," Noginsky laments, "the bulk of Ukraine's manufacturers still do not have access to the European market. And this is not even because of the tariffs, but because of 'non-tariff regulations' and the closed nature of the European market."

"After January 1, these same producers lost the Russian market. For example, the meat and dairy industry will factually face crisis, since the main buyers of Ukrainian meat and dairy are Russia and the other countries of the Customs Union."

To make matters worse, asked about the consequences of the Ukrainian counter-counter sanctions banning Russian food products, Noginsky noted that such measures have only one purpose: "to see Russian goods replaced with European ones on the Ukrainian market."

"The government is factually just making it easier for European companies to access Ukraine, and nothing more. In order for companies to safely head to market, it is necessary to first remove any competitors and thus to free up the niche. As a result, people will be forced to switch to European goods. Factually, the Ukrainian government is working for the benefit of European producers, not their own citizens. European goods are more expensive, but due to lack of choice, naturally, people will buy them."

In effect, the expert says, "destroying our own exports is absolutely illogical, and is aimed at destroying Ukraine's economy and turning it into a raw materials-producing nation. What is Europe ready to buy? Raw, unprocessed goods. Our exports last year clearly demonstrated this, with corn, grains and ferrous metals serving as Ukraine's main exports [to Europe]."

"Only a few dozen Ukrainian companies will be able to receive these EUR1 certificates. The rest are simply incapable of doing so. The transition to the new standards requires significant investment. By the way, of those companies that did receive certification, eight have European owners, Danone being an example. In other words, the European owners have opened their factories toward exporting to their own home countries."
...

Amid the so-called "ceasefire" in Ukraine, yet ongoing shelling in many regions, the Donbass news agency reports that more than 20 Ukrainian solders have died and over 200 soldiers are hospitalized after an apparent leak of a deadly virus called "California Flu" from a US lab near the city of Kharkov.

...

More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers have died and over 200 soldiers are hospitalized in a short period of time because of new and deadly virus, which is immune to all medicines. Donetsk People's Republic intelligence has reported that Californian Flu is leaked from the same place where research of this virus has been carried out.

The laboratory is located near the city of Kharkov and its base for US military experts.


Information from threatening epidemic is announced by Vice-Commander of Donetsk Army, Eduard Basurin.

...

Leak of deadly virus in Ukrainian side was published first time on 12.1.2016:

    "According to the medical personnel of the AFU units (Ukrainian troops) there were recorded mass diseases among the Ukrainian military personnel in the field. Physicians recorded the unknown virus as a result of which the infected get the high fever which cannot be subdues by any medicines, and in two days there comes the fatal outcome. Thus far from the virus there have died more than twenty servicemen, what is carefully shielded by the commandment of the AFU from the publicity", said Basurin in daily MoD situation report.

Max Steel
Max Steel's picture

For the record

http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/dtro/btrp.html

Biological Threat Reduction Program

This project was initiated in 2005 when Senator Lugar and Senator Obama witness the signing of the Agreement between the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the U.S. Department of Defense. Since that time, the State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service and Academy of Agrarian Sciences were added as executive agents to the Agreement.

The three pillars of the Biological Threat Reduction Program in Ukraine are:

Enhanced disease surveillance
Consolidation of Especially Dangerous Pathogens into state-of-the art Bio-Safety Level III facilities (one BSL-III lab for human pathogens and one BSL-III lab for animal pathogens)
Cooperative Biological Research Projects

As of January 2013, the U.S. Government has upgraded Ministry of Health and Veterinary laboratories in Lviv, Odesa, Uzhgorod, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Simferopol, Kyiv, Dnepropetrovsk, and Luhansk.

Upgraded Veterinary Lab in Lviv
New Veterinary Training Lab in Kyiv, Ukraine
New Diagnostic Lab at Zakarpattya Oblast SES, Uzhgorod, Ukraine
New Diagnostic Laboratory in Ternopil, Ukraine

This technical assistance project is registered with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.

IdiotsOutWalkin...
IdiotsOutWalkingAbout's picture

Black & Veatch, as lab contractor, category    
    Defense Systems,
    Federal,
    Military Construction,
    Threat Reduction

  has at least one of these lab projects you may cross reference on their website.

http://bv.com/Projects/usdtra-bsl3-laboratory-ukraine

“Completing the construction effort under budget definitely exceeded our expectations,” said Doug Gorsline, DTRA BTRP Ukraine Project Manager.

