Eastern Europe/Ukraine

Avarachan · Post by **Avarachan** » 22 Mar 2014 04:56

http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2014/ ... -dead.html

I have just been watching the [Western] news and, frankly, I ended up laughing ….

Then, I saw that western credit rating agencies were about to lower the credit rating of Russia (which up to now had been BBB, iirr). Russia with a debt of 12% would be lowered, while the USA with a debt over 100% maintained a AAA. Who is going to take that seriously. But even better, the net result of that will be that it is going to be more expensive for Russians to get financing from western banks. Again, I wonder in total awe. Do these western financiers really not know that the issues of the high interest rates inside Russia (in comparison to the interest rates enjoyed by Russian companies with their corporate headquarters in the EU and US) was a major political issues which constantly opposed the "Eurasian sovereignists" to the "Atlantic integrationists"? (for an explanation of these terms see here, here and here). Think of it - what does Putin want? He was a) a bigger share of investment in Russia coming from Russian banks, b) more companies incorporated in Russia c) a way to prevent Russian officials from having any assets abroad.

Frankly, Russia and Putin owe the western financiers and bureaucrats a big "thank you!!" for helping the Eurasian sovereignists in their struggle against the Atlantic integrationists...

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 22 Mar 2014 05:12

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/m ... mea-russia

Putin laughs off sanctions as he signs bills to transfer Crimea to Russia
President promises to open account at blacklisted bank as west signals intent to maintain pressure over Ukraine crisis

Alec Luhn in Moscow
theguardian.com, Friday 21 March 2014

Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, signs a law on ratification of a treaty making Crimea part of Russia, in the Kremlin in Moscow. Photograph: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/Getty

Vladimir Putin has laughed off western sanctions against Russia, promising to open an account in a bank on the US blacklist, but indicating that he will not escalate the Ukraine crisis further.

A day after the US extended its sanctions blacklist to take in businesspeople and aides from Putin's inner circle, the Russian president told his security council that he would not take retaliatory measures against the US sanctions nor against threats that Ukraine will implement a visa regime with Russia.

But at the same time, he completed the annexation of Crimea by signing new legislation completing the transfer of the peninsula to the Russian Federation. Putin described it as a "remarkable event", as he signed the bills on Friday.

Western powers signalled their intention to maintain the pressure, with France announcing a suspension of all military co-operation with the country and offering warplanes to the Baltic republics, which also have sizeable Russian minority populations and borders with it. The US was reportedly organising military exercises in eastern Europe to include Poland and the Baltic trio of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

But Putin appeared insouciant in the face of the western manoeuvres. In response to the US move to include Bank Rossiya on the blacklist because it is believed to be the "personal bank for senior officials of the Russian Federation", Putin joked: "I personally didn't have an account there, but I'll definitely open an account there on Monday."

As for the 20 influential officials added to the US sanctions list, a smiling Putin warned: "Stay away from them, they'll compromise us".

Visa and Mastercard have stopped servicing cardholders of Bank Rossiya, as well as those of SMP Bank, which is controlled by the Rotenberg brothers now sanctioned by the US. The move marked the first time sanctions have affected ordinary Russians.

There was a stern Russian attitude towards Ukraine, however. At the meeting, the Russian prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, said that an agreement under which Russia gave Ukraine deep discounts on Russian gas in return for allowing Russia to keep its Black Sea fleet in Crimea should be cancelled now that Russia controlled Crimea. Russia should seek the return of the $11bn (£6.7bn) that Ukraine saved under the agreement, as well as $5bn in other debts, Medvedev said.

Investcafe analyst Andrei Shenk said the threat to call in debts was likely meant to keep Ukraine from taking radical steps, such as instituting a visa regime.

"It's a deterrent that can later be used in negotiations" over Russia's use of Ukrainian gas pipelines to sell its product to Europe, which may eventually be cut off in the political conflict, Shenk said.

Putin told the meeting that "millions of completely innocent Ukrainians" who worked in Russia would suffer under any visa regime.

At the same time, the US sanctions seemed to be taking a slight toll on the Russian economy. Russian stocks dropped on Friday, with the Moscow market falling by as much as 4%, although it later began to recover. Companies connected to individuals on the sanctions list suffered the most.

Meanwhile, the US ratings agencies Fitch and S&P downgraded the outlook on the country's long-term foreign and local currency ratings to negative.

