Thread: What Is Happening In Ukraine Is Far More Important Than Most People Realize

The Invasion So Far: Visual Summary Of Russian Forces And Movements

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/01/2014 15:50 -0500

Moments ago Interfax reported that two Russian anti-submarine warships have appeared off the coast of Ukraine's Crimea region, violating an agreement on Moscow's lease of a naval base, according to a Ukrainian military source as saying. Then again what else would a Ukrainian military source say. The source added that the two vessels, part of Russia's Baltic Fleet, had been sighted in a bay at Sevastopol, where Moscow's Black Sea Fleet has a base.

So imagine two extra anti-sub ships off Sevastopol in the map below which until this latest update from Contemporary Issues and Geography, was keeping an accurate running update of all the most recent developments in the staggered Russian invasion of the Ukraine.




For an enlargement of the graph go the the link: http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defau...so%20far_1.png

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...-and-movements

Ukraine Crisis News Summary

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/01/2014 21:47 -0500

All the latest major headlines on the Ukraine crisis.

• Putin ready to invade Ukraine; Kiev warns of war
• Ukraine's Acting President Puts All Armed Forces On Full Combat Alert
• Obama expresses deep concern to Putin on Ukraine
• Russia, West trade accusations over Ukraine crisis at U.N.
• Obama, wary of foreign crises, faces East-West standoff
• Canada says recalling ambassador from Russia for consultations
• Britain summons ambassador over Russia troops decision
• Local council declares itself sole lawful authority in Donetsk, Ukraine
• At cradle of Revolution, doubts about Ukraine's leadership
• Putin to Obama: Russia ready to protect interests in Ukraine
• West urges Russia to respect Ukraine sovereignty
• Sleepy Crimean port turns out for Russian troops
• The day Ukraine's "Maidan" lost control
• Britain says "no excuse" for military intervention in Ukraine
• Protesters raise Russian flag in two east Ukrainian cities
• Russia warns Ukraine may lose gas discount

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...s-news-summary

Caption Contest: Ukraine On The Line

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/01/2014 21:58 -0500

As the West Wing tweeted earlier, the White House released this photo of president Obama on the phone with Russian president Putin. Because there is always a professional photographer handy when the fate of a nation is on the line, so to speak.



And inquiring minds want to know just how does this fit in to the equation, if at all?



http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...t-ukraine-line

This is a 'Big F***ing Deal', let me put Joe on the phone ..

Apart from through Ukraine, Russian gas flows to Europe via Belarus and two subsea pipelines - under the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Gazprom plans to build another subsea pipeline - the South Stream - to bypass Ukraine by 2016.

Russia's state gas company Gazprom estimates Ukraine's outstanding gas debt at $1.55 billion for 2013 and gas deliveries so far this year.


"It seems that with such gas payments and fulfilment of its obligations Ukraine may not keep its current gas discount. The gas discount agreement assumed full and timely payment," Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told Reuters.


Russia's warnings on gas prices come as the bitter and fast-moving dispute between the two nations over the southern Crimea region escalates.

Previous disputes over gas prices between Russia and Ukraine in the winters of 2006 and 2009 led to stoppages in exports to Europe at times when consumption demand was at its peak due to the cold weather.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0LY0B420140301

Russia Moves to Deploy Troops in Ukraine

In Phone Call, Obama Urges Putin to De-escalate Tensions

French President François Hollande also spoke with Mr. Putin Saturday and urged him to avoid any use of force in Ukraine. The French leader held a round of phone calls with Mr. Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel that aimed to forge a common position between the allies.

Russia Extends Reach in Crimea

View Slideshow


A gunman in unmarked uniform stands guard as troops take control the the Coast Guard offices in Balaklava on the outskirts of Sevastopol, Ukraine, Saturday, March 1, 2014. AP

he American and Russian presidents spoke on the phone for 90 minutes on Saturday after Russia's parliament voted unanimously to deploy troops in Ukraine, defying warnings from Western leaders not to intervene.

In his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin , U.S. President Barack Obama expressed "his deep concern over Russia's clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity." Mr. Obama urged Russia to de-escalate tensions by withdrawing its forces back to bases in Crimea and to refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine.

