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Offline mystery-ak

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Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« on: February 19, 2014, 01:48:23 am »
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26249330

 18 February 2014 Last updated at 20:06 ET


Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp


The BBC's David Stern said the police were slowly moving into Independence Square

Police are storming the main protest camp in Ukraine's capital, Kiev, which has been occupied since November.

Explosions are taking place, fireworks are being thrown and large fires have broken out in Independence Square, known locally as the Maidan.

On Tuesday at least 18 people were killed, including seven policemen, in the worst violence seen in weeks.

Opposition leaders later met President Viktor Yanukovych but failed to find a solution to the crisis.

Vitaly Klitschko, leader of the opposition Udar (Punch) party, told Ukraine's Hromadske TV that the president had given the protesters only one option, leave the Maidan and go home.

Quote
At the scene
Marta Shokalo BBC Ukrainian, Kiev

Exactly a month ago, the nation was shocked by the deaths of protesters during clashes with riot police in central Kiev. On Tuesday Ukrainians again saw dead bodies strewn on the city streets, dozens of injured people.

Despite the shock, many came to the main protest camp, the Maidan, to support activists trained to defend barricades from the riot police.

Crowds grew as streams of people, including women, headed to the Maidan. Many had to walk as Kiev's metro was completely shut down for the first time since Ukraine gained independence in 1991.

The authorities said they had closed the metro because of the danger of "terror acts" in the capital.

Meanwhile, Mr Yanukovych's aide said the president was preparing to address the nation, without providing further details.

continued at link
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Offline mystery-ak

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2014, 02:05:51 am »
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=9E2498DA-F8C6-442C-A51F-EA7B36714398

 Joe Biden urges restraint in Ukraine
By: Associated Press
February 18, 2014 06:42 PM EST

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden has called Ukraine’s president to express “grave concern” about violent clashes in the capital of Kiev.

The White House says Biden called on President Viktor Yanukovych on Tuesday to pull back government forces and exercise maximum restraint. Riot police armed with stun guns and water cannons attacked a protest camp in Kiev Tuesday, killing at least 18 people and injuring hundreds.

The White House says Biden made clear that while the United States condemns violence by all parties, the government bears “special responsibility to de-escalate the situation.” Biden also called on Ukraine’s government to address the protestors’ “legitimate grievances” and put forward proposals for political reform.

Biden has spoken frequently with Yanukovych during the standoff between the government and protesters.
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Offline Chieftain

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2014, 02:15:32 am »
The violence continues to escalate and it is only a matter of time before the Russian military jumps into this.  I expect to see massive civilian casualties in the very near future.  After all, who is going to stop them?? 


Oceander

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2014, 03:45:49 am »
The violence continues to escalate and it is only a matter of time before the Russian military jumps into this. 

*  *  *


Perhaps that is one of the underlying points of this?  Not that the protestors (or the government) intend for it, but perhaps that, behind the scenes, it is Russia pulling the strings to foment violence.  After all, what better way to recapture the former soviet satellite states other than by "jumping in" to protect law and order, and then just sticking around - the way the US has stuck around in Afghanistan, say - and never leaving.

Offline pjohns

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2014, 07:15:30 pm »
Perhaps that is one of the underlying points of this?  Not that the protestors (or the government) intend for it, but perhaps that, behind the scenes, it is Russia pulling the strings to foment violence.  After all, what better way to recapture the former soviet satellite states other than by "jumping in" to protect law and order, and then just sticking around - the way the US has stuck around in Afghanistan, say - and never leaving.

That is a very good point!

I suspect that Putin will not make such a bold move quite yet--better to allow the Olympics to play out first--but that is just a few days away. 

Offline pjohns

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2014, 07:15:54 pm »
Things are starting to come to a head in Ukraine.  (As one commentator put it, just yesterday, this appears impervious to any possibility of a negotiated settlement.  One side will entirely vanquish the other--nothing in between.) 

Here is a bit more on the matter:

Quote
When Ukraine’s largely peaceful anti-government protests turned violent last November, President Viktor Yanukovych attempted to explain away the extreme response of riot police: He could not have protestors in the city center delaying setup for the Christmas tree and ice skating rink. Those comments became the focal point of jokes, but a new joke is going around: How long does it take a Ukrainian to change a light bulb? Two weeks. How long does it take him to build a barricade? Fifteen minutes.

