Putin puts troops in western Russia on alert in drill

[dozor]

Unlikely. Special force veterans are usually on the opposite side of it. And people are usually aware of those guys and wont support them. These guys, on the other hand, seem to be enjoying a comfortable support among the locals.

Well, we have to ask Cynep on this. He is near the spot so he should know better than us.

Petro Poroshenko (leading presidential candidate) said that protesters are not homogeneous. In Kharkiv, Donetsk and Lugansk - ordinary people concerned with fascist/extremist threat and in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk there was professional military looking and behaving militants of unknown origin.
Seems true, because they scared and dispersed federalization activists that was trying to stop them from overtaking police department to not compromise federalization movement, as seen in this video


Local people of Krasny Lyman Donetsk region stopped those unknown militants from overtaking city police department.


From what I know about Donetsk folk, they do not like any protests, instability etc. They didn't like Maidan, they do not like this either.

[Ausr]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...curity-council


Yeah. The UN meeting that Russia called is going to condemn them.

Yeah, Russia is going to try to convince the other Security Council members to go along with them. I'm more likely to see a bus of swimsuit models needing an oil boy than that happening.

[obdigore]

Yeah, Russia is going to try to convince the other Security Council members to go along with them. I'm more likely to see a bus of swimsuit models needing an oil boy than that happening.

Even China, Russias closest/only 'ally' on the security council, has been like 'nope, we are staying out of it'. China has quite a few areas that would 'vote for independence' in the same way Crimea did.

[Cybran]

Yeah, Russia is going to try to convince the other Security Council members to go along with them.

Russia will warn NATO that if Kiev uses force against their ethnic minority in Eastern Ukraine they will send in their army. Which will deter Kiev from doing anything stupid and they will submit to Moscow's demands for federalization and pay up their Gas bills.

Obama and Rasmussen will talk about how disappointed they are, but they won't do anything.

[Deleted]

It would actually make sense for security forces to come in. Prevent a civil war and dont let Russia alone to annex anything.

[mmokri]

Yeah, Russia is going to try to convince the other Security Council members to go along with them. I'm more likely to see a bus of swimsuit models needing an oil boy than that happening.

Obv it is not. Current Ukraine gov is the most democratic in the world. Democracy will prevail.

[dozor]

It would actually make sense for security forces to come in. Prevent a civil war and dont let Russia alone to annex anything.

Seems quite reasonable.

[mmokri]

Local people of Krasny Lyman Donetsk region stopped those unknown militants from overtaking city police department.

Obv these people are not related to the most democratic party in the world.

[Deleted]

...in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk there was professional military looking and behaving militants of unknown origin.

Yeah, Kramatorsk has me worried - that's definitely a paramilitary unit which took the police station yesterday:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27005783

The degree of homogeneity of equipment is high and very different from those I've seen on photos and videos from other pro-Russian "demonstrators" in East Ukraine. In every other flashpoint, the demonstrators have been wearing a patchwork of different gear, mostly not camouflaged, with relatively few firearms and lots of noisy pushing/shoving. The Kramatorsk insurgents look and behave very differently - when challenged, they quickly start firing into the air and take the police station after firing into it. The incident has a military air and reminds me of Napoleon's line about how he took power with a "whiff of grapeshot".

I'm not sure if Putin wants an excuse to go to East Ukraine or he's just trying to make the country ungovernable - it's hard to see there being national elections (aren't they due next month?) if the government buildings in East Ukraine are all controlled by armed secessionists.

[Seo]

Guy that took part in Georgia conflict in 2008.
Now same guy in Slavyansk, capturing city police department.

ROFL. Ukrainian media in all its "glory" using fake and non-related images.

Recently I saw a show on Ukrainian TV where they "allegedly seized documents from a Russian spy". In those documents, under person name it was written - "Position: Spy". Yes, I'm totally serious. To be even more convincing they should have painted something like "Spy infiltrator. Region: Ukraine. Mission: destabilization and the subsequent annexation by Russia" It's amazing how people believe in such nonsense.

[Shalcker]

Russia will warn NATO that if Kiev uses force against their ethnic minority in Eastern Ukraine they will send in their army. Which will deter Kiev from doing anything stupid and they will submit to Moscow's demands for federalization and pay up their Gas bills.

