Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 22 Nov 2015 08:20

State of emergency, blackout in Russia’s Crimea after transmission towers in Ukraine blown up - Nov 22, 2015

“Crimea has been completely cut off,” the Krymenergo energy company’s director Viktor Plakida told TASS, adding that he could not immediately provide any more details.

The Crimean Emergencies Ministry has declared a state of emergency due to the complete power outage and has put rescue teams on high alert.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Nov 2015 10:07

looks like Russia will have to a undersea power cable from the mainland long term.

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 22 Nov 2015 13:14

This might force Putin`s hand. A land link to Crimea is needed. If Ukbapzis continue to act stupid, they may end up losing more territory.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Nov 2015 14:47

Shortage is huge

Crimea short of 450 MW electric power supply - minister

http://tass.ru/en/society/838330[quote]

SIMFEROPOL, November 22. /TASS/. Crimea’s own electric power generation covers less than a half of the peninsula’s needs for electricity, Crimean Fuel and Energy Minister Sergei Yegorov said after a meeting of the emergency headquarters on Sunday.

"The morning maximum consumption in the Crimean federal district is about 800 MW at such air temperatures. We have 350 MW of our own electricity generation and are short of another 450 MW. That is why, schedules of temporary electricity disconnections for these 450 MW will be introduced," he said.

The schedules of electricity blackouts will be brought to the notice of local residents every two hours, he said.

Fuel for electric power generators in Crimea to suffice for at least 30 days

Fuel stocks for backup electric power supply sources in Crimea will suffice for at least 30 days, Crimea’s Frist Vice-Premier and head of the emergency headquarters Mikhail Sheremet said on Sunday.

"We have fuel reserves. No doubt, we understand that we depend on weather and the ferry to some extent. But nonetheless we can work calmly during 30 days," he said.

Crimea has activated all backup electricity supply sources after Ukraine completely cut off electric power supply to the Black Sea peninsula.[/quote]

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 23 Nov 2015 13:39

A classic case of shooting oneself in the foot?

Ukraine nuclear power plants ‘dangerously’ without power as towers feeding energy to Crimea blown up
Published time: 23 Nov, 2015
https://www.rt.com/news/323060-ukraine- ... ts-danger/

In an eerie reminder of a possible nuclear catastrophe, a senior Ukrainian energy official revealed that the attack on transmission towers that cut off the delivery of electricity from Ukraine to Crimea also created an emergency situation at nuclear power plants.

The apparent act of sabotage in Ukraine’s Kherson region forced an emergency power unloading at several Ukrainian nuclear power plants, which can be extremely dangerous, according to the first deputy director of Ukraine’s energy company Ukrenergo, Yuriy Katich.

Russia’s Crimea was forced to switch to autonomous reserve power after transmission towers in the adjacent Ukrainian region were blown up, causing a blackout. Meanwhile, the repairs were delayed by Right Sector and Crimean Tatar “activists” attempting to block crews from getting to the scene. None of the groups have accepted responsibility.

“All of these events have led to an additional emergency shutdown of the electrical network of two units at thermal power plants – the Dnieper and Uglegorskaya – and the emergency unloading by 500 MW of nuclear power plants in Ukraine. This includes Zaporozhskaya NPP and the South Ukrainian NPP. I want to stress that such emergency unloading of a nuclear plant – it is very dangerous,” 112. Ukraine online portal quoted Katich as saying.

© Igor Mikhalev State of emergency, blackout in Russia’s Crimea after transmission towers in Ukraine blown up

Earlier Katich said that due to the damage to the electricity towers, there is a risk that 50 percent of Kherson and Nikolaev regions could also be left without power.

He added that repairs are likely take up to three or four days, under the condition that the crew gets access to the site.

So far, local media has reported that the so-called “activists,” including Right Sector militants, said they would let the repairs to be done only if they won’t be reconnecting “occupied” Crimea to the Ukrainian grid.

Crimea’s chief prosecutor, Natalia Poklonskaya, has called the blowing up of the transmission towers sabotage, which “has created a threat to lives and wellbeing of some 2 million people of various nationalities,” while a regional authority suggested qualifying it as “an act of terror.”

Late Saturday, Crimean authorities rushed to connect hospitals and other vital infrastructure to reserve power stations and generators after the four main transmission lines from Ukraine were cut off due to the collapse of four electricity towers.

The Crimean Emergencies Ministry has declared a state of emergency due to the complete power outage. Nearly 1.9 million people were left partly or fully without electricity.

Important public facilities and infrastructure have been wired up to reserve sources of energy.

Right now, all major Crimean cities are working on reserve energy supplies. However, due to a lack of power supplies, scheduled electricity and water outages have been introduced.

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 23 Nov 2015 15:41

New York Times and Washington post daily dose of humour.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... story.html

Few in Ukraine dispute Saakashvili’s analysis. In fact, there is talk in political circles that he could or should somehow be installed as prime minister. Saakashvili denies that that is what he means in calling for a shake-up; he points out, correctly, that he lacks a political base in the parliament. The government’s Western minders sound horrified by the idea. Yet if Ukraine is to win its war against itself, something here clearly needs to change — and soon.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 23 Nov 2015 16:07

^^Oh yeah, considering the sterling job he did in Georgia...

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 23 Nov 2015 17:21

Now we need to airlift the green bucks just like west berlin.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... story.html

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Nov 2015 18:31

if ukraine does not restore power in 7 days and drags its feet, saying activists are blocking access sites...one can expect some form of response.

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 24 Nov 2015 00:36

The Ukrainians were obviously prodded by the Americans into taking this action. They want to reignite the frozen conflict in Ukraine, force the Russians to undertake a large-scale mobilization and divert precious resources from their efforts in Syria. This probably means Turkey is about to take some sort of military action to block or neutralize the ongoing Syrian govt counteroffensive. I'm thinking the Turks are about to move into Syria in a big way, to create a safe haven for ISIS\Al-Nusra\etc, which the Turks will of course call a "buffer zone". This will block all SAA ground offensives and of course make the skies above strictly off limits to Russian aircraft. The other goal of this invasion will of course be to roll back any gains the Kurds have made in Syria.