Kiev’s protests have escalated into a movement with military-style camps, barricades massive enough to keep out tanks, and a full-scale takeover of the capital’s main square and government buildings throughout the country.

After months of demonstrations that have at times attracted hundreds of thousands of people, Ukraine’s protests are no laughing matter: At least six people were killed during violent clashes between police and protesters in January. And the government has confiscated cell phone numbers of tens of thousands of protesters in the square, sending them this message: “Dear subscriber: You are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance.”

And the link to the entire article:  http://www.worldmag.com/2014/02/winter_at_the_barricades
 

Offline LambChop

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2014, 07:30:49 pm »
Perhaps that is one of the underlying points of this?  Not that the protestors (or the government) intend for it, but perhaps that, behind the scenes, it is Russia pulling the strings to foment violence.  After all, what better way to recapture the former soviet satellite states other than by "jumping in" to protect law and order, and then just sticking around - the way the US has stuck around in Afghanistan, say - and never leaving.

Oh you bet your bippy it is.  And I think we've got an ugly hand in this too.  I think all the "nicey nice" we've seen between our countries is playing out in Ukraine, with it's people being the pawns.  The US and Russia are playing a game in this country to see who is stronger.  Shame on us both.

Russia is backing the Ukrainian government financially, the people of Ukraine don't want it.  They was more outreach to the EU.

I wouldn't put it past Obama and the rest of them to have orchestrated this in a "Mine's bigger than your's" contest with Putin.

My prayers go out to the people of Ukraine.  Only God can help them now.

Offline pjohns

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2014, 10:29:55 pm »
Further update, from the New York Times:
 
Quote
Abandoned by his own guards and reviled across the Ukrainian capital but still determined to recover his shredded authority, President Viktor F. Yanukovych fled Kiev on Saturday to denounce what he called a violent coup, as his official residence, his vast, colonnaded office complex and other once impregnable centers of power fell without a fight to throngs of joyous citizens stunned by their triumph.

 While Mr. Yanukovych’s nemesis, former Prime Minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko, was released from a penitentiary hospital, Parliament found the president unable to fulfill his duties and exercised its constitutional powers to set an election for May 25 to select his replacement. But with both Mr. Yanukovych and his Russian patrons speaking of a “coup” carried out by “bandits” and “hooligans,” it was far from clear that the day’s lightning-quick events would be the last act in a struggle that has not just convulsed Ukraine but expanded into an East-West confrontation reminiscent of the Cold War.

And the link to the entire article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/world/europe/ukraine.html?ref=europe&_r=0

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2014, 11:05:56 pm »
So will Russian troops roll into Kiev on Monday?
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline katzenjammer

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2014, 11:08:18 pm »
So will Russian troops roll into Kiev on Monday?

When are the Olympics over?

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2014, 11:13:03 pm »
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Chieftain

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2014, 11:14:03 pm »
Perhaps that is one of the underlying points of this?  Not that the protestors (or the government) intend for it, but perhaps that, behind the scenes, it is Russia pulling the strings to foment violence.  After all, what better way to recapture the former soviet satellite states other than by "jumping in" to protect law and order, and then just sticking around - the way the US has stuck around in Afghanistan, say - and never leaving.

Wait till the fiasco in Sochi is over and the world's (short) attention turns to Ukraine full time.....


Offline pjohns

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #12 on: February 24, 2014, 03:11:20 am »
So will Russian troops roll into Kiev on Monday?

Possibly.  It all depends upon what Vladimir Putin considers most prudent, as he attempts to re-establish the previous Russian empire (a.k.a. the Soviet Union). 

I am guessing that the Obama administration's "clear" warning to stay out of this matter is not intimidating Mr. Putin--or even being taken quite seriously by him. 

Oceander

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #13 on: February 24, 2014, 04:19:10 am »
Wait till the fiasco in Sochi is over and the world's (short) attention turns to Ukraine full time.....



Perhaps Obuttocks and Kerry will open the door (again) for Putin by threatening to send US troops into Ukraine?

Offline pjohns

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2014, 05:18:19 am »
Update:  Russia's military is now preparing for "war games" on the Russia-Ukraine border.

At the very least, this is intended as an act of intimidation.

Even more troubling, it could be a precursor to an invasian of Ukraine, as was the case in Georgia as recently as 2008.  (One need not go all the way back to Hungary in 1956, or Czechoslovakia in 1968, to find precedent for this sort of aggression, often disguised as an "invitation.")     
« Last Edit: February 27, 2014, 05:20:18 am by pjohns »

Oceander

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #15 on: February 27, 2014, 01:58:44 pm »
Update:  Russia's military is now preparing for "war games" on the Russia-Ukraine border.