But, Shenk said, the mainly political US sanctions posed "the threat of harm more than direct harm" to the Russian economy. For now, only financial organisations would really be affected, as the cost of credit from western banks would rise for them, he said.

The already weakened ruble did not fall significantly against the euro and the dollar on Friday.

Russia's Central Bank promised to support Bank Rossiya, apparently guaranteeing that it would not let the bank fail now that US sanctions had cut off its dealings with international credit card companies and other institutions.

Shenk said Russia was unlikely to respond to the US sanctions not only because it lacked the instruments to do so, but because firing back with its own sanctions would admit the legality of the measure.

"For now, it's a political decision not to answer sanctions, not to acknowledge the legitimacy of such actions," he said.

Avarachan · Post by **Avarachan** » 22 Mar 2014 05:30

http://rt.com/politics/drugs-sanctions-us-russia-329/

The Russian Federal Drug Control Service has announced that US sanctions against its boss Viktor Ivanov would prevent all cooperation, suggesting the real reason was the US intention to hide its responsibility for the drug crisis in Afghanistan.

“By today’s arbitrary and thoughtless actions the US administration destroying the unique experience in cooperation and international police work that has nothing to do with politics,” says the release.

The Russian agency also said that the asset freeze imposed on its head, Viktor Ivanov, can only be described as the “thrilling creativity of Washington bureaucrats” as the Russian official had never been involved in any business operations and had never had any property abroad, be it money on bank accounts or other assets.

The release says that Russian-US cooperation in countering drug trafficking has resulted in many successful operations against opium laboratories in Afghanistan and cocaine transportation from Latin America to Europe.

“Eventually, thoughtful observers and expertscan suggest only one possible explanation behind Washington’s arbitrariness – the lack of readiness for positive cooperation and the fear of responsibility for the 40-fold explosive increase of illegal drug production in Afghanistan since this country’s occupation by the US and NATO forces in 2001,” the Russian agency said.

H/T for the link goes to commenter вот так from Saker's blog. http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2014/ ... -dead.html

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 22 Mar 2014 06:46

Visa and Master card have cut ties with various russia banks.

http://rt.com/business/visa-mastercard- ... tions-285/

Laughing, ha ha ha ha, Putin has declared he will now have his massive government salary deposited in the Russiya bank where the elites put their loot in show of solidarity. Then he laughed again ha ha ha!

meanwhile the EU has decided to sanction Russia, brave souls that the EU are.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 22 Mar 2014 07:19

This may partially cure the Russian Elite's black money fascination with Oirope. I doubt if there is anything that Russia buys from Oirope that they really can't get from China. So the Oiropeans may well be stepping on their own Little Cheneys.

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 22 Mar 2014 07:40

Exclusive: Interview With Acting President of Ukraine
By Charles Chandler, Decision Magazine • March 6, 2014

Kiev, Ukraine — In the midst of ongoing turmoil that has enormous global significance, God is mightily at work in Ukraine, the nation’s acting president said Wednesday in an exclusive interview for Decision magazine.

“Stories of God’s hand abound,” Oleksandr Turchynov, a devout evangelical, said during a private meeting with BGEA Vice President of Crusades Viktor Hamm.

BGEA President Franklin Graham, who preached in Kiev in 2007, requested Hamm travel to Ukraine and meet with Turchynov because of Hamm’s deep ties to the country. Born in a Soviet labor camp, Hamm has led 15 crusades in Ukraine between 1994 and 2006 as a BGEA associate evangelist.

Turchynov has declined requests from internationally prominent news organizations, but granted Decision magazine the interview that will appear in more detail in a special report on the Ukranian crisis in April’s edition.

Hamm also has met with some of the nation’s top evangelical leaders this week while in Kiev to show BGEA’s support. Decision traveled with him to cover the story that has gripped the world.

“Truth was on the side of those who stood for their rights, and (chose not to) be slaves, without rights and without voice,” acting president Turchynov said of the near-miraculous victory of thousands of unarmed protesters over the regime of now-deposed former president Viktor Yanukovych.

“All events demonstrated the greatness of God,” Turchynov said.

Turchynov was named to his position on Feb. 23, two days after Yanukovych was found to have fled the country amid a massive uprising against his regime.

During three months of protests in which Yanukoych’s Berkut riot police beat and shot protesters, it appeared the many freedom fighters had little chance in a David vs. Goliath kind of confrontation. A fiery showdown ensued and hit its violent peak from February 18-20, when Berkut snipers shot down and killed protesters. Nearly 90 have died in all.

