Crimea

[Nemo1024]

Steven Seagal performed during biker show in Sevastopol:
http://ria.ru/crimea_today/20140810/1019472008.html

PS: During the culmination of the show, the spectators were presented with the scenes from Kiev Maidan and from shelling of peaceful civilians in the cities of Donbass. The APCs that took part in the show carried flags of the Donetsk People's Republic.

[bitsmichel]

Steven Seagal performed during biker show in Sevastopol:
http://ria.ru/crimea_today/20140810/1019472008.html

Why is Steven Seagal in Ukraine?  It doesn't seem like a good holiday destination right now

[Nemo1024]

Steven Seagal performed during biker show in Sevastopol:
http://ria.ru/crimea_today/20140810/1019472008.html

Why is Steven Seagal in Ukraine?  It doesn't seem like a good holiday destination right now

He's not in Ukraine, but in Sevastopol. 

After the show, he was presented with a T-shirt propitiating Putin (which he tried on), and a statue of a "stron warrior" (bogatyr'). He thanked the gathered public in Russian. During an interview he agreed that music is the best way to promote peace among peoples.

[Balthazar]

The West on the wrong path

08.08.2014, 13:53 Uhr
In view of the events in Ukraine, the government and many media have switched from level-headed to agitated. The spectrum of opinions has been narrowed to the width of a sniper scope. The politics of escalation does not have a realistic goal – and harms German interests.

<...>

EN: http://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/kommentare/essay-in-englisch-the-west-on-the-wrong-path/10308406.html
DE: http://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/kommentare/politik-der-eskalation-der-irrweg-des-westens-/10308844.html
RU: http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/essay-in-russisch-/10309542.html

[Nemo1024]

The West on the wrong path

08.08.2014, 13:53 Uhr
In view of the events in Ukraine, the government and many media have switched from level-headed to agitated. The spectrum of opinions has been narrowed to the width of a sniper scope. The politics of escalation does not have a realistic goal – and harms German interests.

<...>

EN: http://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/kommentare/essay-in-englisch-the-west-on-the-wrong-path/10308406.html
DE: http://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/kommentare/politik-der-eskalation-der-irrweg-des-westens-/10308844.html
RU: http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/essay-in-russisch-/10309542.html

That's a very interesting read to see what Germany thinks, and not the MSM Germany. Looks like only trade papers have any semblance of sense left. It is also fun to watch how the author walks on the eggshells around the topic of Crimean reunification with Russia, still siding with the official line.

I find this quote quite interesting. Especially in the light of new that USA is moving a lot of military hardware to NATO storage bases in Norway, with a stated intent of establishing a large military base right on the Russian border.

If the West had judged the then US government which marched into Iraq without a resolution by the UN and without proof of the existence of “WMDs“ by the same standards as today Putin, then George W. Bush would have immediately been banned from entering the EU. The foreign investments of Warren Buffett should have been frozen, the export of vehicles of the brands GM, Ford, and Chrysler banned.

The American tendency to verbal and then also military escalation, the isolation, demonization, and attacking of enemies has not proven effective. The last successful major military action the US conducted was the Normandy landing. Everything else – Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan – was a clear failure. Moving NATO units towards the Polish border and thinking about arming Ukraine is a continuation of a lack of diplomacy by the military means.

[niothor]

And pretty interesting i've got the picture from an website that pro-russians here classified as a nazi propaganda website.
Checking the tweets and the confirmations i think this is the most accurate website with the current situation to date.

http://liveuamap.com/e/2014/13-of-august-meanwhile-in-occupied-crimea?ll=44.61393394730595;33.52752685546895&zoom=8

[Balthazar]

Parliamentary elections are coming soon... As far I know, agitation isn't started yet.

[bryant.coleman]

Parliamentary elections are coming soon... As far I know, agitation isn't started yet.

That will be interesting. Are you referring about elections to the local parliament? Because Crimea don't have any seats with the Russian Duma yet. And it will be interesting to see which of the mainstream Russian parties will be contesting the elections. 

[Balthazar]

Parliamentary elections are coming soon... As far I know, agitation isn't started yet.

That will be interesting. Are you referring about elections to the local parliament? Because Crimea don't have any seats with the Russian Duma yet. And it will be interesting to see which of the mainstream Russian parties will be contesting the elections.  

Yep, I mean local parliamentary elections. New parliament will be able to elect crimean representatives in the Federation Council.

