A Danish government minister said on Tuesday that four missing monitors from European security watchdog the OSCE, including a Dane, were believed detained by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) earlier said it had lost contact with one of its teams of civilian monitors near the city of Donetsk, where rebels are clashing with Ukrainian government forces.
"I can confirm that a Danish person deployed as a part of OSCE's (monitoring mission) according to our knowledge was detained by the armed separatists in Ukraine along with three other observers yesterday," Danish Minister of Trade and Development Mogens Jensen said. Source.
P.S. This thread is an excellent way to grow thicker skin and learn to let the BS just slide off. P.P.S. @mc: Ninjad
So in the video a whole truckload of Chechnyans (Russian citizens), admitting to being Kadyrovcy (i.e. pro-Kremlin Russian paramilitaries that were known for their ruthlessness- kidnappings, murder of citizens, torture (source).
The amount of cossacks, Russian citizens, Chechnyan terrorists (they terrorized their *own* people for $$), in E. Ukraine is quite ridiculous and claiming that Russia isn't involved is ridiculous. Allowing them to cross the border, or not actively trying to prevent them from waging war against a foreign country is explicit support.
Trying to argue that this is strictly an internal Ukrainian conflict (rather than a Ukrainian-conflict abetted and supported by Russia) is absurd.
Representatives of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic said that they had lost around 50 fighters in Monday's fight for control of Donetsk airport, while the Kiev-appointed mayor of Donetsk, Oleksandr Lukyanchenko, said that there were around 40 dead, including two civilians. He claimed that many of the dead were Russian citizens.
At one central morgue a police investigator said he had seen a list of 33 dead, while doctors claimed there were 43 fighters from the Donetsk People's Republic and one civilian. During the day new bodies arrived, many of them in a disfigured state or missing limbs, evidence of the heavy weaponry that the Ukrainian army had used on the rebels. One body was without a head.
Most of the casualties were from Monday's fighting around Donetsk airport, though some may also have died when trucks carrying injured fighters were hit as they drove back to Donetsk.
...
Poroshenko, who in early June will formally take over from the interim government which has been in place since former president, Viktor Yanukovych, fled Ukraine three months ago, has already said the operation should last not weeks or months, but be over "in a matter of hours". Russia has said it is open for dialogue with Poroshenko but has repeatedly called for Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the east.
...
Outside one Donetsk hospital on Tuesday morning, a group of men were patrolling who appeared to be from Russia's North Caucasus, possibly Chechens. They refused to talk and demanded that journalists leave. Ukrainian media have widely reporting that "Kadyrovtsy" – the feared forces loyal to Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov – are involved in the fighting. There have indeed been many sightings of fighters from the North Caucasus present in the region, but it is unclear whether they are volunteers or semi-official battalions sent by the Kremlin or its proxies in the region.
Separately, the Ukrainian border service said it had engaged in a fire-fight with a minibus carrying weapons that had tried to cross from Russia in the early hours of Tuesday morning, seizing a consignment of weapons and injuring one man. It also said there was a column of 40 trucks accompanied by armed men that was waiting on the other side of the border, and would possibly attempt to cross to Ukraine.
Whatever help Russia may be informally offering the rebels in eastern Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has made it clear the territory is not likely to be annexed in the same way as the Crimea. Russia did not recognise the independence referendums in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions], unlike a similar referendum in Crimea, and has ignored repeated appeals by the local leaders to send in the army. Indeed, there is a gradual but continuing withdrawal of the regular Russian army from the border, where it has been concentrated in recent weeks.
Outside one Donetsk hospital on Tuesday morning, a group of men were patrolling who appeared to be from Russia's North Caucasus, possibly Chechens. They refused to talk and demanded that journalists leave. Ukrainian media have widely reporting that "Kadyrovtsy" – the feared forces loyal to Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov – are involved in the fighting. There have indeed been many sightings of fighters from the North Caucasus present in the region, but it is unclear whether they are volunteers or semi-official battalions sent by the Kremlin or its proxies in the region.
