Civil War in Ukraine: Western Empire vs Russia

On Friday, Poles flocked to theaters to watch Volyn, a new historical drama by director Wojciech Smarzowski which depicts the atrocities committed by Ukrainian nationalists during WWII. Even before it was released, Ukrainian commentators blasted the film. Some now fear that movie could help ruin Polish-Ukrainian relations.

Kiev Furious Over Polish Film Documenting WWII Ukrainian Nationalists' Crimes
https://sputniknews.com/europe/20161009/1046158107/ukraine-polish-relations-sour-over-new-film.html

During the Second World War, at the same time that millions of Ukrainians fought Nazi Germany in the ranks of the Red Army, several hundred thousand nationalists from groups including the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) collaborated with Nazi forces in their occupation of what had been Polish and Soviet Ukrainian territory. In addition to a series of murderous campaigns against Jews, Gypsies, Soviet POWs and anti-fascist Ukrainians, UPA nationalists conducted a mass campaign of ethnic cleansing targeting the Polish minority in western Ukraine.

According to historians, the campaign resulted in the deaths of between 80,000 and 120,000 people, predominantly women and children, between 1943 and 1945.

In February 2014, Ukraine's government was overthrown in a coup d'état. The new authorities have since actively sought to rebrand organizations like OUN and UPA as heroic movements fighting for Ukraine's independence. Kiev has sponsored monuments to UPA leader Stepan Bandera, renamed roads, funded textbooks and documentaries and supported a series of other projects to try and clean up the war-era nationalists' image. The campaign has been met with hostility from many Poles, who remain mindful of the nationalists' WWII-era crimes, and don't want them to be forgotten. This summer, the Polish Senate passed a law classifying the massacre of Poles in Volyn and Eastern Galicia as genocide. Before and since, people have staged protest marches and even put up monuments commemorating the victims of the massacre.

On Friday, Polish director Wojciech Smarzowski, widely considered 'the king of modern Polish cinema', made his own contribution to the Polish-Ukrainian debate with his new film Volyn, which dramatically depicts the UPA's crimes. The opening showings of the film sold out across the country, attracting considerable interest among young people.

In the run-up to the film's release, Smarzowski promised that it would be an honest portrayal of events "from the Polish perspective," adding that the subject was a "personal, difficult one" for him.
Unfortunately, ever since filming began, the film was subjected to more and more intense criticism from Ukrainian media. Ukrainian Radio Liberty columnist Andriy Lyubka even warned that the movie would "push Polish-Ukrainian relations back a decade."

For its part, EU-sponsored Ukrainian newspaper Evropeyskaya Pravda worried the film and its historical subject matter would increase tensions between modern-day Poland and Ukraine, noting that "comments posted on Polish forums do not leave any doubts: many Poles are not ready to separate what happened 73 years ago from today, and are urging their government to form its policy toward Kiev guided by an assessment of the past."

Furthermore, the paper suggested, "given the fatigue towards post-Maidan Ukraine in Polish society, and rising levels of xenophobia against the background of the EU migrant crisis, Smarzowski's film, as an artistic product designed for a wide audience, really can change a lot in Polish-Ukrainian relations."

Accordingly, some Ukrainian observers are panicking that Warsaw's initial spurt of support for Maidan, at the diplomatic level in both Poland and by Polish officials in the EU, now threatens to run out of juice. The countries' once-warm diplomatic relations are gradually cooling amid Kiev's efforts to glorify wartime nationalists over the last two and a half years; they may chill even further as ordinary Poles absorb the messages in Smarzowski's film. Unfortunately, Ukrainian media and politicians attempting to portray the Polish version of the massacre as 'exaggerated', 'overblown' and 'a sign of xenophobia against Ukrainians', have nowhere to retreat, since acknowledging the veracity of the Polish accusations would mean tarnishing the dubious 'heroes' of contemporary Ukraine's national narrative.

Sure enough, just days after its release, the film has already found a place in Polish political discourse, with the populist right wing civil movement Kukiz'15 making an official appeal to the Foreign Ministry to distribute the film in Ukraine to promote understanding of Poles' attitudes toward the country's wartime nationalists.

Wołyń/Volhynia (2016) Trailer (english subtitles)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-nwg693WCE (1:38 min.)

Descritpion: Summer of 1939. Zosia (Michalina Łabacz) is a young polish girl who is deeply in love with Ukrainian Petro (Wasyl Wasylik). They great love will be put to the test, when her father decided to marry her to wealthy widower Skiba (Arkadiusz Jakubik). Right after wedding she is left alone because her husband is drafted to polish army for the war with Germans. Meanwhile tensions between living side by side Jews, Poles and Ukrainians grows. The girl is a witness to an increasing number of acts of violence. Culmination of this tentions will be a slaughter of polish people by ruthless bandits of UPA and polish actions of self-defense.

Popov: US snipers' arrival in Donbass means war

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/10/popov-us-snipers-arrival-in-donbass.html

October 11, 2016 -
By Eduard Popov for Fort Russ - translated by J. Arnoldski -

Last Sunday, Ukrainian defense minister Stepan Poltorak requested lethal weapons from the US, specifically anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems. In my last article, I interpreted this as the Americans reopening the Ukrainian front of the impending war against Russia. It was suggested that this war, the likelihood of which is quite high, will have a local character and will most likely be waged without the use of nuclear weapons, or at least without the use of strategic nuclear forces.

