Meanwhile in Ukraine... Revolution.

[Don007]

I hope this is going to bring some more peace over there..

No. "Kiev Government of Victory" still shoot mines and bombs to civilians in Donbass.

Exactly, after Russia announced and began conducting troops withdrawal further inland (just think if Germany asked US to pull American troops further inland from Mexican border!) as s sign of goodwill, Turchinov (who, by the way had a rank of private in the Soviet Army), ordered full scale cleansing operation in Donbass. Presumably he feels now that he can do whatever he pleases and that his Western masters guaranteed his status of an untouchable.

If that's true I don't think the Russians will keep sending Soldiers back to the inland. They might even reinforce their army, and send even more soldiers and materials over there.

Where is this going to end? So many unessecary deads..

[1714647957]

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[Nemo1024]

Russia has shown a great deal of restraint thus far, not providing any military support (even in the form of peacekeeping forces) to the South-East, and repetetively calling on Kiev, US, EU, NATO to stop the civil war.

There was a hope that it might end after the presidential elections, but the hope is waning, as all candidates that in any way sympathised with the South-Eastern regions got elemental/threatened out from the run.

The elections are now called by some as "CIA (p)residential elections" to elect the (p)resident who will run Ukraine on behalf of...

This will end only when the West notices the pink elephant in the room and distances itself from the thugs in Kiev.

[Don007]

Russia has shown a great deal of restraint thus far, not providing any military support (even in the form of peacekeeping forces) to the South-East, and repetetively calling on Kiev, US, EU, NATO to stop the civil war.

There was a hope that it might end after the presidential elections, but the hope is waning, as all candidates that in any way sympathised with the South-Eastern regions got elemental/threatened out from the run.

The elections are now called by some as "CIA (p)residential elections" to elect the (p)resident who will run Ukraine on behalf of...

This will end only when the West notices the pink elephant in the room and distances itself from the thugs in Kiev.

So what do you propose? That Kiev has to part into a couple autonomous states?  How will Russia react on that? We all see what happend to the Crimea (not sure whether that's the right name).

[bryant.coleman]

Pro-Russian Rebels Launch Deadliest Attack Yet in Eastern Ukraine

http://mashable.com/2014/05/22/pro-russian-blahodatne-eastern-ukraine/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-linkin

And the elections are only 3 days away.  

[Nemo1024]

So what do you propose? That Kiev has to part into a couple autonomous states?  How will Russia react on that? We all see what happend to the Crimea (not sure whether that's the right name).

The situation in Crimea was different, though Kiev, by its recent actions brought the situation in the South-East much closer to the Crimean one, than it was to begin with.

Having said that, if Donetsk and Lugansk joining Russia is what can stop the killings and increase peoples living standard, then why not, especially, if people would vote for it.

Still, right from the start, Russia suggested a federal structure for Ukraine. Those, whom Kiev calls for "terrorists", "separatists", "pro-russian", are better called "pro-federalisation", as that was their demands right from the start as well: greater autonomy politically, culturally and financially for their regions.

Interestingly, the federative scenario is still not off the table, despite Donetsk and Lugansk proclaiming themselves as independent People's republic. All they need is another referendum, asking whether they want to join Ukraine as a federative subject. Note that all this time Russia was treading very carefully, never acknowledging the results of the referendum, but only saying that it views them with respect.

[Nemo1024]

Pro-Russian Rebels Launch Deadliest Attack Yet in Eastern Ukraine

http://mashable.com/2014/05/22/pro-russian-blahodatne-eastern-ukraine/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-linkin

And the elections are only 3 days away.  

Question 1: Was that really the resistance?
Question 2: Why did BBC and the Western media started showing it all of a sudden?
Question 3: Does it remind you of Yugoslavia? Also then did the Western media started massive covering of the "repressions" once they were given the green light and Serbian revenge attacks started after a large number of non-reported bloody KLA provocations.

I really don't like the bigger picture...

All those fights, shelling of civilians, shooting of own troops, while tragic, are just small chess pieces being sacrificed in a bigger game.

[stompix]

Pro-Russian Rebels Launch Deadliest Attack Yet in Eastern Ukraine

http://mashable.com/2014/05/22/pro-russian-blahodatne-eastern-ukraine/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-linkin

And the elections are only 3 days away.  