Yanukovych, who fled on or around February 21, is now charged with mass murder by authorities in his country.

Turchynov said only God could have delivered those who refused to be oppressed any longer. The acting president noted how, during the war-like events that took place during the confrontations at Maidan (the city square), huge clouds of smoke would drift toward the Berkut riot police and away from protestors, obstructing the view of the perpetrators. Turchynov said there was also a time when a grenade was thrown near him, but that only one fragment hit him on the cheek, causing no lasting injury.

“I see God’s hand in every little detail that took place as unarmed people went out to defend their freedom and the independence of their country against a fully armed professional army, many times bigger in size,” Turchynov said. “Their faith was victorious. God granted them victory.”

God’s grip on Ukraine has been strong for more than two decades. Hamm says it’s the most evangelical nation in Europe.

Ukraine and Turchynov now face another massive challenge—overt Russian interference. Leaders around the world accuse Russia of invading and taking over the Ukranian territory of Crimea.

Turchynov asked BGEA’s supporters and believers worldwide to “pray for us so that peace would return and people would be able to live peacefully.”

His hope for another victory, preferably without armed conflict with Russia, is based on a Biblical promise.

“If God is with us,” Turchynov said, “no one can be against us.”

http://billygraham.org/story/exclusive- ... for-peace/

vic · Post by **vic** » 22 Mar 2014 09:43

By re negotiating the Gas prices to Ukriane, Russia will gain something like USD 20 billion per annum and EU will on hook to fund Ukraine bankcrupt economy for 20-50 Billion dollars per annum. Putin smirking.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Mar 2014 10:23

Gas prices for Ukraine will be same as Euro prices which is $400 ........so whether Ukraine buys gas from Russia or reverses the Gas Flow from EU the price they pay will be the same.

They just lost $100 discount that Russian used to give for maintaining its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea not that effectively gone , they will have to pay back all , more details

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/92da6344 ... z2wfMZIWUW

Dmitry Medvedev, in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin and the rest of Russia’s national security council, also said there was an additional $2bn owed by Kiev to Russia’s government-owned energy company Gazprom and another $3bn lent as part of last year’s aborted $15bn Russian bailout of Ukraine.

“Yes, $16bn,” Mr Medvedev told Mr Putin. “I think we cannot lose that kind of money, given our budget.

Mr Medvedev’s claim on $11bn in back payments centres on Russia’s deal with Ukraine that allows it to base its Black Sea fleet in the Crimean port of Sevastopol. The basing treaty, known as the Kharkviv agreements, gives Ukraine a discount of $100 per thousand cubic metre of gas in exchange for allowing it to headquarter the fleet in Crimea. The current agreement, signed in 2010, extended the lease from 2017 until 2042.

“In view of the changed conditions and the fact that Crimea is now part of the Russian Federation, there is no basis for continuing this contract,” Mr Medvedev said, according to a transcript on the Kremlin website.

Ukraine PM though is furious

Speaking after signing the EU pact at a summit in Brussels, Arseniy Yatseniuk, the Ukrainian prime minister, accused the Kremlin of seeking to retaliate for his decision to sign the treaty, which sparked the Ukraine crisis four months ago when then president Viktor Yanukovich spurned the deal just days before the signing ceremony.

“To increase, to double the price of natural gas – this is the way [for] Russia to punish Ukraine for its European choice,” said Mr Yatseniuk as he left the EU summit. “On the energy policy, it’s essential to speak with one single voice in order to stop anyone – including Russia – from using energy as a new nuclear weapon.”

Any reason why he thinks Russia should subsidise its Gas to Ukr after joining EU AA ....They will pay the same price as Europe is paying and if they dont like that they can buy Gas from EU at the same price

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Mar 2014 10:32

Interesting !

Russia's UN envoy Churkin replies to CNN anchor Amanpour

Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin has issued a response to Christiane Amanpour after the CNN anchor lashed out at the diplomat over his inability to appear on her show and brought his daughter into the equation.

In her Thursday show, Amanpour said: "And one more note: we continue to reach out to the Russian government for their comment, including officials such as UN Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin. We haven't had much luck, but perhaps people like Churkin feel they don't really have to leave their comfort zone."