The author of these lines has over time made a number of accurate forecasts which seemed bold at the time. For example, in March 2014 I predicted that Grad volley rocket systems would be used against the cities of Donbass and that preparations were being made to destroy a civilian plane in Ukrainian airspace. I was slightly mistaken with the second prediction, as I had suggested that it would be a Russian civilian airliner that would be destroyed. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that that the Ukrainians indeed aimed to destroy a Russian plane, but this is already a matter of conspiracy speculation.

The forecasts of mine that have turned out accurate give me reason to believe that my new forecasts wield the necessary minimum of realism. The last thing one wants is to be considered the author of “sensationalist” stories in the spirit of the “yellow press.” But the situation is such that the threat of a “flank” war is gathering all the more clear contours.

On October 9th, the deputy commander of the DPR operative command, Eduard Basurin, issued a sensational statement. According to him, the intelligence services of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic have revealed 6 Ukrainian mortars at the contact line as well in conjunction with the arrival in Donbass of snipers from the US.

On October 10th, similar information was released by the Lugansk People’s Republic. According to the official spokesperson of the People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic, Andrey Marochko, Kiev is sending foreign mercenaries to the frontline in Donbass. In Marochko’s words, “In the area of the residential area of Popasnaya in the respective operational zone of the UAF’s 59th separate motorized brigade, a company of Polish mercenaries has arrived whose task is carrying out acts of sabotage on the territory of our republic.”

The DPR and LPR’s intelligence has released similar statements before. My friends and partners from the Donbass republics’ military circles have told me more than once in private conversations about the evermore ambitious forms of the participation of Western soldiers in the Donbass conflict. They speak most often of all about Polish mercenaries from private military companies, but have also noted the presence of American mercenaries and even regular servicemen.

Therefore, it seems that Basurin’s statement should not be perceived as a sensation or scare alarm. Nevertheless, his words do evoke concern. Insofar as the fact of American troops’ participation in the Donbass conflict is confirmed, it can be said that the confrontation between the US and Russia so notable in Syria is acquiring its Ukrainian flank. Amidst the aggravation of Russian-American relations, the sending of American troops to Donbass is evidence that the US has chosen a confrontational scenario. Everything points to the fact that the US is seriously preparing for possible military confrontations with Russia.

Minister Poltorak’s request for anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, as we have already written, is a preparation for war, not with the armies of the Donbass republics, but against Russia’s land and air forces. The involvement of American snipers in the positional war in Donbass is probably only the tip of the iceberg of American and NATO involvement in the conflict. And this impending conflict will, unfortunately, draw in not only the “overseas US,” but also their European allies in NATO, such as Poland.

I do not think that this forecast is ambitious, but rather obvious. The Pentagon has apparently hedged its bets on war and is perhaps acting independently of the political centers of decision-making in Washington. Is there the possibility that the “peace party” in Europe will stop the impending large war, at least on the local Ukrainian flank of the front? No matter how petty the chances, they should be taken advantage of to the fullest extent. Perhaps the more active participation of German and French diplomats and the deputies of European countries’ national parliaments can prevent a confrontational scenario in the former Ukraine.

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Ukrainian army "unloads" missiles for multiple rocket launcher "Grad". What could possibly go wrong?


https://youtu.be/tHQOxDMw88w

Altair said:

Ukrainian army "unloads" missiles for multiple rocket launcher "Grad". What could possibly go wrong?

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WARNING: Do not play Missile Jenga at home. Only untrained, U.S. paid foreign mercenaries should attempt.

Altair said:

Ukrainian army "unloads" missiles for multiple rocket launcher "Grad". What could possibly go wrong?

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You know, there is this saying that if stupidity was hurtful, we would see people screaming on the street. I guess it is safe to assume, what would be happening with these brave soldiers.

James Henry said:

Altair said:

Ukrainian army "unloads" missiles for multiple rocket launcher "Grad". What could possibly go wrong?

Click to expand...

WARNING: Do not play Missile Jenga at home. Only untrained, U.S. paid foreign mercenaries should attempt.

Click to expand...

Keit said:

Altair said:

Ukrainian army "unloads" missiles for multiple rocket launcher "Grad". What could possibly go wrong?

Click to expand...

You know, there is this saying that if stupidity was hurtful, we would see people screaming on the street. I guess it is safe to assume, what would be happening with these brave soldiers.

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Or as my 2 year old grandson might say "Oopsi Daisy"

The Ministry of Defense of the DPR has released information that instructors from NATO countries were onboard the helicopter that the republic’s servicemen shot down yesterday. DPR deputy operative commander Eduard Basurin stated this today, October 14th.

DPR DIRECT HIT ON NATO: Downed Helicopter was NATO-manned
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/10/dpr-direct-hit-on-nato-downed.html

“In the helicopter at the moment of its sortie were military instructors from NATO countries,”

Basurin said. According to DPR intelligence, the helicopter crash landed in the area surrounding Krasngotovka. As the republic’s command has pointed out, the area is now cordoned off and cellular communication is disabled there.

Yesterday, DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko stated that the UAF attempted to attack DPR positions under the cover of a military helicopter, which was shot down but managed to land. According to paragraph seven of the Minsk Memorandum from September 19th, 2014, the use of combat aircraft and drones is prohibited along the entire contact line designated for the ceasefire with the exception of OSCE SMM UAV’s.

The last time that Kiev used aircraft in Donbass near Gorlovka was on January 18th, 2015, when several SU-25 fighter jets were noticed in the sky.

A company-sized group Ukrainian troops launched an attack on the Donetsk People's Republic in violation of the existing ceasefire agreement.