By heating up Ukraine, the US guarantees that Russia cannot intimidate Turkey into submission as the bulk of their combat power will be tied up facing Ukraine.

The lengths to which the Americans will go to promote their Sunni agenda in ME is truly disgusting.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 24 Nov 2015 03:25

Philip, When the transmission line from a nuke power plant trips the nuke power plant has to scramble to shut down. This causes a dangerous transient in the reactor operation as the control rods are pushed down to stop the reaction. Whoever planned the transmission line towers blow up did not consider safety of Ukraine nuke plants.

This is a new low in nuke power plant terrorism.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 24 Nov 2015 06:40

Kiev wants Russia to regard power transmission towers blast as force majeure — minister - Nov 24, 2015

Russian official says power line blasts are Kiev's "final gesture of farewell" to Crimea

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 24 Nov 2015 09:13

This is definite confirmation that Ukraine is heating up. Obama's statement makes total sense now that they are not totally done with mischief in Ukraine and in my mind I can link events (the three dhagas) better.

after power cut off now the blockade.

Blockade of Crimea? Ukraine suspends cargo traffic to and from peninsula - Nov 23, 2015

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 24 Nov 2015 09:55

^^^ SA ji, there is the Yemen dhaga which is itching to be linked too but Putin has been kept too busy to act?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 24 Nov 2015 10:13

Yemen is perhaps being prepared as a refuge for the remnants of Daesh and their high value leadership away from bear claws and safely under KSA protection, the "takeover" of the eastern hadramyt provinces of Yemen by the "AQ" with no real Hadi govt intervention is a pointer...

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 24 Nov 2015 11:40

ramana wrote:Philip, When the transmission line from a nuke power plant trips the nuke power plant has to scramble to shut down. This causes a dangerous transient in the reactor operation as the control rods are pushed down to stop the reaction. Whoever planned the transmission line towers blow up did not consider safety of Ukraine nuke plants.

This is a new low in nuke power plant terrorism.

Or it was secretly done before all this was planned. That's a possibility too.

I wonder why this is happening now though. Someone in Ukraine / US is not happy with the current understanding phase of US and Russia. There are wheels within wheels.

Why now when Russia is being a do gooder and is trying to solve the IS menace, try to restart the Crimean problem all over again?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 24 Nov 2015 13:03

Tx Ramana.This is a direct consequence of Putin's actions in Syria. It also as the Ru official; said a "goodbye" to the Crimea by the UKR. The West has stopped bleating about the illegal annexation of the Crimea,but want to derail Putin's actions in Syria which threatens their entire grip on the world's energy resources. The Turks would be well advised to stay out of Syria or run the real risk of direct confrontation with Russian forces.Russian aircraft "accidently" overflying Turkish airspace earlier was an indirect warning to the Turks not to challenge Russia.

This crude act though has a touch of Minor-Gen. Shakashvilli about it,who is a key advisor to the UKR junta. Such buffoonery is his hallmark.

johneeG · Post by **johneeG** » 24 Nov 2015 13:59

vijaykarthik wrote:
ramana wrote:Philip, When the transmission line from a nuke power plant trips the nuke power plant has to scramble to shut down. This causes a dangerous transient in the reactor operation as the control rods are pushed down to stop the reaction. Whoever planned the transmission line towers blow up did not consider safety of Ukraine nuke plants.

This is a new low in nuke power plant terrorism.
Or it was secretly done before all this was planned. That's a possibility too.

I wonder why this is happening now though. Someone in Ukraine / US is not happy with the current understanding phase of US and Russia. There are wheels within wheels.

Why now when Russia is being a do gooder and is trying to solve the IS menace, try to restart the Crimean problem all over again?

My understanding of Ukraine issue from the beginning is: Ukraine is activated to distract Russia from Syria. Ukraine is a decoy. But, Ukraine is highly important for Russia. So, Russia couldn't ignore it. Therefore, Putin did a wonderful job. He peacefully wrested away the Crimea and then he went into Syria. Really, well done so far. If he can finish off all the rebels in Syria including the ISIS, then thats job done.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 24 Nov 2015 22:41

deejay wrote:^^^ SA ji, there is the Yemen dhaga which is itching to be linked too but Putin has been kept too busy to act?

deejay ji, agree but instead of linking that thread I wish to see a new thread (to be opened along Parisian lines) on Soddy Barbaria that will attract thousands of smileys from sdres

.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 25 Nov 2015 23:00

uploaded Nov 18, 2015.
Interview iwht Chocolate King. Apparently not meant to be shown in Ukraine.
He is total NATO munna (and even has contempt for EU).
MUST WATCH (particularly between 6 and 8 mins). He refers to big change in world order between 2015-2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJZoJ11pbvU

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 26 Nov 2015 10:59

Ukraine imposes total flight ban on Russia - Nov 25, 2015

Ukraine banned Russian airlines Aeroflot, Transaero, S7, Red Wings, Gazpromavia, Rossiya and Ural Airlines. UTair was later added to the list.

Russian aviation officials called the move an “an act of madness” and retaliated immediately with their own ban on Ukrainian airlines.

Around 800,000 passengers flew between Russia and Ukraine in the first eight months of 2015 prior to the ban.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 26 Nov 2015 11:03

Russia halts coal supplies to Ukraine over Crimea energy crisis – report - Nov 25, 2015

On Tuesday, Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak accused Ukraine of not repairing sabotaged power lines supplying energy to the Crimean peninsula for 'political reasons'. He warned that in response, Moscow could cut off coal supplies to Ukrainian power stations, which could partly disrupt their output.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 27 Nov 2015 03:52

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Dugin

Before war broke out between Russia and Georgia in 2008, Dugin visited South Ossetia and predicted, "Our troops will occupy the Georgian capital Tbilisi, the entire country, and perhaps even Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula, which is historically part of Russia, anyway."[32] Afterwards he said Russia should "not stop at liberating South Ossetia but should move further," and "we have to do something similar in Ukraine."[14] In 2008, Dugin stated that Russia should repeat the Georgian scenario in Ukraine, namely attack it.[33] In September 2008, after the Russian-Georgian war, he did not hide his anger to Putin, who "dared not drop the other shoe" and "restore the Empire."[34]