Separately, the Ukrainian border service said it had engaged in a fire-fight with a minibus carrying weapons that had tried to cross from Russia in the early hours of Tuesday morning, seizing a consignment of weapons and injuring one man. It also said there was a column of 40 trucks accompanied by armed men that was waiting on the other side of the border, and would possibly attempt to cross to Ukraine.
Whatever help Russia may be informally offering the rebels in eastern Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has made it clear the territory is not likely to be annexed in the same way as the Crimea. Russia did not recognise the independence referendums in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, unlike a similar referendum in Crimea, and has ignored repeated appeals by the local leaders to send in the army. Indeed, there is a gradual but continuing withdrawal of the regular Russian army from the border, where it has been concentrated in recent weeks.
On the agenda was the setting up of "people's control" militias to protect against looting and petty crime. This came after an apparent order signed by Igor Strelkov, the Russian citizen commanding rebel forces in the besieged town of Slavyansk, announcing that two of his commanders had been sentenced to death for looting on the basis of a 1941 Soviet wartime decree. The document, which could not be verified but was carried by a Russian news agency known to have access to Strelkov, said the sentence had already been carried out.
"As well as targeting the external enemy we must flush out the enemy within," said Ivan Novakovsky, an MP of the rebel parliament from the town of Makeyevka. He said he supported the idea of the death penalty for those guilty of "serious crimes" and said that he wanted the police and "people's control" militias to patrol cities together, with "field courts" which could issue verdicts. Source: Guardian
Things to note: - Heavy casualties on the separatist side. - More evidence of implicit support of the separatist war effort by Russia - Less official support from Russia - Vigilante justice with death penalties in the separatist controlled areas.
*** Financial Times confirms the presence of Chechens:
Dozens of Chechen militants have joined the fighting on the side of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in a development that threatens to further escalate the violence in the country. On Tuesday, half-a-dozen armed men approached by the Financial Times outside a Donetsk regional hospital confirmed that they were part of a Chechen unit that had travelled to Donetsk one week ago to fight alongside the separatists.
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“Our president [Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov] gave the order. They called us and we came,” one of the fighters, a 33-year-old named Zelimkhan, said. He added that the unit was called the “dikaya diviziya”, or savage division.
The men said one of their group had been killed and four seriously injured in the Ukrainian military’s air strike on the Donetsk airport on Monday as government forces sought to recapture the facility from separatists
“They’ve killed one of our guys and we will not forget this,” said Magomed, a 30 year-old Chechen fighter with a wolf tattooed across his chest. “We will take one hundred of their lives for the life our brother.”
Vladimir Putin, Russian president, has repeatedly denied that Russian forces are operating on-the-ground in eastern Ukraine and helping the separatists.
A Russian foreign ministry official said it was foreign media “hype” to report the presence of armed Chechens in eastern Ukraine.
“If they are Chechens, they are citizens of the Russian Federation. We can’t control where our citizens go,” he said. “But I can assure you that we have not sent our forces there.”
But authorities in Kiev said the Chechens’ presence was further evidence of the Kremlin’s aim to destabilise the region with whatever means possible.
timer reports that the fat gunman, 'mykola', who was filmed shooting at the burning trade union house during the may massacre, and was part of the maidan militia that manned the '7th' kilometer roadblock outside odessa, is detained.
Clearly Ukraine is detaining journalists which in general is a bad thing and tarnishes its' reputation. However, in their defence, I feel as if they have genuine concerns about the role that journalists are playing in the conflict. If Russian journalist are actively exaggerating and inciting the conflict, do they really deserve treatment by journalists (not to mention alleged carrying of arms)? One could argue that without Russian "coverage" of Maidan/Separatism that this whole mess wouldn't exist (I'm of that opinion). They probably also fear that pro-Russian journalists might give away scouting information although the separatists probably have much better ways of getting that information.
Finally, the fact that the detentions are very limited up till now, that they were done 'humanely' (unlike the beatings by the terrorists), and that they even targeted Simon Ostrovsky makes me believe that their main objective isn't suppression of pro-Russian journalists, but trying to combat spies.
edit: I'm torn between using the word separatist and terrorist. I used to be more for the term separatist, but given that more and more non-local mercenaries are showing up, it seems more in the realm of terrorism.
