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Post by pieter on Mar 6, 2014 12:45:27 GMT -7
Eric, This is true from the perspective of some Russians and people and countries with a Pro-Russian affiliation. However Ukraine, it's Western allies and the international community doesn't recognize this decision. And not all ' Russian speakers' and ' Ukrainian Russians' stand behind it. So again we are in a stand off, in a checkmate position. The Ukrainian military in Crimea refuse to obey orders from Moscow or the Crimean Pro-Russian regional governer and state. Another problem is the fact that the Crimean Tartar and Ukrainian minority will not accept Russian rule or a Pro-Russian government. The problem in Ukraine is not between Ukrainians and Russians, but between supporters and opponents of the Viktor Yanukovych government and it's corruption and nepotism. Even Putin criticized the corruption and nepotism of the Yanukovych government. He said that he understood the Ukrainian people, but in the same time made anti-Eurmaidan statements, and talked about Neo-Nazi's, fascists and anti-semites in Kiev. Not all Russians in the Russian Federation are pro-invasion in Crimea and a probable invasion of Eastern- and Southern-Ukraine. They see Ukraine as a sovereign state. Bot sides are accusing eachother of fascism now. While it is more a question of Ukrainian Patriotism vs Russian Patriotism. The majority of the people on both sides aren't neo-nazi's nor fascists. Pro-EU Ukrainian demonstrators with an anti-Putin posterPro-Russian activists rally in Sevastopal, Crimea, February 23, 2014Cheers, Pieter
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Post by pieter on Mar 6, 2014 13:12:01 GMT -7
About Abby Martin, Liz Wahl and media warsMarch 06, 2014Today RT America anchor Liz Wahl resigned on air, claiming she disagrees with the channel’s editorial stance. And here’s what I have to say about it. These days it takes a lot of courage to work for RT. Never before have I seen RT and its journalists bullied like this. See for yourselves what they did to poor Abby. First, she openly voiced disagreement with Russia’s stance on air – and was virtually made an American hero. But then Abby reminded everyone how much she disagrees with America’s stance as well, adding she takes pride in working at RT, where she is free to express her views. Less than an hour passed before Abby had her name dragged through something I have difficulty finding a decent name for this late at night. The US mainstream media even went as far as claiming we had orchestrated the whole thing as a publicity move. They labeled Abby a conspiracy theorist, bringing to light her past as an activist. In less than 24 hours, they first sang her praises and then excoriated her. All of this in front of her colleagues, including Liz Wahl. How do you think they felt watching that? Former RT America anchor Liz WahlYesterday I spent quite some time explaining to a New York Times correspondent why I consider Russia’s position to be right. I’m Russian. I support my country and I will fight for the truth for as long as it takes. Neither Abby, nor Liz, nor many other employees are Russian nationals, but foreign. And now their country is likening my country to Nazi Germany. For many years they have worked for RT in good faith, proving every day that a voice that stands out from the mainstream media can be beautiful and strong, attract an audience that grows daily. These are the people who were the first to tell their country about the Occupy movement, who were detained at protest rallies, handcuffed for hours and then tried in court for doing their job. These are the people who were outraged by US hypocrisy in Syria, Libya – you can finish the list yourself – and reminded the world who used chemical weapons most often, even resorting to nuclear bombs. These are the people who did things the Western mainstream media would have never done. But those were peaceful times. And now we’ve got a genuine war going on – no, thank God, it’s not in Crimea. It’s a media war. Every single day, every single hour the guys who work for us are told, “ You are liars, you are no journalists, you are the Kremlin propaganda mouthpiece, you’ve sold yourselves to the Russians, it’s time you quit your job, and everybody is laughing at you, so change your mind before it’s too late.” The storm of articles posted about RT over the last couple of days – literally tons of printed copy - looks as if it were written to dictation. Hardly any respectable media outlet refrained from lambasting and lynching RT journalists in articles or reports. Our employees listen to their colleagues, their fellow citizens, and their potential employers, as career prospects are obviously important to every journalist. How