“Churkin’s own daughter is the US-based reporter for ‘Russia Today’ in New York. She's shown here, quizzing US State Department spokesman, Jen Psaki, over this whole Ukraine crisis. And in the past, she's even reported on her own father.”

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

Dear Ms. Amanpour,

I am taken aback by the personal attacks you resorted to in your show on March 20. I have known you for many years (including through a number of on-the-air interviews) and used to respect you professionally. So it was somewhat startling that my inability to give another interview provoked such an outburst.

As to my unwillingness, as you put it, to leave my "comfort zone” – you are absolutely right. After 8 meetings of the Security Council on the situation in Ukraine and Crimea (six of them in front of TV cameras) I feel very comfortable that the truth is beginning to come across.

If, though, you imply that I don’t want to answer tough questions, then you are mature enough to know that I spoke to the “full house” at the Washington National Cathedral in October, 1983, two weeks after the South Korean airliner was downed, and then testified at the US Congress in May of 1986 after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, not to mention hundreds of other media and “live” appearances. So I can explain to anyone what “leaving a comfort zone” means.

But I wouldn’t be writing to you if you did not also choose to personally attack my daughter – your younger colleague – a Russian TV journalist. I am very proud of her – not only is she a good journalist, but she strictly keeps her professional distance from me.

Incidentally, I recall you married the State Department Spokesman. How was your professional credibility in the course of your courtship?

Don’t bother to answer. I don’t really want to know.

Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Mar 2014 10:37

Backtrack Ukraine: Self-proclaimed govt fails to deliver on promises

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Mar 2014 10:53

Facts only: Kosovo vs Crimea - 'Good Independence' vs 'Bad Referendum'

habal · Post by **habal** » 22 Mar 2014 12:39

It was already pretty distasteful that the Russian elite chose to spend their wealth in Southern Europe, Cyprus, Spain, Greece, London etc. They should have spread their wealth more wisely in Asia or elsewhere. And now they play Soviet songs in Crimea & Eastern Ukraine. They should finally decide which side they are on.

vic · Post by **vic** » 22 Mar 2014 13:30

I think Ukriane will loose 100-150 USD dollar discount, rent for Crimean naval base, their stealing of gas by calling it technical use, aid assured by Russia, advance payments received and debt repayment that was deferred by Russia. All in all, gain for Russians but only prostitutes, Neo Nazi gangs and bankrupt economy for EU from Ukraine.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Mar 2014 17:20

habal wrote:It was already pretty distasteful that the Russian elite chose to spend their wealth in Southern Europe, Cyprus, Spain, Greece, London etc. They should have spread their wealth more wisely in Asia or elsewhere. And now they play Soviet songs in Crimea & Eastern Ukraine. They should finally decide which side they are on.

Oligarch any where in the world be it Russian Chinese or even Indian have London and US as their preferred destination.

If you can steal peoples money and enrich your self or/and if you end up getting caught in the process and planning to run out of the country you are always invited in UK/Europe and US ...... if you are a thief then you will get Asylum status in these countries provided you have billions in your bank.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Mar 2014 17:22

PLA's Mouth Piece

Four lessons to be learned from the Ukraine crisis

Ukraine has become the final battlefield in the "cold war", and it is becoming a possibility that the crisis will trigger a second "cold war". The Crimean parliament's declaration of independence from Ukraine ahead of the March 16 referendum indicates that Crimea may go ahead and join Russia. The tug of war between Russia and western countries teaches us four things.

A geostrategic conflict leads to the tragedy of big-power politics

Most people in west Ukraine are Catholics while in east Ukraine most are Russian Orthodox believers. The financial crisis caused conflict between civilizations, pushing Ukraine to the brink of bankruptcy and fragmentation. This created a vacuum that provided the big powers with an incentive to meddle in Ukraine's affairs.
　　
Ukraine's economic over-reliance on Russia is the soft underbelly of its national security

In recent years, the western countries have succeeded in promoting several regime changes. Ukraine is on the brink of debt default and bankruptcy. Ukraine's economic over-reliance on Russia is the soft underbelly of its national security. Western countries have taken advantage of this weak spot in their efforts to promote regime change in Ukraine.

Western countries' failure to grasp the lessons of history results in conflict

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war generated a degree of complacency in the West. Subsequently, with the rise of Neo-Conservatism and Neo-imperialism, the US has embroiled itself in conflicts such as the invasion of Iraq and the war in Afghanistan. These stress points are a result of the West's inability to understand the lessons of history.

The double standards of western countries demonstrate their hypocrisy

Some Western countries were quick to back the independence referendum held in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija between Sept. 26 and 30, 1991; now they voice their objections to the referendum in the Crimea. In the past they have advocated that human rights – for example the right to self-determination - take precedence over sovereignty; now they claim that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine are paramount. Such double standards are rooted in the fact that in the final analysis, the values of the western powers are entirely determined by their own self-interest.
　　
On March 17, first results showed that 96.6 percent of Crimeans had voted to join Russia in Sunday's referendum. The US refuses to accept the outcome of referendum. The Ukraine crisis will continue to pose a huge challenge to the major powers.

The article is edited and translated from《乌克兰危机的四点启示》, source: People's Daily Overseas Edition, author: Wang Yiwei.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 22 Mar 2014 17:31

>>It was already pretty distasteful that the Russian elite chose to spend their wealth in Southern Europe, Cyprus, Spain, Greece, London etc.

Distasteful to whom? You will be hard pressed to find anyone from the countries/area you have mentioned complaining at length or en masse about it. They are quite happy to receive Russian spenders.

>>They should have spread their wealth more wisely in Asia or elsewhere.

Well, the wisdom of spending it in place X or Y depends on the holder of the wealth one would think. Of course, we are free to offer them wiser options...

AbhiJ · Post by **AbhiJ** » 22 Mar 2014 19:55

However, Article 5 says that NATO members pledge to come to the assistance of the attacked state using “such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force.” It doesn’t take a White House lawyer to see the gaping loophole—President Obama can simply deem that the use of U.S. force isn’t necessary. He can walk back the red line, as he did with Syria. Stern talk and minimal sanctions would follow, but Estonia would lose some, if not all of its territory. And in practical terms it would mean the end of NATO, which is one of Moscow’s longstanding strategic objectives. Mr. Putin’s chess game does not end in Crimea.

http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/ ... 098?page=1

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Mar 2014 22:40

Russian SF storm inside a military compound and Ukrainian Soldiers rounded up

http://i.imgur.com/amuUJNT.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nRmEPtZ.jpg

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 23 Mar 2014 03:25

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_ ... 940225.jpg
new attorney general of Crimea, v popular on internet these days

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 23 Mar 2014 06:42

Don’t bother to answer. I don’t really want to know.

That letter needs to be posted on a website titled: "About Christianne Amanpour", so that anytime anyone wants to find out about her, that site will come up.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 23 Mar 2014 08:48

Forget Russia Dumping U.S. Treasuries … Here’s the REAL Economic Threat

[youtube]KXGPzDq45gM?t=5m9s[/youtube]

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 23 Mar 2014 09:35

EU to sell Ukraine gas at up to $400 per 1,000 cubic meters

Europe may start selling natural gas to Ukraine at market prices of $370-400 per 1,000 cubic meters in case they resume reverse supplies. The money equals the price tag that Russia’s energy giant Gazprom put on its gas deliveries to Ukraine before the agreed discount. This is according to Ukraine’s energy ministry Yuri Prodan.

"Gas should be sold at market prices… They range from around $370 per 1,000 cubic meters to some $400," he said.

Last December, Russia and Ukraine agreed to slash gas prices for Kiev in 2014 to $268.5, but this deal was to be re-affirmed every four months.

In 2013, Ukraine’s state-run Naftogas received some 13 billion cubic meters from Russia at $400 on average.

According to Prodan, starting on April 1, Gazprom’s prices for Ukraine’s gas deliveries may hike up to $380 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 23 Mar 2014 10:54

One possible side effect of this Ukraine situation; perhaps the Russians will remember who their real friends are, and stop screwing us around on military purchases. Now that the Cold War has been rekindled, the Russians would be wise to treat us better. An increasingly isolated Russia can't afford to keep sh*tting on their friends, especially their #1 arms customer.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 23 Mar 2014 11:04

Poor Baptist preacher pretender PM puppet! If God was for him and his country it would've stayed together. It is now a crumbling basket case well qualified to join the other "peons" of the EU! Perhaps the time has come to write another fine musical taking the cue from Mozart,"The Beggars of Brussels".

Paul · Post by **Paul** » 23 Mar 2014 14:36

Y. Kanan wrote:One possible side effect of this Ukraine situation; perhaps the Russians will remember who their real friends are, and stop screwing us around on military purchases. Now that the Cold War has been rekindled, the Russians would be wise to treat us better. An increasingly isolated Russia can't afford to keep sh*tting on their friends, especially their #1 arms customer.