According to his geopolitical views, he considers the war between Russia and Ukraine to be inevitable and appeals for Putin to start military intervention in eastern Ukraine.[16]

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 27 Nov 2015 12:48

In the aftermath of the Russian intervention in Syria,and the Turkish conspiracy with ISIS being revealed,the importance of Putin's Crimean gambit cannot be more relevant today. It is a most vital strategic piece of territory from where the entire Black Sea and its littoral nations can be controlled.The huge naval base at Sevastopol looms ever more important as the home for both Russia's Black Sea fleet and its Meditt. task forces,operating out of Latakia.While the extreme possibility of Turkey trying to prevent Russian warships and subs transiting the Bosphorous cannot be ruled out,a huge build up in infrastructure at Tartus and Latakia and other Russian air bases,etc. in Syria is taking place.Russia is going to be firmly entrenched in Syria for years to come.Any hopes by the Yanquis,EUropeans and their Turkish bumchums that Russia can be forced out of Syria and Assad easily removed and replaced,is wishful thinking. The Russian borders now begin in Syria,not the Crimea.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/ ... 31986.html

Why Russia Is Expanding Its Naval Base in Syria

By Matthew Bodner
Sep. 21 2015

VKRussia in recent weeks has wrong-footed Israel, the U.S. and Europe by beefing up its supply of military hardware to the Syrian government.

The Russian military is expanding its tiny naval facility at Tartus on the Syrian coast to handle bigger warships and transport vessels amid a general buildup of Russian forces in territory controlled by Syrian President Bashar Assad, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday, citing military sources.

The news broke as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew with his military and intelligence chiefs to Moscow on Monday to meet with President Vladimir Putin and discuss ways to prevent accidental clashes of Russian and Israeli forces operating in Syria.

Russia in recent weeks has wrong-footed Israel, the U.S. and Europe by beefing up its supply of military hardware to the Syrian government. News reports have alleged that Russia has deployed forces such as Su-30 fighter jets, tanks, armored vehicles and troops to a government-controlled airfield in Latakia.

To better sustain and supply both its own forces and the Syrian government’s, Russia has deployed some 1,700 military specialists to its small naval repair station at Tartus, 90 kilometers to the south of Latakia — a dramatic increase in personnel at a facility that until recently was staffed by a handful of military men and civilian contractors, Kommersant reported.

“They are outfitting and guarding the facility, and are restructuring the dock,” an unidentified soldier stationed at Tartus told Kommersant, adding that the specialists should be rotated out of Syria in three months.

This was confirmed by an unidentified source in Russia’s General Staff, the military’s highest command authority, Kommersant reported. The General Staff source said that the expansion of Tartus into a full-scale naval base was not connected with any imminent Russian intervention in Syria’s civil war.

Instead, after its expansion, “[Tartus] will simply be able to accommodate first- and second-rank ships from the Russian Mediterranean flotilla,” the source said, referring to the Russian designation for ships ranging in size from large cruisers to destroyers and large landing ships and transports.

This points to a two-pronged vision for the future of Russia’s Syrian naval outpost — currently Russia’s only pit-stop in the Mediterranean, said Dr. Theodore Karasik, a UAE-based military and geopolitical expert.

“The Russian port in Tartus, although small, is a main entry point for Russian equipment to support the Syrian government,” Karasik said. “[However], Russia seeks to expand Tartus not only because of the required throughput necessary to help the Syrian government, but also to increase Moscow’s presence in the eastern Mediterranean.”
Historical Foothold

As the destination of the so-called Syrian Express — a Russian naval supply route from the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol — Tartus has long served as a kind of beachhead for Russian arms and equipment deliveries to Syria.

Moscow has since 1956 supplied weapons to the Syrian government, and by 1991, the total value of Soviet arms deliveries to Damascus had reached $26 billion, according to Kommersant. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, arms sales have continued, though their value is unclear.

Heavy equipment such as Bastion coastal defense missiles, T-80 battle tanks, and Su-27 fighters have been delivered to the Syrian government since 2010, Kommersant reported, citing an unidentified source at state arms export agency Rosoboronexport.

Tartus has been an entry point for Russian arms deliveries to Syria since 1971, when it was leased to Moscow, but the base was doubly significant for serving as a home away from home for the Soviet Mediterranean flotilla.

But this ended with the fall of the Soviet Union, when the Russian military was forced to retrench, and the 1990s saw the scale of operations at Tartus drastically diminish.

“It hasn’t been used much, nor has it been properly renovated,” said Yury Barmin, a Russian expert in the Middle East arms trade and politics. “Tartus can’t accommodate any of the major Russian warships, which is why upgrading it makes sense.”

By the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Tartus was manned by only a handful of Russian military servicemen and civilian contractors, and the single remaining floating dock could only receive the smallest of Russia’s ocean-going vessels.

Russia has been looking to rebuild its presence at Tartus since at least 2010, when the former head of the navy Vladimir Vysotsky unveiled plans to equip the facility to handle ships as big as Russia’s aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov.

That work was meant to be completed by 2012, and be carried out in two phases — first, establishing a military base, and then expanding the naval facilities. The breakout of the Syrian civil war stifled these plans, and only now that Russia is stepping up support for Assad’s regime have they been dusted off.

“The base would offer Russian military equipment easy access to Syria, because right now Russian landing ships primarily use the port at [nearby] Latakia, a province under constant rebel offensive,” Barmin said.

Russia’s decision to overhaul the Tartus facility and expand it into a naval base for larger vessels speaks not only to Moscow’s intention to provide significant levels of military aid to the Syrian government, but make good on its promise to project power into the Mediterranean.

In July, Russia announced updates to its national naval doctrine that called for a return to more frequent patrols and operations in areas such as the Mediterranean, where the Soviet Union once had a formidable presence.

But in order to support these operations, which will be conducted by the Black Sea Fleet out of Sevastopol, with occasional support from the Northern Fleet, Russia needs ports in the Mediterranean to dock ships for refueling and maintenance.