They already tried to "mobilize" before with Crimea... and failed. By most reports they failed today as well - as their "security council" refused to order using military to quell Eastern protests. They also already sacked their new head of the Anti-Terrorism Center of the Ukrainian Security Service... just a week after appointing him.

Kiev government seems to be dangerously deluded about their own capabilities.

[mmokri]

Kiev government seems to be dangerously deluded about their own capabilities.

Obv it is not. Ukrainian gov is the most democratic in the world. Recent polls approve Yats.

[rinleezwins]

Obv it is not. Ukrainian gov is the most democratic in the world. Recent polls approve Yats.

Don't forget that ukrainians elected Janukovych in democratic elections, so they had it coming.

He was never an enthusiast of EU or western politics.

[Ravenblade]

Don't forget that ukrainians elected Janukovych in democratic elections, so they had it coming.

He was never an enthusiast of EU or western politics.

The Eastern part voted for him with a majority, the Western part did vote for the other corrupt oligarch. But it reveals a flaw about the idea to keep the country a unitary republic: It's not possible unless the country either gets divided or tears itself apart in a civil war which won't happen because Russia will seize such an opportunity to make what they would call a legitimate move. Frankly the demand of making the country federalist with a council or in this case simply dual-presidency sounds like a much better idea in long-term. Of course we would have the matter of influence which I believe is not something which will or should be shaken off merely should it be linked with the support integrity of the country as a whole. I also would not have issues with a bloc-free Ukraine which seems effectively more feasible anyway considering that there would be only limited welcome for it in the Western but almost none in the Eastern part. Saying Eastern and Western here not in terms of straight line of division but rather regions with higher or lower number of Russian minorities/majorities.

[Cybran]

They also already sacked their new head of the Anti-Terrorism Center of the Ukrainian Security Service... just a week after appointing him.

The Afla anti-terorism unit refused to use force against the protesters in Donetsk and Eastern Ukraine. I wonder what kind of scrupulous people the Kiev government will send instead. I wonder if NATO will lend them a hand.

[Thunderball]

Don't forget that ukrainians elected Janukovych in democratic elections, so they had it coming.

He was never an enthusiast of EU or western politics.

Yet one of the major points of his political agenda was the association treaty with the EU. You have to understand that interests of people in south-eastern and western part of the country vary so much that it's nearly impossible to win any elections if you are pro-Russian or pro-EU. Needless to say, the other major point of his agenda: the language law took 2 years to get through the Rada (even though Yanukovich's party had the majority there) and was far from what he promised before elections.

- - - Updated - - -

The Afla anti-terorism unit refused to use force against the protesters in Donetsk and Eastern Ukraine. I wonder what kind of scrupulous people the Kiev government will send instead. I wonder if NATO will lend them a hand.

Well, they have the Right Sector (who are probably only good for beating uparmed people), they have special forces from western Ukraine, and there are reports about Graystone private war company (a division of Blackwater) operating as special force unit Sokol. They have also been linked with the death of Muzichko, high ranking Right Sector activist (google for more info).

[Cybran]

http://live.reuters.com/Event/World_News/113297123



The scary invaders are once again taking pictures with the people they opress. While Sweden, Luxenburg and Lithuania have said that Ukraine should use force against them, Such European values.

[Bakis]

In Cybran's cherry picking world armed people with only 4-5% support from the population are allowed to dictate the outcome.
Like a true facist.

Care to show this:

While Sweden, Luxenburg and Lithuania have said that Ukraine should use force against them, Such European values.

or just another of your wild delusional claims that hop out of your mouth every second post?

[Valerean]

I'm torn between pity for the hardships in store for ordinary Ukrainians as they find themselves unwilling participants in the latest East vs West power struggle, and amusement at Obama/Kerry being shown up like floundering schoolchildren by Moscow.

[Thunderball]

In Cybran's cherry picking world armed people with only 4-5% support from the population are allowed to dictate the outcome.
Like a true facist.

Yep most likely 4-5% in western regions. At least 10 times higher in Donetsk and Lugansk, and at least 5-6 times higher in other south-eastern regions.