Meanwhile in Ukraine... Revolution.

[niothor]

I don't think that the China would acknowledge secession of Donbas, let alone joining the Russia. Iirc, they weren't happy with annexation of Crimea and their current grumbling could easily turn into the open condemnation of Russia - if Moscow decides to push further. Hell, not even the Belarus cheered Putin's Crimean move. Total blockade of Russia with catastrophic consequences to their highly export-dependant economy shouldn't be written off, apparently Putin suspects this, therefore he is starting to act very carefully. He is pretty much alone and he knows it.

China has indeed some fears about those Russian moves , but I guess it can see some opportunities also.
That  russian-chinese border is not where both side want it for real.

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[bryant.coleman]

That  russian-chinese border is not where both side want it for real.

Although the USSR and the PRC fought a disastrous war over the border in 1969, an agreement acceptable to China was reached in 1991 (the Sino-Russian border agreement, where the disputed area was ceded to China by Russia). Both sides are happy with the border as of now.

[Nemo1024]

That  russian-chinese border is not where both side want it for real.

Although the USSR and the PRC fought a disastrous war over the border in 1969, an agreement acceptable to China was reached in 1991 (the Sino-Russian border agreement, where the disputed area was ceded to China by Russia). Both sides are happy with the border as of now.

And both countries ratified their common border with UN, something that has not been done with Ukraine.


Further on the topic of Ukraine, a lonely voice of reason in US.

Ron Paul: Why is US involved in Ukraine?
http://rt.com/usa/158448-ron-paul-us-involved-ukraine/

“The US sees this as a Russian-sponsored destabilization effort, but is it so hard to understand that the people in Ukraine may be annoyed with the US and EU for their involvement in regime change in their country?” he asked. “Would we be so willing to accept an unelected government in Washington put in place with the backing of the Chinese and Iranians?”

Sanctions, what sanctions?  

France refuses to block Mistral warship deal with Russia
http://rt.com/news/158468-france-russia-mistral-deal/

"The Mistrals are not part of the third level of sanctions. They will be delivered. The contract has been paid and there would be financial penalties for not delivering it.

"It would be France that is penalized. It's too easy to say France has to give up on the sale of the ships. We have done our part," the official said.

Oh, this is what Ukraine needs! The Ukrainian Minister of Economic development announced that all state investments into Ukrainian industry will be frozen.
http://itar-tass.com/ekonomika/1181058?utm_medium=rss20
This is done to not enforce further social austerity.


SBU got warning about preparation of assassinations against Yatsenjuk and Turchinov , as well as Presidential candidates Bogomolec, Dobkin, Ljashko, Poroshenko, Tigipko, Timoshenko and Tjagnobok. And they reacted to these threats by increasing the spendings on their guarding.
http://ria.ru/world/20140512/1007502286.html

What all of them at once?

[niothor]

That  russian-chinese border is not where both side want it for real.

Although the USSR and the PRC fought a disastrous war over the border in 1969, an agreement acceptable to China was reached in 1991 (the Sino-Russian border agreement, where the disputed area was ceded to China by Russia). Both sides are happy with the border as of now.

that can be hardly called a war

[Nemo1024]

that can be hardly called a war

That was a border skirmish, yes. And Chinese were not keen on more conflict since then.


One more interesting bit of news. The current Kiev leaders could get Yanukivich's head for display in a freezer, so they settle for selling his blazers:
http://www.rosbalt.ru/ukraina/2014/05/12/1267215.html

 

On a more serious and hopeful note, 102 reserve soldiers deserted from Ukrainian army in Zhitomir, which is in the North-West of Ukraine:
http://itar-tass.com/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/1180650?utm_medium=rss20


NATO investigates the possibility to provide material military aid to Ukraine:
http://ria.ru/world/20140512/1007529281.html
Phase two begins?

[Rassah]

Donetsk, Luhansk steam through another Soviet-style vote

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/donetsk-steams-through-another-soviet-style-vote-so-now-what-347345.html

But the votes needed not to be tallied to know the result. It was clear from the beginning and made even more apparent throughout the day, as Soviet-style tactics of ballot stuffing, manipulation and intimidation were observed at polling stations across the regions: the referendums in the so-called “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk would pass.
...
There have been several reports and captures of Russian spies on the territory of Ukraine, according to the Security Service of Ukraine. They have been caught with weapons, explosives and over the weekend in Sloviansk boxes with thousands of secession ballots pre-marked with “yes.”

I remember when living in Soviet Union, that even there we had "democratic" elections of leaders. They were mostly all for candidates who were running unopposed for the communist party, or elections between two people, with votes for one of them being only used to see who should be blacklisted and later interrogated.