“Expanding the Tartus facility and turning it into a naval base would provide the Russian fleet with a logistical advantage sparing it constant trips back to the Black Sea through the Bosphorus,” Barmin said.

Although Tartus appears to be the primary focus, it isn’t the only place that Russia is looking to base its ships, Karasik said.

“Already, the Russian Defense Ministry is deep into making plans for other ports around the Mediterranean, notably in North Cyprus, but also maritime access in Egypt, in Libya under a new national government, Greece and perhaps Italy,” Karasik said.

“Clearly, the Kremlin seeks a maritime hub system in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Oman,” Karasik added.

habal · Post by **habal** » 27 Nov 2015 13:17

Philip wrote: Although Tartus appears to be the primary focus, it isn’t the only place that Russia is looking to base its ships, Karasik said.

“Already, the Russian Defense Ministry is deep into making plans for other ports around the Mediterranean, notably in North Cyprus, but also maritime access in Egypt, in Libya under a new national government, Greece and perhaps Italy,” Karasik said.

“Clearly, the Kremlin seeks a maritime hub system in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Oman,” Karasik added.

[/quote]

so it is expansion of warm water ports in middle east that is main objective. This is a long term plan that is going to rub countries like tourkiyë the wrong way once hostilities set in for long term.

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 27 Nov 2015 13:30

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... 2s-419513/

India receives last batch of Ukraine-upgraded AN-32s

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 27 Nov 2015 13:32

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/ ... ABA1qGx.97

Alone among European nations, the Dutch are holding a referendum on April 6 - albeit non-binding - on whether to reject the EU's 2014 association agreement with Ukraine, which aims to promote economic ties.

Although the Dutch government did not want a referendum on the agreement it backed, it has no choice after a satirical news website gathered the 300,000 signatures required under Dutch law to force one.

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 28 Nov 2015 12:13

Here is the daily dose of humour from American media.

https://news.vice.com/article/in-effort ... an-flights

In Effort to Calm Tensions, Ukraine Bans Russian Flights

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... story.html

Is Syria the beginning of the end of Putinism?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 28 Nov 2015 12:33

That's hilarious! Syria is actually the beginning of the Russian pro-activeness in global affairs after seeing the US and the West abdicate their role in genuinely fighting Islamist/jihadi terrorism and ISIS in particular.

The US has been under O'Bomber retreating in style in all the hotspots where it was primarily responsible for igniting conflict that ahs taken the lives of millions. It simply could not sustain these illegal wars,where it used duplicitous diplomacy ,asinine ambitions militaire and dubious "democracy" which was stuffed down the throats of its victims,which they vomited out. In the UKR it tried and failed to oust Russian influence and expand NATO and the EU to the borders of Russia.In fact,it has been a debacle instead. The UKR lost the strategically important Crimean peninsula and much of the eastern area of the country,firmly in the hands of the pro-Russian rebel govt. In actual fact,the Donetsk "republic" has a tighter grip over its territory than the so-called Syrian anti-Assad rebels who are being pounded by Russian and Syrian forces. Where is their capital? Ankara or Riyadh?

As Russian involvement in Syria increases-and now it is not just a matter of protecting one's strategic interests,it is a matter of honour after the ISIS downing of the Ru airliner and the Turkish shooting down of the Ru SU-24. The borders of Russia have in fact moved further southwards ,from the Crimea to Syria!

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 28 Nov 2015 13:14

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34949905

Ukraine punished by Uefa after fans' racist behaviour

Racism in Kiev.

Must be Russian propaganda only.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 29 Nov 2015 13:00

This is squishy!
In the light of an IN Russian built Kilo sub "shafting"" a US SSN in the recent Malabar exercises,one can understand the indignation of the UKR navy ,steeped in Soviet era naval traditions and technology to switch to the NATO std.Germany after reunification found that their basic model MIG-29s could also "shaft" Yanqui F-16s (Posted earlier)!

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/kyiv-po ... 02972.html
Ukraine’s naval leaders resist switch to NATO standards
Nov. 27, 2015,

Nov. 27, 2015, 12:03 p.m. | Kyiv Post+ — by Oleg Sukhov
Reuters: Ukraine says Russia has started to restrict its coal supplies
Demchyshyn says Crimean power cut leads to halt in coal shipments from Donbas, Russia, coal stocks to last 45-50 days

Ukraine’s navy barely recovering from its near-death experience

“To hell with NATO,” one high-ranking Ukrainian naval officer recently told his colleagues, according to Natalia Zeinalova, a volunteer who is trying to resurrect Ukraine's navy.

She says this phrase sums up the attitude that the navy’s leadership has taken towards creating a more efficient force and switching to NATO standards.

The Ukrainian Navy’s spokesman Oleh Chubuk said he would not comment on the issue, stating that he knew nothing about any criticism of navy commanders.

But analysts told the Kyiv Post that the navy’s leadership is putting Ukraine’s relations with NATO at risk and may prevent the country’s maritime forces from getting out of their current dismal state.

“The goal is to build a navy anew, because it’s virtually non-existent,” Zeinalova, the head of the Committee for the Ukrainian Navy’s Renewal and Development, a volunteer group, told the Kyiv Post.

Ukraine’s navy currently comprises 11 warships and 39 auxiliary ships. It was deprived of many bases and lost about two-thirds of its fleet when Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014.

Zeinalova said military authorities were currently imitating reform.

Ukraine should look to Poland, Romania and the Baltic States as examples of successful naval reform, Ihor Kabanenko, a former deputy commander of the Ukrainian navy and deputy defense minister, told the Kyiv Post. There was “political will from above, and willingness from below,” he said.

“They had a team of like-minded professionals who wanted to carry out the reform, as well as the knowledge, experience and all the powers."

Kabanenko, Zeinalova and Andriy Ryzhenko – a deputy chief of the navy’s staff for European integration – have been promoting a naval reform project unveiled in May. The project was drawn up with the help of Western experts.

But Serhiy Haiduk, the commander of the Ukrainian navy, has been pushing for his own proposal.