Saturday's developments come as Russian troops and their local allies have already largely taken control of Crimea, a restive province of Ukraine that belonged to Russia until 1954 and remains predominantly pro-Russian.

In a statement after the call between Mr. Putin and Mr. Obama, the White House said the U.S. "condemns Russia's military intervention into Ukrainian territory."

Mr. Putin told Mr. Obama that Russia reserved the right to intervene in Ukraine to protect its interests and those of the Russian-speaking population there, according to a statement from the Kremlin.

Mr. Putin also spoke of "provocations, crimes by ultranationalist elements, essentially supported by the current authorities in Kiev." It wasn't clear what incidents Mr. Putin was referring to.
In Moscow, Russian lawmakers also asked Mr. Putin to recall the country's ambassador to the U.S. On Friday, Mr. Obama had publicly warned Russia that there would be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine.

Western officials expressed alarm and cautioned Russia to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Battlefields in Ukraine

View Graphics



French President François Hollande also spoke with Mr. Putin Saturday and urged him to avoid any use of force in Ukraine. The French leader held a round of phone calls with Mr. Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel that aimed to forge a common position between the allies.

"I deplore today's decision by Russia on the use of armed forces in Ukraine. This is an unwarranted escalation of tensions," said European Union foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is "gravely concerned about the deterioration of the situation" in Ukraine.

In an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Saturday that the regional Crimean government had formally requested Russian military assistance to restore stability to the peninsula. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power denounced the Russian decision to intervene as "dangerous as it is destabilizing" and said it was taken without legal basis. "The Russian military must stand down," Ms. Power said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu. U.S. defense officials wouldn't immediately provide any details of the call and didn't say whether Mr. Hagel delivered any warning or caution.

In Brussels, ambassadors to the main political decision-making body of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are set to meet Sunday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. Afterward, the ambassadors will meet with the Ukrainian ambassador to NATO in a format called the NATO-Ukraine Council.
Meanwhile, skirmishes broke out in other regions of Ukraine, raising concern about broader unrest.

The Crisis in Ukraine

• Europe Lashes Out at Russia
• Obama Has Few Options to Challenge Russia on Ukraine
• Tatar Leader Says Crimea Seizure Military, Not Civilian
• Live Updates | Reporters' Photos

The new government in Kiev called an urgent session of its security council Saturday evening and set a special parliamentary meeting for Sunday to discuss the Russian move.

Vitali Klitschko, the former boxing champion who is one of the protest movement's most prominent leaders, called on parliament to call a "general mobilization" to respond to the threat, apparently referring to Ukraine's military.

Heavily armed troops, many from Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which is based in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, surrounded key facilities across the region in the past day. The newly installed pro-Russian leader of Crimea Saturday formally asked Russia to deploy its troops to help secure the region.

Mr. Putin's request didn't specify how many troops might be sent. It said they would be deployed "until the normalization of the social-political situation in the country."

The request cited the "threat to the lives of Russian citizens" living in Crimea, as well as the personnel of the Black Sea Fleet.

The approval of Mr. Putin's request doesn't necessarily mean troops will be dispatched immediately, an official said.

"Having the right (to deploy forces) doesn't mean immediately, momentarily exercising that. So we will hope that the situation will go according to a better scenario and won't continue to be exacerbated as it is now," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a radio interview.



Anti-Yanukovych protesters sing Ukraine's national anthem in Kiev's Independence Square, Saturday. Associated Press

Mr. Peskov said in the interview that no decision had been made yet on deploying forces to Ukraine or on recall of the ambassador.

Sergei Aksyonov, who was appointed prime minister of Crimea after armed men took over the regional parliament this week, said troops from the Black Sea Fleet are guarding vital facilities in the region and helping with patrols to ensure public order. Mr. Aksyonov, who is pro-Russian, said he was taking command of the peninsula's police and army.

In the economically important eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, hundreds of pro-Russian protesters massed Saturday in the main square and took over a main government administration building, and raised the Russian flag, according to local residents and news outlets. It was unclear whether the protesters were local residents. The number of protesters was also unclear; Russian and Ukrainian media had wildly different estimates of crowd strength.

The Donetsk city council issued a statement demanding a referendum over whether the mining region with strong ties to Russia should remain part of Ukraine.

