Russian Invasion Of Ukraine (Formerly: Democratic Malaise Draws Ukraine Eastwards)

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Putin orders ‘combat readiness’ tests for western, central Russian troops

Published time: February 26, 2014 12:35
Edited time: February 26, 2014 14:57 Get short URL


A Russian column of tracked armored vehicles (RIA Novosti / Pavel Lisitsyn)

Tags
Air Force, Arms, Army, Military, Navy, Putin, Russia, Security

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an urgent military drill to test the combat readiness of the armed forces across western and central Russia. The drill included troops dealing with mock security and terrorist threats.

“The drills are not connected with events in Ukraine at all,” Sergey Shoigu, Russia’s Defense Minister, told journalists Wednesday.

As part of the test, several drills will be held on Russian borders with other countries, including with Ukraine. The main purpose of these drills is to check the combat readiness of the Russian armed forces, Shoigu said.

The surprise drill tested ground troops, Air Force, airborne troops and aerospace defense, according to Shoigu.

Putin ordered to “test combat readiness of troops in dealing with crisis situations that threaten the military security of the country, as well as with antiterrorist, sanitary and epidemiological, or technogenic situations,” Shoigu said.

According to the Defense Minister, the drill, which started at 14:00 GMT, will be held from February 26 until March 3 in two stages. The second stage involves an opposing-force exercise with the participation of Russia’s Northern and Baltic fleet and bomb strike drills.

Some 150,000 troops, 90 aircraft, over 120 helicopters, 880 tanks and 1,200 pieces of military hardware will be involved in the drills, deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Wednesday.


RIA Novosti / Vitaliy Ankov

While Western media was quick to connect the drill to the situation in Ukraine, such exercises were proposed by Putin as early as last September and followed massive 2013 drills.

In February, the Russian Army staged a surprise ‘combat readiness’ drill in central Russia for the first time in 20 years, which was followed by a Black Sea drill in March.

An exercise testing aerospace defense and Air Force then took place in May, involving thousands of troops with hundreds of aircraft and vehicles.

In July, a massive military drill took place in the Eastern Command. Up to 160,000 troops, 1,000 tanks and armored vehicles, 130 aircraft and 70 vessels took part in the drill.

Following the 2013 exercises, President Putin, in his capacity as Russia’s Supreme Commander-in-Chief, announced that the practice of surprise drills will continue. A comprehensive inspection of Interior Ministry troops was also ordered.


RIA Novosti / Vitaliy Ankov

Comments (242)



Moscow - Putin Orders Troops In Western Russia On Alert In Drill

ian bremmer ‏@ianbremmer 3h http://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/438661430758219776
Message from Putin: As Ukrainians decide upon their future, the Russian army stands ready to assist.



Moscow - President Vladimir Putin ordered an urgent drill to test the combat readiness of the armed forces across western Russia on Wednesday, news agencies reported, flexing Moscow’s military muscle amid tension with the West over Ukraine.

“In accordance with an order from the president of the Russian Federation, forces of the Western Military District were put on alert at 1400 (0500 ET) today,” Interfax quoted Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying...

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Russian military weapons came to Yalta!
Sergey Sergey · 234 videos
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Published on Feb 25, 2014

Today about 17 hours two military vehicle "Ural" with Russian numbers entered in Yalta. 1:11 and 1:45 you can clearly see a machine gun from a soldier!

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U.S. F-15s performing Estonia independence flyby diverted to intercept Russian spyplane

Feb 26 2014 - 2 Comments


By David Cenciotti
U.S. F-15s scheduled to perform a flyover in Estonia, intercepted a Russian spyplane then took part to the parade.

On Feb. 24, Estonia celebrated its independence day.

Part of the celebrations was also a military parade in the city of Pärnu. U.S. F-15C fighters belonging to the 48th FW, currently deployed to Lithuania’s first air base in Zokniai, near Siauliai, took part to the flyby but they were forced to do double duty since they were first diverted to intercept a Russian plane.

Unfortunately, no details about the aircraft that was intercepted were released. The official statement by Estonian authorities says only: “Fighters identified the plane as a spy plane belonging to Russia.”

The U.S. Air Force has four F-15s from RAF Lakenheath deployed to Lithuania to undertake air policing in the Baltic states. The aircraft have replaced the Belgian F-16AMs and, since January, they guard the airspace over Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, whose air defense is provided on a rotational basis by 14 NATO states since 2004.

Aircraft on QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) at Siauliai are often scrambled by CRP (Control and Reporting Post) of Amari, Estonia, to intercept Il-20 spyplanes, Tu-22M Backfire bombers and Su-27 fighter jets, skirting Baltic states airspaces as images posted in 2013 show.

Image credit: U.S. Air Force

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Inside the Ring: All eyes on Moscow’s military moves in Ukraine

By Bill Gertz
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The Washington Times
Wednesday, February 26, 2014

• Enlarge Photo

U.S. intelligence agencies are stepping up their spying on Russia’s military amid concerns that Moscow is preparing to use force against Ukraine in the wake of the pro-democracy revolution in Kiev.

Earlier this week, intelligence agencies reported that two Ural-4320 trucks full of armed Russian troops were observed arriving in the Black Sea port of Yalta. Photographs made by a Ukrainian civilian were posted online as the troop transports entered a Russian military facility in Yalta, on the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.

Other activities in recent days have included the movement of armored personnel carriers observed at Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters in nearby Sevastopol.

U.S. officials said the purpose of the troops is not known, but speculation centers on the possibility of the troops being used as part of an advance force for a future Russian military operation.

U.S. intelligence agencies also are tracking possible covert infiltration of Russian Spetsnaz commandos. One concern is that Moscow will provoke a conflict by using the undercover commandos to attack ethnic Russians and then launch an invasion under the guise of protecting those Russians.

Some 8 million Russians reside in Ukraine, making up about 17 percent of the population.

Tensions remain high between Moscow and Kiev over the recent ouster of Ukraine’s pro-Russia president, Viktor Yanukovych, who now is being sought on murder charges.

In a sign of Moscow’s concern over losing what it regards as a strategic neighbor, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces on a higher state of alert Tuesday. The mobilization includes forces some 200 miles from Russia’s southern border with Ukraine.

The mobilization could indicate a future military operation, although Moscow's Defense Ministry said the troop movements are not related to the unrest in Ukraine.

The Obama administration has issued indirect warnings to Russia not to intervene militarily, the latest signal made by Deputy Secretary of State William Burns during a visit Tuesday to Kiev.

“We strongly support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and its unity,” Mr. Burns told reporters at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev.
Asked about the Russian military activities in the Crimea, and how far the United States is prepared to go to prevent military intervention, Mr. Burns said: “All that I would stress is what I said before, and that is that the United States strongly supports the unity and the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

Mr. Burns said speculation over splitting Ukraine into pro-Russian and pro-European regions “is not in Ukraine’s interest.”
“And the United States will continue to reinforce that very firm position,” he said.

Gates on Obama vS. military

Former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates reveals in his new memoir that many in the Obama White House harbor deep suspicions and antagonism toward the U.S. military.

In “Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War,” Mr. Gates discloses details of the differences between the White House and senior military leaders, mainly over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Vice President Joseph R. Biden, he notes, framed the issue with public comments in 2009 that he would not let the military “bully” the White House on decisions about how many troops to add to forces in Afghanistan.

Mr. Gates said he suspected the anti-military feelings were “stoked” by Mr. Biden, Senior Security Adviser Thomas Donilon, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and others who were distrustful of the military because of their lack of military experience.

Mr. Gates also disclosed that U.S. Pacific commander Adm. Tim Keating was nearly fired by President Obama, who was upset that the admiral told reporters the U.S. military was ready to shoot down any threatening North Korean long-range missile. Adm. Keating was reprimanded but not fired, Mr. Gates noted.

Retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair, Mr. Obama’s first director of national intelligence, and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also piqued Mr. Obama’s ire.

“All too early in the administration, suspicion and distrust of senior military officers by senior White House officials — including the president and vice president — became a big problem for me as I tried to manage the relationship between the commander in chief and his military leaders,” Mr. Gates wrote.

After a secret plan for troops in Afghanistan was leaked to the press, Mr. Obama became “infuriated” at what he saw as a conspiracy by military leaders to “box me in.”

“What is wrong?” Mr. Obama asked Mr. Gates, according to the memoir. “Are they suspicious of my politics? Do they resent that I never served in the military?”

The divisions over how many troops to send to Afghanistan in 2009 created a “wall” between the military and the White House that Mr. Gates said was “bad for the country, even dangerous.”

“We heard regularly from members of the press that Biden, [National Security Adviser James L.] Jones, Donilon, [White House communications adviser Denis] McDonough, [National Security Council staff member Douglas] Lute, Emanuel, and [senior adviser David] Axelrod were ‘spilling their guts’ regularly — and disparagingly — to reporters about senior military leaders, Afghanistan and the decision-making process,” Mr. Gates said, adding that at one point the atmosphere in the White House toward the military was “poisonous.”

Mr. Gates says many White House staffers regarded him as a “geezer” and “Yoda,” and that the younger corps of staffers, mostly former congressional aides, took up senior positions, but lacked “firsthand knowledge of real-world governing.”

He noted that in the beginning of the administration, all White House staffers brought their cellphones to classified meetings in the Situation Room “potentially broadcasting everything that was said to foreign intelligence electronic eavesdroppers.”

HOW’D THAT GET THERE?

U.S. officials confirmed this week that North Korea’s long-range missile program benefited from parts made in China, Europe and America.

The discovery occurred after the rocket booster and other components of a Taepodong-2 missile were fished out of the Sea of Japan following a North Korean test launch in December 2012.

Discovery of foreign components represents a setback for the Obama administration’s non-proliferation policies. The administration has sought to use economic sanctions and financial controls to prevent North Korea from getting long-range missiles. But the North’s missile program has advanced steadily over the past decade, creating more lethal road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Additionally, Pyongyang’s use of foreign missile parts in the Taepodong-2 is expected to complicate the administration’s push to loosen exports controls on high-technology goods. President Obama has been seeking looser controls to boost U.S. economic competitiveness.

Covert weapons procurement networks by rogue states like North Korea and Iran, however, raise questions about whether loosening high-tech controls will increase national security threats to the U.S. and its allies.

Officials confirmed the foreign parts in the North Korean missile after the discovery was first reported last week by Japan’s NHK television.

U.S. and South Korean technicians discovered that the missile debris contained U.S.-made electronic circuits, British transmitters and a Swiss-made electrical component. Other parts were made in China and states of the former Soviet Union.

The parts were manufactured during the past several years, indicating they were procured covertly by the North Koreans despite multiple U.N. sanctions against such trade. The parts were described as dual-use components not covered directly by U.N. sanctions that North Korean procurement agents imported by circumventing international controls.

The discovery could result in future U.N. sanctions aimed at closing the loophole on dual-use components.

State Department spokeswoman Sandra Postell declined to comment. “We do not comment on intelligence matters,” she told Inside the Ring.

Thomas Moore, a former professional staff members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations involved in export control issues, said the discovery is “not particularly shocking to me.”

“You can expect to see many more of these items appearing in the missile programs of U.S. adversaries, given the relaxed posture evident in the Obama administration’s treatment of space technology export controls combined with the oft-stated but usual phrase of the era: ‘When it doubt, ship it out,’” Mr. Moore said.

“It’d be one thing if they were also working the threat by providing for better defense of the homeland from long-range attack, but they’ve gutted that, too,” he said. “I suppose their crass view might be that this makes lawyers and shifty businessmen more profitable, but really does show how far down we have come in the last decade.”

U.S. intelligence agencies estimate North Korea will be capable of hitting the United States with a nuclear warhead within the next two years.

• Contact Bill Gertz at @BillGertz.

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Mike Walker ‏@New_Narrative 1h
Russian warship docks in Havana without explanation: http://yhoo.it/1co5ubM

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Russia Responds To US Warning: Expands Military Presence Globally

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 02/26/2014 19:34 -0500

Shortly after the US warned Russia over its "provocative actions" with regard Ukraine...

• *KERRY: RUSSIA MILITARY MOVE ON UKRAINE WOULD BE GRAVE MISTAKE

RiaNovosti reports defense minister Sergei Shoigu saying Russia plans "to expand permanent military presence outside its borders by placing military bases in a number of foreign countries," including Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Seychelles, and Singapore. "The talks are under way, and we are close to signing the relevant documents," Shoigu told reporters in Moscow.

Via RiaNovosti,

Russia is planning to expand its permanent military presence outside its borders by placing military bases in a number of foreign countries, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday.

Shoigu said the list includes Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Seychelles, Singapore and several other countries.

“The talks are under way, and we are close to signing the relevant documents,” Shoigu told reporters in Moscow.

The minister added that the negotiations cover not only military bases but also visits to ports in such countries on favorable conditions as well as the opening of refueling sites for Russian strategic bombers on patrol.

Moscow currently has only one naval base outside the former Soviet Union – in Tartus, Syria, but the fate of this naval facility is uncertain because of the ongoing civil war in that country.

Post-Soviet Russia closed a large naval base in Vietnam and a radar base in Cuba in 2002 due to financial constraints.

However, Russia has started reviving its navy and strategic aviation since mid-2000s, seeing them as a tool to project the Russian image abroad and to protect its national interests around the globe.

Now, Moscow needs to place such military assets in strategically important regions of the world to make them work effectively toward the goal of expanding Russia’s global influence.

Russia now moves to expand its worldwide military presence

4 hours ago

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MOSCOW (AP) — Russia says it plans to expand its worldwide military presence by seeking permission for navy ships to use ports in Latin America, Asia and elsewhere.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday in remarks carried by Russian news agencies the military was conducting talks with Algeria, Cyprus, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba, Seychelles, Vietnam and Singapore.

He said that it was essential for the Russian navy to be able to call at their ports to service its ships.

Shoigu said Russia was also talking to some of those countries asking them to allow long-range bombers to use their air bases for refueling.

President Vladimir Putin has launched a massive military modernization program and sought to demonstrate Russia's global reach by sending navy ships to the Mediterranean, Latin America and other areas.

Chinese, Mexican defense ministers hold talks on military cooperation



Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Liang Guanglie (2nd L) reviews an honour guard at Mexican defense ministry in Mexico City, Mexico, Sept. 1, 2010. Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie is in Mexico on an official good-will visit at the invitation of Mexican Secretary of National Defense Guillermo Galvan Galvan. (Xinhua/David de la Paz)

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie met his Mexican counterpart Guillermo Galvan Galvan here Wednesday to promote bilateral military cooperation.

Liang, also China's state councilor, said that Mexico is China's good friend and partner in the Latin American region, adding China attaches great importance to developing ties with Mexico.

China is willing to boost its military ties with Mexico and deepen bilateral military exchanges and cooperation in various fields, he said.

Liang thanked the Mexican government for its support to China on the issues of Taiwan and Tibet.

Galvan said China is a great country, and Mexico has high expectations for boosting its military ties with China. The two sides can strengthen exchanges to expand military cooperation, the minister added.

Liang also met Mexico's Navy Minister Mariano Francisco Sainez Mendoza, and both sides agreed to promote military exchanges and cooperation.

Liang arrived here Tuesday for a four-day visit.

Chinese defense minister meets with Latin American nations to develop military relations
(Xinhua)
08:48, November 21, 2012



BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Defense Minister Liang Guanglie met with delegates to the 1st China-Latin America high-level defense forum on Tuesday.

Liang hailed the increasingly close relations between China and Latin American countries in recent years, noting that the two sides have enjoyed frequent high-level visits, deepening political mutual trust, strengthening communication and cooperation, as well as effective coordination on major international affairs.

He said the forum shows that China attaches great importance to developing military relations with Latin American countries.

The forum has provided a platform for the two sides to communicate at the senior official level and will increase friendship and trust between the military leaders of both sides so as to develop future China-Latin American military relations, Liang said.

On behalf of the delegates, Pedro Siqueira, Uruguayan commander in chief of the army, said the forum has given Latin American countries more knowledge about China and it has also helped enhance communication between the militaries of both sides.

He expressed the hope that the Chinese military will pay more visits to Latin American countries in order to increase mutual understanding.

Russian military cargo plane lands in Veracruz Mexico

By Alexander Backman

Listen to commentary and interview on this article by Alexander Backman on the John Moore Show, Sep 24 2012:

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CRN® SEP 24, 2012- It is very well the largest airplane in the world as the Soviet Air Charter company so claims, and it has landed in Mexico of all places. Last Saturday, September 22rd, under the cover of night, an Antonov Russian strategic transport airplane, landed at the international Navy Air Base airport of Veracruz. This news was confirmed by Mexican General Heriberto Jara Corona, who heads the Aeronautics division of the Federal Secretary of Communications and Transport.

According to ‘off the record’ information gathered by the local media, the airship supposedly transported two Russian helicopters for the National Oceanic Force from Russia to Mexico. The questions remains, where are the helicopters, why are there no pictures of them? Are there any helicopters at all? Is something else being transported? Is Russia working with the Mexican armed forces in preparation for a full-scale invasion of the United States by bringing in military cargo into Mexican ports.

The notion of these helicopters being brought into Mexico for the Drug war does not convince anyone when it is the US-Mexico Merida Initiative that guarantees this type of equipment to fight the criminal insurgency that has left a whopping 120,000 Mexicans dead.

Nevertheless, the Mexican Airspace Navigation Service confirmed that the airship arrived directly at the naval air station de Las Bajadas belonging to the Secretariat of Navy – the Mexican Navy and soon carted to the platform of the civilian airfield, after 17 hours of flight without any stops.

The Anotov is used to transport loads of great dimensions. The airplane can incline to facilitate the entrance of payload and can take up to 150 tons of cargo, also up to 88 passengers in an upper deck behind the cabin. Nevertheless, due to the limited pressurization of the fuselage, it rarely transports parachutists.

It is well-known that these aircraft were designed initially for occasional military use which does not discard the fact that this may be a military operation made to look like a civilian transport plane. With the recent information that China is also using civilian cruisers like the Green pearl to transport troops and equipment, one needs to not underestimate the enemy forces and what their forms of operation are. Especially, when confirmation has come that China has at least 12 military bases in Mexico as reported by an Australian family member that has a relative that works at the Echelon, NSA, Pine Gap facility in Australia.

References:

1. Antonov An-124, Soviet Air Charter, http://www.sovietaircharter.com/planeAN124.htm
2. The Lowdown on Chinese Troops in Mexico, God Like Productions, http://www.godlikeproductions.com/fo...age1410625/pg1
3. Un “Gigante” aéreo directo de Rusia aterriza en tierras veracruzanas, http://golpepolitico.com/2012/09/23/...-veracruzanas/
4. Aterrizan un “monstro”!, NOTIVER, http://www.notiver.com.mx/index.php/...d=3&posicion=3
   

Related:

• Communist Goals- Congressional Record (1963)- Must read!
• Recommended Sites: The Coming Attack
• Why is the US being invaded by the Commies?- Read here
• INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES KNOW THAT AT LEAST 12 CHINESE MILITARY BASES ARE OPERATING IN NORTHERN MEXICO

Red Dawn Alert: Nicaragua’s Sandinista-dominated legislature obeys “urgent request” from President Ortega, authorizes entrance of Russian, Cuban, Venezuelan and Mexican troops, Warplanes, Warships into C. American country; Russian Navy to Patrol Nicaraguan Waters, Jan. 1 to June 30, 2014; Nicaraguan soldiers to train in Russia, Cuba, Venezuela; US presence in counter-narc ops mere window dressing

1 Comment Posted by periloustimes1 on November 27, 2013

More than two decades have passed since the fake ”death of communism.” The West no longer perceives a threat to its existence from states holding, secretly or openly, to this ideology.

However, the revived Communist Bloc appears to be contemplating a real Red Dawn scenario. Using its Cold War-era beachhead in Central America, the neo-Soviet regime and its leftist allies in Latin America are even now preparing to attack the USA . . . in full view of the sleep-walking shopping mall regime and with the total complicity of the treasonous Obama Admin.

source 1 source 2

Background

source 3 source 4 source 5 source 6

27 November 2013, 09:45

Parliament of Nicaragua votes for Russian Military Presence

Photo:EPA


Nicaragua's Parliament Ratified the Government's Decision Allowing Russian Military Units, Planes and Ships to Visit the Central American Country



The voting took place at an urgent request of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

Under the document, ships and planes of Russia, Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela will be able to visit Nicaragua in the first half of 2014. Their crews are allowed to participate "in exchange of experience and training" of Nicaragua's servicemen.

Moreover, Russian servicemen together with Nicaragua's armed forces will take part in a joint patrolling of the republic's territorial waters in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean from January 1 to June 30, 2014.

The main task of these operations is to fight drug trafficking. The US servicemen were issued a similar permit.

Voice of Russia, TASS
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_1...presence-2495/

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@RichardEngel 3m

Russian media described military exercises near #Ukraine’s border as the biggest war game since Soviet era .

@passantino Ukraine: Armed men have seized regional government building and parliament in Crimea - Interfax via @Reuters

According to the "Center for Investigative Journalism" , and raised the Russian flag over the building of the Crimean parliament. The source said some details of the capture: according to him, in the capture of a government building people "overpowered guards and police threw stun grenades."

@robertcaruso: Crimea bldgs under siege by, and I quote, "men in uniforms that do not bear any recognizable insignia”

@AmDefNews: “@Renatus84 All of them heavily armed. This was pre-planned. 30 arrived first, followed by 30 reinforcements with weapons.





Russian Western and Central commands start massive redeployment

Russia

February 27, 10:16 UTC+4

About 150,000 servicemen are taking part in the large-scale military exercise


ITAR-TASS/Lev Fedoseev

MOSCOW, February 27. /ITAR-TASS/.

Large units and military commands dislocated on the territory of the Western and Central commands and participating in the combat readiness test have started a massive redeployment to areas of interest, according to the press service of Russia’s Defense Ministry.


Russia informs NATO on ad hoc military exercise, fulfills transparency conditions

According to the General Staff of the Russian army, the commanders received packets with introductory data on performing route marches to areas of loading troop trains, as well as to airdromes of military transport aviation, followed by troops’ redeployment to the Defense Ministry’s ranges located far away from areas of permanent dislocation.

According to the General Staff of the Russian army, the commanders received packets with introductory data on performing route marches to areas of loading troop trains, as well as to airdromes of military transport aviation, followed by troops’ redeployment to the Defense Ministry’s ranges located far away from areas of permanent dislocation.

Tank units and detachments of the We4stern Command have finished the uploading of the railroad platforms and now are performing route marches to areas of interest.

Several units of the Western and Central commands are assigned to perform route marches under own power to cover a distance of more than 1,000 km.


Surprise drills of Russian army not related to situation in Ukraine – minister

Detachments of the Pskov unit of the Airborne Forces have rapidly moved to the aerial embarkation center and are ready to enter the areas of interest.

Troops and units dislocated in polar regions, Kaliningrad, Samara, Leningrad, Pskov, Kursk, Voronezh, Lipetsk and other regions of Russia are moved from areas of permanent deployment and ready to be sent to any district assigned by the General Staff.

It would become known where and what tasks the troops would perform after officers of the General Staff would open the relevant packets and inform the armies’ and units’ commanders. The main task of the first stage of the combat readiness check is to assess actions of commanders and staffs when put in top combat readiness and redeployment to areas of interest.

Under authority of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, from February 26, the Defense Ministry is undergoing an instantaneous integrated combat readiness test of the Western Command Armed Forces, 2nd Army of the Central Command and Airborne Troops Command.

All in all, about 150 thousand military personnel of different services of the Armed Forces and military commands are involved in the check. Up to 90 planes, more than 120 helicopters, up to 880 tanks, over 1,200 defense equipment units and about 80 ships would be used.

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RUSSIA PUTS FIGHTER JETS AT WESTERN BORDERS ON COMBAT ALERT -- INTERFAX

RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS HAS PUT FIGHTER JETS ON COMBAT ALERT ON ITS WESTERN BORDERS - INTERFAX
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101450732

Dollar, equities selling off on headline Russia putting fighter jets at Western border on combat alert
https://twitter.com/LBCI_News_EN

***ALERT*** Russian naval vessels carrying Marines and armor arrive in #Crimea. #Russia #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/c9UrK90vKz

@AP: BREAKING: Ukraine's acting president calls on Russian forces in Crimea not to leave naval base.

Gregor Peterþ@L0gg0l9 mins
RT @tconnellyRTE: My driver in Sevastopol says Russian tanks are on the way from Eupatoria on the Black Sea coast to Simferopol #Crimea

Middle East Newsþ@MiddleEast_BRK14 mins
#BreakingNews SBU says, it will "conduct certain actions" in #Ukrome where 7 Russian army BTRs have been seen. https://www.google.de/maps/place/Ukr...d7301a1b25d2 …


LBCI News Englishþ@LBCI_News_EN2 mins
Acting President tells Russia that troop movements outside black sea fleet base in #Crimea would be seen by #Ukraine as act of aggression

AmericanDefenseNews ‏@AmDefNews 36s
Naval War College chairman confirms Russian forces have entered sovereign Ukrainian territory.


Middle East News‏@MiddleEast_BRK·2 mins
#BreakingNews Large military forces seen near #Simferopol. Also Russian military activity reported near #Yalta. pic.twitter.com/WWz05qkEqe

AmericanDefenseNews‏@AmDefNews·2 mins
BREAKING: *Unconfirmed* reports of Russian military vehicles on roads near #Simferopol, #Ukraine. #Russia #Crimea



#Poland's Foreign Minister Sikorski says seizure of govt buildings in #Crimea is a "drastic step", risks regional conflict.

Gregor Peter‏@L0gg0l1h
UKRAINE ACTING PRESIDENT ORDERS MILITARY TO FREE CAPTURED GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS IN CRIMEA, TV RAIN SAYS (via @leonidragozin)

lemasabachthani ‏@lemasabachthani 37 sec
UKRAINE'S FOREIGN MINISTRY SUMMONS RUSSIAN ENVOY IN KIEV, REQUESTS IMMEDIATE CONSULTATIONS WITH MOSCOW

ukraine currency hyrvnia falls to 11.00 vs. U.s dollar, down near 10% on the day


RT ‏@RT_com · 5 min
MORE: Yanukovich says decisions by #Ukraine parliament are illegitimate - statement

RT ‏@RT_com · 8 min
MORE: Yanukovich asks Russian authorities to guarantee personal safety from "extremists actions" - statement


Dick Darlington ‏@Darlington_Dick 26 sec
*RUSSIA BUILDS UP BARENTS, BALTIC SEA PRESENCE DURING TESTS: IFX

14 mins ago - @EuromaidanPR : #Russian fighter jets patrolling the border areas -rambler.ru |PR News #Ukraine #Crimea 12 mins ago

Ukraine crisis: Kerry warns Putin 'This is not Rocky IV' as Russian fighter jets are put on combat alert



http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...t-9156583.html

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"About 80 surface vessels, submarines and support ships of the Russian Navy have left their permanent bases and started the deployment phase in the designated areas of the sea ranges in the Barents and Baltic Seas. Several groups of all-arms naval forces have been put together at the moment," it said.http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_0...Ministry-2794/

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Nuclear missiles troops received code "alert", "stay ready".

Feb 26 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin ordered an urgent drill to test the combat readiness of his armed forces across western Russia on Wednesday, flexing Moscow's military muscle amid tension with the West over Ukraine.

Russia said the exercises were not linked to events in Ukraine, where the ouster of a president who turned his back on the European Union and sought closer ties with Moscow has raised worries in the West over possibility of military intervention.

Putin has ordered several such surprise drills in different Russian regions since he returned to the presidency in 2012, saying the military must be kept on its toes, but the crisis in the neighbouring nation gave them added geopolitical resonance.
"In accordance with an order from the president of the Russian Federation, forces of the Western Military District were put on alert at 1400 (1000 GMT) today," the Interfax news agency quoted Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying.

Shoigu said the training drills were not linked to events in Ukraine, and Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov said they had been previously planned. He said they would involve about 150,000 military personnel.

The western district encompasses most of western Russia and borders Ukraine, which lies between NATO nations and Russia.
Forces must "be ready to bomb unfamiliar testing grounds" as part of the drill, Shoigu told a Defence Ministry meeting.

Putin has made no public comment on Ukraine since President Viktor Yanukovich was driven from power over the weekend. His ouster came after months of political turmoil that began when he spurned deals with the European Union and sought to improve ties with Russia.

The United States and European nations have warned Russia against military intervention in Ukraine, a former Soviet republic that Putin has called a "brother nation" and wants to be part of a Eurasian Union he is building in the region.

Russian officials have said Moscow will not interfere in Ukraine, while accusing the West of doing so. Interfax cited the speaker of the upper parliament house, Valentina Matviyenko, as saying on Wednesday it would not use force.

But Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Russia's interests and its citizens in Ukraine were under threat, language reminiscent of statements justifying Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008, when he was president.