Booming? Is that how Putin wants to present it? Try looking at others news sources and not only most honest, never lying, and holy russian news.
Crimea has always been a very popular tourist destination for Russians, so this news is decades-old. I don't see what is necessarily wrong about what he posted. However, there is a huge hindrance to traveling there due to the adjacent violent conflict going on. That sort of thing tends to hurt tourism a lot. Just look at Egypt.
On May 27 2014 17:11 Ghanburighan wrote: I guess this answers the question why separatists have manpads, they are being shipped in from Russia. Alongside other weapons and men. And Russian border guards are nowhere to be seen. + Show Spoiler +
Must be the Cossacks and Chechens bringing presents with them.
Ironically, these Chechens are doing Russia (and the rest of Europe except Ukraine) a huge favor. Fewer jihadists in Russia, and they go and get themselves killed in Ukraine.
I find it strange how "Jihad tourism" is almost a religious duty for Muslim radicals. Just look at Libya, Syria, and most especially Iraq, to see how Islamic extremists poured from every corner where Muslims exist just to kill off civilians esp. Christians and cause all sorts of havoc when a country is in an unstable position due to internal or external forces. It doesn't matter if they are European or Mideastern/N. African, you can count on them to show up somewhere to make a bad situation infinitely worse. Basically, I don't think the presence of these Chechens should be underestimated. They'll take any measures necessary to make the crisis worse.
Now, obviously, Poroshenko has made his most important task ending the conflict. However, interestingly he hasn't been clear on how he plans on doing that, but I think the continued crackdown says enough on what his resolution is.
"Today we can definitely say all of Ukraine has voted, this is a national vote," Poroshenko said. "The first steps that we will take at the beginning of our presidential term should be focused on stopping the war, to put an end to this chaos and bring peace to a united Ukraine."
According to Poroshenko, his strong support at the polls confirmed three major policy directions for his presidency: the preservation of a "unified Ukraine", including stability in the east; a "European choice" for closer ties with the west; and the return of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March. In reality, all of these tasks will be difficult to accomplish.
Poroshenko also promised to hold parliamentary elections before the end of the year, arguing that the lack of a majority coalition has made the body unable to respond to security threats.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/26/new-ukraine-president-petro-poroshenko-vows-stop-war The thing is, at this point, the continuation of violence is only making people angrier and bring in more people to the fight. If Poroshenko believes this is the way to end the conflict, well, he's going to have a lot more on his plate than he bargained for. I think he's getting a bit of an ego since Russia has practically confirmed the obvious they're not going to conquer Kiev for funzies, and is deciding might is the best way to make right. These separatists now with Chechens are probably going to give him a run for his money before this is through.
Must be the Cossacks and Chechens bringing presents with them.
Ironically, these Chechens are doing Russia (and the rest of Europe except Ukraine) a huge favor. Fewer jihadists in Russia, and they go and get themselves killed in Ukraine.
I find it strange how "Jihad tourism" is almost a religious duty for Muslim radicals. Just look at Libya, Syria, and most especially Iraq, to see how Islamic extremists poured from every corner where Muslims exist just to kill off civilians esp. Christians and cause all sorts of havoc when a country is in an unstable position due to internal or external forces. It doesn't matter if they are European or Mideastern/N. African, you can count on them to show up somewhere to make a bad situation infinitely worse. Basically, I don't think the presence of these Chechens should be underestimated. They'll take any measures necessary to make the crisis worse.
These terrorists are far from Jihadists. They are armed thugs that get paid a lot by the strong armed pro-Russian leader of Chechnya Kadyrov. They are not waging a holy war, but they simply like war and money.
I agree it's bad news for Ukraine since they are fearless, violent, and experienced... if only Russia tried to prevent them from going to Ukraine, instead of egging them on.
Must be the Cossacks and Chechens bringing presents with them.