Also,

Despite the results of the referendums, polls show that most voters in eastern Ukraine would prefer to stay a part of the country, in contrast to Crimea, where polling data showed a majority in favor of seceding.

Personally, if they want independence, I have no issues with that, but I ca't imagine Putin allowing that to happen, and would guess that he would do everything he can (seeding unrest, propaganda, ballot stuffing) to add those regions to Russia. My concern is that those people would quickly find out that being a part of Russia is not as great as it sounds, but the difference is that, while they could easily protest and secede from Ukraine, doing that while being a part of Russia would quickly invite an overwhelming force, followed by long jail terms for whoever came up with the idea.

[Nemo1024]

Personally, if they want independence, I have no issues with that, but I ca't imagine Putin allowing that to happen, and would guess that he would do everything he can (seeding unrest, propaganda, ballot stuffing) to add those regions to Russia. My concern is that those people would quickly find out that being a part of Russia is not as great as it sounds, but the difference is that, while they could easily protest and secede from Ukraine, doing that while being a part of Russia would quickly invite an overwhelming force, followed by long jail terms for whoever came up with the idea.

Can't see that on Putin's agenda now - too expensive both politically and economically. These two regions may end up acting as buffer states, that what Ukraine was expected to be.

Of course, if NATO sends its bombers and hardware to those two regions (they are already discussing the latter), then the game would change.


In the meantime, Russia is shaming EU

Russia disappointed over additional EU sanctions
http://rt.com/news/158536-russia-disappointed-eu-sanctions/

“Instead of trying to solve the situation through de-escalation, disarmament of the Right Sector, improvement of dialogue between Kiev’s authorities and Ukrainian regions, EU colleagues are demonstrating a one-sided and one-dimensional policy, not worthy of the European Union,” Itar-Tass quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov as saying.

Nice reader comments:

Fred 13.05.2014 07:35

[quote name='Wonron Kukumbachi' time='13.05.2014 07:21']

Exactly and there was no problem when Slovenia voted for indenpendence which was against the law. They didn't mind Croatia and Kosovo self proclamation of indenpendace. They didn't obey inernational law when they attacked Yugoslavia, they didn't care when 500 000 children died in Iraq ...

[/quote ]

This is the MAIN point of it !
Referendum Illegal in East-Ukraine ?
Then USA and Nato HAS to give back Kosovo to Serbia ... !
Can't wait what stunt they are going to invent for Scotland ... ;-))

Oh, a new Op-Edge at RT, now with former Reagan administration official Paul Craig Roberts:

Russia should ignore Washington's 'new Cold War'
http://rt.com/op-edge/158532-russia-ignore-cold-war/

RT: The way that some US officials are speaking, it seems that NATO seriously believes that Russia is set to invade the Baltic states.

PCR: What this is all about is that Washington had hoped to grab Ukraine, especially the Russian naval base in Crimea, in order to cut Russia off from the port and access to the Mediterranean. Now, Washington lost that game. They're trying to retrieve it by starting a new Cold War, and that's what all this talk is about.

[Nemo1024]

Came across Berkut's page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/BERKUT-Ukraine/574477605978934?fref=nf


Turchinov wants to prohibit Communist Party of Ukraine:
http://lenta.ru/news/2014/05/13/kpu/


Ukrainian authorities classified The People's Republic of Donetsk and the People's Republic of Lugansk as terrorist organisations:
http://www.newsru.com/world/13may2014/terrgroups.html
(Let the carpet bombings begin, eh!? By extension, a few million people living there that voted for independence are terrorists. By extension, the whole of USA are terrorists when they proclaimed their independence from Great Britain. Yes, let the carpet bombings begin...)

[zolace]

Since the Ukraine crisis started it reminded me a lot of the Balkans crisis in the early '90s,  I am really affraid for the people of Ukraine at the moment. And apart from that the whole crisis brings a great destibilization to the world, since the annexation of Crimea regions litteraly is Russia saying, all of the agreements we signed in the '90s when we were weak, that say we support the independence of the newly formed countries, are no longer valid. And on the other side US and EU are speeding up the proccess of Georgia, Balkans and other countries in the vicinty of Russia integration into the NATO.

[bryant.coleman]

Some sane voices do exist in Western Europe. 

EU policy to blame for Ukraine crisis - Ex-Chancellor Schroeder

http://rt.com/news/158432-schroeder-russia-sanctions-eu/

Germany’s former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has blamed European Union policy for the current situation in Ukraine and urged the West to stop focusing on new sanctions against Russia. In Schroeder’s opinion, the EU’s fundamental mistake - that subsequently led to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine – was its association policy, he said in an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag published Sunday.

[Nemo1024]

Duma calls on world parliaments to prevent humanitarian disaster in Ukraine
http://rt.com/politics/158604-duma-ukraine-humanitarian-disaster/

Russian MPs suggest a new international contact group on the basis of PACE that would help stop the armed standoff in Ukraine and prevent the looming humanitarian disaster in the country.

...

The letter will be forwarded to the PACE, the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, the Asian-Pacific Parliamentary Assembly, Pan-African Parliament and to the Russian Foreign Ministry, which will forward it to parliaments of the world through diplomatic channels.

Comments from readers:

Wonron Kukumbachi 13.05.2014 16:34
> Templar Knight 13.05.2014 13:33
>America is looking for WMT's (Weapons of Mass Terrorism) in East Ukraine as an excuse for military intervention to "save" the poor people from nasty referendums. Bombs Away!

Its called evacuation! The Kiev junta sent SS guard troops to "evacuate" people from voting places and kill those who refuse to be saved from democracy. Kinda like Romania, they love so much democracy that they kill anyone who is against it!

I almost hear niothor's outcry against that last comment...

[Balthazar]

Referendum = Weapon of Mass Democracy

[Sithara007]

Turchinov wants to prohibit Communist Party of Ukraine:
http://lenta.ru/news/2014/05/13/kpu/

The KPU is a perfectly legal entity, getting the support of 10%+ of the population in most of the elections. They are not a bunch of violent thugs unlike the Right Sector. Another evidence that Turchynov and his slave master Tymoshenko doesn't believe in democracy.

[bryant.coleman]

This is really funny:

Ukraine still fielding 600 peacekeepers in Congo, Liberia, Kosovo including helicopter pilots and special troops. 250 fresh replacements about to ship out.

[LostDutchman]

This is really funny:

Ukraine still fielding 600 peacekeepers in Congo, Liberia, Kosovo including helicopter pilots and special troops. 250 fresh replacements about to ship out.

"Peacekeepers" my ass!

[Balthazar]

I find that USA and USSR are like twin brothers. Slightly different ideology (liberalism vs. state capitalism), but identical structure and methods. Also the same destruction process is working.

Wait what the fuck? No dude, they are not even remotely similar in any way at all.

There is only one major difference between USA and USSR. Constitution of USA doesn't provide a right to secede, while USSR constitution provided a possibility of such procedure. This difference makes a peaceful dissolution almost impossible.

[Nemo1024]

Ukraine communist leader: Kiev labeled 7 mn people 'terrorists,' slaughtered civilians
http://rt.com/news/158744-ukraine-terrorists-civilians-killed/

The leader of Ukraine’s Communist Party says the Kiev regime killed peaceful civilians in the country's southeast, and is spreading lies about the real situation. The Ukrainian parliament is now seeking to expel communists and ban their activity.

“You declared seven million people living in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as 'terrorists.' They went out yesterday [to vote in the referendum], stood in lines since 6 a.m. to vote against Kiev rule, against this regime, against your policy,” he said.

“At the Victory Day celebration, he says that Hitler did the right thing when he invaded our country to ‘liberate’ the people of Ukraine from communists. This was said by a person who is either an idiot or a thug,” Simonenko said.

Odarchenko responded by saying he will sue Simonenko.

“I am suing you for a bald-faced lie, for slander, for cowardly and shameful propaganda,” Odarchenko told the Communist Party leader.

Though Odarchenko says Simonenko's accusations are a lie, the moment when he said the statement about Hitler was caught on video.

This video needs to be seen, just to get a feeling of the people's reaction. Most were shouting their protest. One brave soule came forward to end this monstrosity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A05s6GrztbQ

One important reader comment to that video:

nestatnik 14.05.2014 05:17

The woman with the child demonstrated, however unconsciously, the difference between Communism and Fascism.

She went after the message.
Fascists go after the messenger.

Very important to note.

[bryant.coleman]

What Ukraine’s economy looks like without its Russian-speaking regions

http://qz.com/209081/what-ukraines-economy-looks-like-without-its-russian-speaking-regions/

A Way Forward for Ukraine

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/a-way-forward-for-ukraine/500070.html

[Balthazar]

http://rt.com/news/158832-un-ukraine-helicopter-scandal/

lol

[fsb4000]

the US is dragging us towards war with Russia

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/13/ukraine-us-war-russia-john-pilger