Bradley Karn, DTRA BTRP Program Manager, added, “More important was the quality of the effort. Black & Veatch was able to renovate a decades-old facility into a state-of-the-art diagnostics laboratory that will become the nexus of Ukraine’s biosurveillance network.” (Note: My bolding, the part I especially love)

The BSL-3 laboratory was specifically designed and constructed to support work with especially dangerous pathogens that can be naturally occurring or introduced through a bioterrorism attack. It serves as a central location for research, consolidation and training on the proper handling of dangerous pathogens. The lab also provides the Ukrainian Ministry of Health a safe environment to confirm diagnosis of suspected dangerous pathogens, enhancing public health while deterring bioterrorism.

As integrating contractor, Black & Veatch is responsible to DTRA and the Ministry of Health for the full rollout of the BTRP in Ukraine. Black & Veatch is ensuring the mission’s success by training Ukrainian personnel in molecular diagnostics, biosafety, operations and maintenance, and laboratory management techniques. This training, along with three years of gradually decreasing sustainment and transition support, will provide Ukrainian scientists with the necessary resources to manage the BSL-3 laboratory and the Ukrainian biosurveillance system going forward.

Yeah, but nazis were a problem in Ukraine long after WW2 ended and his idea seemed to be that the Crimea transfer was part of some reward for getting rid of that. Of course they never managed to fully uproot it as is evidenced today.

По неподтвержденным документально данным, в октябре1952 г. первый секретарь (в 1949–1954 гг.) Крымского обкома партии П.И. Титов, будучи делегатом ХIХ съезда КПСС, обратился лично к Сталину с письменным предложением о переименовании Крымской области в Таврическую. По его мнению, это полностью бы соответствовало истории создания области, начиная с XVIII века. В частности, в качестве одного из аргументов, Титов апеллировал и к забытой Советской Республике Тавриды. Он считал, что Крымской области РСФСР «пора восстановить свое русское, российское название».
Предложение Титова не обсуждалось предварительно в Крымском обкоме КПСС и не было утверждено им. Но известно, что против этой инициативы возражал второе лицо в регионе – Д.С. Полянский (в 1952–1954 гг. – председатель исполкома Крымского областного совета). Зато он поддержал передачу Крыма в состав УССР. Двадцать лет спустя номенклатурный партиец Г.В. Мясников, в то время второй секретарь Московского городского комитета ВЛКСМ, вспоминал о Полянском: «Я вспомнил, как он пошел в гору. Хрущев, Титов и он встретились в Крыму. Возникла идея передачи Крыма Украине. Титов идею с ходу отверг, а Полянский сказал, что это «гениально». На другой день собрали пленум Крымского обкома, Титова прогнали, а Полянский стал первым секретарем обкома».
Но вероятнее всего, что эта «зачистка» Титова происходила постепенно, после того, как  в октябре1953 г. первый секретарь ЦК КПСС Н.С. Хрущев посетил Крым. Зять Хрущева Алексей Аджубей, который сопровождал его в поездках по стране, вспоминал, что когда Хрущев приехал в тот раз в Крым, он был потрясен тем, насколько катастрофичным было положение в регионе и насколько велико было недовольство этим у местных жителей. При этом, однако, Хрущёв оставался самим собой, и когда он на местном аэродроме увидел какой-то самолет, он тут же приказал переправить его в Киев. А несколько часов спустя он уже рассуждал за ужином с местным партийным руководством о передаче Крыма и переселении украинцев в Крым. Скорее всего, именно в этот момент и завязался открытый спор между ним и Титовым. По воспоминаниям заместителя Титова Л.Г. Мезенцева главу Крыма вызвали в середине января 1954 году в Москву, чтобы сообщить ему о подготовке решения о передаче региона. Он выразил протест, за что и был 16 января сменен на украинца Дмитро Полянского. Таким образом, опираясь на совокупность воспоминаний свидетелей, можно утверждать, что П.И. Титов категорически возражал Хрущеву по поводу передачи Крыма Украине, и у него были постоянные стычки с секретарем ЦК по этому поводу, в результате которых властный и рачительный хозяин Крымской области был, в конце концов, низложен до ранга заместителя министра сельского хозяйства РСФСР. Вообще же, по мнению исследователей, в намерения Хрущева относительно Крыма был посвящен довольно ограниченный круг людей. В числе их – первый секретарь (с июня 1953 года) ЦК коммунистической партии Украины А.И. Кириченко, который в то время был также кандидатом в члены Президиума ЦК КПСС и был на хорошем счету у Хрущева.

I remember it coming up in history class way back and the teacher told us that it was mainly to reward the Ukrainians for diligence in exterminating nazi insurgents after WW2. And also for some administrative reasons within the U.S.S.R., probably regarding transports, energy et cetera. Mostly symbolic as such though within the state.

