Civil War in Ukraine: Western Empire vs Russia

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Coming home: Donetsk Republic to become Malorossia (Little Russia)
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/07/coming-home-donetsk-republic-to-become.html

Ukraine has proven to be a failed state, unable to stop the civil war in the east of the country. The way out of the impasse would be to establish a transitional period of up to three years for new state to form it own autonomous region.

This statement was made by the head of the People's Republic of Donetsk, Alexander Zakharchenko.

"The Kiev regime is not able to stop the civil war. It is proposed that we establish the state of Malorossia - Little Russia - over the next three year transition period."- Zakharchenko said.

A Minister of the DPR, Alexander Timofeev, said that Little Russia will be a federal state with broad autonomy.

The new country, with its capital in Donetsk, will be a successor of the wider Ukraine. 'Malorossia' are historically Russian lands and were only ever considered a part of Ukraine due to its geographical location in the south of Russia, and estranged during the collapse of the USSR.

The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine has promised not to allow the implementation in the "Donbass - Abkhazian" scenario. This was stated by the head of department, Pavlo Klimkin.

Ukraine promises to disrupt creation of 'Malorossia'
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/07/ukraine-promises-to-disrupt-creation-of.html

Klimkin responded to the proposal of the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, that the Donetsk will transition into the historic 'Malorossia' (Little Russia) over the next three years.

After the transition, Malorossia has set its sights on becoming a 'union state' of the Russian Federation and Belarus. This entails mostly economic and cultural integration as opposed to a fusion of geographies.

The State Duma considers the creation of a new state inevitable. According to the head of the State Duma CIS Affairs Committee, Leonid Kalashnikov, it s a way to end the war in the DPR and LPR.

"The Ukrainian government, instead of solving the issue, only encourages fighting. But people can not live in war forever - it is necessary to do something now. "- he said.

The Kiev authorities will not allow the establishment of an independent state in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region like it had happened in Georgia in 2008, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said Tuesday.

Kiev Not to Allow Implementation of Abkhazia Scenario in Donbass
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707181055646002-ukraine-donbass-dpr-abkhazia-scenario/

Earlier in the day, Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of east Ukraine's self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk (DPR), proposed a three-year transition period toward a new state called Malorossiya ("Little Russia") as a way to settle the conflict in the region.

Just at the moment when the Ukrainian delegation is in Georgia, the Kremlin is trying to act out the Abkhazia scenario in Donbass. We will not let them," Klimkin wrote on Twitter.

Speaking of Abkhazia, the minister referred to the Russia-Georgia conflict, which took place in August 2008, when Georgia launched a military offensive against self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, prompting Russia to interfere to protect its numerous citizens living in the region.

After the five-day war with Georgia, Russia recognized both republics as independent states.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in early 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The Donbass conflict erupted in April 2014 as a local counter-reaction to the West-sponsored Maidan coup in Kiev that had toppled President Viktor Yanukovych in February. Residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions held independence referendums and proclaimed the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Kiev has since been conducting a military operation, encountering stiff local resistance.

In February 2015, Kiev forces and Donbass independence supporters signed a peace agreement in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The deal stipulates a full ceasefire, weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in Donbass, as well as constitutional reforms that would give a special status to the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. Despite the agreement brokered by the Normandy Four states (Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine), the ceasefire regime is regularly violated, with both sides accusing each other of multiple breaches, undermining the terms of the accord.

The German government told Sputnik on Tuesday it considered east Ukraine's self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) leader Alexander Zakharchenko’s proposal on the establishment of a new state called Malorossiya "absolutely unacceptable."

German Government Considers DPR's Malorossiya State Proposal 'Unacceptable'
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201707181055643424-germany-dpr-malorossiya/

"The German goveernmtn condemns this step as absolutely unacceptable. Mr Zakharchenko does not have the legitimacy to speak for this part of Ukraine," the government said in a statement.

According to the government, the conflict in eastern Ukraine could only be resolved through negotiations.

"We expect Russia to also condemn this step, that it will express neither respect nor acceptance of it," the statement read.

The US military is working on requirements for inventory of lethal defense weapons that could be supplied to Ukraine, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Paul Selva said in a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

US Military Working on Inventory of Possible Lethal Defense Aid for Ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/us/201707181055654892-us-lethal-weapons-ukraine/

In September 2016, the US House of Representatives approved legislation to allow the supply of lethal "defensive" weapons to Ukraine, but the law still needs to be approved by the US Senate and signed by the US president.

Russian officials have repeatedly warned against arms deliveries to Ukraine, stressing that it would only escalate the situation in the eastern part of the country. Different European politicians, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as well as NATO Military Committee Chairman Peter Pavel have also spoken against arms deliveries to Ukraine.

"We are working very closely between the Joint Staff and the US European Command to actually put requirements on the table for an inventory of what that lethal defensive aid might look like," Selva told the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

"It will be more than just a military recommendation. This will be a policy choice."

The US European Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are contemplating the types of defensive lethal weapons they will recommend to the Congress for shipment to Ukraine, Selva said added.

"Sir, these discussions are ongoing so I think in the coming months you will have a decision on an answer to that question. But we have advocated for lethal means such as anti-tank weapons, not tanks but defensive weapons."

US Senator John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, has repeatedly called for sending anti-tank missiles and other military equipment to Ukrainian forces.

Sputnik met with a man who witnessed the cruel Donbass war with his own eyes. He explained why the issue of the conflict is scarcely covered in Europe and Italy in particular.

'EU Understands It Took Wrong Side' in Donbass Conflict
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707181055648401-eu-wrong-side-donbass-war/

Self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Leader Alexander Zakharchenko proposed on Tuesday a three-year transition period toward a new state called Malorossiya ("Little Russia") as a way to settle the three-year conflict in Ukraine.

He called on the international community to support his proposal. However, for a long time now the EU has kept silent about the Donbass war.

The question however, remains why the Italian media has been ignoring the conflict that has unfolded in the center of Europe?

Sputnik spoke with Maurizio Marrone, a member of the regional council and the city administration of Turin in an interview, about this issue.

According to him, “the EU understands that it has taken the wrong side in the conflict, that it has a great responsibility and therefore there are constant attempts to censor the reports about this war as much as possible.”

Marrone further said that such censorship is due to the fact that the European Union and the governments of the member countries are involved in this war.

The ceasefire is never observed. I personally visited Donetsk and Lugansk three times, where I saw with my own eyes how the artillery of Kiev bombed the quarters in which the civilian population lives, which constantly leads to new victims,” he said.

Talking about a recent conference which took place in the Italian parliament about the war in Donbass, Marrone said that the conference is an important event, since for the first time the topic of war in Donbass was discussed in the Italian Parliament.

“We wanted to draw the attention of Italian politics to the conflict, which until now has not been discussed. This is a war that indirectly affects the countries of Europe as we are talking about economic sanctions,” he further told Sputnik.

Despite the severity of the situation Marrone stressed that little is said about the conflict in the media.

He further said that the Italian government knows what damage the anti-Russian sanctions have inflicted on exports and on Italian entrepreneurs. But despite that the Italian government is not standing up to the EU.

“Italy is forced to send its military to Latvia within the framework of the NATO mission and at the political level, Rome does not have the courage to refuse the contributions that it is forced to pay to the alliance,” he added.

The conference "Donbass: The War on Conscience of Europe" was held for the first time in the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament.

Recently, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights submitted a report in which Ukraine was presented with over 16 claims for such grave crimes as torture, unlawful deprivation of liberty and violation of freedom of movement.

“We are afraid that [Ukraine] can be used [by the European Union and the United States] as a springboard for the siege of the so-called ‘Russian World’. We hope that sooner or later the Italian government will come out of this conflict and reconsider its attitude towards NATO,” Marrone said.

The politician also spoke about a project that he is currently involved in. It is called “101 life” and its purpose is to inform the public about the number of children that have been killed in the conflict, which has already exceeded 100.

He expressed hope that Italy will move towards an alliance with Russia and that the two countries will become trade and economic partners once again.

Marrone also stressed the importance of working together as geopolitical partners in the fight against terrorism.

“We, as part of the Western world, see that Moscow is fighting against Daesh almost alone. We must realize that our enemy is Islamic terrorism, not Russia,” Marrone concluded.

Ukraine's foreign minister has walked back Kiev's tough rhetoric about introducing a visa regime with Russia, saying the Russian response would create problems for Ukrainian citizens. Speaking to Sputnik, Ukrainian ex-lawmaker Alexander Golub warned that if Kiev moves forward with the initiative anyway, millions of Ukrainians will be affected.

Ukraine Crisis May End With 5 Mln Ukrainians Applying for Russian Citizenship
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201707151055576769-ukraine-visa-restrictions-analysis/

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has acknowledged that the introduction of a visa regime with Russia would create problems for Ukrainians.

The simple introduction of visas would not give us the effect we would like to see," the diplomat said, speaking during question period in Ukraine's parliament on Friday.

"On the contrary, doing so will create significant problems, given the fact that Russia will take advantage of these problems in order to carry out both provocations and conscious policy to introduce restrictions against Ukrainian citizens who live in the occupied territories, and in occupied Crimea," he added.

In the minister's view, the decision to introduce biometric control at the border was the "optimal" option for Kiev, and one "supported by our friends and partners."

In the spring, lawmakers from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc and People's Front parties proposed the introduction of a visa regime with Russia. Last month, Klimkin said that the Foreign Ministry was ready to implement the necessary measures if lawmakers passed the relevant legislation on the issue.

Opinion polling from last month found that 51% of Ukrainians were opposed to a visa regime with their eastern neighbor, with 33% saying they were in favor, and another 16% undecided.

Last week, Kiev announced that it would be introducing biometric control for all foreigners traveling to Ukraine, including Russian citizens, starting in January 2018. Russian citizens will also have to notify the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry about their arrival beforehand. At present, Russian and Ukrainian citizens enjoy visa-free travel between the two countries.

Russian officials have responded to Kiev's decision, saying that Moscow regrets the move, and sees the policy of severing contacts with Russia as an attempt to build a new 'Berlin Wall'.

Speaking to Radio Sputnik, Alexander Golub, a veteran Ukrainian ex-lawmaker and member of the presidium of Union of Left Forces, commented on how Kiev's decision will affect ordinary Ukrainians.

According to the politician, Kiev authorities seem set on sticking to their plan to cut all possible ties with Moscow, "at the economic level, at the political level, and as far as the possible introduction of visas is concerned, at the human level."

"It's another matter entirely that Kiev is simply not prepared for this step, given the social and economic situation inside the country itself," Golub added. "Because the application of countermeasures by Russia would lead to problems for millions of people who today must work in Russia to support their families."

Noting that he regularly speaks to his compatriots who work in Russia, the politician noted that "between 80-90% of them would like to obtain Russian citizenship. But they are afraid of a certain level of pressure, and a number of difficulties which would await the members of their families back in Ukraine. In total, I think we can talk about 4-5 million Ukrainians who would like to obtain Russian citizenship," the former lawmaker said.

According to Golub, the difficult situation in Ukraine can change for the better, but only in circumstances which are outside Kiev's ability to control. "When will it all end? I think this will happen when the people implementing this policy give up power, at a minimum, or are made to respond in court for the crimes they have committed," he said.

But I think it is obvious that a number of Western countries are interested in exactly this position for Ukraine. They will continue to squeeze out the benefits from the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia, which they themselves artificially inflame, to the end. But when those benefits are exhausted, then, perhaps, they'll give up on their puppets, and something will change," the observer concluded.

Last month, a poll by Rating Group Ukraine found that 75% of Ukrainians believe their country is 'in a state of collapse'. 70% said they fear the situation could lead to new large-scale protests of the kind which rocked the country in 2014 and ended in the Maidan coup d'etat.

 

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Ukrainian military prosecutors are suing the company charged with repairing the Hetman Sahaydachniy frigate, whose engines broke down soon after costly repairs. Speaking to Sputnik, military observer Konstantin Kivkov said that the story around the frigate is a 'shining example' of officials' efforts to deprive Ukraine of its defense capabilities.

Ukraine's Only Major Warship Out of Commission, Funds for Repairs Feared Stolen
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707251055866973-ukraine-frigate-repairs-scandal/

Last week, the 12-day US-Ukrainian Sea Breeze 2017 naval exercises wrapped up in Ukraine's Odessa and Nikolayev regions. 17 nations, including the UK and Turkey, took part in the drills.

Conspicuously absent from the exercises was the Hetman Sahaydachniy frigate, the flagship of the Ukrainian Navy, which sat out the drills in the port of Odessa, left unfixed after suffering engine failure in May, shortly after undergoing repairs.

The ship did not go entirely unused however. During the exercises, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko boarded the ship for a photo opportunity with Ukrainian and NATO sailors. Congratulating participants, Poroshenko said the drills were an expression of unity and readiness to jointly defend the common values of the transatlantic community.

Political observers say that Poroshenko's audacity in using the Hetman Sahaydachniy for his media event may have broken some sort of political record. After all, the scandal surrounding the ship's breakdown following costly repairs is directly connected to one of his companies.

In May, military prosecutors in southern Ukraine initiated a lawsuit against the Leninskaya Kuznitsa Shipyard, a Nikolayev-based construction and repair facility owned by the Ukrainian president. Leninskaya Kuznitsa won a 14.5 million hryvnia ($561,000 US) tender for the repair of the ship, including its engine, in December. However, prosecutors complained that the ship's diesel engine propulsion system broke down almost immediately after repairs were said to be completed.

Prosecutors said that "with the aim of rectifying the legal violations," and in connection with the "possible negative consequences" for defense capabilities of the Ukrainian Navy, they are seeking to recover some 668,000 hryvnia ($25,000 US) in punitive damages.

Commenting on the ongoing scandal around the incident, senior military observer Konstantin Sivkov told Radio Sputnik that he was certain that most of the money allocated for the frigate's repair was simply stolen.

"About 15 million hryvnia was allocated to its repair. That's not peanuts," Sivkov said. "Considering that this is not a very large ship, for it this is a big amount. In fact, for this amount of money one could modernize and fully reequip the ship. And here, apparently, the ship wasn't modernized, but simply underwent repairs to make it seaworthy."

Now, the observer noted, "it turns out that the repairs were carried out in - let's say a very unseemly manner. The money allocated for the overhaul was not simply enough, but more than enough; for this amount of money it would be possible to replace all the ship's components. But apparently, as is typical for the current Ukrainian ruling elite, this money was simply stolen...with practically nothing left for repairs. And that's why what happened, happened."

Sivkov noted that the story surrounding the Hetman Sahaydachniy reminded him of another scandal-ridden Ukrainian security project – the so-called 'wall' on the Ukrainian-Russian border. In 2015, Kiev had allocated about 4.1 billion hryvnia ($160 million US) to the project. Now, prosecutors are investigating the theft of about $3.8 million from that project.

"I think that this frigate will suffer the same fate as the 'wall' on the border which Russia, another project to which a great deal of money was allocated, only to be stolen," the expert said.

"The thing is, the current Ukrainian authorities clearly understand that they are temporary, and are therefore using any means possible to build up their fortunes using major national projects. It must be understood that they have no interest in maintaining military equipment in fighting condition. Primitive schemes to siphon off, grab and escape with the money – that's the psychology and logic of Ukrainian authorities." And in this situation, "the Ukrainian Navy has no prospects," Sivkov concluded.

Almost 900 state companies will be privatized in Ukraine before the end of 2020, including large banks, industrial plants and three film studios. Their list was promulgated by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the country.

Ukraine for sale: 900 state-owned enterprises to be privatized by oligarchs
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/07/ukraine-for-sale-900-state-owned.html

"Out of 3444 state enterprises, 893 are subject to privatization in 2017-2020" - the press service of the ministry said.

Among the largest assets to be privatized are the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine, Oschadbank, Privatbank, the State Export-Import Bank of Ukraine, the company Centrenergo, the Agrarian Fund, Ukrgazbank and Turboatom.

The companies of Ukraine's Medicines, Electrotyazhmash Plant, Electronmash, a number of mines and trading seaports, salt plants (State Enterprise Genichesky Solezavod and State Enterprise Artemsol) are planning to privatize over the next three years. The same goes for the National Circus of Ukraine and circuses in such areas as Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Odessa, Lviv.

National film studio of feature films named after Alexander Dovzhenko, Ukrainian studio of documentary films and Ukrainian film studio of animated films are similarly looking for a buyer.

The list also includes the Ukrainian state construction corporation Ukrbud, Aerosvit Airlines, and others.

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal wants to give $500 million US dollars to care for wounded Ukrainian soldiers. The proposed legislation for the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative is part of this year’s defense bill.

US Oligarch Senator Richard Blumenthal wants to give $500m US tax dollars to the Ukraine
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/07/us-oligarch-wants-to-give-500m-us-tax.html

Mr Blumenthal happens to be at the higher end of the Senate Millionaires Club, but it’s not his money that he’s volunteering to the seemingly noble cause, but – that’s right - that of the taxpayer, and, at the cost of the average US serviceman making only $19,000 per year.

Of course, there is more to unpack to this story without getting into the nitty gritty of it all. Despite the tightly knit collaboration with sources of mainstream media, it is still a known fact that it is the US State Department that largely funds the Ukrainian army and the Poroshenko regime in the first place, with the very intent of sending the soldiers into the meat grinder in the country’s troubled Eastern regions. If only they stopped doing that, perhaps the noble Oligarchy of the US Senate wouldn’t need to fix what ain’t broke in the first place – with the US taxpayers' money.

On 19 July, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has liquidated the aircraft construction factory Antonov.

Famous Antonov aircraft manufacturer closes its doors for the last time
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/07/famous-antonov-aircraft-manufacturer.html

Fort Russ first reported of troubles at Antonov in April of this year.

"The indisputable achievement of the top management at Antonov, is establishing an unprecedented level of remuneration for their work. The vice-president, for example, has a salary several times higher than a person who has worked there for over a decade, as an aircraft designer" - states an employee.

The famous aircraft factory today has almost no orders.

"Why no orders? Where did they go? Orders were there before, albeit not huge. Around the world, there are 40 aircraft that were constructed here; AN-148 and AN-158, 6 x An-32 for the Iraqi Air Force, 4 x AN-32 for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, several An-74 went to Kazakhstan, Laos, and others countries.

The answer is simple; potential customers are well aware of the situation in the aviation industry of Ukraine and do not share the optimism of the expertise of its leaders. Let me remind you that the last An-148 was completed and handed over to North Korea two years ago - in April 2015. And two months after, Poroshenko's men replaced the company's management. From that moment on, that is, during the second half of 2015, the entire 2016 and the first half of 2017 not a single aircraft has been delivered to customers! "- the author writes.

The Zaporizhia Automobile Plant, known during the Soviet period as makers of the legendary Zaporozhets and Tavria subcompact cars, has been sold off for just over $9 million US.

Legendary Ukrainian Supermini Car Factory Sold Off for Price of Scrap Metal
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707251055855343-zaporozhets-sold-off/

Ukraine's Deposit Insurance Fund reported last week that ZAZ, the Zaporizhia Automobile Plant, was sold at auction last week for 243 million hryvnia (about $9.4 million US). ZAZ owner UkrAuto sold the factory to Unistream Invest, a financial company with no ties to the automotive industry. Ukrainian and Russian automotive enthusiasts fear the sale could mean the end of Ukraine's automotive industry.

For the shockingly low sale price, Unistream Invest received the entire plant territory, including the main assembly shop, repair and construction shops, administrative buildings, parking lots and warehouses, conveyors, assembly lines, and thousands of pieces of industrial equipment. The purchase also landed them over 200 incomplete Mercedes, 800 KIA and 400 Chevrolet vehicles.

Known in the Soviet period as a true 'people's car', ZAZ's rear-wheel drive, rear-engined Zaporozhets started production in 1958 with the hunchbacked, beetle-like ZAZ-965. With a price tag of just over 1,500 rubles, the car was sold for practically the price of a motorcycle. The company always recognized that their vehicles were the only opportunity for many Soviet families to own a personal car, and was proud of its 'people's car' brand.

The next generation of Zaporozhets subcompacts, the ZAZ-966, was introduced in 1966. Priced at over 3,000 rubles, the car still remained the most affordable car available for purchase in the Soviet Union. The vehicle was affectionately nicknamed "big-ears" and "Cheburashka" by the public due to the round air intakes found on either side of the car to cool its rear-mounted engine.

In 1979, ZAZ upgraded its Zaporozhets design with the ZAZ-968M, which removed the vehicle's "ears" and updated the interior design. The ZAZ-968M would continue production until 1994.

Another well-known ZAZ design was the ZAZ-1102 Tavria, a front-wheel drive subcompact design which made a big splash in the Soviet automotive community when it was released in 1987. In the late 1980s, the car began a campaign to win over foreign markets, including Latin America and Western Europe, but its success was cut short after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In the 1990s, ZAZ would continue production of the Tavria, as well as the ZAZ-1103 Slavuta, a five-door liftback design introduced in 1995. By the late 1990s, the plant slowly began turning into an assembly plant for Korean car companies, and later, Chevrolet, while production continued to fall. By 2013, the plant with an annual capacity of 120,000 vehicles built only 20,000 cars.

After the coup d'état in Kiev, production fell further, to 13,000 cars in 2014. In 2016, according to Ukrainian automotive market research firm AUTO-Consulting, production halted almost completely, with only 526 vehicles produced, 403 of them cars. The company blamed its desperate situation on the collapse of foreign trade ties, including ties with Russia, and the economic crisis facing the country, which caused a severe decline in the local automotive market.

In 2016, ZAZ engineers introduced a new design meant to revive the Ukrainian car industry – the Slavuta Nova five door hatchback, a clone of the Chinese Chery Riich G2. The company was hopeful that the association agreement with the European Union would allow it to sell its vehicles on European markets. Several foreign delegations, including automakers from Daimler, Peugeot-Citroen and Renault-Nissan, also visited the plant to discuss cooperation, but no agreements were reached.

Production never got off the ground. The company had taken out loans with the plant itself listed as collateral, and last week, the Deposit Insurance Fund reported on the plant's sale at auction.

 

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President Petro Poroshenko has issued a decree on revoking Ukrainian citizenship of the former leader of Georgia, ex-governor of the Odessa region Mikheil Saakashvili, Ukraine's State Migration Service said on Wednesday.

Poroshenko Strips Ex-Georgian President Saakashvili of Ukrainian Citizenship
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707261055902849-ukraine-citizenship-saakashvili/

Saakashvili resigned from the position of the Odessa region governor on November 7, 2016, citing Kiev's reluctance to fight corruption as the reason for his resignation and accusing the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko of protecting the criminals.

"The President of Ukraine has issued a decree on stripping [Saakashvili] of Ukrainian citizenship… Materials on Saakashvili, provided by the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, processed by the State Migration Service of Ukraine, and sent to the Commission on Citizenship under the President of Ukraine, were considered in due course at a meeting of the commission," the service said in a statement posted on its website.

Saakashvili, a fugitive from prosecution in his homeland Georgia, was granted Ukrainian citizenship and appointed the governor of the Odessa Region in 2015.

He served as Georgia's president between 2004 and 2013. Saakashvili left Georgia after incumbent president Giorgi Margvelashvili took the office in November 2013. In July, the prosecutor's office in Georgia pressed several criminal charges against the ex-president, particularly accusing him of embezzling $5 million form state coffers for personal purposes.

On Tuesday, Saakashvili said he was in the United States in a Facebook post. Later, Saakashvili's "Movement of New Forces" party of Ukraine confirmed this information. The former Georgian leader cannot return to Ukraine, as he would be immediately sent to Georgia as a non-Ukranian citizen, Petro Poroshenko Bloc Solidarity member and lawmaker Serhiy Leshchenko said earlier on Wednesday.

The revocation of Saakashvili's citizenship was met with criticism by some Ukrainian politicians with ex-Prime Minister and Batkivshchina (Fatherland) Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko believing that this move was another step toward dictatorship in Ukraine.

The Georgian prosecutor's office repeatedly called for Kiev to extradite Saakashvili, but the Ukrainian side rejected the appeals at least twice. In 2015, Saakashvili was stripped of his Georgian citizenship due to receiving a Ukrainian passport.

Kiev has cut off electricity supplies to the self-proclaimed Donbass republics, Acting Director of Ukraine's Ukrenergo power company Vsevolod Kovalchuk said on Wednesday.

Kiev Cuts Electricity Supplies to Self-Proclaimed Donbass Republics
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707261055890031-ukraine-electricity-cut-donetsk/

Kiev has cut off electricity supplies to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in eastern Ukraine, Acting Director of Ukraine's Ukrenergo power company Vsevolod Kovalchuk said on Wednesday.

"From 00:00 [21:00 GMT] July 26, 2017, the transmission of electricity to temporarily uncontrolled areas of Donetsk region has been halted," Kovalchuk posted on his Facebook account.

The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Energy Ministry told Sputnik that the cuts would not affect the consumers in any way.

The DPR is energetically independent from Ukraine. Due to the fact that we ourselves extract coal and supply it to our thermal power plants, we fully provide residents and enterprises of the republic with electricity," a representative of the ministry said.

US and Ukrainian officials continue talks on lethal defensive weapons' deliveries to Kiev, Department of Defense spokesperson Capt. Jeff Davis said in a briefing on Wednesday.

US, Ukraine to Talk About Lethal Defensive Weapons Provision for Kiev - Pentagon
https://sputniknews.com/world/201707261055904455-us-ukraine-defensive-weapons/

US and Ukrainian officials continue talks on provision of lethal defensive weapons to Kiev, Department of Defense spokesperson Capt. Jeff Davis said in a briefing on Wednesday.

"We don't have any policy changes to announce, but certainly it's something that we talk about regularly," Davis told reporters.

On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a briefing that the United States has not made any steps regarding supplying Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons. Nauert said that Washington is "not there" yet.

 

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A petition contends the Ukrainian president supposedly bankrolls the Russian army in the Donbass region through his company Roshen.

Kiev court orders security service to launch probe against Poroshenko for high treason
http://tass.com/world/957838

Kiev’s Pechersky District Court has ordered Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) to open a criminal case over high treason committed by Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, former Ukrainian Deputy Prosecutor-General, former Deputy Head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), Defense Attorney Renat Kuzmin said on Wednesday.

"Despite the unprecedented pressure from the authorities, the court, nevertheless, ordered the SBU to investigate President Pyotr Poroshenko for committing high treason," he wrote in Facebook posting the relevant court ruling.

The court made this decision on the basis of the attorney’s petition. Kuzmin explained that the issue at hand is that the Ukrainian president allegedly had financed the Russian army he is fighting in the Donbass region as the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces "from 2013 to 2017 through the Roshen company in Lipetsk owned by him."

Kuzmin also posted a copy of the SBU’s response, which states that there are no violations in Poroshenko’s actions, since Ukraine did not impose sanctions that could prohibit the activities of the Lipetsk Confectionary Factory Roshen in Russia.

In addition to that, SBU agents threatened the attorney with criminal prosecution for defamation. In light of that, Kuzmin filed a complaint requesting disciplinary action against the intelligence officers.

 

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Ex-Georgian president and the former governor of Ukraine's Odessa region Mikheil Saakashvili plans to return to Ukraine on Friday despite being stripped of the country's citizenship earlier this week, the Ukrainian media reported Thursday.

Saakashvili to Return to Ukraine Friday Despite Revoked Citizenship - Reports
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707271055935621-saakashvili-ukraine-citizenship/

The Strana.ua news outlet, citing sources close to Saakashvili, reported that the politician is now in the United States.

Saakashvili's Ukrainian citizenship was revoked on Wednesday by a decree of the nation's President Petro Poroshenko when it was discovered that the former had violated Ukrainian law by providing incorrect information on his citizenship application. Ukrainian media reported that Saakashvili covered up his criminal record in Georgia.

After leaving Georgia in 2013, Saakashvili received Ukrainian citizenship two years later before being appointed as a governor of the Odessa region. The Georgia-born politician, however, quit after one year, citing the Kiev authorities' unwillingness to fight corruption.

In a video address published by Saakashvili online on Wednesday, the politician said Kiev was in collusion with Tbilisi, which had been requesting his extradition from Ukraine since 2015. Under Ukrainan law, Saakashvili may face extradition upon his return to Ukraine.

Mikheil Saakashvili vowed he would fight for the right to return to Ukraine after it stripped him of citizenship.

Saakashvili Rejects Refugee Status After Loss of Ukrainian Citizenship
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707271055913790-saakashvili-rejects-refugee-ukrainian/

"Now there is an attempt under way to force me to become a refugee. This will not happen! I will not remain anywhere else and will not change status! I will fight for my legal right to return to Ukraine!" he said on Facebook.

Supporters of ex-Georgian president and former governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region Mikheil Saakashvili protested against depriving him of Ukrainian citizenship and engaged in clashes with police in the center of Kiev, a Sputnik correspondent reported Thursday.

Saakashvili’s Supporters Clash With Police in Central Kiev
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707271055935667-ukrane-saakashvili-clashes-citizenship/

The protesters gathered at the Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) and headed for the building of the Presidential Administration.

After police cordoned the street where the administration building is located, the protesters engaged in clashes with officers.

The situation soon stabilized with police having detained no protesters.

Kremlin is indifferent to the the former leader of Georgia and ex-governor of Ukraine's Odessa region Mikheil Saakashvili's loss of Ukrainian citizenship, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

Kremlin Indifferent to Saakashvili's Loss of Ukrainian Citizenship
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201707271055924326-kremlin-saakashvili-ukraine-citizenship/

"This issue is not of any interest to Kremlin," Peskov told reporters.

 

[angelburst29]

Ukraine's largest weapons depot up in flames, exploding (PHOTOS+VIDEOS)
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/03/ukraines-largest-weapons-depot-up-in.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCjUPvxiwdU (0:50 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hml9svZM6zs (2:02 min.)

Early Thursday morning, inhabitants of the small town of Balakleya in Ukraine’s Kharkov region woke up to explosions. As it turned out, the country’s largest munition depot, carrying a total of 138,000 tons of shells, located just outside the city has caught fire and is exploding. This has since been confirmed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense also released a statement: “Today, March 23rd, at 2:45 A.M., a fire started in certain areas of the weapons base located in the city of Balakleya in the Kharkov region. All measures are being taken to contain and extinguish the fire on the spot.”

I just happened to notice this article being featured on Yahoo news. The article, itself, is about the explosions at a ammo depot in Balakliya, a military base in Eastern Ukraine on Mar 23, 2017. To my memory, although there were investigations started and much speculation on "who-done-it" no one has been formally charged. This article accuses "Russia of using a drone with a thermite grenade" to blow up the ammo depot, due to Balakleya only being 60 miles from the Russian/Ukrainian border?" Maybe Russia did it or maybe not .... but where I have I heard of "thermite" being used to eliminate something?

Kaboom! Russian Drone With Thermite Grenade Blows Up a Billion Dollars of Ukrainian Ammo
_http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/news/a27511/russia-drone-thermite-grenade-ukraine-ammo/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpwEZ_9VLD8 (3:49 min.)

A drone carrying a grenade infiltrated an ammunition dump in the Ukraine, setting off an explosion that caused an astounding billion dollars worth of damage. The incident points to the growing use of drones in wartime, particularly off the shelf civilian products harnessed to conduct sabotage and other attacks.

Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, believes that a drone carrying a Russian thermite hand grenade caused a series of titanic explosions at Balakliya, a military base in Eastern Ukraine. Amateur video of the incident posted on YouTube shows a raging fire spewing out of control artillery rockets, and an explosion and shockwave that sent civilians nearby reeling.

One person was killed in the attack and five were injured.

The drone is believed to have carried a ZMG-1 thermite grenade. Thermite, a combination of iron oxide (rust) and aluminum powder. The stuff burns extremely hot and easily could have gotten through wooden crates to detonate the munitions inside. The ammo dump is just 60 miles from the Russian/Ukrainian border, where fighting recently took place.

According to PM contributor David Hambling writing at Scout Warrior, it's not the first time military bases in Ukraine have been hit by drones. A similar attempt to blow up the Balakliya base took place in December 2015, when drones dropped 14 grenades. The fires were extinguished by Ukrainian servicemen, and one grenade, a ZMG-1, was recovered.

In October 2015, an attack on an ammunition depot at Svatovo destroyed 3,000 tons of explosives and damaged 1,700 nearby homes. Two other attacks on ammo dumps took place in February, and another facility was attacked in March.

Guerrilla groups, terrorists, and perhaps even governments worldwide have rapidly weaponized consumer drones, effectively turning hobbyist devices into lethal weapons capable of killing. In 2016, two French Special Forces soldiers were injured and two Kurdish fighters were killed by an exploding ISIS drone. ISIS has conducted numerous drone attacks during the Mosul campaign and terrorism experts fear weaponized drones could spread outside conflict zones.

Small consumer drones rigged to drop grenades have proved an effective weapon in Iraq and Syria.

Russian Drones Attack With Grenade Weapons July 18, 2017
_http://scout.com/military/warrior/Article/Small-Russian-Drones-Do-Massive-Damage-WIth-Grenade-Weapons-103103172

Small consumer drones rigged to drop grenades have proved an effective weapon in Iraq and Syria. The volume of attacks by ISIS drones threatened to stall the assault on Mosul, and the Iraqi Federal Police soon now deploy their own grenade-dropping drones against ISIS. However, such drones are not limited to the tactical battlefield. In spite of their diminutive size, such drones may become weapons of mass destruction in their own right. A precision attack does not need to deliver a massive warhead: it just has to ‘bring the detonator’ to a vulnerable target.

The Ukrainian SBU – the equivalent of the FBI – now believe that the destruction of a giant arms depot at Balakliya in eastern Ukraine in March was carried out by a small drone. The spectacular explosion and fire destroyed some seventy thousand tons of munitions with damage estimated at a billion dollars, though only one person was killed. This destruction is a graphic illustration of the threat posed by small drones, as many other high-value targets may be equally vulnerable.

Balakliya was said to be the largest ammunition dump in the world. Photographs of the site show wooden boxes of ammunition left in the open, making it a tempting target for an aerial saboteur. Several similar strikes have been carried out in Ukraine.

“This form of anti-materiel attack—though on a lesser scale—has already taken place at least two times in South-East Ukraine by Russian-linked forces utilizing weaponized UAS dropping incendiary bomblets,” says Robert Bunker, Adjunct Research Professor at the U.S. Army War College.

On 29th October 2015, the ammunition depot at Svatovo was hit. Some three thousand tons of ammunition went up, and 1,700 homes were damaged nearby.

This year, on the night of 17th February, an ammunition warehouse in Zaporozhye region was set on fire causing a series of explosions. The same tactics were used the next night at a storage site near Grodovka village in the Donetsk region, but this time the fires were put out. On 14th March a drone attacked another Ukrainian military facility near Donestsk, making three separate sorties and dropping two grenades each time according to Ukrainian military officials.

There had been a previous drone attack at Balakliya in December 2015, when small drones dropped at least fourteen grenades. The grenades started fires in the open storage areas, but the Ukrainian soldiers, showing considerable bravery, put out the fires. On that occasion one of the devices was recovered intact, and was identified as a Russian ZMG-1 mine grenade.

The ZMG-1 is a thermite charge, a specialist tool used for demolition by Russian special forces, which resembles the U.S. AN-M14 grenade. Grenades of this type burn rather than exploding, and are placed rather than thrown, as they must be in contact with the target. They are filled with a mixture of metal and metal oxide which react to produce extreme temperatures – something over 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The AN-M14 can melt through a steel plate half an inch thick and is typically used to disable artillery. The ZMG-1 appears to have similar capability. The Ukrainian SBU have previously captured ZMG-1s in caches associated with Russian separatist groups, so they have such weapons, and ammunition dumps are a prime target.

“A weapons depot is such a good target for drones because incendiary device dropped from the drone only needs to act as fuse, using the materiel on the ground for the actual explosion,” says Ulrike Franke, a drone expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

This echoes the warning by T X Hammes of the Center for Strategic Research about a type of attack he calls ‘bringing the detonator’. Where there is a suitably vulnerable target, even a drone with a small warhead can do tremendous damage. It does not need to carry the explosive, because explosive is already there, it is just a matter of setting it off. This does not just mean ammunition dumps.

“Other infrastructure sites that would be particularly vulnerable to this form of attack would be those storing highly flammable substances such as fuel — especially aviation fuel,” says Bunker. “Commercial aircraft parked at an airport laden with fuel in their wing storage cells would also be very susceptible.”

Hammes also mentions parked aircraft as a target. Sites storing quantities of liquified natural gas or petrochemicals, fuel depots and similar locations could be similarly susceptible to such attacks. Storage tanks of other dangerous chemicals might not explodes and burn, but if ruptured they could still have catastrophic effects. Th accidental release of methyl isocyanate gas from a plant on Bhopal in 1984 caused over three thousand deaths. Any risk of a similar incident is likely to result in the evacuation of a wide area as a minimum, even if there are no casualties.

Small drones are readily available over the internet. Unlike earlier generations of radio-controlled aircraft, they are easy to use, and a beginner can fly one out of the box. Grenades of the sort dropped by drones in Iraq and Syria may be hard to acquire outside of a war zone, but thermite is another matter. It is easy to make, and can be legally purchased in the US, UK and elsewhere. Terrorists may have trouble making their own explosives, and often get caught in the process, but they can acquire thermite without attractive attention.

ISIS may be living on borrowed time in Iraq and Syria, but the group is likely to survive as a diffuse, international, online presence. Having had so much success with consumer weaponized drones they are not likely to abandon them. Similarly, anyone opposed to Russia’s foreign policy might find themselves on the receiving end of thermite charges delivered by untraceable commercial drones in the hands of ‘Little Green Men’ who may or may not belong to the Russian military.

While the spectacular destruction at Balakliya made headlines around the world, the billion dollars of damage may only represent an opening bid. One airliner can cost upwards of $400m. While counter-drone defenses have tended to concentrate on military and government installations and public spaces such as sports stadiums, the biggest risk may be to economic targets. Expect to see more ‘bring the detonator’ strikes by small drones in the near future.

 

[thorbiorn]

Another source indicating EU and French officials helped to bring about the problems in Ukraine.

WikiLeaks: Macron is one of the organizers of the coup d'état in Ukraine


05.08.2017

The President of France Emmanuel Macron was involved in organizing a coup in Ukraine in 2013-2014. This is reported by journalists of the Ukrainian opposition newspaper "Voice of Truth" with reference to the documents distributed by representatives of the organization "WikiLeaks».

They also called a number of European institutions that have had a coup actively supported.

The documents detailed correspondence of the headquarters of Emmanuel Macron with Quentin Gimana, President of the NGO "Cosmopolitan Project Foundation", an activist of the "socialist party" and Euromaidan (Paris). In December of 2013 (just before the "hot" events in Ukraine), he writes:

"Dear friends, finally we are in Kiev! Can track events on ukraine-euromaidan.tumbl.com (link currently not working)".

What people Macron his answer:

"Good job, guys!"

Mao Peninou, the mayor of Paris, also actively involved in the correspondence:

"Thank you for the information and for communicating the position of our and all who believe in democratic solidarity and the future of Europe, including in Kiev."

In other correspondence discussed during the Kiev events, including the visit of the EU high representative for foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton (recall from her conversation with the head of the foreign Ministry of Estonia has emerged about communication of snipers on the Maidan with the opposition). In parallel, Gilman speaks to Martin Schulz with a request to control the situation from his side and forwards all the headquarters of Macron.

Representative Schultz said the following:

"I can confirm that President Schulz pays special attention to the situation in the country and monitors civil mobilization and Pro-European forces, which are activated in Kiev and some cities of the province. This interest is not new."

In addition, according to the representative, with the assistance Schulz was organized by the monitoring mission of the European Parliament headed by Cox and Kwasniewski. For June 7, 2014, after the inauguration of Poroshenko, Aleksander Kwasniewski announced the successful completion of the mission.

And in may 2014, on the eve of elections in Ukraine after the coup, Mr. Gilman writes:

"I think we should not and can not stay without reacting. We stay here from April 23 to may 25, before the elections, which, of course, not that President, but relate to the main question that we always protect".

In response, the staff proposes to publish the appeal to French young people to provide information support to organize a meeting in Paris on the subject.

[...]

There was also: Opposition: Ukraine is now Germany of the 30s after the fascists came to power

_https://translate.google.com/translate?client=tmpg&hl=en&langpair=ru|en&u=https%3A//golospravdy.com/oppoziciya-ukraina-sejchas-eto-germaniya-30-x-godov-posle-prixoda-k-vlasti-fashistov/

 

[angelburst29]

What? I can't believe Trump is behind this? I guess, this could explain Graham and McCain's February visit to Ukraine and VP Pence's visit last week to Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia? A U.S./NATO heavy military build up on Russia's Borders? Along with the U.S. Navy constructing maritime operations in Ukraine, they are trying to construct eight military facilities in Moldova.

The US Navy has kicked off the construction of a major maritime operations center in Ukraine, which will serve as a major planning and operation hub during future military drills hosted by the country.

'Significant Accomplishment': US Starts Building Major Naval Facility in Ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708071056259724-us-naval-canter-ukraine/

The United States has begun constructing a maritime operations center at the Ochakov Naval Base in Ukraine, the US Navy said in a statement on Monday.

"Seabees held a groundbreaking ceremony for a maritime operations center on Ochakov Naval Base, Ukraine, July 25," the Navy said in the statement, referring to the US Naval Construction Battalions, known as Seabees.

The Seabees arrived in Ochakov in April to establish contracts, obtain construction permits and perform other logistical tasks for the maritime operations center project.

The center, which is one of three projects that the Seabees will execute in Ochakov, will serve as a major planning and operation hub during future military drills hosted by Ukraine, the Navy said.

"Beginning construction in Ukraine is a significant accomplishment," said Lt. j.g. [junior grade] Jason McGee, officer in charge of Det. Ukraine. "Our ability to maximize European reassurance initiatives in Ukraine holds strategic importance, and will ultimately improve host nation defense capacity and infrastructure, strengthen relations and increase bilateral training capabilities."

In addition to building the operations center, the Seabees will also build a boat maintenance facility and entry control points with perimeter fencing at Ochakov.

Graham Vows 2017 Is 'Year of Offensive' Against Russia

Sens. Graham and McCain Visit Ukraine Troops, Urge Offensive Posted on February 3, 2017
http://news.antiwar.com/2017/02/03/sens-graham-and-mccain-visit-ukraine-troops-urge-offensive/

The United States has never been particularly supportive of efforts by European nations to negotiate a ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine. Perennial hawks Sen. Lindsey Graham (R – SC) and John McCain (R – AZ) took things a step further, however, visiting Ukrainian troops on the frontlines and openly urging new military offensives against the ethnic Russian rebels.

Addressing the troops alongside Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Graham declared 2017 to be “the year of offensive” against Russia, insisting Ukraine’s fight was America’s fight, and that he was determined to make the Russian “pay a heavier price.”

Sen. McCain concurred, insisting that the US could not allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to “succeed” in Ukraine, because if he does he’s liable to also “succeed” in other countries around the world.

Graham is also said to be pushing a draft resolution aiming to impose a new round of sanctions against Russia for “trying to interfere with our election.”
He insisted he would “never be satisfied” until the US punishes the Russian government.

Mike Pence’s visit reflects Estonia’s outsized clout amid a growing threat from Russia.

How a tiny Baltic nation became a top destination for U.S. officials 07/29/2017
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/29/estonia-russia-us-visits-pence-241098

Estonia, a tiny Baltic nation dwarfed by neighboring Russia, isn’t a premier American tourist destination. But when Vice President Mike Pence arrives there on Sunday he’ll be just the latest in a parade of senior Washington officials to visit in recent months.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) led a congressional delegation to Estonia in December and so did Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) in June. America’s top NATO general dropped by in March, followed soon after by House Speaker Paul Ryan in April. President Barack Obama himself gave a September 2014 address in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.

Why all the fuss over a nation of just 1.3 million with a landmass roughly half the size of Maine? The short answer is Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Situated across a 200-mile long border with Russia, Estonia—invaded by the Soviet Union in World War II and occupied for 70 years—is seen by strategists as a likely target for Russian aggression that could test the NATO alliance. Estonia is home to some 300,000 ethnic Russians whom many fear Putin could incite or take action to “protect.” And a recent RAND study showed a surprise Russian offensive could reach Tallinn within 36 to 60 hours. The unease is especially high ahead of a massive Russian war game this fall which experts see as a dry run for a possible invasion of the Baltics.

Such fears will be the main focus of Pence’s visit, according to a senior administration official who previewed the vice president’s trip to reporters, which will include a meeting with Estonian prime minister Jüri Ratas and an address to Estonian Defense Forces HQ.

The Vice President’s speech there will underscore… the administration’s commitment to NATO, including Article 5,” the official said Thursday.

Many Estonians believe the only thing keeping Putin at bay is Article 5, the mutual defense guarantee of the NATO treaty, to which Estonia is a signatory.
President Donald Trump has questioned Article 5 in the past, though he has more recently affirmed his commitment to defending fellow NATO members.

In that sense, Estonia—an Eastern European democracy aligned with the West—has become a powerful symbol for the NATO alliance itself and one that many security-minded U.S. officials are eager to embrace, providing comfort not just to Estonia but to all its neighbors fearful of Moscow.

[...] All three Baltic nations—Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia–have stepped up their diplomatic contacts with the U.S. in recent years as a revanchist Russia builds up its forces on their borders. The three nations typically arrange joint meetings with administration officials, such as a confab with Secretary of Defense James Mattis in Lithuania in May. Pence will also meet Lithuania and Latvia’s heads of state in Tallin.

The countries together host thousands of NATO troops stationed along Russia’s border as part of the alliance’s "enhanced forward presence," which has grown significantly since Putin’s March 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and his ongoing military support for a pro-Russian separatist movement in eastern Ukraine. Those acts prompted Obama’s trip to Tallinn, where he assured nervous Estonians that the U.S. would defend them against Russian aggression.

Over 11,000 troops participated in an annual exercise known as SABRE STRIKE in the Baltic region last month, war gaming NATO’s response to a potential Russia invasion.

[...] Serving as Estonian president from 2006 to 2016, Ilves, a bow-tie wearing fluent English speaker who grew up in New Jersey and was educated at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania— remains connected and active to the D.C. foreign policy establishment, making him an effective ambassador for the country. Although he is now out of office, Ilves remains engaged in U.S. foreign policy circles as fellow at Stanford University and a member of the advisory board of the Alliance for Securing Democracy—a new transatlantic project aimed at countering Russian information warfare. The project’s roster is bipartisan who’s who of prominent Washington national security insiders, including top advisors to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Moldovan President Igor Dodon said Monday that the intentions of the United States to construct eight military facilities at the training base, located in Moldova's village of Bulboaca, may be a provocation of the Moldovan government, and promised to look into the issue.

President Dodon Vows to Examine US Plans to Build Military Facilities in Moldova
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708071056258810-dodon-military-facilities-moldova/

Earlier in the day, the media reported about the plans of the US Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe Africa Southwest Asia (NAVFAC EURAFSWA) to construct eight training facilities for military operations in urban terrain at Bulboaca training base in Moldova, citing a pre-solicitation notice, issued on June 25.

The project is expected to cost between $100,000 and $250,000. Same day, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that the intentions of the US Navy to construct such facilities indicated the fact that the United States has started training Moldova's special forces for a potential military conflict with Transnistria.

I consider it as yet another provocation of the Moldovan government. The construction of military facilities should be approved by the country's president, who is also the supreme commander. This issue has not been agreed with us. We will look into [the issue]," Dodon told reporters.

When asked whether he would block the construction project, the president answered that he would definitely oppose such intentions, but added that at first he needed to understand what the issue was about.

The Bulboaca training base is located only 26 miles away from Chisinau. On July 24 — August 5, the base hosted the Dragoon Pioneer 2017, joint drills of US and Moldovan troops. Dodon has repeatedly stressed that NATO membership was unacceptable for Moldova, which needed to remain neutral, and opposed participation of the Moldovan military in NATO drills.

Moldova is constitutionally neutral, which means it does not participate or support any belligerents in wars. At the same time, Moldova has been cooperating with NATO since joining the Partnership for Peace in 1994. The cooperation also extends to the Individual Partnership Action Plan, which Moldova became a part of in 2006.

 

[thorbiorn]

What? I can't believe Trump is behind this? I guess, this could explain Graham and McCain's February visit to Ukraine and VP Pence's visit last week to Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia? A U.S./NATO heavy military build up on Russia's Borders? Along with the U.S. Navy constructing maritime operations in Ukraine, they are trying to construct eight military facilities in Moldova.

The US Navy has kicked off the construction of a major maritime operations center in Ukraine, which will serve as a major planning and operation hub during future military drills hosted by the country.

This is hardly indistinguishable from occupation. On the surface Russia is held out as the enemy, but perhaps digging down in the East is to make sure the West stays within American control, that is the guns may as well be turned around. The EU with the all its -exit issues may on the pretext of internally instigated turmoil, terror attacks, hacking event etc forcibly but comfortably be replaced and lorded by the US military and business interests.

 

[angelburst29]

'Significant Accomplishment': US Starts Building Major Naval Facility in Ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708071056259724-us-naval-canter-ukraine/

President Dodon Vows to Examine US Plans to Build Military Facilities in Moldova
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708071056258810-dodon-military-facilities-moldova/

The Pentagon’s decision to establish several new military training installations in Moldova may become the first step in transforming the former Soviet republic into another foothold for the US expansion in Eurasia, according to a Russian analyst.

Moldova Becomes a 'Foothold for US Expansion Into Eurasia'
https://sputniknews.com/world/201708081056279924-us-moldova-expansion-plans/

On August 7 RT reported that US Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe Africa Southwest Asia (NAVFAC EURAFSWA) plans to construct eight training facilities for military operations in urban terrain at the Bulboaca training base in Moldova, citing a pre-solicitation notice issued on June 25.

And as Russian political analyst Valery Korovin told Radio Sputnik, Moldova may actually become yet another foothold for the US expansion in Eurasia.

"The Americans are rather frank. They openly publish their strategies, tenders and guidelines, implying that the world belongs to them. And any area that does not belong to the American sphere of influence is regarded as an empty space, a "black hole," as Zbigniew Brzezinski put it; unclaimed territory that needs to be explored and covered with American networks, and subjected to colonial administration. The United States is a new network empire which exploits any area it gets access to. So Moldova becomes yet another foothold for US expansion into the Eurasian continent," Korovin said.

Meanwhile, Moldovan President Igor Dodon also declared that he intends to look into this issue, and that this development may be a provocation by the Moldovan government.

"I consider it as yet another provocation of the Moldovan government. The construction of military facilities should be approved by the country's president, who is also the supreme commander. This issue has not been agreed with us. We will look into [the issue]," Dodon told reporters.

Rossiya Segodnya columnist Alexander Khrolenko pointed out, however, that the Moldovan president is at odds with his parliament. While Dodon himself seeks to have his country become a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, the distinctly pro-Western Moldovan government openly opposes this motion.

He also noted that the US has already invested $1.6 million in the renovation of the Bulboaca base which is located only a short distance from Tiraspol, and that there are reasons to believe that this installation may be employed "to train Moldovan saboteurs and special forces in the case of a new conflict with Transnistria."

And while fostering closer ties between NATO and Moldova may help the West “improve its position in the game with Russia,” as Polish web portal Onet.pl put it, it may not be a very good idea for the Moldovan leadership to sacrifice their national pride, neutrality and sovereignty to Brussels and Washington.

"The West won’t appreciate this kind of sacrifice, but would eagerly help turn peaceful and relatively prosperous Moldova into a war-torn Afghanistan or Donbass," he remarked.

This development also prompted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin to remark via his Facebook page that "the Americans start training of special operations forces of the Republic of Moldova in case of a new armed conflict with Transnistria."

Transnistria, also known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, is a region with a predominantly ethnically Russian and Ukrainian population that seceded from the Soviet Republic of Moldova in 1990 due to fears of a possible reunion with Romania. The separation led to an armed conflict that ended in a ceasefire in July 1992, although the issue remains unresolved.

Transnistria’s President Vadim Krasnoselsky said that without Transnistrian people’s will none of the Russian servicemen will be expelled from the region.

Expelling Russian Troops From Transnistria May Worsen Conflict
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707251055871785-transnistria-conflict-military/

"For me personally the decision is not shocking. They traditionally do this: from year to year Moldovan politicians express their willing to expel Russians from our territory. Both recent decision by the Moldovan Constitutional Court and this parliament’s decision serve as a confirmation. It at least causes concerns as it leads to the escalation of the conflict. Expulsion of peacekeepers, Russian presence is a way toward war. This is unacceptable," Krasnoselsky said, as quoted by his press service.

Amid controversy in Germany about the US military's plans to store toxic chemicals there, