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

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Putin: Russia to buy $15 billion in Ukraine bonds

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press

Updated 9:07 am, Tuesday, December 17, 2013

• Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych talk during their meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. Photo: Alexander Nemenov, AP

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin upped the stakes Tuesday in the battle over Ukraine's future, saying Moscow will buy $15 billion worth of Ukrainian government bonds and sharply cut the price of natural gas heading to its economically struggling neighbor.

The announcements came after Putin held talks in Moscow with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who is facing massive protests at home for his decision to shelve a pact with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Moscow.

Economic experts say Ukraine desperately needs to get at least $10 billion in the coming months to avoid bankruptcy.

While Putin sought to calm the protesters in Kiev by saying that he and Yanukovych didn't discuss the prospect of Ukraine joining the Russian-dominated Customs Union, the sweeping Kremlin agreements are likely to fuel the anger of demonstrators who want Ukraine to break from Russia's orbit and integrate with the 28-nation EU.

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said after the Kremlin talks that Russia would purchase $15 billion in Ukraine's Eurobonds starting this month.

Putin emphasized that Russia's decision to buy the Ukrainian bonds wasn't contingent on that government freezing any social payments to its citizens — a clear jab at the International Monetary Fund, which has pushed Ukraine to reduce spending as a condition for providing a bailout loan.

Putin said the Russian state-controlled gas monopoly, Gazprom, will cut the price that Ukraine must pay for Russian gas deliveries to $268 per 1,000 cubic meters from the current level of about $400 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Yanukovych explained his decision to spike a landmark association agreement and free trade pact with the EU last month by his belief that Ukraine needs to improve ties with Russia. His move has sparked massive demonstrations in Kiev demanding his ouster.

Moscow has strongly opposed the Ukraine-EU deal and sought to thwart it with a mixture of economic threats and promises.

[American Patriot]

Vector, check the "Rise of the Soviet" thread. I just added some stuff there you might be interested in.

[vector7]

BREAKING: Prosecutors say 2 men who died at site of Kiev clashes were shot with live ammunition AP

On Hrushevskoho Street now. pic.twitter.com/fcfkcpyd7w

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4:05 AM - 22 Jan 2014 from Ukraine


Related headlines


Protester deaths raise stakes in Ukraine crisis
GlobalPost @GlobalPost



Vegeta ‏@PdOgPT 2h
“@ChristopherJM: On Hrushevskoho Street now. pic.twitter.com/JVh7fUJYU6”

[vector7]

Kiev mass riots timeline

Published time: January 20, 2014 19:33
Edited time: January 22, 2014 17:12 Get short URL


Protesters clash with the police in the center of Kiev on January 22, 2014. (AFP Photo/Sergei Supinski)

Tags
Clashes, Conflict, Opposition, Police, Politics, Protest, Rally, Ukraine, Violence

Unrest in Kiev enters fourth day as protesters are pelting police cordons with stones and Molotov cocktails, and police retaliate with flash grenades and rubber bullets. Over two hundreds of protesters and police have been injured in violent clashes.

Wednesday, January 22

17:12 GMT:
Police are using water cannons to extinguish burning tires as protesters continue to throw debris and inflammable projectiles.

17:01 GMT:
A medical services coordinator in the protests, Oleg Musiy, has told local media the number of killed in the riots has reached five people. He has blamed the deaths on Berkut special police forces, who, Musiy claims, did not allow emergency medical services to reach the wounded. He says the number of injured is 300 people.

16:18 GMT:
President Yanukovych and opposition leaders have held the “first stage” of negotiations amid violent clashes between protesters and riot police. The meeting lasted for more than three hours. Yanukovych’s office declined to provide additional details.

16:18 GMT:
Activists also remain encamped at Independence Square, Maidan, where protests seem to be peaceful for now. According to journalists’ estimate there are between 8,000 or 10, 000 people there.



5:53 GMT:
Poland's foreign ministry has voiced its "deep concern" about a crackdown on anti-government protests in Kiev when it summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in Warsaw. Poland said it was worried by the new laws restricting protests in Ukraine and suggested the recent violence might be linked to the new restrictions, the statement by secretary of state at the ministry, Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz, said.

15:25 GMT:
Opposition leaders have left the presidential administration building after meeting with Yanukovich. However, they declined to comment, the pro-opposition Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper posted on its Twitter page.

PHOTO: #Ukraine's president met with opposition leaders as #Kiev engulfed in protests http://t.co/O42IFflQVn pic.twitter.com/mYLlyxMx2c
— RT (@RT_com) January 22, 2014

15:14 GMT:
Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice has expressed concerns over foreign diplomats visiting administrative buildings seized by the opposition. That is where “militants that are preparing Molotov cocktails,” Justice Minister Elena Lukash said, calling for European countries to condemn the violence committed by protesters in Kiev.

15:14 GMT:
The Ukrainian army will not be deployed to “take part” in the “events, connected to the protest in Kiev,” the Ministry of Defense told the Interfax news agency.

15:14 GMT:
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt says he does not see signs that the "regime" in Kiev is ready to sit down with the opposition. "It is extremely serious. There is no question that the responsibility lies with the regime. The regime has a responsibility to sit down with the opposition, but unfortunately I don't see any sign of them doing it," Bildt said.

When asked about the EU response to Ukraine violence, he replied: "It remains to be seen but certainly not business as usual after this."


Protesters during riots on Grushevskogo Street in Kiev. (RIA Novosti/Andrey Stenin)


15:06 GMT:
The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations have called for an end to bloodshed in the country, harshly condemning the killing of innocent civilians. The Council requested an urgent meeting with both the president and opposition leaders.

Wednesday, January 22

14:55 GMT:
Heavy smoke from burning tires has forced Berkut special police forces to retreat.

14:38 GMT:
Medics have extracted the bullets from the bodies of the two dead men. It has been established that one of the victims was killed by a shot from a sniper rifle with a 7.62 mm caliber bullet. The second man was mortally wounded by a 9 mm bullet, apparently from a Makarov pistol, local espreso.tv said.

14:32 GMT:
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has been negotiating with opposition leaders and a working group for 2.5 hours. No details have emerged from the ongoing meeting.


Riot policemen prepare a a Molotov cocktail during clashes with pro-European protesters in Kiev January 22, 2014. (Reuters/Gleb Garanich)

14:14 GMT:
A 22-year-old man, who earlier was proclaimed dead after falling from a 13-meter-high colonnade in front of Dynamo Stadium, is alive, doctors from a local hospital have said as cited by espreso.tv. The "radical activists", as called by police, used the vantage point in Grushchevskovo Street to bombard riot police with petrol bombs and stones.

13:59 GMT:
Police have warned civilians that "radicals" might use firearms and urged them to avoid the protests.
13:39 GMT:

Around 10 people have been arrested on suspicion of “using weapons, baseball bats, curbstones and Molotov cocktails, thus putting the lives of many people in danger,” the local prosecutor’s office spokeswoman said. An arrest application for another 16 activists has been submitted.

now. #Євромайдан #Евромайдан #Euromaidan pic.twitter.com/EXR9bMg640
— ЄВРОМАЙДАН (@euromaidan) January 22, 2014

13:37 GMT:

Info from several sources that final police assault will commence at 16-00 local time (in half-hour). Special dispersal means to be used
— Alexey Yaroshevsky (@Yaro_RT) January 22, 2014

13:21 GMT:
Local law-enforcement bodies have received permission to restrict the movement of vehicles as well as temporarily prevent citizens' access to particular areas in the city.

12:38 GMT:
Women and children were being discouraged from visiting the rally by its organizers. Aleksandr Turchninov, the coordinator of the opposition cabinet, has made a statement, RIA Novosti.

12:35 GMT:
RT’s Peter Oliver has been caught in the crowd as police began clearing the scene of the mass protest in central Kiev, forcing people to run away helter-skelter. Peter managed to hide inside a nearby hotel from where he saw the police’s brutal actions. An RT camera caught the moment of a police officer severely beating one the protesters lying on the ground.

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Dramatic video: RT reporter films Ukraine police brutally beating protesters


Published on Jan 22, 2014
RT's correspondent Peter Oliver got caught in the middle of Kiev's violent meltdown. Our crew films dramatic footage of police smashing people while running, beating protesters on ground.

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RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 1 billion YouTube views benchmark.

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Russian lawmakers warn Western politicians not to interfere in Ukraine's standoff

MOSCOW, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Foreign politicians should not interfere in the confrontation between the government and opposition in Ukraine, Russian lawmakers said Wednesday.

"The State Duma urges Western political circles to stop meddling in the internal affairs of sovereign Ukraine in violation of international law and to stop contributing to further escalation of the conflict," the State Duma, or the lower house of the parliament, said in a newly-adopted resolution.

The resolution, submitted by Duma chairman Sergei Naryshkin, was supported by 388 out of 450 MPs.
Lawmakers slammed some foreign politicians for "interference" in Ukraine's political confrontation which has already claimed three lives in the capital of Kiev.

Russian MPs pinned the responsibility for the deepening crisis on both "extremists wing of the opposition" and western politicians who have sided with the opposition.

"The State Duma once again admonishes from mounting outside pressure on Ukraine, enforcing it a pro-EU geopolitical choice," the resolution published on the Duma website said.

Meanwhile, the Duma called on the opposition in Ukraine to refrain from violence, halt the standoff with special police units and seek constructive dialogue with the authorities.

The Russian parliament's upper house, the Federation Council, supported the Duma declaration, saying it is unimaginable that Ukrainian politicians would advise the U.S. leaders how they should conduct their policy.

"There is no other way but talks and dialogue (between Ukrainian confronting parties) to settle the situation peacefully," the Interfax news agency quoted deputy head of the Federation Council's Constitutional Legislation Committee Konstantin Dobrynin as saying.

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the situation in Ukraine was spinning out of control.

Related:
NATO chief condemns violence in Kiev

BRUSSELS, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Wednesday strongly condemned the use of violence in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

"I am extremely concerned about the dramatic developments in Ukraine and the reports of several deaths in Kiev," said Rasmussen in a statement. "Violence can never be the answer to a political crisis." Full story

Heavy casualties in police-protester clashes in Ukraine

KIEV, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least 70 police officers were injured in violent clashes with anti-government protesters in central Kiev on Sunday and early Monday, said the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.

There was no immediate word on casualties among protesters, but local media estimated that around 100 people were hurt. Full story

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Military tanks arriving to Kiev, Ukraine

Via @euromaidan pic.twitter.com/uJ6wz0wmWh
PzFeed Top News ‏@PzFeed 7m





Jillian H‏@Kabuladventure31s
Journalist in Kiev says 5 killed, workers warned leave city, government planning attack. Live stream #euromaidan http://bit.ly/18QA1CS

Jillian H ‏@Kabuladventure 4h Journalist in Kiev says 5 killed, workers warned leave city, government planning attack. Live stream #euromaidan http://bit.ly/18QA1CS

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5:38 AM - 22 Jan 2014 · Details

[American Patriot]

Not looking good.