For me it seems like the NATO is trying to install another Nazi puppet regime, just like what they did in Ukraine. The Nazi sympathizer and oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc has been given the responsibility by the NATO. This is not going to end well. The anti-NATO regions such as Gagauzia should just secede from Moldova, and merge with Transnistria.

Lenin was a bit more moderate than Stalin, but that doesn't hide the fact that he was a monster. He was responsible for exterminating the native Russian population in the Central Asia and Caucasus. He destroyed the Cossacks, who had guarded the borders of the Russian Empire for many centuries. I just hope that Leonardo DiCaprio will turn down the offer.

Part of ISIS – Daesh has holed up at Tabqa, Syria’s strategically most important dam, where they use high value hostages to shield themselves from bombings. The dam, if breached, will flood and devastate large parts of eastern Syria, creating massive humanitarian disaster for this long-suffering country.

Remember my prediction in ESR5: SYRIA GAME CHANGER? US would do everything to avoid colliding with Russia in Syria. This prediction is now playing out.

Russia primarily covers Syria’s long Mediterranean coast, up to the Turkish border. It is along the coast where the capital Damascus, Assad government, most of the population and Russian base are located. Slowly but surely, the territory controlled by Assad is expanding, thanks to Russian air support and efforts of Syrian army.

Important Syria update for the readers of Earth Shift Reports!

The newest stats from Russian analysts are:

Assad army numbers: 200-250 thousand troops, including various local self-defence and international volunteer units.

All armed opposition, including ISIS, Al Nusra, Al Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood, etc., numbers 150,000. This number also includes what US insists is ‘moderate armed opposition.’ However, by all accounts, real bandits and militants change coloring depending on who pays more at any given moment, or to save their lives: today they are Al Nusra, and tomorrow – ‘moderate opposition.’ In reality, political opposition in Syria doesn’t have serious military muscle, while the majority of those who have aren’t moderate.

...

The latest announcement from the US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter: US is sending one of its divisions with substantial Iraq experience. It appears the division he’s referring to had previously sustained heavy losses in Iraq. Is that what Carter means by experience?

So, the ‘Nobel Peace Prize Laureate’ Barack Obama is sending American troops to yet another country, but only after Russian Airforce and Syrian army did most of the work.

The irony isn’t lost on anyone. The whole thing reminds me – a painful similarity noted by many analysts – of 1944, when USA hastily opened the second front, but only after it became clear that Russians could easily roll through all of Europe, claiming single-handed WWII victory.

...

WRONG.

Crimea always had an ethnic Russian majority for the past 2,000 years. Even when the Muslims conquered Crimea in the 15th century, the Russians were a majority there. The Crimean Tatars at no point of time numbered more than 35% of the population. The ethnic Ukrainians first arrived in Crimea during the 19th century, and made up 10% to 20% of the population during the 20th century.

RTR Planet has recently aired a very thorough documentary, titled “Yes, Scythians Are Us”.

The documentary looks back through time, investigating who where Scythians, why they abruptly disappeared and Sarmatians turned in their stead, followed by Slavs. They come to the conclusion that both Scythians, Sarmatians (Samaritans?) and Slavs are one and the same people, called by different names at different periods in history.

I will at a later point write a complete translation of this documentary, but for now, here are some of the highlights of the arguments for this theory:

    Greek and Western European chronicles list people from the same period interchangeably referring to the people living between Dnieper and Urals as both Scythians and Rus.
    There are linguistic connection between the surviving Scythian names (in geographic name) and Old Russian.
    Scythian burial customs are exactly the same as Slavic/Russian pre-Christian burial customs.
    Scythians lead a semi-settle way of life, which allowed then to develop crafts like gold forging and iron forging of high quality. Scythians used the same types of weapons and armour as Rus vitjas (warrior).
    “Scythians” seems to refer to a collection of tribes living between Dnieper and Urals, where each tribe was specialised in a certain craft and added to the value of the whole nation. This collection of tribes in their organisation seems to resemble a modern federation.
    Depictions of Scythians on their own items of art, as well as the Greek artefacts, shows people with distinct Slavic facial features and body complexion, and nothing of the Asian look.
    And the most significant argument comes from genetics. Scythians share the same Y-chromosome marker as majority of people living now on the territory of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine – the marker, which classifies them in the Slavic Rus group.

And just as an off-topic reminder: Holland is still holding Scythian – Russian – gold from the Crimean museums hostage.

Crimea was part of Russia until 1954, when the communist party decided to transfer it to Ukraine.