Ironically, these Chechens are doing Russia (and the rest of Europe except Ukraine) a huge favor. Fewer jihadists in Russia, and they go and get themselves killed in Ukraine.
I find it strange how "Jihad tourism" is almost a religious duty for Muslim radicals. Just look at Libya, Syria, and most especially Iraq, to see how Islamic extremists poured from every corner where Muslims exist just to kill off civilians esp. Christians and cause all sorts of havoc when a country is in an unstable position due to internal or external forces. It doesn't matter if they are European or Mideastern/N. African, you can count on them to show up somewhere to make a bad situation infinitely worse. Basically, I don't think the presence of these Chechens should be underestimated. They'll take any measures necessary to make the crisis worse.
These terrorists are far from Jihadists. They are armed thugs that get paid a lot by the strong armed pro-Russian leader of Chechnya Kadyrov. They are not waging a holy war, but they simply like war and money.
I agree it's bad news for Ukraine since they are fearless, violent, and experienced... if only Russia tried to prevent them from going to Ukraine, instead of egging them on.
But in all seriousness, would any country be in opposition if violent gangsters were to voluntarily leave? If all the gangs in LA, Detroit, Chicago, and Washington DC went to China and got executed, there would probably be some sort of national holiday made out of it to reflect how huge an improvement it would be for American society. Unfortunately, domestic security interests conflict with security in a foreign country, and obviously the former always trumps the latter (so Russia letting this happen, assuming they had a say, is certainly not something they're against). In any case, this is obviously a disastrous twist in the conflict going on. They're probably a lot better armed than the standard ragtag militias too. If they have the capability to force Ukrainian forces into an infantry-on-infantry fight, then they will have solidified a long-term extension of the conflict.
Must be the Cossacks and Chechens bringing presents with them.
Ironically, these Chechens are doing Russia (and the rest of Europe except Ukraine) a huge favor. Fewer jihadists in Russia, and they go and get themselves killed in Ukraine.
I find it strange how "Jihad tourism" is almost a religious duty for Muslim radicals. Just look at Libya, Syria, and most especially Iraq, to see how Islamic extremists poured from every corner where Muslims exist just to kill off civilians esp. Christians and cause all sorts of havoc when a country is in an unstable position due to internal or external forces. It doesn't matter if they are European or Mideastern/N. African, you can count on them to show up somewhere to make a bad situation infinitely worse. Basically, I don't think the presence of these Chechens should be underestimated. They'll take any measures necessary to make the crisis worse.
These terrorists are far from Jihadists. They are armed thugs that get paid a lot by the strong armed pro-Russian leader of Chechnya Kadyrov. They are not waging a holy war, but they simply like war and money.
I agree it's bad news for Ukraine since they are fearless, violent, and experienced... if only Russia tried to prevent them from going to Ukraine, instead of egging them on.
But in all seriousness, would any country be in opposition if violent gangsters were to voluntarily leave? If all the gangs in LA, Detroit, Chicago, and Washington DC went to China and got executed, there would probably be some sort of national holiday made out of it to reflect how huge an improvement it would be for American society. Unfortunately, domestic security interests conflict with security in a foreign country, and obviously the former always trumps the latter (so Russia letting this happen, assuming they had a say, is certainly not something they're against). In any case, this is obviously a disastrous twist in the conflict going on. They're probably a lot better armed than the standard ragtag militias too. If they have the capability to force Ukrainian forces into an infantry-on-infantry fight, then they will have solidified a long-term extension of the conflict.
I agree that in theory Russia would be better off without these violent gangsters, but I don't know if Putin sees it this way. They are useful in that they can be used rather than sending in Russian troops and they provide stability through violence/intimidation in Chechnya. Putin's dictatorship isn't threatened by violent gangsters, it's threatened by people desiring freedom and progress (and few people do at the moment, so it isn't really threatened).
Ukraine says it controls Donetsk airport after fighting leaves dozens dead
Separatists in east Ukraine counted dozens of losses on Tuesday as the deadly toll of fierce clashes with Ukrainian government forces became clear.