Phil... what you said this morning.

"Mr. Dodgey"

[Ryan Ruck]

Riot policemen prepare a a Molotov cocktail during clashes with pro-European protesters in Kiev January 22, 2014. (Reuters/Gleb Garanich)

WTF? Police using Molotov cocktails?

[American Patriot]

Or pouring some vodka on orders they are burning. The orders read "Kill all the protestors, make it look like an accident. V. Putin"

LOL

[vector7]

#BREAKING: Ukrainian PM: Government will resign over riots if parliament votes for it! via @RT_com#Kiev#Ukraine#euromaidan

Cherkasy: local govt employees/police barricaded themselves in the governor's HQ, #Euromaidan ppl are storming it pic.twitter.com/7crIB3Bxc5

[vector7]

STREAMS:
http://channel9000.net/espreso/
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/euromajdan/pop-out
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nbnews-com-ua1
http://www.livestream.com/activistworldnewsnow
http://spilno.tv/


Ukrainian people unify to overthrow corrupt government. Many provences are under activists control, only berkut militia stand between Protesters and parliament building.

Unrest in the Ukraine spreads to the cities of Khmelnitsky, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Lviv (Lvov), Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lutsk, Rivne and Chernivtsi.
In Rivne and Lviv, the offices of the governors were broken into, the Lviv regional governor was forced to sign a letter of resignation.

Opposition rejects Ukraine President's offer of government roles
>http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle16504332/

Ukraine crisis: Peaceful negotiations 'futile'
>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25894296

Ukraine protests expand across Kyiv, other cities (photos)
>http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukra...os-335534.html

Violent protests in Ukraine have spread beyond the capital
>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25868765

Opinion: Ukraine protests could spread like wildfire
>http://www.dw.de/opinion-ukraine-pro...ire/a-17386182

Ukraine says 2 captured police released
>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/01...lice-released/

[vector7]

Revolution in Kiev, Ukraine

In the last days I received multiple requests to translate my posts for foreign readers, as they have very limited information about the happenings in Ukraine. This material describes events which took place in Kyev on January 22 and 23.
Sharing and distribution is appreciated.

22 January 2014. Battles on streets of Kiev.



I came to Kiev. I came to see for myself what is happening here. Of course, an hour after arriving at Maidan, you begin to understand that everything what you've read in dozens of articles, saw in TV news reports is total crap. In the upcoming reports I will try to, as objectively as possible, to sort out this new wave of Kiev revolution.

Usually reporters try to answer the question: “Who came out to Maidan and why.” Depending on the political leaning of MSM, the answers are different. Some say it's “fascists who came out to lynch the Moscali (Ukranian derogatory for Moscovites and Russians in general).”, some say “they're bums and slackers, who've got nothing better to do” and “instigators on the government payroll.” In reality, there is no answer. Those who came out are completely different. Remember, how a couple of years in Moscow there was a MSM buzzword “angry townspeople.” Here you see football fans, retirees, office plankton. And everyone is standing together. A sweet, ol' grandmother is pouring Molotv cocktail in a nationalists' bottles; and a manager of a large company is carrying ammunition to the student. And as it seems to me at this time, these people do not have a specific plan, nor idea of what to do next. Of course, individually, everyone has their own plan to “save Ukraine.” For some its “we need a couple of crates of AKs and grenades, we'll sort things out here quickly.” Others “need to ask the world community for help and bring in the UN troops.” At this time there is no central idea of what to do, an idea that can unite and point in one direction the people at Maidan.

The only thing that is completely clear – people came out against Yanukovich.

The burning barricades are visited by people who have come to let out anger and resentment that have accumulated over the years – for the excesses of cops; for the corruption; for the 'golden toilet'; for the stupidity of the sell-out officials. An elderly man, 80 years of age, walks up to young guys in masks and asks them for a bottle of flaming liquid. They ask him:

“- Grandad, you wont be able to throw it far enough!
- Just give me one, I want to show these beasts that they cannot treat me like this”

Unfortunately, the Ukranians had bad luck with opposition. The street mob is not controlled by anyone. Klichko and his company met with Yanukovch yesterday. Later they came out to the people, began to say something, but no one believes them. And no one wants to follow them. The main mass of people are completely non-political. They come out to kick Yanukovich and his company's ass. Everyone has their own grievances and vision of the future.

There are very real battles on the streets of Kiev right now. Unfortunately, Yanukovich is far, so the Berkut (Ukranian SWAT) and soldiers have to play the role of Yanukovich' ass. The scenery in Kiev is scary. Black smoke, burning barricades and constant explosions. Berkut's flashbangs and the protestors' fireworks explode in the streets. Each side is shooting at the other and there are already first casualties(2 to 5 based on different sources).

Let's go to the barricades?

I rented a room in the hotel "Dnepr", the very center on the European square. I come up to the main entrance, all doors are locked, lights are out. A group of men in helmets and protection, hanging nearby, greet me “Welcome to Kiev, Mister.” - they've confused me with a foreign tourist. Everyone's laughing. It turns out that the entrance to the hotel is through a local bar. The security guy opens the door and leads me through dark hallways to the lobby. The lights are off, so as not to attract attention. After all, the hotel is almost at the front line.

1. European square. Back when it was all starting, there was a stage here, from which politicians pontificated their smart ideas about the future of Ukraine. Now the politicians have move on to Maidan, and the European square has become the rear base of the revolution. Cars with food arrive here; old tires for the bonfires, wood, medicine and reinforcements.


2. Mihaila Grushevskogo street. The first barricade has been erected here. The guards do not allow in outsiders. Only the press, the volunteers, and the activists, ready to fight Berkut, are allowed to pass. All onlookers are stopped at the approach, to prevent them from interfering with work.


3. This is main burning barricade near the Dinamo stadium, about 100 meters away from the first. It consists of hundreds of burning tires, which are brought here from all parts of the city. The demonstrators got lucky with the wind – it carries the black smoke directly at the squads of Berkut and national guard standing behind the fires. The smoke completely obscures the view and both sides are currently working blind.


4. A bunch of onlookers watch the fight. The battle continues for 4 days in a row.


5.


6. Activists run up, bearing shields and toss stones. Nobody sees the enemy, but everyone knows how far Berkut can toss grenades. No one approaches the determined line without a shield. The grenades that land are flashbangs and tear gas. This does not have much effect on the seasoned protestor. The key is to avoid a direct hit or a nearby explosion, which can cause concussion.


7. The fire is constantly fed by more tires. The smoke screen must be dense! At one point Berkut attempt to feel out the protestors from a hill using a powerful projector.


8.


9. There are special men on the field of battle, who watch the troop movements of the opponent. The man in the mask and shield will always tell you where it's safe: “Stop! There's a devil shooting from behind the column, don’t go father that line! We're about to smoke him out of there!”


10. The scouts constantly refresh information about the enemy position and coordinate activists, who toss stones and Molotov cocktails.


11. The authorities turned several water cannons at the demonstrators. Surprisingly no one is afraid of the water. This scout is climbing a balcony to see what's behind the smoke screen. The drenched people dry at the campfires. And some just walk around wet. There's an incredible atmosphere here: on one hand you can feel the weariness of the frustrated people, on the other hand euphoria and expectation of victory. In such light, no one is paying attention to wet clothes. Only medic volunteers ask people to go warm up to avoid frostbite.


12. Activists with Molotov cocktails at the front line.


13.


14. Actually the center of Kiev is very pretty right now


15. Protestors periodically shoot fireworks at Berkut. The entire square lights up and people cheer.


16. Somewhere over the the Berkut troops are getting ready for another assault. The assault is always sudden and everyone fear its. This morning Berkut has already shown that if the need be they can scatter everyone in 5 minutes. Why they do not – is a different question.


17. Catapult 1, seized and destroyed, is replaced by Catapult – 2. In reality it's just a large slingshot, but to keep continuity the call it Catapult – 2.


18. Miracle of the engineering thought! Catapult -2 quickly went through testing and was admitted into the armament of the rebels. The crew consists of six people: three people pull the elastic; two people hold the frame; one person loads and delivers ammunition.


19. The wonder machine works well, but slow. The missiles fly far into the night, but reloading takes 2-3 minutes.


20. In a nearby alley people prepare Molotov cocktails. In reality, most of the bottles contain either pure kerosine or gasoline, the recipe is no longer followed – no time. Empty glass bottles are in a big deficit.


21. I'm looking at the guys and everyone is drinking Pepsi. I'm wondering: why drink this crap, it's freezing outside? As it turns out, bottles ran out and someone brought several crates of soda. So as not to waste, everyone's drinking together. Even infant food jars are used. All glass containers fly at the cops. The filling of the containers at the front line is done by the activists of the 'right sector,' but in the rear the bottles are filled by regular grandmas and pretty young women. Those who the guards do not allow passage to the front.


22. There are problems with bottles here. The mixture inside is liquid, not thick like in the original Molotov recipe, and the fuse is a simple rag. During the throw part of the gasoline can spill out and light up the thrower. Of course the fire is quickly put out, but the effect is very low. Almost 50% of all cocktails spill out before hitting their target.


23.


24. The onlookers on the hill help out in any way they can. Sometimes they use lasers to blind the Berkut fighters. At one point the police was able to climb the colonnade entrance of the stadium and began to rain Molotovs and gas grenades down on the protestors. The onlookers use lasers to hit a Berkut in the eye, or try to find snipers on the roofs. There are constant rumors of snipers, although no confirmation of their existence has been produced.


25. Volunteer giving out dry, waterproof boots at the front line.


26. A young woman with a tea kettle approaches an activist on the front line to keep them hydrated. Some carry sandwiches, some dry clothing. Later I will describe in detail how things work here.


27. Campfire behind the barricades, where the wet and the frozen dry and warm up.


28.


29. On my way back I see a group of people, trying to open a manhole. I ask them why are they trying to open the manhole? “We want to turn off the water so that Berkut will stop hitting us with water.!” The manhole does not open, this is a government district and all manhole covers are sealed securely from inside. Later they tried to break the manhole cover with sledge. I tried to explain that this is pointless, but I was ignored. The were not able to break through and they're still getting hit with water.


23 January 2014. Temporary cease fire at Maidan.

30.

I would like to dispel the most common myths about Maidan.

1."They destroyed the whole city"

Not true. All of the action you see in the pictures are happening on a small square near the entrance to a Dinamo stadium. This is a government sector, there is no intereference in peaceful life outside of this area. If you make an analogy with Moscow, imagine that the barricades are someone in the area of Ilinka or Varvarka, near the president's administration. Sure, it's the center, but regular Moscovites wouldn't notice. There is dark smoke and fire on all pictures: those are mostly burning tires. There is not tangible damage to the buildings. Unfortunately one store burned down last night near the barricades, resulted from a poorly thrown molotov cocktail. Even the statue of Lobanovsky, located in the epicenter of fighting has been covered with cloth to prevent damage. Overall, the protesters are very careful regarding property. They've take apart fences and benches, but no windows are broken, noone is vandalizing, and all looters are caught and beaten. So the picture is pretty apocalyptic, but things are not so bad.

2. "This is not a revolution, nothing horrible is happeneing"

Also not true. This is a real revolution. Decide for yourselves: it's been two months since the center of Kiev has been in the hands of the opposition. Several government buildings are seized. The work of many government offices is paralyzed. The opposition has created barricades, which the authorities have not be able to take. Despite the freezing temps, tens of thousands of people are on the streets for the last two months. The system of defense and supply chain are established. There is perfect order at the protestor HQ, people are fed, dressed, people are pooling money to gather supplies. The most important thing: the people in power are unable to restore order. The police has failed several times at try to storm the barricades. I'll make a separate post about this, but trust me, the only way to dismantle this is with heavy artillery, or drop in commandos. Every day the opposition is securing more territories. What is this if not a revolution?

3. "The entire Kiev is paralyzed, there is no peaceful life for the regular people."

Kiev is living its own life. All stores and cafes are working, people are going to work, study in universities, get married, divorce and even die their own death. Most of the Kiev populace are not inconvenienced. Imagine if Navalny took over the Red Square and set up his camp there. What would change for you, Moscovites? Nothing. So the only people who are inconvenienced are toruists. A few stores and cafes had to close down in the very center. Also, those living in the center have troubles with logistics. But the entire Kiev is not paralyzed.

Now, when you know all the truth, let’s see how this day was.

31. From the morning everything remains in fire.


32. The protestors use metal shields to defend themselves from water the police are pouring them with.


33. Road signs can serve as good shields.


34. The Maidan’s missile forces. Lots of pyrotechnics are being brought up to the camp, all these rockets fly towards Berkut’s positions.


35. Hearths always require more tires to be thrown into. Because of ash and ice, ground level already rose by one meter.


36.


37. Where necessary, the police gets stoned.


38. Everything is tightened with a smokescreen. Burning tires turned out to be a very efficient tactics. Police troops can’t see what is happening and are unable to attack, though there are disadvantages as neither the protesters can see the police’s positions.


39. This night was burned children’s clothing store.


40. A catapult is always working on the front line.


41. Not many people show up on the Maidan in the morning – the majority arrives at night, after work.


42.


43. At midday Klichko came to the barricades and announced the temporary truce. Second round of negotiations with Yanukovich was due to take place today, and Klichko asked to cease fire and extinguish tire blazes until 8 PM. The police promised not to open fire on protesters, to stop throwing grenades and pouring water. Everyone agreed – Klichko happened to be the only opposition leader whom the crowd listens to. Well done! Just yesterday nobody was listening to him. After the truce came into effect, firemen started extinguishing the burning barricade.



44. A wonderful view opened once the fire went out.


45. People immediately started advancing to the forefront which was previously engulfed by fire.


46. Berkut’s positions.


47. Berkut troops were standing angry and soaked in smoke. Throughout the truce I spotted no provocations from either side.


48. Protestors are making photos in front of Berkut, Berkut in front of the protestors – war is war, but everyone needs to updates pics in social networks.


49.


50. Scores of soldiers and Berkut are standing in small groups up to the horizon.


51.


52. Monument to Lobanovsky next to the stadium is neatly covered with cloth.


53. People get warm next to campfire. Is revolution possible without a bicycle? I say no!


54. People on the hill are prepared for an assault. Stones, incendiary bottles and tires tightened with barbwire will be thrown to the attackers in case of necessity.


55. “Katyusha rocket launchers” used for shooting fireworks to the police.


56. Preparation of Molotov’s cocktails.


57. Bottles and stones.


58. Cocktails are being prepared by women.


59. You’ve probably heard about people banging metal with sticks. Many asked why – this is sort of a signal. When nothing happens, nobody is taping. When casual stone- and grenade-throwing takes place, the knock is monotonous, in order to set rhythm and keep the morale. When Berkut attacks, drumming becomes louder and everyone hears that – for some it is a signal to run away, for some, on the opposite – defend the barricades.


60. Man glues his store’s showcase, even though not a single his window was broken in four days. This store sells expensive furniture, and the ad urges not to rob it. As I said, there are no marauders in Kyiv – everything is perfectly organized, contrary to Bishkek, where, as I remember, the city was plundered in half a day. Nothing like that takes place here.


61. People hammer the snow, then load it to sacks and bring to the barricades. Snow serves as the main building material here. Sacks are being poured by water and snow turns into ice – monolithic barricades which come out are very difficult to destroy.


62. The Maidan’s quarries. People break the sett into easy to throw stones, load into sacks and bring to the frontline.


63. That’s how it looks.


64. They carry.


65. A stove.


66. Modern art.


67. Someone started a rumor about the Armenian Diaspora willing to pay for any information about the murder of their compatriot on Maidan. Later it turned out to be fake.


68. One of the protesters. Russian press usually describes the participants of Maidan as “extremists, radical thugs, ultras, members of nationalistic groups, motley nationalist, sometimes openly Nazist public, extremist militants, rioters, pogromists, rebels” etc…


69. A journalist.


70. According to NTV (russian pro-government tv-channel), this is an “amuck radical”.


71. Look at the people. I said it already, but will repeat: all social classes are present on the squares – from students to pensioners.


72. Grannies for Timoshenko.


73. Another extremist.


74. Women with food and tea always walk among the protesters – sometimes it looks like you’re on a banquet, not on a revolution. To find someone hungry is an uneasy job: the man on photo complaints that he put on three kilograms in a month . Food is being brought every day, usually it is supplied by sympathizing Kyevites and businessmen who can’t go to the barricades but support the revolution.


If you are a foreign journalist, feel free to reprint on your website or in your newspaper with reference or indication of authorship, and please let me know by sending the link to e-mail:kdguseva@gmail.com

[Ryan Ruck]

Wow, that is some amazing information and the pictures really tell the story.

[Avvakum]

Wow, that is some amazing information and the pictures really tell the story.

Slavic and Orthodox peoples are long-suffering and know how to endure, but the love of freedom burns brightly in them all, and with a great shrug they shake off and break into pieces their tormentors and oppressors.

Glory to Ukraine!

[American Patriot]

Russia Defers Aid to Ukraine, and Unrest Persists

By ANDREW E. KRAMERJAN. 29, 2014

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Ukrainian antigovernment protesters walk out of the Ministry of Agriculture building in Kiev on Wednesday. Aris Messinis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

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KIEV, Ukraine — A former Ukrainian president warned on Wednesday that the country is now on “the brink of civil war,” and Russia added to the gloom by announcing the suspension of its financial aid package, which was all that had been keeping Ukraine solvent.
Leonid M. Kravchuk, Ukraine’s president from 1991 to 1994, issued his warning while offering his services to Parliament in mediating negotiations between the government and opposition leaders on overhauling the Constitution to weaken the power of President Viktor F. Yanukovych.
But Parliament halted work for the evening without voting on the constitutional change or another measure to assuage tension.

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President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had told European Union leaders at a summit meeting Tuesday in Brussels that his government intended to fulfill its financial aid commitments to Ukraine in spite of negotiations here that could put a pro-Western government in power. Mr. Putin said the $15 billion aid package was for the Ukrainian “people.”

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Leonid M. Kravchuk, a former president of Ukraine, spoke to Parliament in Kiev on Wednesday, warning of a possible “civil war.” Sergei Chuzavkov/Associated Press

But that stance was reversed at a cabinet meeting in Moscow on Wednesday, where Mr. Putin brought up the subject of the aid, saying, “I ask the government to carry out these agreements in full.”


But his prime minister, Dmitri A. Medvedev, suggested that it would be reasonable to fulfill the agreements “only when we know what economic policies the new government will implement, who will be working there, and what rules they will follow.”


Mr. Putin quickly agreed, saying, “That’s reasonable.” A report by the Itar-Tass news agency said this indicated a decision to halt the aid, meaning Ukraine would not receive a $2 billion payment expected by Friday.


Political commentators said there were other signs that Russia was raising the economic pressure on Ukraine, seemingly to discourage Mr. Yanukovych from compromising with the opposition.


Echoing statements made in 2006 and 2009 before shipments of natural gas to Ukraine were stopped, a deputy director of Gazprom, the state-owned natural gas export monopoly, said Ukraine had failed to make payments on a $2.7 billion debt.


Russian customs officials began heightened checks on trucks crossing the border from Ukraine, and an association of Ukrainian truckers told members to expect delays of 10 to 15 working days.


Standard & Poor’s, the ratings agency, on Tuesday downgraded Ukraine’s sovereign debt, citing political uncertainty and the prospect that the protests would succeed in installing a pro-Western government, resulting in a probable cancellation of the Russian financing that was suspended Wednesday.


Without Russian aid or a Western substitute, Ukraine will be forced to default on its debt or devalue its currency, the hryvnia.

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Activists left the Agriculture Ministry in Kiev on Wednesday. Maxim Shipenkov/European Pressphoto Agency

After five people were wounded on Wednesday in fighting between two factions of antigovernment protesters inside one of the city’s occupied government buildings, protest organizers announced the formation of an umbrella command for street bands, to be called a National Guard.


The scuffle came as the opposition’s more moderate political leadership faced pressure to demonstrate greater control on the streets, in exchange for concessions from the government. Parliament on Wednesday passed an amnesty bill covering protesters arrested in clashes with the police that will take effect only after protesters leave occupied administrative buildings.


Members of the nationalist party Svoboda fought to eject activists from a group called Common Cause from the main building of the Agriculture Ministry, then both factions left the building, allowing the police to again guard the upper floors. The move appeared to represent a concession from the opposition, after Ukraine’s prime minister, Mykola Azarov, resigned on Tuesday.


The fighting among protesters inside, though, had been intense. It involved so-called traumatic guns, or nonlethal pistols firing rubber bullets. Afterward, the stairs were slicked with water from the building’s firefighting system, apparently also used in the melee, and broken glass and furniture littered the halls.


Protesters for weeks had suspected that the government was using location data from cellphones near the demonstration to pinpoint people for political profiling, and they received alarming confirmation when a court formally ordered a telephone company to hand over such data.


Earlier this month, protesters at a clash with riot police officers received text messages on their phones saying they had been “registered as a participant in a mass disturbance.”


Then, three cellphone companies — Kyivstar, MTS and Life — denied that they had provided the location data to the government or had sent the text messages. Kyivstar suggested that it was instead the work of a “pirate” cellphone tower set up in the area.


In a ruling made public on Wednesday, a city court ordered Kyivstar to disclose to the police which cellphones were turned on during an antigovernment protest outside the courthouse on Jan. 10.


The order applied only to this one site on one day, and did not cover the area of the main protest, Independence Square, where sometimes more than 100,000 people have shown up, most presumably carrying cellphones whose location there could identify them as political opponents of the government.

[vector7]

Russia Contemplates Military Action in Ukraine After Sochi



by John J. Xenakis 6 Feb 2014 post a comment
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com:

• Russia contemplates Ukraine military action after Sochi
• Pakistan government mediators talk to Taliban mediators

Russia contemplates Ukraine military action after Sochi

Some Russian nationalists in Moscow are discussing a possible military annexation of Ukraine once the Sochi Olympics games have ended. It's becoming increasingly common to refer to the anti-government protesters as "fascists" or "Nazis." In the case of some groups, this characterization is not far from the truth. One anti-government activist, Dmitry Yarosh, is a follower of Stepan Bandera, who helped Hitler's army evict the Red Army from Ukraine during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

The question of military intervention is being actively discussed during prime time on Russian state TV channels. A former adviser to Russian president Vladimir Putin, political scientist Andrey Illarionov, is frequently heard discussing preparations for a military invasion:

Ukraine is a failed state, and the historic chance for reunification of all the Russian lands can be lost in the next couple of weeks, so we mustn’t put off the solution to the Ukrainian Question.

The phrase "the solution to the Ukrainian Question" is not an accident, but is an echo of Hitler's "the solution to the Jewish question," and is accompanied by threats to send Ukrainian protesters to a "frosty minus-60 degree resort" in Siberia. The 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia, followed by the annexation of two Georgian provinces, is being discussed as a model. The scenarios being considered for Ukraine range from annexation of the entire country, which is considered to be unrealistic, to full control of Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine, especially the Crimea and Sevastopol. Voice of Russia and Daily Beast and Voice of Russia

Pakistan government mediators talk to Taliban mediators

The "historic" negotiations to end the terrorist attacks in Pakistan finally began on Thursday. The Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-e-Taliban - TTP) sent three negotiators, and the government sent four negotiators to a meeting in Islamabad to talk. Nothing that's decided would be binding on anyone. Even if something were decided, the TTP is merely an umbrella group under which some 40-50 autonomous extremist organizations operate.

The TTP has said that terrorist attacks will continue during the "peace talks." TTP has already killed more than 50,000 Pakistanis in the last few years, so I guess they believe that a few hundred or thousand more won't matter.

The TTP is demanding that Pakistan adopt "Sharia law," which has very different meanings to different Muslim groups. The jihadists say that want the strictest Wahhabi form, which they believe apparently gives them the right to inflict suicide bombings on Shia Muslim mosques and schools, as well as Sufis.

So, the "Pakistan peace process," like the "Israeli-Palestinian peace process" and the "Syria peace process," is just another game for show. Daily Times (Pakistan) and Business Recorder (Pakistan)
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[American Patriot]

I think that article should be under the "Rise of the USSR" or something.

because: Some Russian nationalists in Moscow are discussing a possible military annexation of Ukraine

Seriously, they are going to annex the Ukraine again????????? Seriously?????????

[vector7]

“F**k the EU!”: US diplomat’s Ukraine phonecall leaked via Youtube

Washington is accusing Russia of capturing the conversation and uploading it to the site.

9 hours ago 13,348 Views 42 Comments
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US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland
Image: Vadim Ghirda/AP/Press Association Images

THE US GOVERNMENT is trying to defuse a potential row with its European allies after the leak of an embarrassing phone call in which a top US diplomat cursed the EU response to the Ukraine crisis.

The leak of the bugged conversation came as Ukraine’s embattled president, Viktor Yanukovych, flew to Sochi, Russia late last night for crisis talks with Russian counterpart and ally Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics.

Washington and Brussels have engaged in a diplomatic standoff with Kiev and Moscow over mass pro-EU protests that erupted in Ukraine when Yanukovych in November rejected a pact with the EU under Russian pressure.

But the leaked phone call appears to reveal US frustration with the EU over handling Ukraine, which is torn between leaning to the European Union and its past master Russia.

Washington’s new top diplomat for Europe, Victoria Nuland, has apologised to EU counterparts after she was caught cursing the European response to the crisis in Kiev.



(Youtube: datboi5000)

“F**k the EU,” Nuland allegedly says, in what appeared to be a recent phone call with US ambassador to Kiev, Geoff Pyatt, which was somehow intercepted and uploaded onto YouTube. The original video was accompanied by Russian captions.

US officials, while not denying such a conversation took place, refused to go into details, and pointed the finger at Russia for allegedly bugging the diplomats’ phones.

“Let me convey that she has been in contact with her EU counterparts, and of course has apologised,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

While Psaki said she had no independent details of how the conversation was captured and uploaded onto the social networking site, she added: “Certainly we think this is a new low in Russian tradecraft.”

Klitschko offer

Nuland, who took over late last year as assistant secretary for European affairs, and Pyatt appear to discuss Yanukovych’s offer last month to make opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk the new prime minister and Vitaly Klitschko deputy prime minister. Both men turned the offer down.

Nuland, who in December went down to Independence Square in Kiev in a show of support for the demonstrators, adds she has also been told that the UN chief Ban Ki-moon is about to appoint a former Dutch ambassador to Kiev, Robert Serry, as his representative to Ukraine.

“That would be great I think to help glue this thing and have the UN glue it and you know, f**k the EU,” she says.

[American Patriot]

Vector check the other thread where I posted this stuff earlier (Not the same story you have) but read it carefully.

[vector7]

U.S. Diplomat’s F-Bomb Overshadows Russia’s Warning on Ukraine

February 7, 2014 - 4:39 AM
By Patrick Goodenough
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Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

(CNSNews.com) – A media furor over a leaked phone conversation between senior U.S. diplomats discussing the Ukraine crisis is overshadowing a Kremlin adviser’s accusations of U.S. interference in Ukraine – and his warning that Russia could intervene to maintain its security.

Administration officials are implying that the Russian authorities intercepted and posted on YouTube of an audio recording of a purported phone conversation between Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and the U.S. Ambassador in Kiev, Geoffrey Pyatt. The State Department is not disputing its authenticity.

The kerfuffle over the leaked conversation – in which Nuland says, “f*** the E.U.” -- has diverted attention from a newspaper interview published Thursday in which Sergei Glazyev, an adviser to President Vladimir Putin, accused the U.S. of “unilaterally and crudely interfering in Ukraine’s internal affairs.”

Glazyev told the Kommersant daily’s Ukraine edition that the U.S. was funding and arming the Ukrainian “opposition and rebels” trying to oust embattled President Viktor Yanukovich.

Asked whether Russia would actively intervene if the crisis worsened, Glazyev told the Kommersant daily’s Ukraine edition that America’s interference in Ukraine’s internal affairs was a clear breach of a 1994 document Ukraine’s security after Kiev surrendered its nuclear arsenal inherited from the Soviet Union, which had dissolved three years earlier.

Under that 1994 memorandum, he continued, “Russia and the U.S. are guarantors of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and, frankly, they are obliged to intervene when conflict situations of this kind arise.”

Glazyev’s comments were quickly eclipsed by the leaked Nuland-Pyatt recording, with most attention not surprisingly focused on Nuland’s use of an obscenity in relation to the European Union’s stance on Ukraine.

But the conversation more broadly will also feed Russian allegations of U.S. meddling in the crisis, which erupted when Yanukovich reversed course last November on closer ties with the E.U. in favor of stronger links to Russia.

In a bid to end the turmoil, Yanukovich late last month offered two opposition leaders, Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Vitali Klitschko, the posts of prime minister and deputy prime minister respectively. Both declined.

In the leaked conversation, Nuland and Pyatt are heard to favor a role for Yatsenyuk, but to agree that Klitschko should not to be brought into the government.
“I don’t think it’s necessary [for Klitschko to have a role in government],” Nuland is heard to say. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Pyatt agrees: “In terms of him [Klitschko] not going into the government, just let him sort of stay out and do his political homework and stuff.”

Nuland goes on to mention that U.N. Secretary-General Ben Ki-moon is about to appoint an envoy to Ukraine.

“That would be great, I think, to help glue this thing and have the U.N. glue it – and you know, f*** the E.U.” she says.

“Uh, exactly,” replies Pyatt. “And I think we’ve got to do something to make it stick together, because you can be pretty sure that if it does start to gain altitude the Russians will be working behind the scenes to try to torpedo it.”

‘Small frustrations’

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki at a daily press briefing did not dispute that the leaked recording was authentic, saying that Nuland has apologized to her E.U. counterparts for the “reported comments.”

“Certainly we think this is a new low in Russian tradecraft in terms of publicizing and posting this [online],” she said. (White House press secretary Jay Carney separately also raised questions about “Russia’s role”.)

A reporter suggested that the recording – with two senior officials apparently discussing brokering a new government for Ukraine, determining its makeup and getting the U.N. to seal the deal – would be seen as demonstrating U.S. interference in a sovereign state’s affairs.

“This is more than the U.S. making suggestions,” the reporter said. “This is the U.S. midwifing the process.”

“Of course these things are discussed,” Psaki replied. “It doesn’t change the fact that it’s up to the people on the ground, it is up to the people of Ukraine, to determine what the path forward is.”

Asked about Nuland’s evident frustration with the E.U., Psaki said, “I wouldn’t overanalyze one – a couple of words that were used on a phone call as to having larger meaning about some sort of ongoing issue.”

“There are, of course, moments in every diplomatic relationship where you have small frustrations, where you agree, you disagree, you work through the issues, you talk about what the best step to take is, and that certainly has been the case here, which should be no surprise.”

The U.S. and E.U. have not always seen eye-to-eye over Ukraine, with the E.U. uneasy about U.S. proposals considering imposing sanctions on Kiev.

Psaki went on to suggest that Nuland may have learned to swear while working on a Russian fishing boat as a young woman.

“You all know Toria pretty well. You may know the story of how she lived on a Russian boat for about eight months when she was 23, and she learned how to perfect perhaps certain words in a couple of languages.”

When Secretary of State John Kerry conducted her assistant secretary swearing-in ceremony last September, he said, “As some of you may know, she worked on a Soviet fishing trawler in the Pacific, an incredible undertaking.”

“She has also served in some of the most challenging and demanding foreign policy positions in the U.S. government,” he added, “some of which I am sure made her feel like she wished she would be back on that fishing trawler at times.”

Nuland told the New York Times in 2012 that she “learned to drink aboard a Soviet fishing trawler in my early 20s, so my favorite summer beverage is still an ice-cold Stoli with an ocean view.”