Yet Haiduk’s project does not comply with NATO standards and seeks to essentially keep the current system, Zeinalova and Ryzhenko argue. "The navy will change on the surface, but its essence will remain the same,” Zeinalova said.

Specifically, Haiduk’s project does not envisage scrapping obsolete ships.

The project being pushed by Ryzhenko and Zeinalova calls for laying off excess staff and increasing wages, while Haiduk’s project does not.

The navy’s peacetime staff should be cut to about 4,000 to 5,000 people from the current more than 7,000, and servicemen’s wages should be raised to between $30,000 and $50,000 per year, up from $7,000, Ryzhenko said.

The Western-developed project also calls for switching to a NATO-type military structure, creating an efficient logistics system, and moving the residence of the navy’s commander from Odesa to Kyiv, which would allow him to liaise more easily with the capital’s policymakers.

Ryzhenko and Zeinalova also say that the Western-developed reform project would lead to more transparent spending and eliminate loopholes for corruption, while Haiduk’s project retains the current, murky financing practices.

The Western-developed reform project also takes a force capability-based approach and focuses on quality criteria, while Haiduk’s vision is quantity-oriented, Kabanenko said.

“It’s impossible to create something new with old phrases and old approaches,” Kabanenko said of Haiduk’s project.

Dmytro Taran, a deputy chief of the navy’s staff, went to Brussels in early October and presented a summary of Haiduk’s naval reform project to NATO, despite the fact that it had not been signed by Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak or any high-ranking Defense Ministry official, Zeinalova said.

“The West will not support and will not accept this blueprint,” Zeinalova said. “Its content is unclear. Our partners want to see a road map, not a tale about how great we’re doing.”

After Taran’s return from Brussels, the reformers seemed to have gained the upper hand, with Poltorak creating a working group on naval reform headed by Ryzhenko on Oct. 13.

But Haiduk was unhappy with that decision and repeatedly refused to let Ryzhenko attend working group meetings in Kyiv, though Ryzhenko ignored the ban. Haiduk has also banned Ryzhenko from attending meetings with NATO representatives.

In the end, Ryzhenko’s naval reform group was disbanded when the Defense Ministry set up another working group on reforming the entire armed forces, including the navy, on Oct. 26.

“They’re creating a hell of a lot of working groups,” Zeinalova argued. “The purpose is not to do anything, but to procrastinate. They don’t need competent specialists who will ask inconvenient questions.”

Ryzhenko was not included in the new working group. The navy has also removed Ryzhenko as deputy chief of staff from its roster of personnel, and once plans for naval reform are finalized he is expected to be fired.

Like Ryzhenko, foreign advisors were not included in the working group either, according to a document seen by the Kyiv Post.

“They don’t need competent specialists who will ask inconvenient questions,” Zeinalova said.

Vladyslav Seleznyov, a spokesman for the General Staff, claimed by phone that foreign specialists had taken part in the process but Zeinalova said volunteers had not seen them at the working group meetings that they attended.

Last week Haiduk’s reform project was signed by Viktor Muzhenko, chief of the General Staff, and sent to NATO.

Haiduk is "building a closed system, and he throws you out if you’re not on his team,” Ryzhenko said.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 01 Dec 2015 10:11

Did the US send junk to Ukraine:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/che ... ing-apart/

On Ukraine’s front lines, U.S.-supplied equipment is falling apart

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff November 30 at 11:58 AM

The United States has delivered more than $260 million in non-lethal military equipment to help the government of Ukraine in its fight against a Russian-backed insurgency, but some of the U.S.-supplied gear meant to protect and transport Ukrainian military forces is little more than junk.

On the outskirts of the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, for example, one Ukrainian special forces unit is using U.S.-supplied Humvees dating from the late 1980s and early 1990s, based on serial numbers on the vehicles.

Three of the Humvees had plastic doors and windows — barely any protection at all. The tires on one of the trucks blew apart after driving only a few hundred kilometers, the result of sitting in a warehouse too long, said one mechanic.

Another infantry unit of approximately 120 men received from the Pentagon a single bulletproof vest — a type that U.S. troops stopped using in combat during the mid-2000s.

[Inside the Ukrainian special forces fight against separatists – and their own government]

“If the Americans are going to send us equipment, don’t send us secondhand stuff,” said one Ukrainian special forces commander, who like other soldiers spoke on condition of anonymity to criticize the condition of his unit’s gear.

The obsolete equipment was identified on a tour near the front lines in eastern Ukraine with help from mechanics serving in the Ukrainian army and through interviews with front-line troops. In some cases, serial numbers were used to trace the origins of certain vehicles.

The decaying state of U.S.-supplied equipment on Ukraine’s front lines has bred distrust and lowered morale among Ukrainian troops, soldiers said. Experts said the low quality of the gear also calls into question the U.S. government’s commitment to a war that is entering its second year, with well-equipped Russian-backed separatists still firmly entrenched in Ukraine’s eastern region.

In recent weeks, attacks along Ukraine’s front lines have spiked, with Ukrainian troops reporting casualties almost daily. Last month, five Ukrainian soldiers were killed in one day.

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 04 Dec 2015 12:23

Russia powers up Crimea, cutting dependence on Ukraine - RT.com

The energy bridge will deliver 200 MW of electricity a day from the Krasnodar region in mainland Russia starting from Thursday. Another 200 MW will be delivered by a second power cable expected to be connected by December 20.

This will cover 80-90 percent of Crimea's energy needs, according to Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak. He says another 400 MW energy bridge will be constructed by May 2016.

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 06 Dec 2015 13:32

Y. Kanan wrote:The Ukrainians were obviously prodded by the Americans into taking this action. They want to reignite the frozen conflict in Ukraine, force the Russians to undertake a large-scale mobilization and divert precious resources from their efforts in Syria. This probably means Turkey is about to take some sort of military action to block or neutralize the ongoing Syrian govt counteroffensive. I'm thinking the Turks are about to move into Syria in a big way, to create a safe haven for ISIS\Al-Nusra\etc, which the Turks will of course call a "buffer zone". This will block all SAA ground offensives and of course make the skies above strictly off limits to Russian aircraft. The other goal of this invasion will of course be to roll back any gains the Kurds have made in Syria.