Question 1: Was that really the resistance?
Question 2: Why did BBC and the Western media started showing it all of a sudden?
Question 3: Does it remind you of Yugoslavia? Also then did the Western media started massive covering of the "repressions" once they were given the green light and Serbian revenge attacks started after a large number of non-reported bloody KLA provocations.

I really don't like the bigger picture...

All those fights, shelling of civilians, shooting of own troops, while tragic, are just small chess pieces being sacrificed in a bigger game.

Isn't this the opposite as the split of Yugoslavia was covered and especially news about Serbia ? The coverage you say started then when the Serbians started responding and showing them in a bad light while now it's the Ukraine pro western troops who are expecting to retaliate.If this is a small chess game I would live the country if something bigger comes.

[bryant.coleman]

Olginka residents say 17 Ukraine troops dead in separatist attack. The bodies were then taken to the nearby village of Novotroitskoye. Seems like the Kyiv Post is going all out on anti-Donetsk propaganda. Inflating the Kiev-deaths. Perhaps in order to justify the possible NATO intervention.

[stompix]

Olginka residents say 17 Ukraine troops dead in separatist attack. The bodies were then taken to the nearby village of Novotroitskoye. Seems like the Kyiv Post is going all out on anti-Donetsk propaganda. Inflating the Kiev-deaths. Perhaps in order to justify the possible NATO intervention.

There will be no NATO intervention They don't care about what is happening there , they are more concerned with their elections and a country ravaged by civil war between them and russia it's the best thing they could think about.

Westernes aren't that stupid to want another balkan like war again.

[Nemo1024]

"Come to the elections, feel like a donkey!"

("to feel like a donkey" is Russian equivalent to "to feel like an idiot")

[bryant.coleman]

Surprising.... the Western media is full of articles on Ukraine, as the Kiev junta is facing mounting casualty numbers. Well.. if I remember right, they were very silent when Right Sector was massacring innocent people.

Intense Fighting Flares in Eastern Ukraine

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303749904579577520531185010?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303749904579577520531185010.html

[stompix]

Surprising.... the Western media is full of articles on Ukraine, as the Kiev junta is facing mounting casualty numbers. Well.. if I remember right, they were very silent when Right Sector was massacring innocent people.

Intense Fighting Flares in Eastern Ukraine

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303749904579577520531185010?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303749904579577520531185010.html

I have a habit of checking what the author user has posted before so:

http://topics.wsj.com/person/A/biography/7959

http://topics.wsj.com/person/A/biography/1570

While the guy is presenting some general news it's not the same about Olga. She mainly writes pessimistic news about russia or at least the titles look like that.

[Nemo1024]

Isn't this the opposite as the split of Yugoslavia was covered and especially news about Serbia ? The coverage you say started then when the Serbians started responding and showing them in a bad light while now it's the Ukraine pro western troops who are expecting to retaliate.If this is a small chess game I would live the country if something bigger comes.

No, it's not. See Bryant's comment above.

I think I need to revise that earlier comment. From what 247crypto posted on another thread, the attack was performed by well-trained mercenaries (according the the commander of attacked 51s division and the surviving soldiers), in a punitive operation to kill the soldiers who earlier refused to attack civilians.
The picture is far more complicated.

Still, this attack was used by the Western media as if it was performed by the resistance.

[bryant.coleman]

"Right sector" was officially registered as political party in Ukraine today. And don't say you haven't been warned. BTW... I am not against Right Sector contesting elections peacefully.... I have problems only when they shoot down unarmed civilians. 

[Nemo1024]

A step in the right direction:

Ukraine dangerously interfering with press freedom – Human Rights Watch
http://rt.com/news/160728-ukraine-journalists-detentions-hwr/

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Ukraine’s military and security services are “dangerously interfering with press freedom” by detaining journalists working with Russian news agencies and denying others entry into the country.

The New-York-based advocacy group called on Ukrainian authorities to “immediately” explain the recent detention of three journalists, one of whom has since been released.

[Nemo1024]

West’s expansion to the east ruins historic chance at unification – Lavrov
http://rt.com/news/160940-lavrov-security-west-expansion/

“The European continent, which brought two global military catastrophes in the last century, is not demonstrating an example to the world of peaceful development and broad cooperation,” he said, adding that the situation wasn’t accidental, but rather “a natural result of the developments over the past quarter of a century.”