Within the next two weeks, Ukraine will submit lawsuits to international courts in connection with the annexation of Crimea by Russia, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

I wonder how that will go. There´s probably an inconvenient precedent in Kosovo.

The events in Moldavia (aka, Moldova, aka, ex- Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic) are developing swiftly and resolutely. I have been following the events in Moldavia very closely since 2014 when I first felt it was on the brink of a major change, in part expedited by the Ukraine 2014 coup, and in part by anti-Russian sanctions.

Just like Ukraine, Moldavia has been starkly divided and torn between pro-EU (better defined as pro-Romania) and pro-Russian camps. Some are simply for closer ties with Russia and define themselves as pro-Moldavian sovereignty.

In the summer of 2015 it was discovered that $1 billion disappeared from Moldavian banks. By disappeared I mean: evaporated, vanished into thin air. This money was, per reports, simply stolen and laundered offshore. For the small and poor country like Moldova this amount constitutes 1/4 to 1/3 of its annual budget.

As a consequence, Moldavia’s banking sector collapsed, liquidity dried up and the country plunged into a catastrophic crisis. Economy took a nose dive as a result of that, plus, Russian sanctions.

The government tried to cover up the disappearance of the money, but the scandal grew. The secret criminal connections between the highest government officials and biggest oligarchs, such as Plokhotnyuk, were revealed, causing uproar. One of the people who blew the whistle was the mayor of Beltsi and head of Nasha Partia, Renato Usatiy. I talk about him in the above-linked article, and we’ll continue talking about this rising star of the Moldavian politics, and sort of Che Guevara cum 007

...

By October 2015 mass protests in Kishinev began and they haven’t stopped since. The remarkable thing about these protests is that pro-Romania and pro-Russian forces, both the ultra right and left, are united in their protest against this corrupt, oligarchic pro-EU government.

Should new elections be scheduled now, by all estimates and polls, the pro-Russian and pro-Moldavia-sovereignty opposition coalition will win. This would put an end to almost 25 years of Romania dragging Moldavia into its fold kicking and screaming. Then the country is bound to make a turn away from EU and towards Russia. This will also begin the process of de-oligarchization of the country.

Is it any surprise that the present government, financed by oligarchs, is holding on to power for dear life. This may be their last chance to remain in power. While at it, they are trying to push through the EU association agreement, before it’s too late. This is despite widespread protests and the majority being against it.

And here is our old ‘friend,’ again rearing her ugly head! A day prior Victoria Nuland popped up in Bucharest, Romania, where she met with Romanian and Moldavian presidents/ top brass and where she approved the new PM of Moldavia, whose name is Pavel Filip. This painfully reminds us of how Nuland was caught on tape approving and moving around, like pieces on a chess board, Ukraine PMs, presidents, heads of Rada, and such.

The news of Nuland approving Moldavian PM angered protesters further. The protest slogan became: “US approves the crooked Moldavian government, but Moldavian people don’t.” The protesters say that Filip is the front for the oligarchs that have been robbing the country blind. As the economic situation in Moldova worsens, an average citizen feels the pinch.

Last night Kishinev (aka, Chisinau, Moldovan capital) government publicly lied to citizens that the approval procedure for the new PM would be delayed by a few days. This was done to mislead and lull the protesters into complacency. As protesters looked the other way, under the cover of the night, Moldovan elites gathered in secret and hastily approved the new PM and government without any deliberations. The whole approval process lasted 6 minutes!

Meanwhile, the government has expelled Russian language and culture from schools, government and from MSM, which feels very unnatural to people. As a result, Moldavians exist in a very warped reality. At school they are told that Russia is the enemy and invader. But at home people most often watch Russian channels and listen to Russian news.

About 1 million Moldavians work in Russia since their own economy is shut, sending money back home. Meanwhile, Russian language, history and relations with Russia are being suppressed, just like in neighboring Ukraine. Russian speakers prefer to leave Moldova and move to Russia or to Pridnestrovie permanently, and not only Russian speakers. Moldavians often make the same choice.

Incidentally, Russian media reports that the accredited Russian journalists arriving to cover the protests are being denied entry into the country and deported on the spot. Moldavian authorities tell them that they have been ‘blacklisted.’ Russian journalists are scratching their heads as to why. I know for a fact that Ukraine junta regime closely cooperates and shares their info on who should be blacklisted with Kishinev regime.

The country will have to change lots of things, including constitution, history books (Moldavian history has been re-written, where Russia is the aggressor and where instead of real Moldavian the falsified ‘Romanian history’ is being taught) and alphabet (traditional Cyrillics was replaced with Latin and Moldavian language is now called ‘Romanian’), among many others. Election laws, federalization/autonomy laws, and many others will also have to change. This will take some time.