By heating up Ukraine, the US guarantees that Russia cannot intimidate Turkey into submission as the bulk of their combat power will be tied up facing Ukraine.

The lengths to which the Americans will go to promote their Sunni agenda in ME is truly disgusting.

Posted 2 days before Turks ambushed & shot down a Russian SU-24.

BR, where tomorrow comes today, indeed!

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 08 Dec 2015 09:40

http://rbth.com/news/2015/12/07/lavrov- ... ncy_548355

Lavrov: U.S. admits lack of prospects of restoring Ukrainian solvency.

"We were ready to restructure Ukraine's $3 billion debt at much more advantageous terms than those asked of us by the IMF [International Monetary Fund]. But these terms, which extend the repayment not by one but three years and in equal installments, were certainly tied to these payments by Ukraine being guaranteed by the EU, the U.S. and the IMF or a first-class international bank. We were denied it. By officially rejecting the proposed scheme, the United States thereby subscribed to not seeing any prospects of Ukraine restoring its solvency," Lavrov said.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 08 Dec 2015 11:35

And now UKR "nationalists" art blackmail!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... group.html
Dutch Golden Age paintings 'held for €50m ransom by Ukrainian far-Right militia group'
Westfries Museum alleges that the group holding the artworks was the Battalion of Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (Battalion OUN)

Jan Claesz Rietschoof's 'View of Oostereiland' (1652-1719), one of the dozens of 17th-century paintings stolen a decade ago found in the Ukraine
By Senay Boztas, Amsterdam

7:52PM GMT 07 Dec 2015

A trove of Dutch Golden Age paintings stolen a decade ago are being held for ransom by a Ukrainian far-Right militia group in Ukraine with "contacts on the highest political levels", a museum in the Netherlands said on Monday.

Westfries Museum in Hoorn, in the Netherlands’ north-west province of Friesland, on Monday announced that it believes the 24 looted artworks - whose estimated value was €10 million (£7 million) when they were taken - are currently being held at several locations in Ukraine.

It says that members of an ultra-nationalist group, Battalion of Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (Battalion OUN), have been demanding a hugely inflated sum of €50 million for their return, in a plot allegedly involving Ukrainian secret services and high-ranking politicians.

The museum named Battalion OUN's deputy commander, Borys Humeniuk, as a key figure in the scheme.

It also claimed that Oleh Tyanybok, leader of the far-Right political party Svoboda, and Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, the former head of the Ukrainian security services, were among "highly placed individuals operating behind the scenes of the volunteer battalion".

The leader of Nationalist Svoboda Political Party Oleh TyahnybokThe leader of Nationalist Svoboda Political Party Oleh Tyahnybok Photo: Sergii Kharchenko/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty

Now, with attempts to retrieve the artworks having failed, Westfries Museum has gone public with the story, fearing that a sale is taking place on the illegal circuit already.

Ad Geerdink, the museum director, has posted an impassioned plea on YouTube, in English: “To everyone who has possession of our stolen treasure or has any knowledge about their whereabouts, I want to say: these are not pieces of art for you to have or sell. They are not assets you trade for some lousy money.

"These pieces of art are part of our cultural heritage, our history, and they belong here."

On the night of January 9, 2005, thieves broke into the museum, disabled the alarm, and stole 70 pieces of silver and the 24 paintings from the 17th and 18th century. These included works from the Golden Age painters Jan van Goyen and Hendrik Bogaert, created in an era when the Netherlands was a world leader in trade, science and art and Hoorn – according to Mr Geerdink – was “the place to be”.

After years of trying to track them down, the museum saw one of the paintings on a Ukrainian website a year ago. In July, it says, two people arrived at the Dutch embassy in Kiev saying they represented a Ukrainian “volunteer battalion” and had the complete collection of stolen paintings.

"Vanity" by Jacob Waben, dated 1622"Vanity" by Jacob Waben, dated 1622 Photo: West fries Museum via AP

The militia members had a photograph of one of the paintings accompanied by a Ukrainian newspaper displaying its date as proof, and said they would hand over the paintings for the exorbitant sum, plus a €5 million "finders’ fee". They also insisted that the Ukrainian authorities not be involved.

However, Dutch police and justice officials were informed and began to make diplomatic efforts to recover the stolen art, while the council of Hoorn also tried to make contact, employing art crime specialist Arthur Brand.

But Mr Brand said that the present group had a “completely unrealistic idea of the value of the stolen paintings”. According to current market values, he valued them at up to €1.3 million in good condition – and just €500,000 in a poor condition, which appeared to be the case.

“Every week and every day that goes by, the paintings deteriorate even more,” Mr Geerdink told The Telegraph. “That is why we want to make it public now. Mr Brand’s evidence suggests that Ukrainian politicians and former secret service members at the highest levels are involved or protecting these people.

“We have been given very strong indications that the works are being offered for sale, or have even already been sold on the illegal circuit and our greatest fear is that the collection will be broken up, sink into the illegal world and perhaps be lost forever.”

Head of Ukraine's security service, Valentyn Nalyvaichenko Head of Ukraine's security service, Valentyn Nalyvaichenko Photo: Vladimir Shtanko/Anadolu Agency/Getty

He added that the reason these paintings are especially important is that they document a time when his small region was leading the world. “In the town of Hoorn, our hour of glory was the 17th century,” he said. “It was the place to be in that short period of 50 years. There was enormous wealth, science and the arts were flourishing and many inventions were made in this region.

"It is also important in the history of the Netherlands, and these paintings are an important part of the story."

Bert Koenders, Dutch foreign minister, told national broadcaster NOS he had been in contact with Ukrainian political leaders about the case. "We've brought this up at the highest level with the Ukrainians," he said. "I believe that they are taking it very seriously. We are going to try to ensure it returns to the Westfries Museum."

The revelation about the location of the stolen paintings has come as Joe Biden, the US vice president, announced new financial aid of $190 million to Ukraine to help it “root out the cancer of corruption” and streamline its bureaucracy, adding that it had a lot of difficult work to do on such reforms.

PS:Joe Biden's business deals with the UKR must be spotlighted in his regular supply of largesse to that country.This is just the tip of the iceberg. Enjoy the foll:

http://www.westernjournalism.com/reveal ... company/[b]
REVEALED: Joe Biden’s Cocaine-Using, Navy-Busted Son Now Working For Huge Ukraine Company[/b]

http://www.texemarrs.com/082014/biden_k ... in_gas.htm

Ukraine, the country now taken over by a coup d état of Israeli and the U.S. and ruled by brutal Jewish oligarchs, is set to receive billions of dollars in arms for its military from the Obama Administration. But the Ukrainians had to prove their loyalty to the Jews and to Zionism to get these armaments.

First, Ukraine’s corrupt new governors agreed to make U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, a board member of Burisma, Ukraine’s largest gas company. Hunter Biden will also be the chief legal officer of Burisma.

“This is totally based on merit,” said Burisma’s chairman, the Jew, Al Apker.
Uh huh.

Another American, Devon Archer, was also promoted to the board. Who is Archer? Well Devon Archer and Hunter Biden are business cronies. Together with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s stepson, Chris Heinz, they own a mysterious private equity firm called “Rosemart Seneca Partners.”

Two months before February’s coup d état, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Ukraine. He met with the chief Rabbi and other top Jews and made arrangements with Burisma, aligning that gas enterprise with the American oil and gas industries. This means that Rockefeller and Rothschild and their energy pals are “in,” and Russia and Putin are “out.”

Of course, when Biden and Kerry’s sons go into Ukraine, where they don’t even know the language, and “assume supervision” of Burisma, you know that the fix is in.

Now that the pro-Russian elected officials have been overthrown in Ukraine the neo-Nazis and Jews who run the new fascist government can really get going in earnest. American arms are pouring in, and NATO troops are in-country. Israel is training pro-Zionist Ukrainian Jews to do the dirty work of killing and destruction and sending them into the Ukraine.

At the U.S. State Department, Vicki Nuland, the powerful Jew who heads the Ukrainian desk, is dictating to the Ukraine which of the Jewish oligarchs are favored by the Jewish American and Israeli big-wigs. And, sleazy men like Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, and their U.S. sidekick, Chris Heinz, are raking in the big bucks as directors for a crooked Ukrainian energy firm. War really is a racket.

http://www.dw.com/en/who-are-hunter-bid ... a-17642254
Who are Hunter Biden's Ukrainian bosses?
The appointment of Joe Biden's son to the board of Ukrainian gas firm Burisma has raised eyebrows the world over. The names of the company's actual owners are being protected like state secrets.

Who does Hunter Biden really work for? It's the question the media has been asking since Wednesday (14.05.2014), when it was revealed that the son of the US vice president joined the board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings in April.

The former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski also sits on the company's board, but his photo only appeared on Burisma's website on Friday (16.05.2014), even though he joined the company in January. Then the president of Ukraine was still Viktor Yanukovych, with whom Kwasniewski had previously negotiated on behalf of the European Parliament to secure the release of imprisoned former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

The remaining board members include two Americans, two Cypriots, and four young Ukrainians, almost all of whom spent stints in Russia during their careers. The bulk of the company's management was replaced in 2013, and Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Energy Industry Research Center in Kyiv, says this may indicate a change in ownership. "It simply wasn't reported," he told DW. He sees Burisma as a company with a lot of potential, as does Hennadi Kobal of the Kyiv Center of Oil and Gas "Newfolk": "They've secured good land for themselves."
USA Barack Obama Joe Biden und Hunter Biden
Hunter Biden (right) has now joined Burisma last month
British PR firm takes care of media

Anyone wanting to know more about the company needs time. Burisma's modest website says the firm was founded in 2002 and grew to become "one of Ukraine's largest independent gas producers." There's no mention of the owners.

London-based PR firm Bell Pottinger handles Burisma's media relations, though they failed to respond to a DW request about Burisma. One of Bell Pottinger's founders, Lord Timothy Bell, once advised former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, as well as the first Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Prominent customers in recent years include Asma Assad, the wife of the Syrian President, and the government of Belarus.

Yanukovych's gas baron

Ukrainian media reports about Burisma reveal an impenetrable web of companies, most of which are registered in Cyprus. One name, Mykola Slotshevski, appears more than once. The 47-year-old is thought to have been the original owner of the company - at least until recently.

Slotshevski has built a career in the oil and gas business since the early 1990s. In 2013, the Ukrainian news magazine "Korrespondent" estimated his fortune at about $238 million (173 million euros).

Slotshevski, known for having a fondness for British luxury cars like Rolls Royce and Bentley, was a member of the Ukrainian parliament, and headed the Environment Ministry between 2010 and 2012 before serving on the Security Council. He was well-connected in Yanukovych's government, ousted in February 2014.

Growth in gas

In late 2013, Slotshevski denied that he owned Burisma, and an employee in his office reported that he sold the company - but no evidence of this has come to light yet. Two oligarchs, Ihor Kolomojski and Viktor Pinchuk, have been named as the possible new owners. Kolomojski was appointed the new head of the regional administration in Dnipropetrovsk after the recent change of government in Kyiv. He is believed to wield more political influence than Pinchuk.

DW could not reach Kolomojski for comment about Burisma. Pinchuk refused to comment, but is said to have a good relationship with the Democratic Party in the US, and is also believed to have been a long time friend of former Polish President Kwasniewski.

According to expert estimates, Ukraine's own gas reserves only meet about a third - 15 to 20 billion cubic meters - of the country's gas needs. Most of the demand is covered by state-owned companies, but the private sector's share is growing, and there are believed to extensive gas deposits in the country's east. But in order to mine there, Ukraine needs the expertise of Western corporations.
Tymoshenko scuppered a deal to prevent Russian interests controlling Ukrainian gas

US firms in Ukraine

The US has been active in Ukraine for some time. In 2007, the firm Vanco won a contract to extract gas from the Black Sea, a deal that was annulled by Tymoshenko after the firm passed on the rights to another company that included eastern Ukrainian and Russian business interests.