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Ukrainian Troops Launch Offensive in South of Donetsk People's Republic
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201610141046333025-ukraine-donetsk-fighting/

A company of Ukrainian government forces launched an offensive on the southern positions of the Donetsk People's Republic, the DPR's defense ministry said Friday.

"In violation of their obligations under the ceasefire, Ukrainian units began attacking our positions at 1:50 p.m. today [10:50 GMT]," DPR Deputy Defense Minister Eduard Basurin official told reporters. The official said a company-sized group of Ukrainian troops went on offensive with mortar fire backing in the Leninskiy district after 152mm artillery preparation fire.

Ukrainian security forces have gone on the attack in the south of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. The losses of the Ukrainian side have amounted to 5 people killed. This news was reported by journalists by the official representative of the DPR’s Ministry of Defense, Eduard Basurin.

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Ukrainian forces attack southern Donetsk; firefight ongoing
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/10/ukrainian-forces-attack-southern.html

“Ukrainian units, violating their obligations to maintain a ceasefire from 13:50, have started to attack our positions. After conducting artillery training with the use of 152 mm guns, enemy units went on the attack with a force of up to one company near the residential area of Leninskoe,” the DPR’s defense department’s spokesperson stated.

According to Basurin, the attack is ongoing under the cover of mortar fire, and a fire fight is currently underway. “The preliminary losses of the enemy include one infantry fighting vehicle destroyed, and 5 security officers eliminated,” he reported.

The defense ministry of the DPR has also demanded that the OSCE take measures to address Ukrainian security forces’ violation of the ceasefire.

The Ukrainian government continues to conceal its domestic issues with so-called Russian aggression, hindering progress in carrying out reconciliation agreements, Russia’s permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said Friday.

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Minsk Agreements Are Ukraine's Chance for 'Salvation' - Russian OSCE Envoy
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201610141046326365-ukraine-misnk-agreement-russia/

At the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, Alexander Lukashevich said:

"The Minsk agreements are not a defeat or capitulation for Ukraine as claimed by the nationalists, but its salvation, a chance to ensure national reconciliation. However, as long as Kiev tries to cover all of its numerous internal problems behind so-called Russian aggression, it will be difficult to move forward," he asserted. According to Lukashevich, all parties to Ukraine's conflict face the situation when they can operate jointly on order to turn the situation in Ukraine "from degradation into stabilization." "We actively work on this in different formats such as the Contact Group, Normandy format, and with other countries that have a huge influence on Kiev. The more indulgent attitude toward Kiev authorities' unwillingness or inability to implement the Minsk Agreements there is, the longer and more difficult peace process will be," Lukashevich added.

The lawmakers and businessmen who are part of the Italian delegation to Crimea have been threatened by legal proceedings by the Ukrainian authorities and subjected to Kiev's attempts to derail the visit, Stefano Valdegamberi, a member of the delegation and a lawmaker from the Veneto regional parliament, said Friday.

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Ukraine Threatens Legal Action Against Italian Delegates to Crimea - Lawmaker
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201610141046348127-italy-crimea-court-delegation/

Other delegate, Roberto Penazzi, said that he received a letter from the Ukrainian Consulate, which contained threats to file a lawsuit against him, if he went ahead with the visit.

"Warning letters were sent by the Ukrainian Consul. I didn't get one of these letters myself, but my colleagues did. The letters mentioned my visit to Crimea in April this year, when I took part in the Yalta International Economic Forum. The letters told people not to avoid doing what I did and not to go to Crimea," Valdegamberi told reporters. Valdegamberi saw this letter as a direct personal threat.

A consul of a foreign nation should refrain from meddling in the activities of another country's parliamentarians," he said.

The Crimean peninsula seceded from Ukraine and reunified with Russia after more than 96 percent of local voters supported the move in a referendum in March 2014. Kiev, as well as the European Union, the United States and their allies, did not recognize the move and consider the peninsula to be an occupied territory.

Nevertheless, over 60 delegations from dozens of countries have visited Russia’s southwestern Crimea region this year, defying Western restrictions, including those from France, Italy, Jordan and many other countries.

Italian companies are doing business in Russia’s southern region of Crimea despite EU’s economic sanctions, a lawmaker from parliament in Italy’s Veneto region said Friday.

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Italian Firms Doing Business in Crimea Despite EU Sanctions – Lawmaker
https://sputniknews.com/business/201610141046347203-business-crimea-italy-sanctions/

A delegation of Italian lawmakers and entrepreneurs is in Crimea to get first-hand experience of the region and existing business opportunities.

"The business leaders and entrepreneurs who have arrived with our delegation do not always go public with this, but a good number of them are already operating in Crimea," Stefano Valdegamberi told reporters.

Valdegamberi said Italian companies with a foothold in Russia were particularly interested in supplying Crimean wineries with wine-making equipment. There are also plans to produce goods in Crimea, he added.


Earlier today, the speaker of the Crimean parliament and the president of Veneto Regional Council signed a joint declaration on trade, industrial and tech cooperation in a bid to strengthen their ties and promote investment.

Reconnaissance units from the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic have spotted the arrival of hundreds of foreign mercenaries on the contact line in eastern Ukraine, says LPR People's Militia Chief of Staff Oleg Anaschenko. The fighters are believed to come from countries including the US, Canada, the Baltic states and Poland.

Donbass Militia Spots Mercs From US, Canada, Baltics, Poland in East Ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201610161046389363-donbass-reconaissance-foreign-mercenaries/

"According to information received from human intelligence sources in settlements near the line of contact, several hundred mercenaries from the United States, Canada, the Baltic countries and Poland have arrived in the area, armed with small arms and equipment," Anaschenko said at a briefing, quoted by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency.