By nightfall, the area around the Donetsk main square was quiet. A reporter from Ukrainian national television said that the protesters remained inside the building, drinking tea and planning new pro-Russia protests for Monday.

In Kharkiv, protests erupted Saturday between crowds of mostly young men who have been camped out at different sides of the city's main square—Europe's largest city square—for weeks now.

The groups, one which is pro-Kiev and the other which is pro-Moscow, are mostly local youth, some of which are supporters of the local football team, who appear to have more personal grievances with each other rather than deeply held political agendas, according to local residents who know several of the people at the demonstration.

Interfax reported that about 100 people were injured in the disorder Saturday, though that figure couldn't immediately be confirmed.

Ukraine military bases were quickly surrounded and sealed off Saturday by Russian forces in Crimea as the Kremlin made preparations for a larger-scale landing of troops.

Russian troops were posted near the gates and around the perimeters of several bases near Sevastopol. When asked why they were there, officers replied that they were providing security to the bases, to stop any pro-Russian citizens who might try to take them.

The troops posted around the base had no markings on their uniforms. Their commander, when asked if he could reveal their nationality, said "of course not." Others admitted they were Russian. Ukrainian officials at the base said the Russians were allowing food and provisions to be brought in.

Russia's Foreign Ministry accused the government in Kiev of trying to destabilize the region and directing gunmen to capture Crimea's ministry of internal affairs building overnight. It said the attack, which couldn't be verified, was averted with "decisive action."

Five people who live in the buildings next to the ministry building in Simferopol said everything was peaceful Friday night and they heard nothing. There were no signs of struggle at the building complex.

Vladimir Krashevsky, a top official at the Simferopol-based division of the local berkut, or riot police, said there was no attack by Kiev-allied gunmen on the building, where he gave an impromptu news conference Saturday.

"There was no attack here and there won't be one," he said.

The resolution authorizing the use of force in Ukraine cited the threat to Russian citizens there, but officials in Moscow repeatedly suggested that the Kremlin was coming to the defense of ethnic Russians in Ukraine, even if they hold Ukrainian citizenship.

"There is a threat today to the lives and safety of our fellow citizens, of Russian speakers, of ethnic Russians," Valentina Matvienko, speaker of the upper house of parliament, told reporters after the vote. "We can't remain indifferent."

A local man tells WSJ's Alan Cullison the reasons behind his decision to block access to Sevastopol airport in the pro-Russian region of Crimea.

Asked about possible western counter-intervention, she said there was no ground for it. "With all due respect to the United States, where is the U.S. located and where is Russia? This is happening on Russia's border."

Alexander Chekalin, a senator, spoke before the vote, saying, "we are one people, speaking one language, following one faith and sharing one history." The eastern and southern parts of Ukraine have a large number of Russian-speakers who are members of the Orthodox church.

On Friday, armed men surrounded Crimea's two main airports, took command of its state television network and set up checkpoints along the key roads connecting the peninsula to the rest of Ukraine. On Saturday, professional military men in unmarked green camouflage uniforms appeared outside the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol.

Ukrainian officials said the well-equipped men—many of whom carried sophisticated automatic weapons—were Russian soldiers.

The leader of the Crimean Tatars, the ethnic minority that accounts for 12% of Crimea and supports the new government in Kiev, sought to dispel the notion that the seizure of government buildings in Crimea had grown out of a citizen uprising.

"These buildings were seized by specially trained people acting on military orders," said Refat Chubarov, the Tatar leader and deputy in the parliament, at a news conference Saturday.
Ukraine's new prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, called the continuing militarization in Crimea a provocation intended to draw in Ukraine militarily. He demanded Russian forces return to their base in Sevastopol.

"The presence of Russian troops is nothing more than a violation of the agreement for the Black Sea Fleet to be in Ukraine," Russia's Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. "We urge the Russian government to withdraw their troops and return them to their base."
—James Marson and Alexander Kolyandr in Kiev contributed to this article.

Crimea's Challenge

Ukraine's Crimea region has become the flashpoint for a backlash against the pro-Western protesters that drove President Viktor Yanukovych from power. View the interactive.


http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...12380376851854

Prime Minister: Russia Has Declared War on Ukraine

“We are on the brink of disaster”

Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
March 2, 2014

Moscow’s move to occupy Crimea with Russian troops is a declaration of war on Ukraine according to interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk.

