Poroshenko’s army defeated by Donetsk Republic, blames it on Russia: Expert

http://www.alipac.us/f9/world-braces...forces-301380/

Russia Warns Obama's "Two-Faced" Strategy In Syria Will Lead To "Huge Escalation In Middle East & Africa"

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defau.../picture-5.jpg Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/11/2014 23:00 -0400

If the West bombs Islamic State militants in Syria without consulting Damascus, LiveLeak reports that the anti-ISIS alliance may use the occasion to launch airstrikes against President Bashar Assad’s forces, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Clearly comprehending that Obama's new strategy against ISIS in Syria is all about pushing the Qatar pipeline through (as was the impetus behind the 2013 intervention push), Russia is pushing back noting that the it is using ISIS as a pretext for bombing Syrian government forces and warning that "such a development would lead to a huge escalation of conflict in the Middle East and North Africa."

As LiveLeak reports,

“There are reasons to suspect that air strikes on Syrian territory may target not only areas controlled by Islamic State militants, but the government troops may also be attacked on the quiet to weaken the positions of Bashar Assad’s army,” Lavrov said Tuesday. Such a development would lead to a huge escalation of conflict in the Middle East and North Africa, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow after a meeting with the foreign minister of Mali.

Moscow is urging the West to respect international law and undertake such acts only with the approval of the legitimate government of a state, Lavrov said.

“Not a single country should have its own plans on such issues. There can be only combined, collective, univocal actions. Only this way can a result be achieved,” he said.
...

Russia has long warned its western partners about the threat posed by Islamic State, al-Qaeda and other groups that later merged into the Islamic Front, Lavrov said.

“We have repeatedly suggested to the US, the EU and leading European states to realize the extent of this threat. We have called on the UN to resolutely condemn terrorist attacks staged by Islamists in Syria. But we were told that it was Bashar Assad’s politics that gave rise to terrorism, and that denouncing such acts was possible only alongside with the demand for his resignation,” Lavrov said.

In Moscow’s view, this represents “a double standard” and an attempt to justify terrorism.

Up until the Syrian conflict, Russia and the West were unanimous that terrorism cannot be justified “no matter what motive was behind them,” Lavrov said. But in case with Syria the West had a “different, two-faced stance.”

It was only when the terrorism threat which originated in Libya crept to Lebanon and then Iraq that Western countries realized it was time to deal with that, Lavrov said.

“Having admitted it with a huge delay, western partners for some reason think that this threat should be eliminated on the territory of Iraq, while on the territory of Syria it might be left to the consideration of those who conduct the operation,” Lavrov said.

The US agreed its airstrikes against Islamic State militants on Iraqi territory with Baghdad, Lavrov said. However, “it was rumored... no such permission was required from the government of Syria because they claim ‘Assad should resign and his regime should be overthrown’.” Lavrov said that there could be no different interpretation when it comes to the common interests of the West, Russia and other states: “Terrorist threats must be eliminated and terrorists liquidated,” he said.

* * *
Of course - what this is all really about is the Qatar pipeline...
Specifically, the issue at hand is the green part of the proposed pipeline: as explained above, it simply can't happen as long as Russia is alligned with Assad.

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defau...pipeline_0.jpg

So there you have it: Qatar doing everything it can to promote bloodshed, death and destruction by using not Syrian rebels, but mercenaries: professional citizens who are paid handsomely to fight and kill members of the elected regime (unpopular as it may be), for what? So that the unimaginably rich emirs of Qatar can get even richer. Although it is not as if Russia is blameless: all it wants is to preserve its own strategic leverage over Europe by being the biggest external provider of natgas to the continent through its own pipelines. Should Nabucco come into existence, Gazpromia would be very, very angry and make far less money!
* * *
No wonder Putin is pissed - Obama has (for now) got his way from a year ago in Syria...blowback coming soon.