Yanukovych's government worked hard to win over US and multinational firms for oil and gas extraction in Ukraine. Kyiv signed a contract with the US-based Chevron at the end of 2013 to extract shale gas in the west of the country. Another deal with the energy giant ExxonMobil - for gas in the Black Sea area - was abandoned following opposition protests.

But the news about the appointment of Hunter Biden has sparked allegations of nepotism - not least because it was revealed just a few weeks after his father's visit to Kyiv on April 22. Neither Burisma or the US State Department responded to DW's requests for comment. White House spokesman Jay Carney would say only that Hunter Biden was a private citizen and that his job had no impact on US policy.

http://thefederalist.com/2014/05/13/9-q ... n-ukraine/

9 Questions To Ask About Biden’s Work With A Gas Company In Ukraine
May 13, 2014 By Mollie Hemingway

Twitter is abuzz with questions about the involvement of Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter with a gas company in Ukraine. The company, Burisma, allegedly appointed Hunter Biden to its board of directors. In late April, around the time the vice president made an official trip to Ukraine, Burisma allegedly appointed Devon Archer, one of Hunter Biden’s business partners, to its board as well. Here’s a brief write-up on the story from the Moscow Times, an English-language news service based in Russia.

These dual announcements raise more questions than they answer. The prominence of the individuals involved — Hunter Biden is the vice president’s son, while Devon Archer was a major bundler for John Kerry and also his stepson’s college roommate — raises the question of whether the entire thing is a hoax.

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 12 Dec 2015 15:02

This is so phunny. Some lawmaker attempted to carry yats home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5FsZsL70JI

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 15 Dec 2015 10:18

^^that fight is between Yat group vs Chocolate group and is not going to end well for either of them.

US/West wanted to make Saddam/Gaddafi out of Yanukovych but was rescued by Russia and rest as they say is history (ditto template followed in Syria).

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 15 Dec 2015 19:32

Russia is reportedly sorting out the power problem of Crimea ,thanks to the UKR perfidy,by installing power lines to the peninsula.

Meanwhile,in the dysfunctional nation of the Ukraine,rapidly descending into political schizophrenia,
the comedy of the absurd continues!
Here is a tale of two "Arses",pardon the pun!
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/d ... rnors-face

Ukrainian minister throws water in Odessa governor's face

Spat between Arsen Avakov and Mikheil Saakashvili follows a brawl between an MP and the prime minister last week

Arsen Avakov, left, said Mikheil Saakashvili was hysterical. ‘I refrained from hitting him and just threw water in his face.’ Photograph: Corbis/AP

Shaun Walker in Moscow
Tuesday 15 December 2015

Chaos broke out at a Ukrainian government meeting on Monday after the interior minister threw water in the face of Mikheil Saakashvili, formerly president of Georgia and now governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region.

Arsen Avakov wrote on Facebook that Saakashvili had been “hysterical” during the meeting of the National Reform Council, and was screaming insults at him. “I refrained from hitting him, and just threw water in his face,” the minister wrote. “It’s a long time since I’ve seen such a bonkers populist. Nobody could get a word in edgeways, he was interrupting everyone including the president.”

Saakashvili made a video address criticising Avakov and the prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, for their behaviour.

I have seen a lot of prime ministers and presidents, and “The prime minister called me a visiting performer, told me to get out of the country, and I’m not even going to repeat the other filth he said.in an informal setting anything goes. But at a meeting of that level, with the president, the whole government present, I have never seen such behaviour.”

The president, Petro Poroshenko, appointed Saakashvili to run Odessa in May. Some saw it as a masterstroke, believing an outsider might have success at breaking the corruption which has strangled the port city, while others said appointing the controversial politician was a recipe for disaster.

During his time in charge of Georgia, he introduced a number of reforms, but also lost a war to Russia over South Ossetia, and was accused of having authoritarian tendencies. Saakashvili took Ukrainian citizenship to take up the Odessa post, and this month was stripped of his Georgian citizenship. He is wanted on various charges in Georgia, but dismisses the cases as retribution by his political enemies.

Alongside shaking things up in Odessa, Saakashvili has become embroiled in an increasingly public spat with Yatsenyuk, publicly accusing the prime minister and his associates of corruption. There has been speculation both that Saakashvili is after the PM’s job, and that he is being used as an “attack dog” for Poroshenko, who has fallen out with his prime minister.

Ukraine’s MPs brawl in parliament.

A brawl broke out in parliament last week as Yatsenyuk addressed MPs. Oleh Barna, from Poroshenko’s ruling coalition, approached the prime minister, handed him a bunch of flowers, and attempted to remove him from the speaker’s podium forcefully, by slipping a hand through his legs and lifting him by the crotch.

Avakov wrote on Facebook that Barna had wanted to feel Yatsenyuk’s testicles, and discovered the prime minister had “balls of steel”.

Such public buffoonery has depressed many Ukrainians who expected a new kind of politics after last year’s Maidan revolution. It looks particularly bad just a week after the US vice president, Joe Biden, visited Kiev and addressed the Ukrainian parliament with an impassioned plea not to ruin the historical chance to fight corruption and modernise the country.

“Such street-style skirmishes shame the country,” presidential spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko wrote on Facebook on Tuesday over the spat between Saakashvili and Avakov.

But MPs said Poroshenko had to make a decision now about the fragile coalition. Yatsenyuk has very low popularity ratings, but some analysts say the coalition is the only way to get further reforms through parliament. The events of the past week suggest that tensions are at breaking point, however.

MP Mustafa Nayyem wrote on his Facebook page: “This hell will keep going until Poroshenko states his position. A governor can’t accuse the prime minister of corruption and keep his post! Or if he does, it means either he is telling the truth, or people are scared of him, or they are using him.”

He added that in the case of Saakashvili, it appeared the president was using him, and the prime minister was scared of him.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 17 Dec 2015 12:44

Choco soldier is getting his ghoolies squeezed hard! he has to pay Russia $3B before the 20th Dec. or ghet sued.

https://www.rt.com/business/326167-imf- ... ign/[b]IMF recognizes Ukraine’s contested $3bn debt to Russia as sovereign[/b]
Published time: 16 Dec, 2015