Representatives of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic said that they had lost around 50 fighters in Monday's fight for control of Donetsk airport, while the Kiev-appointed mayor of Donetsk, Oleksandr Lukyanchenko, said that there were around 40 dead, including two civilians. He claimed that many of the dead were Russian citizens.
At one central morgue a police investigator said he had seen a list of 33 dead, while doctors claimed there were 43 fighters from the Donetsk People's Republic and one civilian. During the day new bodies arrived, many of them in a disfigured state or missing limbs, evidence of the heavy weaponry that the Ukrainian army had used on the rebels. One body was without a head.
.....
The rebels are still in control of a number of government buildings in Donetsk and other cities in the region, which have been occupied for more than a month, and in much of the region the police have either remained neutral or gone over to the separatists. However, the airport appeared to be a red line for the Ukrainian authorities, and when a group of around 200 fighters attempted to seize it in the early hours of Monday morning they met with serious resistance, including air strikes.
"The airport is completely under control," Arsen Avakov, the interior minister, told journalists in Kiev on Tuesday. "The adversary suffered heavy losses. We have no losses."
Ukraine’s military retakes airport seized by rebels in Donetsk
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military pounded rebels on Tuesday who had seized the nation’s second-largest airport and threatened to use precision-guided weaponry to dislodge them from their headquarters, as leaders vowed to deal a decisive blow to the separatists in the eastern part of the country.
.....
By day’s end, the Ukrainian government had retaken Donetsk’s Sergei Prokofiev International Airport, using Soviet-era fighter jets and attack helicopters, and the rebels were left to count their dead. The fighting that started Monday killed about 50 rebels, Denis Pushilin, a leader of the separatists’ self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon. About 50 civilians also were killed, he said. Neither number was immediately confirmed, although Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Tuesday that “dozens” of rebels had died.
.....
In one sign of the aggressive new push against the rebels, Poroshenko said he wanted direct U.S. military aid to bolster his country’s weakened army.
“When your neighbor’s house is burning, you should lend him your hose,” Poroshenko said late Monday in an interview with Jackson Diehl, deputy editorial page editor of The Washington Post.
Invoking President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s World War II-era Lend-Lease program, Poroshenko said: “Now we should create a new security treaty exactly like Lend-Lease. . . . We should cooperate in military technical assistance and in advising assistance. We are ready to fight for independence, and we should build up the armed forces of Ukraine.”
Obama called Poroshenko on Tuesday to “offer the full support of the United States as he seeks to unify and move his country forward,” the White House said.
If Ukrainian officials embraced the United States on Tuesday, they used tough rhetoric against Russia, which they have accused of backing the separatists.
Boots on the ground? Yeah, nah. Fat chance for Obama (or Congress for that matter) to even considering approving something like that to happen. Weapons and equipment on the other hand...
On May 28 2014 08:36 nunez wrote: poro stated that the continuation of the 'ato' would last hours... i think he's in for a very rude awakning.
Well, glad to know we have a new funny guy in the European political scene. At least he's gutsy, if anything.
On May 28 2014 09:48 nunez wrote: taking a page out of the saudi playbook.
We're talking about practically the biggest terrorist-related state in the world. The other Gulf Arab countries and Iran aren't much better either when it comes to breeding or supporting Islamic extremism on the social and political levels. But this is a matter far away from that in Ukraine.
Must be the Cossacks and Chechens bringing presents with them.
Ironically, these Chechens are doing Russia (and the rest of Europe except Ukraine) a huge favor. Fewer jihadists in Russia, and they go and get themselves killed in Ukraine.
I find it strange how "Jihad tourism" is almost a religious duty for Muslim radicals. Just look at Libya, Syria, and most especially Iraq, to see how Islamic extremists poured from every corner where Muslims exist just to kill off civilians esp. Christians and cause all sorts of havoc when a country is in an unstable position due to internal or external forces. It doesn't matter if they are European or Mideastern/N. African, you can count on them to show up somewhere to make a bad situation infinitely worse. Basically, I don't think the presence of these Chechens should be underestimated. They'll take any measures necessary to make the crisis worse.