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...-middle-east-a

Ukraine Admits Resurgent Separatists Extend Control All The Way To Sea Of Azov

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defau.../picture-5.jpg Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/11/2014 10:04 -0400

The Ukraine "ceasefire" may be raging, but don't tell that to the "rebel", "separatists", "pro-Russian terrorists" or whatever it is that the ethnic Russians in east Ukraine are called nowadays, because a few short hours ago even Kiev finally admitted that the insurgency, with or without Russian backing, has finally hit the beach of the Azov Sea, which implicitly means that the only thing that is prevent the formation of a land connection from Russia to Crimea is the city of Mariupol, which as Ukraine reported overnight, it is now massing heavy weapons for what may be the most critical fight of the entire Ukraine civil war to date.
From AFP:

The Ukrainian authorities acknowledged on Thursday that pro-Russian rebels had extended their control over territory on the eastern border with Russia to the Sea of Azov.

The announcement by the National Security and Defence Council follows a lightning offensive across the southeast area launched by the pro-Russian separatists last month.

How this looks on a map:

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defau...ituation_0.jpg

So while the Ukraine army is losing key strategic waypoints, the parliament speaker told Fokus magazine that Ukraine needs to regroup, strengthen army, and must open way to NATO membership, something which as Russia has made quite clear, will truly drive the Kremlin over the edge.
Meanwhile, for some inexplicable reason, the myth that a "ceasefire" continues is propagated by both Moscow and Kiev...

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...l-way-sea-azov

Poland Says Russian Gas Deliveries Tumble By 45%; Europe To Launch Sanctions On Friday, Russia Will Retaliate

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defau.../picture-5.jpgSubmitted by Tyler Durden on 09/11/2014 09:34 -0400

Yesterday, when Gazprom was supposedly "troubleshooting its systems", we reported that in what was the first salvo of Europe's latest cold (quite literally, with winter just around the corner) war, Poland complained that up to 25% of its usual gas deliveries from Russia had been cut. Russia indirectly hinted that this was also a result of Ukraine using "reverse flow" to meet its demands, with Europe allowing Kiev to syphon off whatever gas it needs without paying Gazprome for it. It also led Poland to promptly admit it would halt reverse flow to the civil-war ridden country. Fast forward to today when Polish financial website Biznes reports that things are going from bad to worse in Russia's energy retaliation war, after Poland claimed a 45% shortfall in Russian natgas imports as of Wednesday.
Not surprisingly, Gazprom has said that is not the case, which leaves two options: either someone is lying, or the Ukraine is quietly, and illegally syphoning off gas destined for Europe.

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defau...yphoning_0.jpg

More:

Poland's listed natural gas group PGNiG noted Wednesday natural gas deliveries from the east 45% below the ordered level, the firm said in a Thursday press statement. Wednesday marks the third straight day when Poland claims to have received less gas than ordered from Russia's Gazprom. Poland claims that shortfall forced a shutdown of re-export to gas-strapped Ukraine and an increase in imports from other directions to compensate the loss.

"Under the Yamal contract, PGNiG has the right to collect volumes lower or in line with the maximal daily amounts contracted for particular entry points," PGNiG said. "Volumes ordered by PGNiG were below the maximal level - that is line with the contract. Nevertheless, they have not been realized by OOO Gazprom Export."

In order to make up for the missing volumes from the east, PGNiG claims to have launched supplementary gas deliveries via Lasow at the German border and via Cieszyn at the Czech border, the firm noted in its statement.

Additionally, on Thursday PGNiG launched natgas supply through the Mallnow point at the Yamal pipeline on the German border, PGNiG said.

A spokesperson for PGNiG, Dorota Gajewska, refused to indicate if the level of Russian deliveries constituted a reduction from any prior periods, reiterating only that delivered volumes are below the contractually requested level, she said in an interview for broadcaster TVN24.

On Wednesday PGNiG claimed that deliveries had fallen 20% short of order on Monday and 24% short of order on Tuesday.

The firm said it was "investigating" the reasons behind the delivery shortfall, in particular whether it is of technical or commercial nature, and said it was compensating for the volumes with imports from other directions.