According to LPR Militia, three camps have been created in the Ukrainian-controlled settlements of Bobrovskoye and Bobrovo, near Severodonetsk. There, foreign instructors are said to be training Ukrainian army personnel in reconnaissance, as well as urban combat.

"We have also recorded the presence of training camps in the village of Schastye [on the contact line] where American and Polish instructors teach sharpshooters and sabotage and reconnaissance groups for their further actions on the territory of the LPR," Anaschenko added.

The officer also said that the settlement of Polovinkino in Starobelsk district has seen the arrival of about 150 foreign mercenaries in off-road vehicles, BMPs and BTRs, armed with US-made assault rifles. According to LPR intelligence sources, foreign mercenaries armed with NATO-standard small arms have also been spotted in the village of Trehizbenka in the Slavyanoserbsk district.

"These facts again confirm that the oligarchic Kiev authorities have no intention of conducting peaceful dialogue to resolve the situation in the Donbass, but rather will use any opportunity to destabilize it, thus trying to divert Ukrainians' attention from numerous domestic problems," Anaschenko concluded.

Late last month, observers from the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission confirmed spotting Georgian mercenaries on the contact line in Lugansk. The mercenaries were reported to be openly wearing 'Georgian Legion' insignia, and speaking Georgian. Three residents of the village of Troitske confirmed that the Georgians had taken up residence in houses in the village.

Also on Sunday, Donetsk People's Republic head Alexander Zakharchenko warned that Kiev had "fully revoked" the Minsk agreements on peace in eastern Ukraine, and "practically initiated a new cycle of hostilities." In response, DPR militia has been conducting drills in preparation for any possible assault by Kiev forces.

Kiev initially launched its military operation in the country's southeast in April 2014, after locals refused to recognize new authorities that came to power as the result of a coup in February 2014. In February 2015, a peace agreement sponsored by Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany went into effect. Key points of the agreement include a ceasefire, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact, and constitutional reforms in Ukraine which would decentralize authority and grant the Donbass region special status. The ceasefire has generally held, with both sides reporting repeated violations. Progress on implementing the Minsk accords has been lacking, however.

According to the UN, the Ukrainian civil war has resulted in the deaths of nearly 10,000 people; over 22,000 others have been wounded, and the war has resulted in the displacement of over 2.3 million people (1.4 million of which fled abroad).

The head of the DPR together with representatives of Ministers and Administrations held urgent meeting connected with two things.

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Urgent meeting held in Donetsk last night
http://novorossia.today/urgent-meeting-held-in-donetsk-last-nighturgent-meeting-held-in-donetsk-last-night/

Sunday October 16, 2016 - The first is that situation at the front worsened, and the second is the statement of Pyotr Poroshenko where he refused of the Minsk Agreements totally. It was reported by Aleksandr Zaharchenko to Ministers, heads of administrations.

In regard to Zaharchenko, results of unexpected control of administration will be reported later, ‘however, I’d like to say that we fulfilled norms of drills for98-99%’, the Head of the DPR pointed out.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s comment on unresolved security issues in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine is only a pretext not to fulfill a political part of the Minsk agreements.

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Kiev’s Claim on Security Problems in Donbass Excuse Not to Fulfill Minsk Deal
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201610161046389881-ukraine-putin-donbass/

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s statement on unresolved security issues in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine is only a pretext not to fulfill a political part of the Minsk deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday.

Earlier, reports emerged that during his visit to Donbass Poroshenko stated that Ukraine would not advance with the implementation of the political part of the Minsk agreements while there were unresolved security issues in the region.

"I believe that this is only a pretext not to fulfill political part [of the Minsk deal]. One must go at least in parallel – both by achieving implementation of security issues and making absolutely necessary steps in political sphere for the resolution [of the conflict] in the long-term perspective in general. Without this it will be impossible to reach settlement," Putin told journalists.

We reached an agreement with French President [Francois Hollande] and German Chancellor [Angela Merkel], when we held a telephone conversation some time ago, that this meeting in Berlin will be appropriate if our assistants…who have met, I think, on Saturday, Sunday in Minsk, advance the dialogue so far that it will give us the opportunity to secure this agreement at the high-level meeting," the president stressed.

Putin also expressed hope that the conflict in eastern Ukraine would not last forever and that the problems would be solved as quickly as possible.

An attempt to break through DPR positions by Ukrainian military units close to Kominternovo and Leninskoe failed and as a result of it 15 mercenaries and 25 were wounded.

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15 foreign mercenaries of Kiev killed when they tried to break through the front in the south of the DPR
http://novorossia.today/15-foreign-mercenaries-of-kiev-killed-when-they-tried-to-break-through-the-front-in-the-south-of-the-dpr15-foreign-mercenaries-of-kiev-killed-when-they-tried-to-break-through-the-front-in-the-south-of/

Saturday October 15, 2016 - It was reported by DPR Defence Ministry spokesman Eduard Basurin.

‘Yesterday members of so-called ATO tried to break through defence in Kominternovo and Leninskoe. As a result of determined actions of the DPR army, the enemy lost 15 mercenaries and 25 military units got wounded’, it was specified.

It is necessary to point out that two soldiers of the DPR , five more got wounded

Ukrainian military troops launched 217 artillery shells and mines at suburbs of Donetsk, Yasinovataya, Dokuchaevsk and southern villages of the DPR. It has been reported today by the Defence department of the DPR.

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Ukrainian troops attacked DPR positions having shelled civil population for 9 hours
http://novorossia.today/ukrainian-troops-attacked-dpr-positions-having-shelled-civil-population-for-9-hours/

Saturday October 15, 2016 - ‘Ukrainian side started shelling the Donetsk airport, Aleksandrovka and Trudovskie of Donetsk, Kominrenovo, Leninskoe, Sahanka, Belaya Kamenka, Dokuchaevsk in the south and Spartak and Yasinovataya in the north since 6pm to 2.30 am. Altogether 217 artillery shells of 122mm and 152mm and mines of 82mm and 120mm were launched.

Last week, representatives of Kresowian, a movement committed to preserving the legacy of Poland's former eastern territories, sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry, urging it to change its Ukraine policy. The group is one among many in Poland who are sick and tired of Ukrainian officials' support for radical nationalist, crypto-fascist ideologies.

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Angry Poles 'Allergic to Ukrainian Nationalism' Petition Warsaw to Change Policy
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201610161046384531-ukraine-poland-spat-over-history/

Speaking to Sputnik Polska, Andrzej Zapalowski, a former MEP and the president of the Polish Geopolitical Society, explained the sources of the growing weariness toward Kiev in Poland, but emphasized that it has nothing to do with ordinary Ukrainians.

Earlier this week, Union of Ukrainians of Poland president Piotr Tyma told Polish media that the situation for Ukrainians in Poland has deteriorated to the point of being 'on the verge of pogroms'.

"Poland is home to nearly a million Ukrainians, who work here because Poland has better conditions for business than Ukrainians face at home. But they feel that they are oppressed, even though Ukrainians are the motor of the Polish economy," Tyma said.

Asked to comment, Zapalowski suggested that Tyma's remarks amount to little more than a form of political 'blackmail.' "He constantly repeats that Ukrainians in Poland are oppressed, persecuted, but nothing of the sort is anywhere in sight. If this were the case, surely they would have gone to look for work in other countries," the expert stressed. But Tyma isn't alone. Earlier, Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Andrii Deshchytsia went so far as to claim that "Russian intelligence" was to blame for rising Polish hostility toward Ukrainians. "After all, the Kremlin's agents are working very actively in Poland, provoking confrontation with Ukraine. And who wins? A third party," Deshchytsia said.

Zapalowski stressed that Deshchytsia's allegations were "absurd," and explained that the real source of Polish anger toward Ukraine lies in Kiev's politics, not ordinary Ukrainians. In fact, the political scientist noted, the ideology of radical nationalism that Kiev adapted since the 2014 coup has helped to destabilize not just Ukraine, but all the countries bordering Ukraine as well.

"This is the case because the ideology of nationalism is morbid – it is anti-democratic, it is aimed at confrontation with everyone," the expert emphasized. "Everything must be done to make it so that the ideology of Banderism does not infect others," Zapalowski added, referring to Kiev's rehabilitation of WWII-era Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera, who present day Ukrainian authorities have lionized as a hero and 'fighter for Ukraine's independence'. "So long as Banderism exists, so too will the risk of destabilization of not just of Ukraine, but of Eastern Europe as a whole," the expert stressed. "The catalyst of this infection is dangerous in and of itself."

On Friday, Kiev marked Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) Day, dedicated to the 74th anniversary of the founding of the collaborationist movement founded by Bandera. During the Second World War, UPA systematically murdered between 80,000 and 120,000 Poles, predominantly women and children, in Nazi-occupied Polish territories which were later incorporated into western Ukraine. Asked to comment on the Polish reaction to this holiday, Zapalowski suggested that more than anything, it is an insult to Ukrainians themselves.

"This day wasn't chosen by accident, but for the purpose of confrontation with others. Let us remember: during the Second World War, about 1.5 million Ukrainians fought [and died] in the war against the Nazis. In the ranks of the UPA and German formations there were about 200,000 fighters, mostly from western Ukraine." A total of nearly six million Ukrainians served in the Red Army through the war.

In other words, Zapalowski noted, today in Ukraine, a minority is imposing its views on the majority, "in order to create a confrontation inside Ukraine itself…In general, countries celebrate those dates that unite as many citizens as possible. But in Ukraine, a completely different situation exists – where there is a holiday for Banderites, while for most of Ukrainian society it is a day of humiliation."

In fact, the political science explained, nationalist forces have imposed their will on the rest of the country. These forces are also supported by certain politicians in Western countries, who are interested in fomenting a confrontation with Russia, which like Poland shows no tolerance for WWII-era Nazi collaborators.

"This is another form of propaganda war against Russia, and not just against Russia. It's also an element of confrontation with Ukraine's neighbors. It seems as if someone wants to see Ukraine permanently destabilized," Zapalowski noted.

Ultimately, the expert stressed that "Poland's current policy toward Ukraine is absolutely incorrect." So long as Kiev adheres to a policy of promoting radical nationalism, including the sort that resulted in the deaths of over a hundred thousand Polish civilians in the past, there will be little historical common ground for the two countries to build on.

A plane of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations has airlifted to Moscow 15 severely ill children from Donbass, the ministry press service told Tass on Friday.

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Russia rescued 15 seriously ill Donbass children
http://novorossia.today/emergencies-ministry-brought-to-moscow-seriously-ill-donbass-children/

The plane that took off from Rostov-on-Don, a city in the Rostov region bordering on Ukraine, landed at Ramenskoye airfield outside Moscow at 18:55 Moscow time, with 15 seriously ill children from the Donetsk and Lugansk republics on board.

The children have different diagnoses, but they all need highly-qualified and high-tech medical aid, which they cannot receive in full in troubled Donbass.

The children’s condition did not worsen during the flight on which they were accompanied by emergency ministry’s medics and a psychologist.

The plane is has all necessary equipment on board to administer medical aid in mid-air.+

BREAKING: DPR commander Motorola assassinated
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/10/breaking-dpr-commander-motorola.html

Sunday October 16, 2016

The commander of the Sparta battalion of the Donetsk People’s Republic and famous defender of Donbass known by his callsign “Motorola,” Arsen Pavlov, was killed today, October 16th, by a bomb in his apartment building’s elevator. The incident has been officially confirmed as an assassination carried out by Ukrainian special forces.

Over the course of the war in Donbass, Ukrainian media claimed dozens of times that Motorola had been killed. This time, however, reliable sources have confirmed the news.

The Ministry of Defense of the DPR has officially stated that “According to preliminary information,
Motorola was killed as a result of a terrorist operation of a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group. Upon returning home, a remote-detonated explosive device was set off in the elevator.”

Interfax was similarly told by an “informed source” that “According to preliminary information, in the elevator of the house in which Arsen Pavlov lived, an improvised explosive device was detonated. The militiaman, as planned, was in the epicenter of the explosion at the moment and was fatally traumatized.”

According to numerous news sources in Russia and Donbass, a state of emergency has been announced in Donetsk and an investigation has been launched. The DPR's defense ministry has since announced that a tightened "anti-terrorist regime" is in effect.

Motorola, who became an internationally recognized icon of the Donbass people's defense forces, is famous for having participated in the most intense battles of the war since the beginning of the conflict.

Having been subjected to numerous assassination attempts over the past two years, the last one was on August 25th, but failed.

The Story of Motorola, Hero of Novorossiya - Eng Subs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOrXi3gp7mc (6:29 min.)

angelburst29 said:

BREAKING: DPR commander Motorola assassinated
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/10/breaking-dpr-commander-motorola.html

Sunday October 16, 2016

The commander of the Sparta battalion of the Donetsk People’s Republic and famous defender of Donbass known by his callsign “Motorola,” Arsen Pavlov, was killed today, October 16th, by a bomb in his apartment building’s elevator. The incident has been officially confirmed as an assassination carried out by Ukrainian special forces.

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Assassination of Motorola: the last straw? Chilling message

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/10/assassination-of-motorola-last-straw.html

October 17th, 2016 - Fort Russ News -
Ministry of Information for DNR - Translated by Inessa Sinchougova

They're hard and they're ruthless, but thanks to the power of social media, Givi and Motorola have become figureheads of the conflict in the Donbass. While Western mainstream media paints a picture of "Russian Aggression" in the Ukraine, it is the Kiev US-funded Junta that is attacking the Donbass. These men have been defending their land since the start of the conflict. Poroshenko will not hold a referendum in this area because he is fully aware he will lose Novorossia (Donbass), as he did the Crimea.

On 16 October 2016, Motorola was cowardly killed with a remotely-controlled explosive device, placed in the elevator of his own home. The message delivered by the leader of the self-named Donetsk Republic is awfully chilling. It is official that the Minsk Agreement is dead. For those not in the know - the Minsk agreement provided a set of instructions, basically a ceasefire, for both sides.

The Western zio-media has forever blamed Russia for "not fulfilling the agreement" - yet Russia is not even party to it. Go figure.

Through this action, Petro Poroshenko and his puppeteers have declared war against the Donbass. We can only wait and see what happens next but in my understanding, revenge will not be subtle.

https://youtu.be/8n4E_kkcpp4

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Local Donbass authorities report phosphorus shells fired by Kiev forces

http://tass.com/world/907293?_ga=1.234590238.1857272677.1476511993

The local authorities of the eastern Ukrainian town of Gorlovka hasve reported phosphorus shells having been fired at the Golmovsky settlement on Tuesday evening.

"In the evening a cluster phosphorus bomb fell on the Golmovsky settlement, but it did not explode. No information on casualties or damage has been received," the press service of the municipal government told the Donetsk News Agency on Wednesday.

The intelligence service of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic’s militia command reported that in September the Ukrainian military moved more than ten trucks of ammunition to the line of contact in Donbass, which could contain phosphorus shells. The republic’s military leadership repeatedly reported on the Ukrainian military using phosphorus shells to attack civilians. They also used these banned weapons to shell the Donetsk airport in January 2015.

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Militia intelligence reports scores of Italian and French mercenaries in Donbass

http://tass.com/world/907698?_ga=1.129235724.1857272677.1476511993

There are reportedly up to 80 foreign mercenaries from Italy and France at the Kramatorsk city airfield

The intelligence service of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has registered up to 80 mercenaries from Italy and France at the Kramatorsk airfield controlled by the Ukrainian military, the DPR Operations Command Spokesman Eduard Basurin said on Thursday.

"There are up to 80 foreign mercenaries from Italy and France at the Kramatorsk city airfield," The Donetsk news agency quoted him as saying.

Basurin added that their groups had been heading off to the line of contact every night.

The DPR intelligence service regularly monitors Kiev’s deployment of foreign fighters to the line of contact. On September 28, reports indicated that groups with up to 100 Polish mercenaries had arrived in the Mariupol area. Earlier Georgian and Polish guerillas had been repeatedly seen in the combat zone taking part in Ukraine’s offensives and sniper attacks.

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That high priests are not necessarily angels all and nothing human is alien to them was proved once again when one of the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church was spotted in a Ternopol nightclub dancing in the company of young girls, RIA Novosti Ukraine reported.

Holy Brawler: Ukrainian Archbishop Caught on Film Boozing, Punching in Nightclub (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201610211046584677-ukraine-priests-nightclub/

Archbishop Mstyslav of Ternopol and Podol was accompanied by Rector Ihor Semirozum of the local Church of the Nativity, Treasurer of the same church, Archpriest Volodymyr Gerasymchuk, and Subdeacon Vytaly Okunsky.

And, as if that was not enough, the holy company, who obviously had a bit too much to drink, started a brawl, which local police later confirmed despite Archbishop Mstyslav’s angry protestations. In a video shown on 1+1 TV Archbishop Mstyslav and his friends are seen embroiled in a series of fistfights with male guests and canoodling with young ladies on the dance floor.

Things start to look very bad 3 min. 17 sec. into the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grjHTiDFDMk (7:14 min.)

A Council of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church that met on Tuesday to discuss the unseemly behavior of its senior members, punished the waywad Archbishop with a month's stay at a local monastery.

His companions were suspended from pastoral duties. The UAOC said it would conduct its own probe into the incident.


Ukrainian Army in panic, friendly fire claims 45 soldiers
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/10/ukrainian-army-in-panic-friendly-fire.html

The non-combat casualties of the Ukrainian army in Donbass over the last week amount to 45 people, 15 of whom were killed. This information was unveiled today to DAN press center by the deputy commander of the Donetsk People Republic, Eduard Basurin.

“The greatest number of these instances were recorded between October 16th and 18th in the units of the 54th mechanized brigade and 56th motorized infantry brigade,” Basurin reported.

In particular, a frequent cause of death among Ukrainian soldiers is the careless use of weaponry on the contact line against their own comrades.

“For example, out of fear of an offensive by our units which the Ukrainian media actively fuels, frightened UAF soldiers began to indiscriminately shoot at neighboring units, mistaking them for the enemy,” Basurin explained.

The DPR’s intelligence regularly reports on the non-combat losses of the enemy, as Ukrainian media is often silent on this. The most common cause of death and injury is collision between UAF units and nationalist battalions involving the use of arms, hazing, inability to handle weapons, and command errors.


Poroshenko in Peril: Normandy Four 'roadmap' dooms Kiev junta
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/10/poroshenko-in-peril-normandy-four.html

Sometimes one gets the impression that President Poroshenko only comes to negotiations to drink coffee (or something stronger) and eat sandwiches. Apparently they don’t feed him well in Kiev. Assuming this theory is true, then it turns out that the Normandy format negotiations were crowned with resounding success for him. For 5 hours, he was able to eat German hamburgers. But other than that, no other important and positive results were achieved. As sources from the Russian delegation have reported, the Ukrainian president desperately tried to achieve a revision of the Minsk Agreements, but this didn’t work out for him.

References to the complex foreign policy situation in Ukraine and Poroshenko’s personal difficulties did not impress the rest of the Normandy Format participants, especially since Hollande and Merkel themselves complained to the Ukrainian leader of their own domestic political difficulties. Merkel has lost several key regional elections and her party is already thinking about getting rid of her. Hollande is having a difficult time with the consequences of foreign policy humiliations and the scandal related to his revelations in a recently published biography.

Thus, Poroshenko found no sympathy, as is evidenced by the absence of any signed documents. This means that Kiev is once again faced with the impossible task of fulfilling the Minsk Agreements, which has long since been a thorn in the side of the Ukrainian leadership.

According to Russian media, the negotiations had a slightly comical tone caused by Merkel’s desire to achieve at least some progress so that the Berlin talks did not look like a “complete failure” compared to the negotiations in France.

The journalists who observed the talks from the side have noted that the talks periodically came to a standstill, and the German chancellor did everything so that they would not be disrupted entirely. Merkel apologized to Putin and Hollande several times and even took Poroshenko away from the negotiating table to stubbornly explain him something. Then they returned to the table, and the talks continued.

It is a pity that we will probably never know what words the German chancellor used to urge the Ukrainian president to behave, but there is suspicion that she used the same arguments that US Vice President Biden did when he recently explained to the Ukrainian establishment that there are countries in the EU that will lift the sanctions against Russia at the first opportunity, as they are tired of the Ukrainian crisis.

The only clear result of the negotiations was the decision to establish some kind of road map for implementing the Minsk Agreements. This result is clear but relatively meaningless since it can already be assumed that Poroshenko will try to write something contrary to the letters and spirit of the Minsk Agreement on this card and, if that does not work, then he will just simply not fulfill the road map, just like he doesn’t fulfill the Minsk Agreements. However, even an unfulfilled road map can be of use. If unfulfilled, it would serve as an additional problem for the EU and an additional irritation in relations between European countries and Ukraine.

But that’s not all. Our Ukrainian opponents are quite upset that, at the press conference following the negotiations, Merkel stated that Ukraine would gain control over the border with Russia only after the final realization of Minsk Agreements. I can only imagine what this is doing to Kovtun and other Ukrainian experts.

And discussing an armed OSCE mission only makes sense after Ukraine adopts a law on elections in Donbass. For some reason, Ukraine hoped that Germany would support Poroshenko’s demand to gain access to the border immediately, but another unplanned “betrayal” happened. Ukrainian politicians really want to retroactively rewrite the Minsk Agreements, but this just can’t be done. And they are being hampered not only by Putin, but also the leaders of France and Germany. Kiev journalists and politicians simply can’t understand such a betrayal of Ukrainian interests. Too bad - they should get used to this, because a lot of frustration still awaits them down the road.