Shoigu said the drill would be conducted in two stages, ending on March 3, and also involved the command centres of Russia's Air and Space Defence forces, paratroops and long-range aviation as well as some troops in central Russia.

In the two-day first stage, military units would be brought to "the highest degree of combat readiness" and would be deployed to testing areas on land and sea, Interfax quoted Shoigu as saying.

The second stage would include tactical exercises and involve warships from the Northern and Baltic Fleets, he said, and some warplanes would move to combat airfields.

Descriptions of the exercises did not mention the Black Sea Fleet, which is based in Sevastopol in Crimea. Tension over Ukraine's turmoil is high because of the fleet's presence and the region's large ethnic Russian population.

In separate comments, Shoigu said Russia was "carefully watching what is happening in Crimea" and was taking unspecified measures to ensure the security of the facilities and arsenals of the Black Sea Fleet, state-run RIA reported.

Shoigu said the drill would also test the counter-terrorism measures in place at military units. Russian officials have referred to some of the Ukrainian opposition forces whose protests pushed Yanukovich from power as "terrorists".

http://news.msn.com/world/putin-puts...alert-in-drill

[vector7]

Ukrainian Updates‏@Ukroblogger18m
#Russia's BalticSea landing craft crossing over into BlackSea en route to #Crimea pic.twitter.com/86ZaDw8uuk Fishing trip?#Ukraine MT @varlamov


MFS - The Other News‏@MFS00110m
Amphibious warships Kaliningrad and Minsk of Russian Baltic fleet just entered in Black sea. http://dlvr.it/523TL3





Will NATO annex Ukraine?

Published time: February 24, 2014 08:55

~snip~

Every informed analyst knows the mastermind of this ‘policy’, since the 1970s, is Zbigniew ‘The Grand Chessboard’ Brzezinski. Dr. Zbig was US President Barack Obama’s mentor at Columbia and is the Talleyrand of the Obama administration’s foreign policy machine.

He may have softened up a notch recently, arguing that although the US must remain the supreme power across Eurasia, Russia and Turkey must be seduced by the West. Yet his historic Russophobia was never diluted.

[vector7]

Western military district's combat aviation to redeploy to emergency airfields - russian defense ministry Interfax.


CNN JUST IN: U.S. concerned Russia may be positioning ground forces to be able to move into Ukraine if Moscow issued such orders.


AndersFogh Rasmussen ‏@AndersFoghR 2 min
I'm concerned about developments in #Crimea. I urge #Russia not to take any action that can escalate tension or create misunderstanding


CNBCWorld ‏@CNBCWorld 2h
#BREAKING: In joint press conference with Cameron, Merkel says:



"We shall do everything we can to support Ukraine government"



liuk ‏@liuk__ 1 min
#RUSSIA SAYS NATO COMMENTS ABOUT UKRAINE SEND `WRONG SIGNAL


RT ‏@RT_com 2 min
BREAKING: Russia: West must stop making provocative statements on Ukraine


Kim Taylor-Galway ‏@CBCKimTaylorG 4m
DON'T MISS 1030ET: a former #Putin advisor who says we are days/hours/even mins away from a MilitaryOp @andrewcbc @CBCNews #ukraine #crimea

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Breaking News: UKRAINE, RUSSIA INCH CLOSER TO WAR: From safety of Russian sanctuary, deposed president Yanukovich countermands mobilization of Ukrainian Armed Forces, denies relinquishing control over military, Security Service; Crimean regional parliament votes to hold secession referendum on May 25, same day as Ukrainian elections; bizarre circumstances attend vote in Simferopol: Pro-Russia gunmen, widely believed to be Berkut riot police dismissed from Kiev force, occupy top floor, relieve MPs of mobile phones upon entrance to building

Leave a Comment Posted by periloustimes1 on February 27, 2014

source 1 source 2

Uncategorized

Breaking News: UKRAINE, RUSSIA INCH CLOSER TO WAR: Ukrainian Armed Forces, Interior Ministry troops placed on alert, ordered to counter possible invasion from Russia proper, naval base in Sevastopol; Kiev: Russian military assets straying over border during drills will be construed as ACT OF WAR; Moscow’s acting envoy in Kiev summoned to account for armed, pro-Russia coup in Crimean capital; Ukraine’s interim government demands “urgent talks” with Kremlin; NATO wimps out, alliance’s top commander, USAF Gen. Breedlove: No contingency plans to help Ukraine

Leave a Comment Posted by periloustimes1 on February 27, 2014

I am addressing the Russian Black Sea Fleet command with a demand: all military servicemen should stay within the boundaries of the territories stipulated by the agreement. Any movement of military servicemen with weapons outside this territory will be viewed as military aggression.

– Alexander Turchynov, Ukraine’s Acting President, statement made in Verkhovna Rada, February 27, 2014

source 1 source 2



WW4 File: Ex-KGB dictator Putin orders Western Military District on alert, regional command of Russian Armed Forces borders Ukraine; “snap” drill to last until March 3; Russian army could potentially cut Ukraine in half by thrusting S. from Russia proper, N. from Sevastopol, where 26,000 troops already garrisoned; Russia has 766,000 men under arms, Ukraine only has 159,000; Putin threatened to nuke Ukraine in 2008

Leave a Comment Posted by periloustimes1 on February 26, 2014

If Russia is to remain a power of any sort to be reckoned with, then it must prevent Ukraine from joining the EU, but especially NATO, since this would place the base for its Black Sea Fleet in a Western-allied country. On February 26, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted as saying that the current maneuvers of Russia’s Western Military District will involve some 150,000 troops, 880 tanks, 90 aircraft and 80 warships. He admitted that some of the drills will take place “near Ukraine’s borders.” The security of Russia’s naval base in Sevastopol, Shoigu added, will be “strengthened.”
source 1 source 2




Bush CSG deploys to Mediterranean, Gulf



The US Navy's (USN's) newest Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has departed on its second deployment, officials announced on 15 February. The carrier will support operations in the European, Middle East, and African regions.

Embarking eight squadrons from Carrier Air Wing 8, USS George H W Bush (CVN 77) deployed from its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, accompanied by Arleigh Burke-class DDG 51 guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103).

Guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) and Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58 ) also departed, from their home port of Naval Station Mayport in Florida, to rendezvous with Bush and Truxtun and make up Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2.

The Bush CSG will support US Fifth and Sixth Fleet commanders, carrying out maritime and theatre security tasks in the Mediterranean and Gulf regions as well as supporting Operation 'Enduring Freedom' in Afghanistan.

USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) has also departed Naval Station Norfolk for a separate deployment, to conduct ballistic missile defence taskings in support of Fifth Fleet operations in the Middle East and North Africa region.

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The Hidden USSR

Commentary of 24 February 2014



Last week Tennent “Pete” Bagley passed away. He was an important person in CIA history, especially in terms of the unraveling of American intelligence which began in the 1960s – an unraveling that brings us to the present crisis which is playing itself out in Kiev and Washington. As of today, a war has broken out in Eastern Europe between “the hidden Soviet Union,” as Boris Chykulay calls it, and the Ukrainian people. It is a war that has reached critical mass, with far-reaching ramifications.

Here is a joke: What has happened in Kiev should have already happened in Washington; but then, Ukrainians have learned the secret of successful counter-revolution by living under Soviet rule for many decades. The United States has only been under Soviet rule a few years.

Even if my joke (above) involves a slight exaggeration, American socialism (like Soviet socialism) is nonetheless a corrupt bureaucratic system where government leaders are unaccountable even as private property and personal freedoms are unprotected. In Russia the socialist system had an additional feature: It made use of an old Tsarist institution – the secret police. The KGB of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics relied on Tsarist methods of controlled opposition and networks of secret agents, many of whom pretended to be enemies of the government.

Because of the KGB’s ability to infiltrate Moscow's opposition, all revolutions or political changes in former East Bloc countries are a puzzle. We can never be sure who has actually won until we see, after time has passed, whether power has really changed hands; that is, whether the old Communist elite remains in charge of the army and police, the media and economic system, and key government posts. The analysis here is simple to do, but nobody in the West tries doing it. There is no career advancement in such analysis, especially in Western countries where the powers-that-be hear what they want to hear, and blot out the rest. Bad news isn’t really marketable under the shopping mall regime. The moneyed classes want to invest in the newly liberated countries of the “former” Soviet empire. The appeal to greed has already won them over – end of discussion.

Therefore, the Soviet Empire remains intact through the operation of hidden structures. KGB-controlled opposition was the story in 1989 and 1991. It has always been the untold story. It will continue to be untold until the hidden Soviet Union is taken down, at long last. I have spoken to schoolmates of Vaclav Havel who described him as the perfect instrument of the Communist state – as a fake dissident and a man who could be trusted by the KGB. In 1992 a Fighting Solidarity leader told me that Lech Walesa was a long-time stooge of the Polish secret police. Since that time Walesa’s secret police codename (BOLEK) has been published (See “Interview with Historian Slawomir Cenckiewicz: ‘Positive Proof’ Lech Walesa was a Communist Spy”).

So let us fast-forward to the present: What has been happening in Ukraine? Who is on Moscow’s team in Kiev? Most of the parliament, for starters; Yulia Tymoshenko in particular; the heads of the security services and military, excepting all those who are secretly working with the Ukrainian underground. (To know that there is a powerful underground movement, with its own tentacles burrowed into Moscow, is not mere optimism. It is the way of the world. The Ukrainians were Soviets, and as such they had access to the same game the Russians were playing on them. This must never be forgotten. One only has to think of Golitsyn's work, or the work of Viktor Suvorov. Ukrainians have experience, access, and a motivation for playing the Russians at their own game. Consequently, understanding what is actually happening in Ukraine is a delicate and difficult challenge, requiring careful analysis and detailed knowledge.)

The Kremlin has many weapons, many agents, and many deceptions at its command. A former socialist country must, in itself, resemble a “wilderness of mirrors.”

The Communists like to confuse the political process in every country. This also applies to Germany, part of which was also a “Communist Country” (i.e., the German Democratic Republic). If we hear that (the conservative) German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now eager to meet with former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has recently been let out of prison, we must first reckon with Merkel’s Communist past before we reckon with Tymoshenko’s role as Moscow’s little helper; for both women have a peculiar relationship to Moscow which extends far back in time.

A German journalist recently wrote to me about Merkel, saying that German intelligence attempted to warn the Christian Democrats that Merkel was “a dangerous person.” But the Christian Democrats didn’t listen, and now Germany is more dependent on Russian natural gas than ever before. As for the situation in Ukraine today, with the dramatic and apparent collapse of the Yanukovych government, I had the chance to speak with Ukrainian activist Boris Chykulay , who explained the situation as follows: “Instinctively people know that they fight against a hidden USSR. You can see this in all the cities now with the fall of so many Lenin monuments.”

Chykulay is proposing a lustration law which would prevent “former” Communists from holding public office in Ukraine. As the Wikipedia explains, “
Lustration is the government process regulating the participation of former communists, especially informants of the communist secret police, in successor political appointee positions or in civil service positions … after the fall of the various European Communist states….” Lustration would be an important tool in restricting Communist access to power in Ukraine, paving the way for a fresh start. As Chykulay explained, “We need lustration law to limit the influence of the KGB … [and all remaining Soviet structures].” To fix what is wrong with Ukraine, noted Chykulay, the Ukrainians need to wipe away the hidden Soviet Republic at work beneath the surface of Ukrainian politics.

“The problem we now face,” Chykulay said, “is that Putin merely says goodbye to Mafiosi Yanukovych. Now he starts to work with normal agents.” As another activist added, the politicians who are now coming forward to direct affairs are former Soviet Komsomol leaders (now in parliament), the most committed Communists of the old system. These are not democrats by any stretch of the imagination. According to Chykulay, these “normal Soviet agents” are telling the Maidan protestors to go home. The revolution has been won. “They are trying to keep the old system, without any result, without any changes, they want to close the case,” he explained. “Russia will try to control Ukraine through its old network; through Yulia Tymoshenko and others. She said, ‘Dear Ukrainians, I won’t let the government hurt you anymore.’ So you see, they already describe the Ukrainian government as something separate from the Ukrainian people. She doesn’t say the Ukrainians have any part in the government. They want to save the hidden Soviet structures. The Ukrainians are therefore told, in all seriousness, ‘you won’t be attacked.’”

Is there danger of Ukraine coming under direct attack? Could the Russians intervene with troops?

“Yes, Western Ukraine is a potential target,” Chykulay replied. “They will say the people in Lviv are fascists, and they will depict the Ukrainians as right wing extremists.” The Kremlin has, indeed, threatened to invade any former Soviet country where the rights of the local Russian-speaking minority are not respected. The case of Georgia in 2008 is a prime example. The only problem with carrying out such a military strike has to do with the reliability of the Russian troops and the reaction of Europe.

War is the last resort, of course. The Kremlin has many devices, and many tricks to play before things reach such an extremity. According to Chykulay, “This organization [the KGB] always has everything under control. They first kill this guy, then the next. In this way they stop the progress of the opposition. Then they cut the forest in another direction. Of course, they have things under control. They feel in control, but they are losing control beneath the surface. The internet leaves them at a loss.”

There is a cautious optimism on the part of Ukrainian activists. Previous attempts at freedom have been thwarted, it is true, but Maidan has good tactics and refuses to be fooled by Kremlin stooges. A Ukrainian analyst explained it thus: “As it happens, the people will not accept the leaders’ attempts to wiggle out. This morning Maidan had a massive meeting about Tymoshenko. They called it an ‘action meeting’ which was held against the return of Tymoshenko to politics. If she comes back, they said, the gangster clan will take over and nothing will change. They are demanding a total reset.”

The anti-Communist counter-revolution in Ukraine grows in power. Moscow sends its puppets into the meat-grinder. One is chewed up after another. Which will emerge as the new leader? Perhaps the controlled opposition game has exhausted its possibilities in Ukraine.

Time will tell.

JRNyquist.com

[Avvakum]

Speaking of hidden structures and the Ukraine, now a word or so on the Ukraine from Obama's pal George Soros;



George Soros On "Sustaining Ukraine's Breakthrough"


Submitted by Tyler Durden on 02/26/2014 20:01 -0500

• Corruption
• European Union
• George Soros
• Germany
• International Monetary Fund
• Reality
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• Ukraine
• Vladimir Putin

inShare2

Authored by George Soros, originally posted at Project Syndicate,
Following a crescendo of terrifying violence, the Ukrainian uprising has had a surprisingly positive outcome. Contrary to all rational expectations, a group of citizens armed with not much more than sticks and shields made of cardboard boxes and metal garbage-can lids overwhelmed a police force firing live ammunition. There were many casualties, but the citizens prevailed. This was one of those historic moments that leave a lasting imprint on a society’s collective memory.
How could such a thing happen? Werner Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics offers a fitting metaphor. According to Heisenberg, subatomic phenomena can manifest themselves as particles or waves; similarly, human beings may alternate between behaving as individual particles or as components of a larger wave. In other words, the unpredictability of historical events like those in Ukraine has to do with an element of uncertainty in human identity.
People’s identity is made up of individual elements and elements of larger units to which they belong, and peoples’ impact on reality depends on which elements dominate their behavior. When civilians launched a suicidal attack on an armed force in Kyiv on February 20, their sense of representing “the nation” far outweighed their concern with their individual mortality. The result was to swing a deeply divided society from the verge of civil war to an unprecedented sense of unity.
Whether that unity endures will depend on how Europe responds. Ukrainians have demonstrated their allegiance to a European Union that is itself hopelessly divided, with the euro crisis pitting creditor and debtor countries against one another. That is why the EU was hopelessly outmaneuvered by Russia in the negotiations with Ukraine over an Association Agreement.
True to form, the EU under German leadership offered far too little and demanded far too much from Ukraine. Now, after the Ukrainian people’s commitment to closer ties with Europe fueled a successful popular insurrection, the EU, along with the International Monetary Fund, is putting together a multibillion-dollar rescue package to save the country from financial collapse. But that will not be sufficient to sustain the national unity that Ukraine will need in the coming years.
I established the Renaissance Foundation in Ukraine in 1990 – before the country achieved independence. The foundation did not participate in the recent uprising, but it did serve as a defender of those targeted by official repression. The foundation is now ready to support Ukrainians’ strongly felt desire to establish resilient democratic institutions (above all, an independent and professional judiciary). But Ukraine will need outside assistance that only the EU can provide: management expertise and access to markets.
In the remarkable transformation of Central Europe’s economies in the 1990’s, management expertise and market access resulted from massive investments by German and other EU-based companies, which integrated local producers into their global value chains. Ukraine, with its high-quality human capital and diversified economy, is a potentially attractive investment destination. But realizing this potential requires improving the business climate across the economy as a whole and within individual sectors – particularly by addressing the endemic corruption and weak rule of law that are deterring foreign and domestic investors alike.
In addition to encouraging foreign direct investment, the EU could provide support to train local companies’ managers and help them develop their business strategies, with service providers remunerated by equity stakes or profit-sharing. An effective way to roll out such support to a large number of companies would be to combine it with credit lines provided by commercial banks. To encourage participation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) could invest in companies alongside foreign and local investors, as it did in Central Europe.
Ukraine would thus open its domestic market to goods manufactured or assembled by European companies’ wholly- or partly-owned subsidiaries, while the EU would increase market access for Ukrainian companies and help them integrate into global markets.
I hope and trust that Europe under German leadership will rise to the occasion. I have been arguing for several years that Germany should accept the responsibilities and liabilities of its dominant position in Europe. Today, Ukraine needs a modern-day equivalent of the Marshall Plan, by which the United States helped to reconstruct Europe after World War II. Germany ought to play the same role today as the US did then.
I must, however, end with a word of caution. The Marshall Plan did not include the Soviet bloc, thereby reinforcing the Cold War division of Europe. A replay of the Cold War would cause immense damage to both Russia and Europe, and most of all to Ukraine, which is situated between them. Ukraine depends on Russian gas, and it needs access to European markets for its products; it must have good relations with both sides.
Here, too, Germany should take the lead. Chancellor Angela Merkel must reach out to President Vladimir Putin to ensure that Russia is a partner, not an opponent, in the Ukrainian renaissance.
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George Soros

George Soros is Chairman of Soros Fund Management and Chairman of the Open Society Foundations. A pioneer of the hedge-fund industry, he is the author of many books, including The Alchemy of Finance, The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What it… read more

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FEB 26, 2014 6 Sustaining Ukraine’s Breakthrough

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CommentsNEW YORK – Following a crescendo of terrifying violence, the Ukrainian uprising has had a surprisingly positive outcome. Contrary to all rational expectations, a group of citizens armed with not much more than sticks and shields made of cardboard boxes and metal garbage-can lids overwhelmed a police force firing live ammunition. There were many casualties, but the citizens prevailed. This was one of those historic moments that leave a lasting imprint on a society’s collective memory.
CommentsHow could such a thing happen? Werner Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics offers a fitting metaphor. According to Heisenberg, subatomic phenomena can manifest themselves as particles or waves; similarly, human beings may alternate between behaving as individual particles or as components of a larger wave. In other words, the unpredictability of historical events like those in Ukraine has to do with an element of uncertainty in human identity.
CommentsPeople’s identity is made up of individual elements and elements of larger units to which they belong, and peoples’ impact on reality depends on which elements dominate their behavior. When civilians launched a suicidal attack on an armed force in Kyiv on February 20, their sense of representing “the nation” far outweighed their concern with their individual mortality. The result was to swing a deeply divided society from the verge of civil war to an unprecedented sense of unity.
CommentsWhether that unity endures will depend on how Europe responds. Ukrainians have demonstrated their allegiance to a European Union that is itself hopelessly divided, with the euro crisis pitting creditor and debtor countries against one another. That is why the EU was hopelessly outmaneuvered by Russia in the negotiations with Ukraine over an Association Agreement.
CommentsTrue to form, the EU under German leadership offered far too little and demanded far too much from Ukraine. Now, after the Ukrainian people’s commitment to closer ties with Europe fueled a successful popular insurrection, the EU, along with the International Monetary Fund, is putting together a multibillion-dollar rescue package to save the country from financial collapse. But that will not be sufficient to sustain the national unity that Ukraine will need in the coming years.
CommentsI established the Renaissance Foundation in Ukraine in 1990 – before the country achieved independence. The foundation did not participate in the recent uprising, but it did serve as a defender of those targeted by official repression. The foundation is now ready to support Ukrainians’ strongly felt desire to establish resilient democratic institutions (above all, an independent and professional judiciary). But Ukraine will need outside assistance that only the EU can provide: management expertise and access to markets.
CommentsIn the remarkable transformation of Central Europe’s economies in the 1990’s, management expertise and market access resulted from massive investments by German and other EU-based companies, which integrated local producers into their global value chains. Ukraine, with its high-quality human capital and diversified economy, is a potentially attractive investment destination. But realizing this potential requires improving the business climate across the economy as a whole and within individual sectors – particularly by addressing the endemic corruption and weak rule of law that are deterring foreign and domestic investors alike.
CommentsIn addition to encouraging foreign direct investment, the EU could provide support to train local companies’ managers and help them develop their business strategies, with service providers remunerated by equity stakes or profit-sharing. An effective way to roll out such support to a large number of companies would be to combine it with credit lines provided by commercial banks. To encourage participation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) could invest in companies alongside foreign and local investors, as it did in Central Europe.
CommentsUkraine would thus open its domestic market to goods manufactured or assembled by European companies’ wholly- or partly-owned subsidiaries, while the EU would increase market access for Ukrainian companies and help them integrate into global markets.
CommentsI hope and trust that Europe under German leadership will rise to the occasion. I have been arguing for several years that Germany should accept the responsibilities and liabilities of its dominant position in Europe. Today, Ukraine needs a modern-day equivalent of the Marshall Plan, by which the United States helped to reconstruct Europe after World War II. Germany ought to play the same role today as the US did then.
CommentsI must, however, end with a word of caution. The Marshall Plan did not include the Soviet bloc, thereby reinforcing the Cold War division of Europe. A replay of the Cold War would cause immense damage to both Russia and Europe, and most of all to Ukraine, which is situated between them. Ukraine depends on Russian gas, and it needs access to European markets for its products; it must have good relations with both sides.
CommentsHere, too, Germany should take the lead. Chancellor Angela Merkel must reach out to President Vladimir Putin to ensure that Russia is a partner, not an opponent, in the Ukrainian renaissance.
CommentsRead more from "Europe's Eastern Question"

Read more at http://www.project-syndicate.org/com...sZJxEcATpz2.99

[Avvakum]

A 'New Crimean War'?;

Not to Reason Why: A New Crimean “War”?

By Juan Cole | Feb. 24, 2014 |
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(Juan Cole)
The Russian-speaking population of the Crimean Peninsula in the Ukraine is upset by the popular movement in the west of the country that has overthrown president Viktor Yanukovych and is said to be forming militias. On some government buildings, Ukrainian flags have been replaced by Russian ones. Sevastopol is an important Black Sea port of call for Russian naval vessels, and Moscow has a base there.
Of all the ways in which Russian President Vladimir Putin will see the revolution in the Ukraine as dangerous to Russian interests, the potential loss of Crimea as a Russian ‘near abroad’ is among the more serious. Crimea was given to the Soviet Socialist Republic of Ukraine by Nikita Krushchev (himself Ukrainian) in the 1950s, but more Russians think they have a claim on Crimea than think they have a claim on Chechnya.
US national security adviser Susan Rice has already warned Russia against sending troops into the Ukraine. But what about the sailors at the base in Crimea? They’re already there.
From about 1050 Crimea came under Turkic rule, later Mongol, and later Turkic again. From 1441 until the late 1700s it was a Muslim Khanate that became an Ottoman vassal state. In the late 1700s it was annexed by the Tsarist Russian Empire. By 1900 Crimean Tatars, previously the major population, had been reduced to half of residents. After the Soviet revolution they were reduced to a quarter. Then Stalin forcibly deported many of them to Central Asia. So Crimea was over the two centuries after its incorporation into the Russian Empire largely russified and its indigenous Muslim population swamped or displaced. Hundreds of thousands of Muslim Tatars remained or have returned, but they are still a minority.
What Crimea is best remembered for in the West is the Crimean War of the 1850s. Is there a parallel to today’s tensions? The conflict was initially between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire. In some ways some roots of the conflict lay in Ottoman Jerusalem in the 1840s and early 1850s, where Russia perceived that its claim on dominance of the holy places there through its Eastern Orthodox clients were being set aside by the Sultan in favor of those of the French and their Roman Catholic clients. Russia also coveted the Balkans and Istanbul (the Byzantium of the Eastern Roman Empire). When a conflict broke out between the princes of the Principalities (now Romania), who were nominally Ottoman vassals, and the sultan, the Russian backed the princes and sent in troops. Then it seemed Russia might fight all the way down to Istanbul and take it.
Britain and France did not want the Russian Empire to take over the Middle East, as it might have done if Istanbul fell to the Tsar. Britain reached India from the Mediterranean through Egypt and the Red Sea or through Syria-Iraq and the Persian Gulf. London did not want St. Petersburg to have the ability to cut it off from its rich Indian possessions. Likewise the French had clients in Lebanon and were a major power in the Mediterranean, and did not want Russia supplanting it.
Instead of trying to fight on land in the distant Balkans, the British and French proposed to the Ottomans a joint expedition across the Black Sea to the Crimean Peninsula.

At the time there was no railroad linking the Crimea to St. Petersburg, and the Tsar could not easily get troops down there at short notice. In essence the Franco-British and Ottoman forces took Crimea hostage to forestall further Russian advances in the Balkans. Although the British Empire got the poem “Charge of the Light Brigades” out of the war, actually it was predominantly and Ottoman and French campaign– the British forces supplied were smaller.
Tennyson wrote:

“Half a league, half a league,
  Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death,
  Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
  Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldiers knew
  Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
  Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
  Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
  Rode the six hundred.”

The Crimea ploy worked. The war came to a halt. The Great Powers signed the Treaty of London of 1856. It was an important document in diplomatic history. It foreshadowed the United Nations Charter in guaranteeing the Ottoman Empire against any further Russian aggression, with France and Britain pledging collective security. It also pledged the Ottomans to make their Christian subjects equal to the Muslim ones, setting the stage for Ottomanism as a national imperial ideal (it didn’t work in the long run).
As in the 1850s, Russia is claiming as its sphere of influence a territory in eastern Europe (Ukraine today, Romania and other Balkan lands in the 1850s).
As in the 1850s, the West has an interest in seeing Russian power blocked from that part of Europe (today because of their desire to incorporate Ukraine into Europe and possibly ultimately NATO; in the 1850s because they wanted the weak Ottomans to control the Middle East and to give them passage rights through it, rather than having to drive a similar bargain with a powerful Russian Empire).
As in the 1850s, one flash point in this geopolitical struggle is Crimea and its Russian naval facilities. Today, the Russian fleet based at Sevastopol plies the Black Sea and goes through the Bosporus Straits to Tartus, Syria’s Mediterranean naval port.
As in the 1850s, the West worries about Russian hegemony in the Middle East, with Syria being today’s flashpoint. Russia supports the Baath government of Bashar al-Assad, whereas the West largely supports the Free Syrian Army (but not the al-Qaeda affiliates among the rebels). Russia also has better relations with Iran than does the West.
The parallels are hardly exact. But the place of a major Black Sea port in contests between Atlantic powers and Russia has remained a stable feature of geopolitics for over a century and a half.
—–
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U.S. Endorses NATO MAP For Georgia

February 27, 2014 - 2:14am, by Joshua Kucera



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili in Washington on February 26. (photo: U.S. State Department)

The U.S. State Department has endorsed granting Georgia its long-coveted status as an aspiring NATO member, the Membership Action Plan, on the heels of Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili'shigh-profile trip to Washington. It's not clear whether this represents a substantive policy shift, but it is the first time in recent memory that the U.S. has explicitly come out in favor of MAP.

In response to a recent letter by 40 members of Congress urging the State Department to "advocate granting MAP to Georgia, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State of Legislative Affairs Julia Frifield wrote:

We believe Georgia deserves credit at the upcoming NATO Summit for the progress it has made and its demonstrated commitment to NATO operations and standards. We stand ready to support Georgia's own efforts to build a consensus within the Alliance for granting it a Membership Action Plan.

Now, that isn't the strongest statement ever, and Secretary of State John Kerry's remarks with Gharibashvili repeated what has been the standard Washington line that "We stand by the Bucharest decision and all subsequent decisions that Georgia will become a member of NATO," adding that: "The United States will work to make sure that Georgia’s progress is acknowledged by all members of this year’s NATO Summit."

(It was the 2008 Bucharest summit, recall, where NATO declined to give Georgia MAP but instead said that Georgia and Ukraine "will become members of NATO." And we see how that worked out in Ukraine...)

Kerry also announced "additional assistance" to Georgia: “Today I am announcing additional assistance by the United States to help support Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic vision, specifically to help Georgia achieve visa-free travel with the EU and to mitigate the hardships caused by borderization along the occupied territories." As Civil.ge noted, "details of the 'additional assistance' were not immediately available."

But State Department officials have recently shied away from talking about MAP, and have only discussed it when asked directly by Georgian reporters.

Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon said in 2012, ahead of the parliamentary elections, that "the members of NATO have been watching very carefully how this plays out and their judgment as to whether the process with NATO should move forward, whether specifically on a MAP or just more generally will very much be affected on the state of democracy, and it’s one of the features of this alliance that democracy is a key criterion." And Deputy Secretary of State William Burns in 2011: "The issue of MAP, as you well know, is a decision that all the Allies in NATO have to make. We will continue to support Georgia’s aspirations to become a member of NATO, just as we support Georgia’s aspirations to integrate more fully into Euro-Atlantic institutions more generally."

As Frifield's letter suggested, the U.S. is only one member of NATO. And it was in favor of MAP in 2008, NATO works on consensus and other Georgia-skeptical NATO members, primarily in Western Europe, scuttled that plan. There's no indication that those skeptics have changed their mind on MAP for Georgia, so MAP still seems a remote prospect when NATO gets together later this year in Wales. But this nevertheless seems a significant statement from Washington. (The U.S. State Department and the U.S. embassy in Tbliisi did not respond to queries from The Bug Pit.) And it's all the more reason to believe that something substantial will happen with Georgia and NATO in Wales.


Flashback:

Russia says Georgia's entry to NATO could lead to war


Russia warns of ‘2008 war repetition’ over Georgia’s NATO entry bid
© AFP 2014/ Samuel Kubani


16:22 08/12/2011
MOSCOW, December 8 (RIA Novosti)

Tags: NATO-Russia Council, NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Sergei Lavrov, Brussels, Georgia, Russia, Moscow
Related News

• Russia’s 2008 war with Georgia prevented NATO growth - Medvedev
• Georgia not yet hoping for NATO umbrella - Saakashvili
• Georgia ‘a lot closer’ to NATO - Rasmussen
• Georgia needs more reform to get NATO membership - alliance official

Russia’s foreign minister has warned of a repetition of its 2008 war with Georgia if the South Caucasus state joins NATO.
Speaking at a news conference after the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels on Thursday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had warned NATO foreign ministers against “pushing the current Georgian regime towards a repetition of their August 2008 gamble.”

Georgia has been pursuing NATO membership but the five-day war in 2008 over Georgia’s breakaway territory of South Ossetia has made the alliance wary of taking it on.

Speaking during a visit to Georgia last month, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the country had “come a lot closer” to joining, but added that Tbilisi should pursue reforms.

“Further reforms will be Georgia’s ticket to membership and NATO is here to help,” Rasmussen told Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

[vector7]

good pic of the unidentified soldier dudes

Nathan J Hunt‏@ISNJH·9 mins
First close up high detail image now circulating of the group of well armed men that took the #Crimea airport #OSINT pic.twitter.com/YTSK4vvQEg

bruce springnote ‏@BSpringnote 9m
Russian press reports Yanik lands in Rostov. Flight escorted by Russian fighters. Why ? #euromaidan doesn't have a fighter squadron yet



Ilya Varlamov ‏@varlamov 2m
“@lifenews_ru: В Крыму вооруженные люди остаются в аэропорту Симферополя #Новости #Крым

"@ Lifenews_ru: In Crimea vooruzhennыe people ostayutsya in airport Simferopol

Rodrigo ‏@RodrigoEBR 5m
Russian servicemen backed by armoured personnel carriers have taken up position
on the perimeter of military airport at Sevastopol, Crimea



Hans de Vreij ‏@hdevreij 2m
Interfax link and picture http://www.interfax.ru/world/txt/361733 …
#самообороны pic.twitter.com/MEqNq8aune





Hans de Vreij ‏@hdevreij 41m
#Crimea: soldiers at Simferopol Airport (Reuters photo). Ukrainian? Russian?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/28/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA1Q1E820140228 … pic.twitter.com/1yrsUsELXY

Armed standoff in pro-Russian region
raises Ukraine tension

By Alessandra Prentice and Alissa de Carbonnel
SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine Fri Feb 28, 2014 1:23am EST

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A1Q1E820140228

s1.reutersmedia.net.jpg

An armed man stands guard at the airport in Simferopol, Crimea February 28, 2014.
Credit: REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Dozens of armed men 'patrol' airport in Ukraine's Crimea

28 February 2014 Last updated at 01:48 ET
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26379722


The armed men reportedly arrived at the airport in several trucks and carried Russian navy flags

Armed men in military uniforms are patrolling the main airport in Ukraine's Crimea
region, amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

It follows the ousting of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanokovych, who is now in Russia.

It is not immediately clear who the men in the airport are, nor the reason for their
presence at the airport.

On Thursday, pro-Russian armed men stormed the parliament in Crimea, Ukraine's only
Russian-majority region.

Tensions have heightened in the autonomous region since the ousting of President
Viktor Yanukovych last week.

The men, said to be armed with assault rifles, are going in and out of the control tower
at the airport, Reuters reports.

'Normal operations'


The airport was said to be operating normally

Witnesses told Interfax-Ukraine news agency that around 50 men had arrived carrying
Russian navy flags.

The airport is said to be operating as normal.
A man called Vladimir told Reuters he was a volunteer helping the group, though he
said he did not know where they came from.

"I'm with the People's Militia of Crimea. We're simple people, volunteers," he said.

"We're here at the airport to maintain order. We'll meet the planes with a nice smile -
the airport is working as normal."

On Thursday, a separate group of unidentified armed men entered Crimea's parliament
building by force, and hoisted a Russian flag on the roof.

The Crimean parliament later announced it would hold a referendum on expanding the
region's autonomy on 25 May.

Recent developments in the Crimea region - which traditionally leans towards Moscow -
heightened tensions with Russia, which scrambled fighter jets to monitor its borders on
Thursday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry called on all sides to "step back and avoid any kind of
provocations" on Thursday.

The US has sought assurances from Russia after President Vladimir Putin ordered snap
military drills to test the combat readiness of troops in central and western Russia, near
the border with Ukraine earlier in the week.

Mr Kerry said he had spoken to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, who vowed to
respect Ukraine's "territorial integrity".

Crimea - where ethnic Russians are in a majority - was transferred from Russia to
Ukraine in 1954.

Ethnic Ukrainians loyal to Kiev and Muslim Tatars - whose animus towards Russia
stretches back to Stalin's deportations during World War Two - have formed an alliance
to oppose any move back towards Moscow.

Russia, along with the US, UK and France, pledged to uphold the territorial integrity of
Ukraine in a memorandum signed in 1994.

Kateryna_Kruk ‏@Kateryna_Kruk 9m
#Crimea-airport in Belbek is controlled by Russians,
airport in Simferopol-russ.military men inside,
Ukr.outside.


Kateryna_Kruk ‏@Kateryna_Kruk 7m
Min.of interior affairs Avakov says events in #Crimea are out of competency of his
ministry,council of security to decide.calls it invasion


Leonid Ragozin ‏@leonidragozin 6m
Ukrainian interior minister Avakov says "invasion & occupation" under way in Crimea
https://m.facebook.com/arsen.avakov.1/posts/597469000343210 …


bruce springnote ‏@BSpringnote 1m
Interior Ministers says Russian troops occupying Belbek airport outside of Sevastopol.
Getting ready for Yanik's return ? #euromaidan


Leonid Ragozin ‏@leonidragozin 42s
BTW, this must be the first "invasion & occupation" announced by any government
on Facebook #Crimea
https://m.facebook.com/arsen.avakov.1/posts/597469000343210 …


Leonid Ragozin ‏@leonidragozin 24s
KP (influential Pro-Putin tabloid) correspondent proudly compares actions
of Russian forces to their march on Pristina.


Myroslava Petsa ‏@myroslavapetsa 2m
Meanwhile appointed by #Yanukovych and born in #Belarus head of #Ukraine's armed forces
general staff Yury Ilyin reappeared in #Crimea


Douglas Herbert ‏@dougf24 2m
Why is #Russia 's state-controlled @interfax_news agency seemingly always 1st
w/ news of Russian military moves, armed assaults in #Crimea?



Myroslava Petsa ‏@myroslavapetsa 2m
#Ilyin ordered military deployment from Kerch to Sevastopol, then checked into hospital
making it difficult to fire him



Alessandra Prentice ‏@alessaprentice 1m
Ukrainian interior ministry say Russian forces have blocked Sevastopol's military airport.
So now 2 Crimean airports taken over.


Run Forest Run‏@RunForestRun11·4 mins
Russian troops have occupied #Belbek military airport close to #Sevastopol in #CRIMEA
Vihar Georgiev ‏@vihargg 19m
If news about Russian soldiers in airports in Crimea are true, Russia has violated the
Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances 1/2


Vihar Georgiev ‏@vihargg 16m
We're then into unchartered territory, and US and EU must react in a decisive manner
if Ukrainian territorial integrity is important. 2/2


Blogs of War ‏@BlogsofWar 24m
This is probably going to come in handy. Camopedia - #Russia
http://camopedia.org/index.php?title=Russia



Just Hovens Greve ‏@JustHovensGreve 42s
Clear evidence it's not only #Simferopol. RT"@smirnova_welt:
Road to #Sevastopol airport blocked by armed people pic.twitter.com/7dPFBvIdUK"





Lucian Kim ‏@Lucian_Kim 9m
So acting #Ukraine Pres. #Turchinov didn't show up in #Crimea.
Instead, new Defense Minister Tenyukh supposedly plans visit.
via @15minutOK



Daniel Sandford ‏@BBCDanielS 8m
Simferopol airport now. Armed men still here pic.twitter.com/lMytouXL4C




"Russia vыvodyt APC in Symferopol.Krыm.27.02.2014h. This is Nazыvayut Scientists."



James Mates ‏@jamesmatesitv 2m
A soldier at Crimea's Semferipol airport has confirmed to local Channel 1 TV
that they are Russian. #Ukraine



James Mates ‏@jamesmatesitv 1m
Soldiers now controlling Crimea's main airport look v professional. All markings
removed from uniforms. #Ukraine calling it 'invasion'

bruce springnote ‏@BSpringnote 4m
Soros calls for a Marshall plan for Ukraine led by US and Europe. #euromaidan


max seddon ‏@maxseddon 6m
If @AvakovArsen is correct, the Russian "invasion" violates the Budapest
Memorandum of 1994 guaranteeing Ukraine's territorial integrity


Myroslava Petsa ‏@myroslavapetsa 6m
Acc to Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances,#Ukraine abandoned nuclear
arsenal, while #Russia promised to defend Ukraine's sovereignty



Nathan J Hunt‏@ISNJH·35 mins
Armed troop with rifle with attached grenade launcher. pic.twitter.com/0NVaDHrKtJ



Middle East News‏@MiddleEast_BRK·27 mins
Compare 2012 unveiled "New Army Field Uniform" for Russian forces and today's guys in #Sevastopol. Think, you get it. pic.twitter.com/BoHZs48uQf

Kalashnikittyþ@CustosDivini12 mins
RT @BlogsofWar: Russian Lawmakers Want To Simplify Process Of Adding New Regions http://goo.gl/ZuWQca #Russia #Duma #news

Russia recruits men with military experience for "tourist visits" to #Crimea - @ukrpravda_news reports pic.twitter.com/0U2H5LjHlG




Baloogan Campaign‏@BalooganCamp·2 hrs
#Ukraine TV station says a #Russian military missile boat has blocked the entrance to #Balaklava Bay in #Sevastopol, #BBC reports

Middle East News‏@MiddleEast_BRK·2 mins
Ukrainian sources confirm #Russian combat helis cme from #Anapa and landed in #Sevastopol.

Euromaidan PR‏@EuromaidanPR·4 mins
#Russian marines has captured in #Balaclava (#Crimea) military unit No 2382, our maritime borderguards - #Lyashko FB |PR News #Ukraine

Alan Cullison‏@AlanCullison·25 mins
Numerous military trucks without markings without plates moving around #Sevastopol. #Ukraine #maidan #euromaidan pic.twitter.com/jiEqAc2WiH



Malte Lerch‏@MalteL3·1 min
@Kateryna_Kruk @MarquardtA 18Min 2-3 dozen militiamen at Simferopol #Crimea airp. quickly piled int. truck no plates and are leaving.


Ilya Mouzykantskiiþ@ilyamuz44 secs
oh “@Belsat_Eng: Crimean media: Russian tanks are in 15 km from Ukrainian border. #Crimea #occupation”

[vector7]

Tanks shelled with live ammunition , and practiced "mass heliborne"

19:53 26/02/2014 .
6 comments

Sergei Shoigu stressed that the sudden military maneuvers nothing to do with the situation in Ukraine



Checking covers more than 150 thousand soldiers , with the participation of 90 aircraft , more than 120 helicopters , about 880 tanks and 80 warships and more than 1,200 "pieces " various military techniques

Russia has now carried out an unexpected check the combat readiness of its military units in the western and central areas of the country .

RF Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on this occasion said: " These exercises not in any way related to the events in Ukraine . After all, it is an exercise within the borders of Russia , whose main task - to test the combat readiness of the units and commands . "

Shoigu has revealed that the check covers more than 150 thousand soldiers , with the participation of 90 aircraft , more than 120 helicopters , about 880 tanks and 80 warships and more than 1,200 "pieces " various military techniques .

Shoigu emphasized that during exercise all the tanks to shoot live ammunition , aircraft perform real combat flying hours, and that will be practiced and "mass helicopter landing ."

According to the decision of Vladimir Putin as the Supreme chief , will participate in the maneuvers and 80 officers of the central apparatus of the Ministry of Defense RF .



RF Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

The first surprise checks the combat readiness of the Russian army for the past two decades there have been last year and showed some weaknesses in the functioning of the army. That is why the Russian military and state leaders decided to continue the checks .

Russian Defense Minister during testing revealed that Moscow is pursuing negotiations on the establishment of military bases in Vietnam , Venezuela, Nicaragua, Singapore , the Seychelles and Cuba.

Shoigu said that negotiations are in the final stages and will soon be followed by the signing of the necessary documents . He also emphasized that not only talks about the creation of military bases , but the simpler modes of entry of Russian warships in the harbor of the countries and Russian aircraft landing at their airports for refueling .

" We are actively flying , and that we are still actively flown - we need a base for supplies . We want our flying tankers Il -78 stand by any of the equator, any other places , "revealed Shoigu .

The USSR had military bases in Cuba and Vietnam.




Units of two Russian military districts headed toward a "New Destination"

20:55 02/27/2014 .
6 comments

Launched more than 150 thousand troops , 90 aircraft, 120 helicopters, about 880 tanks, to 80 warships ...



Run and marines of the Baltic and the North Fleet . They are currently finishing boarding large landing ship . The following tasks marines will get after the departure of ships

Air Force fighter planes LHE constantly patrolling the border areas . Pilots Workin elements of refueling in the air for a group of fighter-interceptor that are on 24 -hour combat duty

" The main task of the first phase checks the combat readiness of the evaluation activities of commanders and staffs while raising the combat readiness of the army to the highest level and move into areas of concentration Army" - naglađava RF Ministry of Defense

In the second stage , from 28 February to 3 March , Chief of Staff ordered to conduct " operational- tactical exercise with 6 and 20 Army LHO , 2 CVO army command and air - landing forces "
The second phase will be held and bilateral tactical exercises with units of the Northern and Baltic fleets. Part of air power 1 command of the air force and air defense will be transferred to the operating airports

UNIT Western ( LHO ) and the Central Military District ( CVO) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a massive move in the " destination " , published by the Ministry of Defense of Russia .

Scrolling is comprised of more than 150 thousand soldiers , with the participation of 90 aircraft , more than 120 helicopters , about 880 tanks and 80 warships and more than 1,200 "pieces " various military techniques .

" The officers of the General Staff of the Armed Forces commanders handed over the RF packets with instructions for marching in the zone boarding military composition and airports military transport aircraft for further transfer unit at the Ministry of Defence polygons that are at considerable distance from the place where they are stationed permanently " - the in a statement .

Tank and other units of the Western Military District have already completed boarding the trains and headed to their destinations. Also, the zone boarding already addressed unit air - landing forces from the Pskov .

A unit based on Arkttičkoj zone, 's Kaliningrad , Samara , Leningrad , Pskov , Kursk , Voronezhskaya , Lipetsk and other regions shifted from the places where they permanently stationed and ready to move in any area designated by the General Staff .

A series of units LHO and CVO was commissioned to independently cover a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers .

Unit air - landing forces and naval infantry within sudden military checks also move to the destination, stand out from the Russian Ministry of Defense . It is about the marines of the Baltic and the North Fleet . They are currently finishing boarding large landing ship . The following tasks marines will get after the departure of ships .

Air Force fighter planes LHE constantly patrolling the border areas . Within the military test pilots hammered elements refueling in the air for a group of fighter-interceptor that are on 24 -hour combat duty . Refuelling is done by aircraft Il -78 , according to the website of the Ministry of Defense RF .

As soon as he received the signal to raise the combat readiness of the highest level of aviation LHO was transferred to the operating airports.

Military equipment will CVO during the test combat readiness have the right to free passage without stopping . Route the column CVO divided into four zones of command responsibility . Each zone will have a mobile radio station R -142 tractors for technical assistance .

Open 46 command posts in order to regulate and reduce the minimum traffic jams on dangerous sections . They are equipped with day and night means for regulating traffic and mobile radio stations , as well as the means of radio communication .



In which regions and which tasks will execute the military commander of the Army and the unit will announce the officers of the General Staff only after opening the appropriate package .

" The main task of the first phase checks the combat readiness of the evaluation activities of commanders and staffs while raising the combat readiness of the army to the highest level and move into areas of concentration Army" - said the press service of the Ministry of Defense RF .

All of this occurred because Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered that the 26 February to 3 March conduct a comprehensive review of the combat readiness of military units and LHE CVO and a number of other military branches .

Chief of General Staff of the RF Armed Forces ordered to do 27 February raise the combat readiness of the above mentioned items at the highest level and make their move to land and sea polygons .

In the second stage , from 28 February to 3 March , Chief of Staff ordered to conduct " operational- tactical exercise with 6 and 20 Army LHO , 2 CVO army command and air - landing forces. "

Also , the second phase will be held on bilateral tactical exercises with units of the Northern and Baltic fleets. Part of air power 1 command of the air force and air defense will be transferred to the operating airports.

Army will return to a fixed base by 7 March.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the sudden check combat readiness is not tied to recent events in Ukraine .

" These exercises have nothing to do with the events in Ukraine . It is a check in which will be held a few exercises. It in no way is related to events in Ukraine . All will take place near the border of Russia " - said Shoigu .

In doing so , however, admitted , " We are carefully monitoring what is happening in the Crimea , what happens to the Black Sea Fleet . We take measures to ensure facilities, infrastructure and arsenal of the Black Sea Fleet " - said Shoigu , but did not specify which measures it.

Previously, he unofficially announced that some checkpoints RF Black Sea Fleet received reinforcements in the form of armored vehicles , in the event that there is a provocation . Overall, as stated by an anonymous source , units of the Black Sea Fleet performed their duties in a regular manner .

[Ryan Ruck]

Those are NOT "armed men" at the airports. Those are well equipped troops.

Didn't see any insignia but that's a Russian camo pattern.

I think we all know what the seizing of airports is a prelude to.