On Wednesday PGNiG still hasn't received any explanation from Gazprom, the firm said.

Deliveries to PGNiG's clients are being carried out without disruption, and there is no need to tap undergroung gas storage facilities, filled to 100% of their capacity (around 2.6 bcm).

PGNiG's long-term Yamal contract with OOO Gazprom Export, dating back to 1996 and renegotiated in 2010, provides for annual natural gas imports of 10.24 bcm, drawn at Drozdowicze, Wysokoje & Polish points along the Yamal pipeline. The contract is based 85% on a take-or-pay formula. PGNiG will seek a gas price reduction during a renegotiation window that opens in November 2014.

So as the new balance of power is suddenly dawning on Europe, as is the realization that Putin does have all the leverage (as otherwise Gazprom would never suicide itself in a way as to show it can proactively cut European gas supplies, even if the recipient is a country that has been so vocally beligirent toward Russia as Poland), the Europeans have decided there is no point in waiting any longer, and as was blasted moments ago:

• BERLIN - EU DIPLOMAT SAYS NEW SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA TO COME INTO FORCE ON FRIDAY

More from Reuters:

European leaders spoke early on Thursday and agreed to push ahead with a package of sanctions against Russia by the end of the week, due to its aggression towards Ukraine, the spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said.

"This morning the prime minister took part in a joint call with several fellow European leaders; president (Herman) Van Rompuy, Chancellor (Angela) Merkel, president (Francois) Hollande and prime minister (Matteo) Renzi," the spokesman said.

"(They spoke) to discuss the subject of sanctions against Russia in the context of Ukraine and agreement to proceed with the implementation of the sanction package that was agreed earlier in the week."

Which means that the gloves are now fully off and Russia is content that it will be cold enough soon enough to give Putin even more of a first mover advantage, and thus negotiating leverage while the part of Europe, and all of Ukraine, shivers in the cold.
Sure enough:

• RUSSIA WAITS FOR SANCTION DETAILS TO DECIDE HOW TO RETALIATE
• RUSSIA WILL RESPOND TO NEW EU SANCTIONS: LUKASHEVICH
• RUSSIA SAYS READY TO RESPOND TO NEW U.S. SANCTIONS

And:

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...09_normal.jpeg Agence France-Presse ✔ @AFP Follow
#BREAKING Russia has drawn up second set of anti-Western sanctions: Putin aide

8:35 AM - 11 Sep 2014

In other words, Russia's staggered gas reduction, which we predicted last weekend would happen momentarily, as it has, is not a retaliation but merely a side-effect. One wonders just how bad things will escalate to if in addition to its gas Europe loses, for example, access to Russian airspace, or worse.
And the full wrap of the most recent events surrounding Ukraine and Russia, via Bloomberg:

• EU to impose new Russia sanctions tomorrow, will lay out conditions for eventually suspending measures
• Russia says will retaliate against new sanctions, says they are “unfriendly policy”; may target cars, textiles: RIA
• Ruble falls to record vs dollar
• U.S. sees Ukraine as arena for geopolitical battles, Russian foreign minister says in interview to Itar-Tass
• Ukraine needs to regroup, strengthen army; must open way to NATO membership, Parliament speaker tells Fokus magazine
• Donetsk airport shelled by rebels overnight: Ukraine defense ministry
• Gazprom may face biggest decline in European gas revenue in five years; sales to EU, source of 40% of rev., forecast to fall >10% to ~$55b this year, co. officials say
• Putin orders war readiness test for East Russian regions: Interfax
• McDonald’s being taken to court by Russia’s consumer-safety regulator for allegedly understating caloric values, microbial contamination in products; suit delayed as chain defends calorie count
• Ukraine seeking to prevent Russian cos from getting licenses to run 3G networks in planned auction

Summary: tomorrow's latest round of sanctions and countersanctions should be interesting.


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...tions-be-enact