And finally, at the negotiations, Poroshenko made a big and important step towards ensuring that Donbass will be integrated into the Russian sphere of influence. Yes, you heard me right. The Ukrainian president is literally pushing Donbass into the Russian sphere of influence, and he is doing this very efficiently. Well, what else can you call his statement that the Ukrainian authorities will not pay the pensions and benefits of the region’s residents? In fact, last night Poroshenko became the real separatist and the biggest threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity. It will be interesting to see if Kiev will find at least one politician capable of calling him out and starting impeachment proceedings. If they don’t find one, then they themselves are to blame for all the problems that Poroshenko will create in the future. And they can’t hide behind him.

Posted by: angelburst29 « on: Today at 04:52:41 AM » said:

"As sources from the Russian delegation have reported, the Ukrainian president desperately tried to achieve a revision of the Minsk Agreements, but this didn’t work out for him."

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Officially there are the Normandy 4, but Poroshenko is probably strongly influenced by what he is told in Kiev by representatives of the US State Department and NATO. Poroshenko would not, I doubt, be able to boost the presence of foreign mercenaries without backing and of course "they" need turmoil in Ukraine, to destabilize Russia, to keep the EU within the fold and in general to keep us distracted and controlled.

thorbiorn said:

Officially there are the Normandy 4, but Poroshenko is probably strongly influenced by what he is told in Kiev by representatives of the US State Department and NATO. Poroshenko would not, I doubt, be able to boost the presence of foreign mercenaries without backing and of course "they" need turmoil in Ukraine, to destabilize Russia, to keep the EU within the fold and in general to keep us distracted and controlled.

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The only thing that Poroshenko and his elite pals are doing - is destabilizing Ukraine, itself and bleeding it dry! The Ukrainians are going hungry and there's not enough food to feed "foreign mercenaries"?

With the economic crisis in Ukraine showing no sign of abating, more and more people there are opting to buy expired food products, according to the Ukrainian news website Vesti.

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Cash-Strapped Ukraine Stocks Expired Food Following Economic 'Experiment'
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201610231046637278-ukraine-crisis-expired-food/

The past few weeks have seen more ordinary Ukrainians starting to purchase expired foodstuffs,
the Ukrainian news website Vesti reported, referring to the ongoing economic crisis in the country.

On October 1, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers abolished the state regulation of prices for food products, in a temporary move which the authorities claim to be an experiment allegedly aimed at helping them find out more about the price controls' effectiveness and feasibility.

The government decided to scrap the maximum trade mark-up, which ranged between 10 and 15 percent, for goods that are deemed to be socially important goods. The measure will remain in force until December 31.

It means that until the end of the year, entrepreneurs are free to hike the prices of staple goods including bread, milk, butter, eggs, sugar, pasta and many other products.

In an effort to save money, Ukrainians have rushed to buy expired food, including milk, sausage, cheese and croissants, enticed by smooth operators using the Internet, according to the Russian news website Lenta.ru. "I'm selling expired sausages, frankfurters and wieners. Pay attention to the fact that the products are not spoiled," Lenta.ru quoted an unnamed seller from the Ukrainian town of Kremenchug as saying. Needless to say, prices for such foodstuffs are much cheaper than they are for fresh products, with businessmen preferring to sell expired food at urban markets and even spontaneously formed selling points.

Lenta.ru also cited the head of Ukraine's Union of Consumers Maxim Nesmiyanov as saying that milk products and ketchup are a dime a dozen at the marketplaces, where there are mostly purchased by pensioners.

Meanwhile, food prices in Ukraine have increased by about 10 percent since the beginning of this year, while the population's purchasing power has tumbled 20 percent within the same period, according to statistics.


Ukraine neglects the Minsk Agreements, they still attacking DPR
http://novorossia.today/ukraine-neglects-the-minsk-agreements/

Sunday October 23, 2016 - Nine DPR defenders perished as a result of attack by Ukrainian troops in the south. The enemy started attacking in that region on October 10, and for this period they carried out 4 serious attempts of attack, however, DPR Army rebuffed them all successfully.

Nine militiamen of the DPR perished and thirteen wounded during attempts of attacking by Ukraine in the south. It was reported by the DPR Defense Minister Vladimir Kononov.

Kononov specified that one civilian perished and five local people got wounds as a result of attacks and shelling by Kiev military units. Moreover, 14 houses in 4 villages destroyed.

The Head of the Defense Ministry reminded that the hostility lost 40 punitives and 100 wounded.

Remember that the shelling start on the 10th October, and the first massive attack was on the 12th October when Ukrainian side lost 15foreign mercenaries and 30 were wounded.

The second attempt when Kiev military units attacked DPR positions close to the village Leninskoe in the south of the republic was on the 14th October.


Kiev criminal units of Ukraine targeted populated houses of Donetsk
http://novorossia.today/kiev-criminal-units-of-ukraine-targeted-populated-houses-of-donetsk/

Saturday October 21, 2016 - Ukrainian troops shelled village Aleksandrvka in the western suburb of Donetsk, populated house burnt. It was reported yesterday late in the evening.

´At about 9.10 Ukrainian side started shelling the village Aleksandrovka. As a result of direct hit of the private populated house, it inflamed´, it was reported.

In regard to the preliminary data, the hostilities used mortars of 120mm caliber. Data on wounded is being checked.