These terrorists are far from Jihadists. They are armed thugs that get paid a lot by the strong armed pro-Russian leader of Chechnya Kadyrov. They are not waging a holy war, but they simply like war and money.
I agree it's bad news for Ukraine since they are fearless, violent, and experienced... if only Russia tried to prevent them from going to Ukraine, instead of egging them on.
But in all seriousness, would any country be in opposition if violent gangsters were to voluntarily leave? If all the gangs in LA, Detroit, Chicago, and Washington DC went to China and got executed, there would probably be some sort of national holiday made out of it to reflect how huge an improvement it would be for American society. Unfortunately, domestic security interests conflict with security in a foreign country, and obviously the former always trumps the latter (so Russia letting this happen, assuming they had a say, is certainly not something they're against). In any case, this is obviously a disastrous twist in the conflict going on. They're probably a lot better armed than the standard ragtag militias too. If they have the capability to force Ukrainian forces into an infantry-on-infantry fight, then they will have solidified a long-term extension of the conflict.
I agree that in theory Russia would be better off without these violent gangsters, but I don't know if Putin sees it this way. They are useful in that they can be used rather than sending in Russian troops and they provide stability through violence/intimidation in Chechnya. Putin's dictatorship isn't threatened by violent gangsters, it's threatened by people desiring freedom and progress (and few people do at the moment, so it isn't really threatened).
Here's the important thing to ask: Are these guys ALL Kadyrov's bros? Or are they the troublemakers Kadyrov is keeping under control too? Even if they're all Kadyrov's men, he can always "convert" some new guys to join him with a bit of money, so Putin shouldn't be worried. Not to mention, the Russians seriously rebuilt Grozny. IIRC, the UN had a lot of praise for the reconstruction. I think most Chechens are happy about that, and have learned what happens when you try to make terrorist attacks against a nation with a brutally effective military force, even in the 90s when Russia wasn't even a functioning country. So overall, I'd say the Chechen terrorist threat is significantly less now than it was before. + Show Spoiler +
One important thing to consider too: as countries become more developed, internal isolation becomes more difficult. Typically, there usually becomes very tight integration within a state with the primary culture become the most influential. One of the consequences of this homogenizing effect is that it does bring more stability. From what it appears, people start to consider themselves more as citizens of a country rather than some estranged cultural group. I think this will certainly happen in Russia. I've certainly observed it in history and even in the present day, including in countries much less developed than Russia, and in Russia for that matter. But its degree will steadily increase most likely.
"Obama called Poroshenko on Tuesday to “offer the full support of the United States as he seeks to unify and move his country forward,” the White House said." ^ The US govt. looks like they're building up the ego of Poroshenko, just like they did with Saakashvili. Hopefully Poroshenko doesn't do something profoundly stupid like Saak.
Maidan’s camp remains in Kiev, protesters intend to monitor Poroshenko's work
KIEV, May 28. /ITAR-TASS/. Tent camp in the center of Kiev's Independence Square will remain. The protesters explained it by their intention to look at Poroshenko's work who according to the latest data won the presidential elections in Ukraine. "We are not going to go away. We have to give him (Poroshenko) a chance. Let’s take one month," one of the inhabitants of the camp said. In addition, the protesters say that they are not going to break down the camp. The situation on the area is quiet today, ITAR-TASS correspondent reports. The activists began to prepare breakfast, and music was there. Local merchants laid out their tables for souvenirs. This part of city is now one of the most popular among tourists. Only group of 'self-defenders’ of 8-10 people appeared. There was one additional barricade. Earlier Vitali Klitschko who won Kiev mayor elections said that the protesters in the square would be asked to dismantle the barricades and leave. In addition, he turned to "self-defense Maidan" to release the City council building for the new city authorities.
As I said new Maidan activity within 2 months - mark my words Poroshenko will have to make unpopular decisions and Maidan will be active again non-stop revolution
KIEV, May 28. /ITAR-TASS/. Tent camp in the center of Kiev's Independence Square will remain. The protesters explained it by their intention to look at Poroshenko's work who according to the latest data won the presidential elections in Ukraine. "We are not going to go away. We have to give him (Poroshenko) a chance. Let’s take one month," one of the inhabitants of the camp said. In addition, the protesters say that they are not going to break down the camp. The situation on the area is quiet today, ITAR-TASS correspondent reports. The activists began to prepare breakfast, and music was there. Local merchants laid out their tables for souvenirs. This part of city is now one of the most popular among tourists. Only group of 'self-defenders’ of 8-10 people appeared. There was one additional barricade. Earlier Vitali Klitschko who won Kiev mayor elections said that the protesters in the square would be asked to dismantle the barricades and leave. In addition, he turned to "self-defense Maidan" to release the City council building for the new city authorities.
As I said new Maidan activity within 2 months - mark my words Poroshenko will have to make unpopular decisions and Maidan will be active again non-stop revolution
I disagree about non-stop revolution. The problem is, people are tired from Maidan and even more tired from the fighting going on in the east. They're going to need a long break before there's drum-beating for more revolution. However, I agree that Poroshenko seems like a typical post-Soviet oligarch crook, and people are going to be upset sooner or later. But reality works differently from Marxist theory. There cannot be perpetual proletariat revolution in any given place. It's just not socially feasible/possible, such that even the ringleaders and bannermen get tired sooner or later. I think this is what we're seeing in Ukraine.
So, they're not the concern. The main concern is the eastern separatists and their war-happy Cossack and Chechen buddies, and deadbeat Russian homies basically waging their version of "svyaschennaya voina" (sacred war) as you Russians sometimes refer to WW2, against the Ukrainian forces (and vice versa).
But there's more! Gas price arguments are still going on.
Ukraine “will not pay anything” for gas to Russia, if the countries do not reach an agreement to bring back the previous gas price at $268.5 for 1,000 cubic meters, parliament-appointed acting Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak told reporters before a country’s government meeting on Tuesday. “We are prepared to pay after they [Russia] confirm the gas price to us for the future. However, the proposal made today — “you pay and then we will start talking to you” — does not suit us,” the interim minister said. He noted the need to hold gas talks with Russia at which negotiating parties should agree on returning the gas price at $268.5 for 1,000 cubic meters. “If no agreement is attained, we will not pay anything,” Shlapak noted.
I think it's necessary to clarify the status quo with respect to Kadyrov. He's a warlord installed by Putin to use unofficial militias to pacify Chechnya. His tactics were ruthless and effective (as he wasn't constrained by laws of any kind), which led to the rebels leaving Chechnya and moving to other regions such as Ingushetia. The rebels aren't gone, as the bombings before the olympics demonstrated.
Kadyrov works for Putin, and the two men have a good relationship. The troops arrived in Ukraine at the time when Kadyrov traveled to Moscow to receive a special prize from Putin. While there wasn't much doubt that Kadyrov is following Putin's orders on this, as he always has, it's pretty much confirmed now.
Also, Kadyrov doesn't have a few men, it's a huge militia, and I'm sure he has kept sufficient troops to keep the peace in Chechnya.
On May 28 2014 18:22 Ghanburighan wrote: I think it's necessary to clarify the status quo with respect to Kadyrov. He's a warlord installed by Putin to use unofficial militias to pacify Chechnya. His tactics were ruthless and effective (as he wasn't constrained by laws of any kind), which led to the rebels leaving Chechnya and moving to other regions such as Ingushetia. The rebels aren't gone, as the bombings before the olympics demonstrated.
Kadyrov works for Putin, and the two men have a good relationship. The troops arrived in Ukraine at the time when Kadyrov traveled to Moscow to receive a special prize from Putin. While there wasn't much doubt that Kadyrov is following Putin's orders on this, as he always has, it's pretty much confirmed now.
Also, Kadyrov doesn't have a few men, it's a huge militia, and I'm sure he has kept sufficient troops to keep the peace in Chechnya.
Very true! Thank you for this information. It's important for understanding the background of the Chechen involvement in Ukraine.
EPT