One thing remains clear: Moldavia is turning away from the rotten Romania annexation/EU-association model that has failed. Moldavia can and should live in peace and cooperation with both Europe and Russia, as well as all other neighbors. But it is now forced artificially into a situation when it has to break all relations with Russia – its primary trade partner, cultural, language, currency and jobs donor. Moldavians are forced to accept becoming a poor backdoor of Romania and EU, whether they want it or not.

And this won’t happen. The tide is changing – be ready!

Romanian trolls had polluted the entire internet with claims of the ‘great Romania.’ One such claim: they insist that Moldavia belongs to them. They even have the audacity to say that Odessa and Odessa Oblast (Bessarabia) belong to them as well. I’ll talk about Odessa and Bessarabia real history, as well as the entire Russia/Moldova/Romania spread, in the upcoming BLACK SEA GAMBIT.

But just a few quickies to wet your appetite! In fact, Romania didn’t exist before 19th century. There were a few divergent, very feudal, very backwards, and warring between each other territories: mainly Transylvania (yes, Vlad the Impaler’s domain) and Walachia. Dobruja (definitely a Slavic, non-Romanian word) now belongs to Romania as well, but it really should be a part of Bulgaria. Romania also claims Bukovina in Western Ukraine (also definitely a Slavic word and populated in big part by Slavs). I could go on, but I think the picture is clear.

All the above Eastern European/Balkans territories, as far as Hungary, were under Ottoman Turks for centuries and didn’t exist as normally functioning states. At least there was a Moldavian dukedom with capital in Kishinev as early as 1690s, even if it wasn’t fully independent. One thing I can tell you for sure, Moldavia was certainly in better shape and fully independent of the wrecks that were Transylvania, Walachia, and what not.

By contrast, Rumania (Romania) was only formed in 1878.

It was Russia that liberated all of pre-Balkans and Balkans, including what is today Romania, from the Ottomans. Further, if it wasn’t for Russia, there would be no Romania! Russia insisted on creating Romania at the time, over the objections of the British Empire and Austria-Hungary. Russia wanted to create a state that would unite the pre-Balkans Orthodox people and the kind of state that would keep under control the piracy, smuggling and lawlessness predominant in those parts, so the neighboring people could exist in peace, including Russia’s own Slavic population across the border – in South Russia (aka, Odessa), Novorossia and Malorossia. In retrospect, this is a rare case when, perhaps, Russia should have listened to the Brits.

PS: In Estonia the thing is that the older people often know Russian well, youth does not. Older Russians (occupants) do not know Estonian language, youth knows it better. Reason: Until 1990, estonians had to know russian if they wanted to manage in ESSR (Estonian Soviet Social Republic). Schools for Russian children taught Estonian very negligently. Now, from 1992, we do not have any longer two languages officially. So, young Estonians dont have to learn Russian any more and they dont and Russian children are now under pressure, obliged to learn Estonian on high level, believe me, they struggle hard with it, since parents cant help them. My own opinion is that no matter is there one or two languages, both local groups should be taught, for free and well. But it wont happen of course, just dreaming.

Nikolay Starikov:

“We are asked to respect the international law all the time. It’s a great idea, and I totally agree with that. All we need is to determine from what historical moment we need to start honoring it.

In 1913, Estonia and Latvia were the acknowledged territory of the Russian Empire, which they joined under the various treaties, that no one can question. In particular, it is Nystadt Peace of 1721, concluded between Russia and Sweden, by which Peter the Great paid a few million gold talers for those lands, where the modern Estonia and part of Latvia are located.

I would like to ask, when and where our Estonian partners paid back the money we spent on the acquisition of these territories from Sweden? I am not aware of such historical facts.

After the revolution of 1917, which was a violation of law, the Bolsheviks signed a treaty and recognized the independence of Estonia. In 1920, approximately the same way Ukraine received “independence”. Then in 1940, an agreement was signed with the same Estonia, and it became part of the Soviet Union. After its collapse, Estonia gained independence. But the question is, what starting date we should consider to comply with international legislation, as in 1985 the borders of the Soviet Union and the inalienability of Estonia was undisputed, exactly the same as the territory of the Russian Empire in 1913.

Because our partners constantly seek out those contracts, dates and situations that meet their interests, let’s learn from them. My position is as follows: let the Estonians pay back with inflation over the past 300 years the money paid by Peter the Great, and then we will have no more questions for them.”