So that the Russians can convert to the baptist faith like you did.....where is your website!!!!

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 23 Mar 2014 14:51

^^^Is it me or does the new Ukraine government resembles our own AAP/Kejriwal in Delhi?

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 23 Mar 2014 15:14

rohitvats wrote:^^^Is it me or does the new Ukraine government resembles our own AAP/Kejriwal in Delhi?

Atleast aap/kejriwal particpated and came through elections.

The ukranian government is a illegitimate coup government and governing through intimidation and violence without public support.

This ukranian government coup by west is an insult to ukranians.

Oh! both might have come through ford/west funding. Both claim to be purer than pure and both might have taken more u-turns than any other turn, but elections and the exhibition of legimate people will in a free and fair manner makes all the difference.

Let us not insult ourselves and ukranians by comparing aap with them.

sooraj · Post by **sooraj** » 23 Mar 2014 17:55

Moldova's Gagauz region leans toward Moscow
http://www.dw.de/moldovas-gagauz-region ... a-17504239

While the world watches Crimea, Putin is still planning for the Republic of Moldova to join Russia's customs union. Pressure from Moscow is high - and might be enough to scuttle Moldova's EU Association Agreement.

First, Russia limited wine imports from Moldova. Then, of the roughly half a million Moldovans working there, it denied work visas to 20,000.

Now, it seems Moscow is moving from sticks to carrots in its attempt to persuade Moldova to rethink an upcoming EU Association Agreement: As of February, the Gagauz, an ethnic minority, have been preparing a popular protest against the EU deal - and seem to be winning Moscow's favor for their efforts.

sooraj · Post by **sooraj** » 23 Mar 2014 18:02

Russian troops poised to 'run' into Moldova, Nato commander warns
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... warns.html

Fears that Russia could attempt to seize a second chunk of territory in eastern Europe grew on Sunday after Nato's top commander warned that Moscow's troops were poised to move into a pro-Moscow enclave of Moldova.

US Air Force General Philip Breedlove said that Russian troops massing on the eastern border of Ukraine were well-positioned to head to Transdniester, a Russian-speaking enclave that has declared independence from the rest of Moldova.

sooraj · Post by **sooraj** » 23 Mar 2014 18:11

Why Moldova, Estonia may feel uneasy about Russia’s actions
http://globalnews.ca/news/1219997/why-m ... s-actions/

Then there’s the three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – all of which are feeling a little bit leery after Russia’s intervention in the Ukrainian crisis and the annexation of Crimea.

The trio are the only former Soviet nations that have joined the European Union and NATO.

Both Latvia and Estonia still share longer borders with Russia, particularly the Pskov region, and have sizeable Russian communities: 24.8 percent of Estonia’s 1.3 million people are Russian, while 26.2 per cent of Latvia’s 2.1 million citizens are Russian.

Lithuania shares a small border with the Russian territory of Kaliningrad and has a much smaller Russian population, just 5.8 per cent.

Estonia has particular reason to be concerned about what’s happening in Ukraine.

Reuters reported last week a Russian envoy to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva was quoted as saying Moscow is “concerned by steps taken” in Estonia to use language to “segregate and isolate groups,” referencing a similar situation in Ukraine.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, in an address to the Brookings Institution on Wednesday, Russia’s annexation of Crimea was part of a larger strategy and that is should serve as a “wake-up call,” The Associated Press reported.

“This is the gravest threat to European security and stability since the end of the Cold War,” Fogh Rasmussen said. “We need to take tough decisions in view of the long-term strategic impact of Russia’s aggression on our own security.”

member_28502 · Post by **member_28502** » 23 Mar 2014 18:55

See the beauty of NAM now
Ukraine Moldova Lithuania Hungary Romania all these should have been Non Aligned nations so that mother Russia and the west could keep their paws away
But then

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 23 Mar 2014 19:41

Nijalingappa wrote:See the beauty of NAM now
Ukraine Moldova Lithuania Hungary Romania all these should have been Non Aligned nations so that mother Russia and the west could keep their paws away
But then

these rump states cannot survive without subsidies. West or Russia dont give them without sacrificing their independence.

Can Ukraine pay for its energy without any subsidies?

For a NAM to work, those countries cannot say we are independent on sunday and go begging on monday. Remember the experience of PL-470 in India.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 23 Mar 2014 19:50

sooraj wrote:Russian troops poised to 'run' into Moldova, Nato commander warns
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... warns.html

Just fear mongering by NATO .....there is a reason why Crimea was taken and it happened due to events that every one is well aware off.

NATO making most of the situation

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 23 Mar 2014 20:03

Virupaksha wrote:
rohitvats wrote:^^^Is it me or does the new Ukraine government resembles our own AAP/Kejriwal in Delhi?
Atleast aap/kejriwal particpated and came through elections.
.

We can't afford to treat them as less poisonous regardless of how they were let in. AAP is a west-created snake and needs to be treated as such.

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 23 Mar 2014 20:07

Unless NATO does this war mongering, why will the brainwashed public of US pay for the hundreds of blackwater and co's consultants?

With the "wars" in afghanistan and iraq drawing down, those "consultants" need to employed somewhere. Where else but the big bad russia.

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 23 Mar 2014 20:08

Victor wrote: We can't afford to treat them as less poisonous regardless of how they were let in. AAP is a west-created snake and needs to be treated as such.

I believe it is, but even if it is conclusively proven - I do not wish to wash my dirty laundry for others

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 23 Mar 2014 21:31

And politics infects another thread.

This is becoming unreadable.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 23 Mar 2014 21:36

Visa, Mastercard resume services with 2 Russian banks blocked after US sanctions

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 24 Mar 2014 04:46

NATO scaremongerigng again ,using the crisis to surge forward upto Russia's borders ,while an ex-NATO chief urges sending "troops to Europe".Whom the Gods wish to destroy.......

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 10756.html
Crimea crisis: Nato commander calls for allies to mobilise in eastern Europe after Russia prepares "incredible force" on Ukrainian border

Nato's top military commander has warned that Russia is building an "incredible force" on its border with Ukraine, and said the time has come for Western allies to move its own troops to the east.
militarily,thus further heightening tensions.
There are growing fears that President Vladimir Putin may be preparing to follow up the annexation of Crimea with a move into Moldova's mainly Russian-speaking separatist Transdniestria.

US Air Force General Philip Breedlove, Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said Russia had used "snap" military exercises apparently as a tactic to shift vast numbers of troops towards the border.

Around 10 days ago Moscow launched a new exercise, involving 8,500 artillery troops, near the Ukrainian border - as it had done in the days before Ukraine lost the Crimea region.

Breedlove said the Russian tactic should lead the 28-nation Western military alliance to rethink the positioning and readiness of its forces in eastern Europe so that they were ready to counter Moscow's moves.

"A snap exercise puts an incredible force at a border. The force that is at the Ukrainian border now to the east is very, very sizeable and very, very ready," he said, speaking at an event held by the German Marshall Fund, a thinktank.

"You cannot defend against that if you are not there to defend against it. So I think we need to think about our allies, the positioning of our forces in the alliance and the readiness of those forces ... such that we can be there to defend against it if required, especially in the Baltics and other places."

Ukraine is not a Nato member, but Moscow's intervention in Crimea has caused particular alarm in several ex-Soviet Baltic republics - which are.

Breedlove said Nato had attempted to make Russia a partner, but added: "Now it is very clear that Russia is acting much more like an adversary than a partner."

He voiced concern that Russia could have Transdniestria in its sights after Crimea, saying that, in Russia's view, the separatist region of Moldova was the "next place where Russian-speaking people may need to be incorporated."

In Moscow, Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov said Russia was complying with international troop limits near the border with Ukraine, and international inspectors had conducted missions in the last month to check on Russian troop movements.

"We have nothing to hide there," Antonov was quoted by the state RIA and Itar-Tass news agencies as saying.

And speaking this morning on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Moscow's ambassador to the EU said his country did not have any "expansionist views", and that "nobody should fear Russia".

Asked whether he could rule out a military incursion into Ukraine beyond the Crimea, Vladimir Chizhov said it was not Russia's "intention", but added that he could not speak for "the Commander in Chief".

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 24 Mar 2014 05:32

The post-East India Company Anglo-Saxons created a legal, international system under their control. using that they can manipulate the situation so they benefit. Germans, Imperial Japanese, Indians, Soviet all suffered.
If one plays per the rules one will lose and they win. The only way out is to knock the chessboard.

Crimea is an example of how to knock the chessboard.