As far I know, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party and United Russia already have local branches there. It's interesting that the most part of dissolved local branch of Party of Regions have joined United Russia.

[Balthazar]

http://korrespondent.net/ukraine/politics/3406481-v-sbu-dopuskauit-chto-sbyt-boynh-mohly-ukraynskye-voennye-pereshedshye-na-storonu-rf-v-krymu

Ukrainian officials are amazing

Now they're suspecting that plane was shot down by the former ukrainian military personnel, who have been sided with the new government of the Crimea.

[niothor]

Crimea wants out of Russian food sanctions
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/crimea-wants-russian-food-sanctions-185439830.html

We requested that Crimea be excluded from the general economic sanctions that Russia has introduced given that we are in a transition period and that we are still like Siamese twins with mainland Ukraine, especially concerning milk and dairy products," Polyushkin was quoted as saying by Russian news agency RIA-Novosti.

[Nemo1024]

Crimea wants out of Russian food sanctions
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/crimea-wants-russian-food-sanctions-185439830.html

We requested that Crimea be excluded from the general economic sanctions that Russia has introduced given that we are in a transition period and that we are still like Siamese twins with mainland Ukraine, especially concerning milk and dairy products," Polyushkin was quoted as saying by Russian news agency RIA-Novosti.

Mainly for the milk products, as supplies from Kuban' are insufficient:
http://itar-tass.com/ekonomika/1383162?utm_medium=rss20

[niothor]

Crimea wants out of Russian food sanctions
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/crimea-wants-russian-food-sanctions-185439830.html

We requested that Crimea be excluded from the general economic sanctions that Russia has introduced given that we are in a transition period and that we are still like Siamese twins with mainland Ukraine, especially concerning milk and dairy products," Polyushkin was quoted as saying by Russian news agency RIA-Novosti.

Mainly for the milk products, as supplies from Kuban' are insufficient:
http://itar-tass.com/ekonomika/1383162?utm_medium=rss20

mainly milk , milk products , sugar , potatoes and cooking oil , right?
And something about the black market and the government unable to keep the prices low...

Of course , big difference from what i've said
It's actually worse.

[bryant.coleman]

Yep, I mean local parliamentary elections. New parliament will be able to elect crimean representatives in the Federation Council.

As far I know, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party and United Russia already have local branches there. It's interesting that the most part of dissolved local branch of Party of Regions have joined United Russia.

Hmm... So the United Russia and KPRF already have a base in Crimea. (If Party of Regions ==> United Russia and KPU ==> KPRF). Would be interesting to see which of the local factions would merge with the LDPR.

[Nemo1024]

Observing the Crimeans' responses on Russian-language forums, I'd say that Polushkin, who suggested buying from Ukraine didn't score any goodwill points from the Crimean population, to put it mildly. He's already been branded as traitor.

Another observation stems from a comment of a Crimean, who draws from prior experience of dealing with Ukrainians:
 - It's precisely after such statement that Ukraine will shut off to Crimea everything they can.

People also complain that during the Ukrainian occupation of Crimea, the agriculture of the peninsular was systematically destroyed. Crimea was even forbidden producing their own ice cream.

[bryant.coleman]

People also complain that during the Ukrainian occupation of Crimea, the agriculture of the peninsular was systematically destroyed. Crimea was even forbidden producing their own ice cream.

Not only that. Some of the most fertile land were seized by the Kiev regime, and given to the Crimean Tatar immigrants. Right now, almost one-fourth of all the agricultural land in Crimea is under the occupation of the Tatars.

[Balthazar]

Timoshenko pic with description

"Klitchko's Widow

Made in the Crimea"

[Balthazar]

Agitation has been started, some billboards were seen in the Simferopol.

[cinnamon_carter]

my russian is terrible, what do they say (billboards)

[Balthazar]

my russian is terrible, what do they say (billboards)

"Program of the Communist Party of Russian Federation

Best for the Crimea"

Another one from small "Communists of Russia" party, they're independent from CPRF:



Other organizations also started their agitation, some of them:

LDPR:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oJISIEY_CY

Rodina (aka Motherland, social democrats):



UR:



In the meantime...

Public Chamber of the Crimea have encouraged participants of the elections to abstain from the black PR techniques.

http://ria.ru/crimea_today/20140815/1020171509.html

"In order to justify the the voters trust we invite all to join the Memorandum on holding fair and transparent elections, without use of counter-productive black PR and other illegal technologies," - said in the appeal, which was adopted at meeting of the Public Chamber on Friday.