“Our Western partners rejected a truly historic chance to build a greater Europe in favor of border lines and the habitual logic of expanding the geopolitical space under their control to the East,” Lavrov stressed. “This is de facto a continuation of a policy of containing Russia in a softer wrapping.”

“The operations to change regimes in sovereign states and the foreign-orchestrated ‘color revolutions’ of different brands produce obvious damage to the international stability. The attempts to impose one’s own designs for internal reforms on other peoples, which don’t take into account national characteristics, to ‘export democracy’, impact destructively international relations and multiplies the number of flashpoints on the world map,” he continued.

“Schemes based on advocating one’s exceptionalism, the use of double standards, pursuit of unilateral geopolitical outcomes in crisis situation, are widely used not only in Europe, but also in other regions,” the minister said. “This undermines crisis mediation efforts.”

 “After the forced ouster of the president with the help of foreign forces, [Ukraine] has practically slid into a civil war,” he said. “A hotspot if tension has been artificially created in the heart of Europe. This has negatively affected global security.”  

Lavrov is usually soft-spoken. This is some of his more strong-worded statements.


Russia will not be sending observers to the (p)residential elections in Ukraine:
http://www.interfax.ru/world/377655

[Nemo1024]

Posting this bit as a separate topic, as it's a pretty high-level news item...

Putin: All-out civil war in Ukraine, Odessa-style tragedy averted in Crimea
http://rt.com/news/161036-crimea-odessa-putin-tragedy/

“If we haven’t done this, [in Crimea] we would have had more tragedies than those which we now see in some Ukrainian cities, for example, in Odessa, where unarmed people have been burned alive: Fifty people have been burned, other fifty went missing. Where are they? They are killed, too.”” Putin said at St. Petersburg Economic Forum.

...

“We gave free will to Crimean citizens, they arrived at the referendum [March, 16] and voted for their own future,” he said.

Russian president said that “it is impossible to make almost 90 percent of the voters to come for the referendum."

I notice that there is more speeches from the higher-ups these recent days, yet still no statement from Russia on its position on Lugansk and Donetsk People's republics.

Also, this the US was openly urging not only US, but also the European companies to boycott the Economic Forum in St.Petersburg. The first thing that breaks down before a war is international trade, and US has been pushing hard to break trade connections with Russia.

[bryant.coleman]

Ukraine struggles to contain violence in east as key vote approaches

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/russian-military-chief-says-nato-troops-along-border-a-worry-ahead-of-ukraine-vote/2014/05/23/283846ec-e259-11e3-810f-764fe508b82d_story.html

Putin: Responsibility for the situation in Ukraine borne by our European partners for supporting this coup d'etat.

[Nemo1024]

Russia will work with whoever elected in Ukraine - Putin
http://rt.com/news/161036-crimea-odessa-putin-tragedy/

 “We are now working with these people who control the power, but after the elections we will work with newly-elected structures,” he said.

Putin said that Russia will respectively treat the results of presidential elections in Ukraine on Sunday.

“We understand and see that people in Ukraine want their country to escape this long-drawn-out crisis. [Russia] wants some relief [in Ukraine],” he said.

...

 “The situation [in Ukraine] is becoming worse as Kiev authorities continue their punitive operation in the east of the country. The military actions don’t stop. [They] use artillery, tanks, APCs. The shells fall at houses, peaceful civilians die,” he said.

Putin believes that the conditions for Ukraine’s elections do not correspond to international standards.

“[Armored personnel carriers] are firing there and journalists are being captured and detained … What are the conditions for holding the elections?”

...

 He said that Russia had offered dialogue with Western countries, but hasn’t received any consultations, only slogans.

“Look, they made a coup, but they don’t want to talk to us. What thoughts do we have? The next step is that Ukraine joins NATO. We have never been asked and we don’t have any dialogue,” he noted.

“We say, ‘Military infrastructure is approaching our [Russian] borders.’ [They say] ‘Don’t worry, it’s not against you.’”

[bryant.coleman]

The European Union's policy of carrot and stick for Ukraine continues.... 

Europe ready for second stage of visa facilitation with Ukraine

http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/news/europe_ready_for_second_stage_of_visa_facilitation_with_ukraine_321834