“This is actually a declaration of war on my country. We urge Putin to pull back his troops from this country and honour bilateral agreements. If he wants to be the president who started a war between two neighboring and friendly countries, he has reached his target within a few inches,” said Yatseniuk, warning, “We are on the brink of disaster.”

Although there has been no violence, Russian troops now occupy key positions throughout the Crimean peninsula, including airports and communication hubs.

Kiev’s post-overthrow government responded by ordering a full military mobilization of Ukrainian forces. BBC News reports that Russian troops are surrounding Ukrainian army bases in addition to, “digging trenches on the border with mainland Ukraine.”

Many Ukrainian armed forces in Crimea resigned their positions and are expected to take military oaths and switch sides, according to reports.

Although technically part of Ukraine, Crimea is an Autonomous Republic and authorities there have firmly sided with Russia over the conflict. Vladimir Konstantinov, Chairman of the republic’s Supreme Council, urged NATO not to send troops into the region.

“We have not asked NATO to send troops. This land belongs to the Russian world. We would like everyone to remember that. It’s a millennium-old history. The people of Russia and Ukraine belong to the Russian world,” said Konstantinov.

US Secretary of State John Kerry reacted by issuing a series of threats, warning that Russia could be kicked out of the G8, or that the U.S. could freeze Russian business assets and precipitate a collapse of the rouble.

President Barack Obama said that Russian troop movements represent a “violation of Ukrainian sovereignty”.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that 675,000 Ukrainians left Ukraine for Russia in January and February over fears that a humanitarian catastrophe was unfolding.

Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/paul.j.watson.71

FOLLOW Paul Joseph Watson @ https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet

*********************

Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a host for Infowars Nightly News.

This article was posted: Sunday, March 2, 2014 at 9:14 am

Tags: foreign affairs, war


http://www.infowars.com/prime-minist...ar-on-ukraine/

Video: Armed Neo-Nazi Groups Patrol Kiev

BBC News
March 2, 2014

Far-right groups have been responsible for the most organised and violent protests.



This article was posted: Sunday, March 2, 2014 at 7:11 am
Tags: war

http://www.infowars.com/armed-neo-na...s-patrol-kiev/

Unreal: Obama Skips National Security Team Meeting On Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

Mike Miller
On March 2, 2014
http://mikesright.wordpress.com/


Barack Obama’s National Security Team met at the White House Saturday to discuss the deepening crisis in Ukraine, which now includes Russian troops entering Crimea and occupying government buildings.
Those in attendance were: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, and CIA Director John Brennan.
Those not in attendance were: Barack Obama.
Unbelievable? Yes, but not to worry, as White House reporter Zeke Miller tweeted:



Briefed by Susan Rice. Susan Rice. Is the irony not lost here? The same Susan Rice who not only went on five Sunday Morning talk shows and falsely blamed the attack in Benghazi on an obscure YouTube video, but said just last week that she has “no regrets” for doing so.
This is a quintessential example of why Obama is often ridiculed over foreign policy. The White House calendar showed he had no scheduled events on Saturday. Even Joe Biden joined the meeting via teleconference. Yet, the Leader of the Free World couldn’t find time to attend his own National Security Team meeting on the quickly deteriorating events in Ukraine, relying instead on being “briefed” by Susan Rice, of all people?
Along with Obama’s inability to distinguish between campaigning and governing is his inability to understand that sometimes perception is more important than fact. This was a meeting that he needed to not be reported as one he did not attend.

RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT MOVES TO WITHDRAW AMBASSADOR FROM US

H/T – Weekly Standard


http://www.ijreview.com/2014/03/1186...asion-ukraine/

BBC found a tiny handful of people among the massive throng of Ukrainian protesters and acted as if it were some kind of serious danger. In any large gathering of people you will find a few with strange ideas. This report is nonsense.

Remember ALIPAC has been called racists, and the Tea Party has been labeled extremists and racists by the mainstream “news” media.

This is the same BBC that joined with virtually the entireWestern media to sanitize the stench of Nelson Mandela’s terrorist activities. Look it up on Google or Bing and search also for the ANC and Winnie Mandela. They made a vicious monster into a hero because he fought against those evil White people in South Africa. You know the South Africa that was our ally fighting against the NAZIS in WWII.