At the very least, this is intended as an act of intimidation.

Even more troubling, it could be a precursor to an invasian of Ukraine, as was the case in Georgia as recently as 2008.  (One need not go all the way back to Hungary in 1956, or Czechoslovakia in 1968, to find precedent for this sort of aggression, often disguised as an "invitation.")     

I think we all know what this is prelude to

Offline pjohns

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #16 on: February 28, 2014, 08:26:30 pm »
As most people here are probably aware, Crimea--where Russia rents a warm-water port on the Black Sea; and which is therefore critical to Russia's navy--is in southern Ukraine.

Well, the Associated Press is now reporting that Russian troops have invaded southern Ukraine. 

Russia has now taken over several airports in that region.

Both Secretary of State John Kerry and Press Secretary Jay Carney have pontificated that the administration will be closely monitoring the situation, to see if any "line" has been "crossed." 

But we all know of President Obama's history as regarding lines; so I am guessing that Vladimir Putin is not trembling in his boots right now.

The UN Security Council is currently meeting behind closed doors, in order to try to calculate an appropriate response:  UPDATE 3-U.N. Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Ukraine crisis | Reuters

Offline pjohns

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #17 on: March 03, 2014, 12:48:36 am »
I found the following post on another political forum; and I think it deserves to be reproduced:

Quote
[T]he USA and Great Britain (and Russia) signed an assistance pact (thank you Bill Clinton) with Ukraine in exchange for them agreeing to do away with their nuclear arms. The full text of the agreement is below but I'm sure the Ukranian people are happy about THAT decision right about now.. :(
 
BUDAPEST AGREEMENT 1994
"Noting the changes in the world-wide security situation, including the end of the Cold War, which have brought about conditions for deep reductions in nuclear forces.
 
Confirm the following:
The United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine, in accordance with the principles of the CSCE Final Act, to respect the Independence and Sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine.
 
The United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, reaffirm their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, and that none of their weapons will ever be used against Ukraine except in self-defense or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
 
The United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine, in accordance with the principles of the CSCE Final Act, to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind.
 
The United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, reaffirm their commitment to seek immediate United Nations Security Council action to provide assistance to Ukraine, as a non-nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, if Ukraine should become a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used.
 
The United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, reaffirm, in the case of the Ukraine, their commitment not to use nuclear weapons against any non-nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, except in the case of an attack on themselves, their territories or dependent territories, their armed forces, or their allies, by such a state in association or alliance with a nuclear weapon state.
 
The United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will consult in the event a situation arises which raises a question concerning these commitments.
 *******************************************
 
Try enforcing this one when Russia has a security council veto.
 John McCain actually had some good ideas this morning on the talk shows about what we CAN do:
 1. Freeze Russian assets in western banks.
 2. Indict Russian leaders in violation of international treaties and impose warrants and visa restrictions on them.
 3. Convene NATO and invite GEORGIA to become a member as they desire.
 4. Re-institute missile defense system in former Soviet satellite states.
 5. Remove Russia from G8 nations.
 
I can think of a few others...like ending ALL trade. Ending ALL treaties. Providing Ukraine with economic and military credits/assistance.
 And of course...fire another arrow from Obama's dwindling quiver of outrage condemning in the strongest terms this violation of international law.

It is really quite informative.  And it contains some very good suggestions at the end, I think.

Offline pjohns

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Re: Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev 'Maidan' protest camp
« Reply #18 on: March 03, 2014, 06:56:37 pm »
Here is the latest on the crisis in Ukraine, from Reuters:

Quote
Russia's Black Sea Fleet has told Ukrainian forces in Crimea to surrender by 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Tuesday or face a military assault, Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Ukrainian Defence Ministry as saying.
 
The ultimatum, Interfax said, was issued by Alexander Vitko, the fleet's commander.

The ministry did not immediately confirm the report and there was no immediate comment by the Black Sea Fleet, which has a base in Crimea, where Russian forces are in control.

"If they do not surrender before 5 a.m. tomorrow, a real assault will be started against units and divisions of the armed forces across Crimea," the agency quoted the ministry source as saying.

Here is the link:  Russia gives Ukrainian forces in Crimea ultimatum to surrender - Interfax | Reuters