many could withstand this pressure? Well, some will and some won’t. Some sincerely disagree, as they believe their own country more than mine. Others are simply thinking about their future. And it’s hard for me to judge them. This is all typical of a media war. We’re not the first and we will not be the last to go through this. During the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera staff in Lebanon made headlines by resigning en masse. Their Egyptian colleagues followed suit. Over twenty journalists resigned citing disagreement with the channel’s editorial line. That this happened without any pressure from the world mass media was due to the fact that, throughout the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera was completely in tune with the global mainstream. So no one sought to criticize the channel, on the contrary, everyone praised its coverage. A couple of minutes after Liz made her statement, we found all the major news media in the world - as our exhausted spokeswoman put it, “ CNN, NYT, pretty much everyone” – glowing with schadenfreude, as they lined up for official feedback from RT. This included those who had ignored the news of the Ashton-Paet phone leak revelation, as if it didn’t happen. A rival media anchor’s resignation is certainly much more newsworthy and more relevant to the Ukraine crisis than two European leaders saying opposition henchmen may have been killing people. I can see very clearly why I continue to work for a channel that stands alone (!) face-to-face with thousands and tens of thousands of Western news outlets, showing everybody the other side of the story, under daily attacks from the media against which it can hardly fight back. It’s my country. There is no other choice for me. But the foreign journalists who work for RT across the globe do have a choice. Some of them might be asking themselves, “ Why would I have to defend Russia at the expense of my career, my future, my reputation, why would I tolerate humiliation by my fellow journalists?” Few can say “ Because I’m telling the truth, and there’s no one else to tell it.” Some will fail to find the answer and quietly resign. Others will perform their resignation on air in a self-promotional stunt, perhaps securing fantastic career prospects they wouldn’t have dreamt of before. Standing out from the crowd is hard, sometimes unbearable. I wish the best of luck to those who can’t take it. To those who continue to do their best for RT, who know they are right even if the whole world says otherwise, I have to say I’m proud of you. IMMENSELY PROUD. Margarita Simonyan, RT's editor-in-chief
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Post by pieter on Mar 7, 2014 14:38:21 GMT -7
Ukraine crisis: Stand-off at Crimea military basePro-Russian troops have been deployed outside bases in Crimea for several daysThere is reportedly a stand-off between what are thought to be Russian soldiers and Ukrainian troops at a military base outside the Crimean city of Sevastopol. A BBC correspondent says two Russian military lorries are manoeuvring outside, surrounded by armed men. There is no sign that the base has been seized and no shots have been fired. Troops wearing Russian uniform without insignia and their supporters have blockaded bases in Crimea since taking control of the peninsula last week. The Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported that about 100 Ukrainian military personnel were stationed at missile defence base A2355 on Friday evening. Citing a duty officer and Ukraine's defence ministry, the agency said a Kamaz lorry had rammed open the gates of the facility and about 20 " attackers" had entered, throwing stun grenades. The Ukrainian troops immediately barricaded themselves inside a building and their commander had begun negotiations, it added. The BBC's Christian Fraser, who is at the scene, said the gates did not appear to have been driven through, and there was no sign that the base had been seized. There are two trucks from the Russian Black Fleet outside the gates, surrounded by irregular soldiers and a very hostile crowd of pro-Russian demonstrators, he adds. Two journalists who attempted to take photographs were beaten badly. The incident comes hours after Russian parliamentarians gave a standing ovation to a delegation of pro-Moscow politicians from Crimea, promising support if they wanted to become part of Russia. The region is due to hold a referendum on 16 March, on whether to join Russia or remain part of Ukraine. The vote has been denounced by the interim government in Kiev and Western powers as illegitimate. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said that, despite profound disagreements, he hoped that Russia and the West would not return to the Cold War.
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Post by pieter on Mar 8, 2014 5:31:37 GMT -7
www.dw.de/russians-enter-ukraine-military-base-on-crimea/a-17482695www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26478416www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26471450www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26495378The BBC aboard a surrounded Ukrainian navy ship in Sevastopol. www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26463731Outside Crimeaqha.com.ua/rally-turkey-in-support-of-crimea-took-place-in-ankara-130722en.htmlTurkish Foreign Ministry on the situation in Crimeaqha.com.ua/turkish-foreign-ministry-on-the-situation-in-crimea-130774en.htmlwww.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10669670/Ukraine-Russia-crisis-live.html?TB_iframe=true&height=500&width=900Crimean Tatar news agencyRussian troops evict border guards from outpost(QHA) - Ukraine's border guards said on Saturday some of their men had been evicted from an outpost in eastern Crimea by Russian soldiers, who seized their apartments and forced them out in the middle of the night with their families, Reuters reports. It was not immediately possible independently to confirm the report, the latest confrontation between Russian troops who seized the Black Sea peninsula last week and the detachments of Ukrainians who remain there. Russian forces in uniforms with no markings have surrounded Ukrainian bases in the occupied peninsula since they seized it last week, and the region's Russian separatist leadership has ordered the Ukrainians to surrender. So far there has been no shooting, but standoffs at bases have become increasingly tense. The Ukrainians are heavily outnumbered and outgunned and have offered no resistance. " Aggressive Russian troops stormed and seized a unit of the border service at Shcholkine and ousted the families of the Ukrainian borders guards," the Ukrainian border service said in a statement. " Russian armed servicemen rushed into the unit overnight. During the attack, they beat a duty officer who tried to resist and seized a weapons storage room. The attackers rushed into the apartments where families lived." " Russians seized mobile phones of the chief of the unit, his wife and other officers. They ordered all to pack up and leave the building. At the present time, the unit is occupied by Russian soldiers." Moscow denies its troops are operating in Crimea, an assertion ridiculed by Western governments. Kiev says Russia has deployed about 30,000 troops in region.
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Post by Nictoshek on Mar 8, 2014 5:48:06 GMT -7
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Post by Nictoshek on Mar 8, 2014 7:05:45 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Mar 8, 2014 7:56:53 GMT -7
Crimean Tatars fret over future in Crimea under Russian ruleMarch 7, 2014, 6:32 p.m. | Ukraine — by Christopher J. MillerEskander Japarov, 40, returned from exile in Russia to Crimea in 1992. He’s made his home in Ana-Yurt, a place he says is “beautiful.”ANA-YURT, Crimea – Aziz Ziyatdinov says he doesn’t get much sleep at night these days. “ We don’t know who might come up this road,” says the 30-year-old, gesturing to a steep dirt pathway leading to the tiny pop-up village of Ana-Yurt. His eyes are dark with heavy bags, and he paces nervously, glancing at the horizon unremittingly while he speaks. He prefers when it rains, making it next to impossible for vehicles to ascend the hillside. “ We used to get a lot of sleep. It was very quiet until some weeks ago. Now it is very intense, and not safe for us,” he says. Ana-Yurt resident Aziz Ziyatdinov, 30, describes the situation in Crimea as being "very intense, and not safe for us (Tatars).”Here, beyond a maze of serpentine dirt and gravel roads, atop a grassy bluff Ziyatdinov calls “ the mountain” some 20 kilometers from the autonomous republic’s capital city, 200 families of Crimean Tatars, a predominately Muslim people whose roots can be traced back to Turkic and Mongol tribes, are building a new life for themselves after decades of living in exile in far-flung corners of the Soviet Union. In 1944, under the pretext that they had aided the Nazis during World War II, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin deported more than 200,000 Crimean Tatars to Central Asia, where they remained until they began returning shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 to the land they once ruled. About half of them died of disease and starvation during their journey to the Far East. Today, around 300,000 call Crimea home. But most believe their livelihood is in danger, now that Russia effectively controls the peninsula and is seeking to take Crimea under its governance. Since Feb. 27, heavily armed Russian troops – up to 30,000 over the course of the week, according to the State Border Service of Ukraine – have besieged Ukrainian military bases and government buildings, and even closed road access from mainland Ukraine. For at least a day they managed to shut down Simferopol’s airport, and this week took control of media, including main radio and television stations, which now air Russian state-sponsored news in place of Ukrainian news. The Russian troops are joined by thousands of pro-Russia Crimean militiamen – some with automatic weapons – who are less disciplined and have attacked several pro-Ukraine demonstrators and journalists in recent days. Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied that the soldiers on the ground are Russian, noting that they wear unmarked uniforms. But he justified asking parliament to vote to allow him to send troops here under the pretext that they would be peacekeepers working to protect ethnic Russians, who account for nearly 60 percent of the population of Crimea, from Kyiv extremists who have seized power of Ukraine through a coup d’état. Russian deputies voted unanimously last week to allow Putin the option of sending military forces onto the territory of Ukraine. As Crimean lawmakers voted in Simferopol for secession on March 6, pushing up a referendum previously scheduled for the end of the month to March 16, Ildar Ibraimov fretted over what might become of him and his fellow Crimean Tatars should the autonomous republic join Russia. “ It has taken more than 20 years to rebuild our lives, and we are very worried it could all be taken away again,” Ibraimov, a local member of the Mejilis, the governing body for the Crimean Tatars, who returned to Crimea from Uzbekistan in 1991, told the Kyiv Post on March 6. Already the Tatar’s lives have been made more complicated, with pro-Russia militia targeting and intimidating them. Several homes of Crimean Tatars in Simferopol and the city of Bakhchisaray have reportedly been marked by gouges or painted with a large “ X” similar to that used by police under Stalin’s order in 1944 to mark the homes of those to be deported. Some Tatars have found their homes broken into and vehicles damaged. “ In such dark times appear hooliganism, robberies and general destabilization,” Ibraimov says. None of the homes in Ana-Yurt have been tagged with such marks, but at least one wall of a Tatar restaurant in the valley below appeared to have been marked in black paint. A Crimean Tatar family walks together up the road from the valley to the town of Ana-Yurt, some 20 kilometers from Simferopol.Eskander Japarov, 40, returned from exile in Russia to Crimea in 1992. He’s made his home in Ana-Yurt, a place he says is “ beautiful.” But due to the escalation in violent rhetoric against Tatars and the vandalism, he is afraid to stray too far from his modest village home. “ I don’t go into Simferopol, because I believe these people will attack me,” he said. Both he and Ibraimov said that they were strongly against Crimea joining Russia, as it would mean “ more repression,” and that the referendum was illegal, a sentiment echoed by U.S. President Barack Obama on March 6, who said it “ would violate the Ukrainian Constitution and international law.” Crimean Tatar chairman Refat Chubarov urged residents of the peninsula to boycott the referendum scheduled for March 16 and called the pro-Russia parliament members who voted for separating Crimea from Ukraine “ lunatics” who had “ lost their minds” and were “ fulfilling someone else’s will” in a post on Facebook. Refat Chubarov denounced the Crimean parliament's decision to join Russia as 'insane'“ The Mejlis (parliament) of the Crimean Tatars does not recognize this referendum,” he said. Ibraimov says the hopes the referendum fails, but he’s not holding his breath. “ We want peace, prosperity and development… and for Crimea to remain with Ukraine,” he said. “ But we are preparing for the worst – that we will wake up in Russia one day." Ziyatdinov and others at Ana-Yurt aren’t taking any chances. They have assembled a security team of men within the town which patrols its streets day and night in rotating shifts, scrutinizing every new car and each strange face that emerges from the valley below. They know they don’t have the man power or the weapons to stave off an organized attack by the pro-Russia militia groups should they come for them. But they can at least keep a curious few away. “ You can see, we’re not going to win a fight against 100 (men),” Ziyatdinov said. “ But we have men on the streets and in each yard, and we can protect from provocateurs.”
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Post by pieter on Mar 8, 2014 8:29:22 GMT -7
Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar PeopleFlag of the Crimean Tatar peopleThe Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People is the central executive body of the Kurultai of Crimean Tatars, living in their homeland of Crimea, Ukraine. From its foundation in 1991 until 2013 it was led by Mustafa Abdülcemil Qırımoğlu, its 33rd chairman. Since October 2013 the leader is Refat Chubarov. Kurultai is a political council of Tatar chiefs and khans. In the political or administrative sense it stands for parliament, congress, conference, council, assembly, convention and the gathering of Crimean Tatars. A demonstration of Crimean Tatars in februari against the bloodshed in Kiev in februariHistoryThe Mejlis was founded in 1991, to act as a representative body for the Crimean Tatars which could address grievances to the Ukrainian central government, the Crimean government, and international bodies. On June 30, 1991, the Mejlis declared its sovereignty over the Crimean Tatars, and adopted the Crimean Tatar's national anthem and national flag. Also, the Crimean Tatars elected 14 Crimean Tatar Deputies to the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea. These 14 deputies were the first Crimean Tatar representatives in the Crimean Parliament in over 50 years. The annual celebration of the Crimean Tatar National Flag Day is held with support of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People and the World Congress of Crimean Tatars and is organized by the Crimean Tatar youth organizations.On April 6, 2010, several pro-Russian Crimean political leaders in Crimea demanded the disbanding and banning of the Mejlis and all other forms of political representation for the Crimean Tatars (including the Kurultai - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurultai -), claiming that they were " organized criminal groups and said their activities are unconstitutional." Crimean Tatar organizations urged President Viktor Yanukovych to " protect Crimea's indigenous people from discrimination". During the 1988 parliamentary elections members of the Mejlis joined the Rukh election list. During the 2002, 2006 and 2007 parliamentary elections members of the Mejlis joined the Our Ukraine election list. During the 2012 parliamentary elections members of the Mejlis joined the All-Ukrainian Union " Fatherland" election list. A Crimean Tatar prays in a mosque in CrimeaOfficial site of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People: qtmm.org/en
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Post by Nictoshek on Mar 8, 2014 8:45:29 GMT -7
Another bout of ethnic cleansing ??
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Post by pieter on Mar 8, 2014 9:06:47 GMT -7
Nicetoe,
Ethnic cleansing hasn't happened yet, the conflict isn't bloody or to systematic yet. But these are certainly signs of a direction the conflict is going. The Russian or Pro-Russian majority want them into submission, they dislike the Crimean Tatars, because they are Pro-Ukrainian and openly showed that. There is not much of a democracy and freedom their if a minority is not allowed to have it's opinion. The intimidation of the Pro-Russian militia or armed group is terrible and frightening for these Crimean Tatars and the other minority the Ukrainian minority. I haven't heard about attacks against or intimidation agains the Russian minority in Western-Ukraine. I have heard though of harassment of members and supporters of the Party of regions of ousted president Viktor Yanukovych. Wether Crimea stays Ukrainian or becomes Russian the government has always to protect the rights and safety of the minority. Ethnic cleansing must be prevented. These people have lived together without problems for the last two decades. And the Ukrainians and Russians lived together for a long time without problems. Now Moscow is destroying the social fabric and causing turmoil there. The Crimean situation was completely different than that of Kiev and no-one was threatened in Crimea.
Cheers, Pieter
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Post by Nictoshek on Mar 8, 2014 11:37:18 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Mar 8, 2014 12:31:12 GMT -7
Nicetoe,
I think that that is the case yes, Nicetoe. The Pro-Ukrainian Crimean Tatars, ethnic Ukrainians and Ukrainian navy and military units won't disappear all of a sudden. Probably these Tatars and Ukrainian civilians will go to these Ukrainian army barracks to support 'their' troops, like the Pro-Russian civilians stand behind the Russian troops and Pro-Russian militia. The wives of the Ukrainian soldiers and officers support their husbands and stood in front of the gate of these compounds.
Cheers, Pieter
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Post by pieter on Mar 8, 2014 13:12:14 GMT -7
US warship in Black Sea as Ukraine’s Crimea readies for referendumMarch 08, 2014US Navy destroyer, the USS Truxtun, has crossed Turkey's Bosphorus and entered the Black Sea. With the Crimea Peninsula getting ready to hold a referendum on independence from Ukraine in a week, the US is ramping up its military presence in the region. USS Truxton is heading to “ previously planned” training exercises with the Bulgarian and Romanian navies, AFP reported earlier. At the same time, Fox News declared that NATO’s bolstering presence in the Black Sea is a “ defensive” measure to counter “ Russian military aggression” in Ukraine. Given the present conditions, an American battleship is highly unlikely to get anywhere near the Crimea shores, let alone Sevastopol, without a risk of repeating a hasty exit from the past. On February 12, 1988, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, the USS Yorktown, and a Spruance-class destroyer, the USS Caron, had to flee from Soviet territorial waters off the Crimean Peninsula. After the two American warships ignored the Soviet Navy’s demands to leave country’s territorial waters immediately, the Soviet frigate, Bezzavetny, simply rammed both American ships, forcing them to comply with international maritime rules.
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Post by Nictoshek on Mar 8, 2014 16:03:54 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Mar 8, 2014 18:22:59 GMT -7
Steven Pifer, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine is right. I heard the same statement by a wife of an Ukrainian soldier on an Ukrainian base which was surrounded by Russians soldiers. She said one lunatic can shoot a bullet and the disaster will be huge!
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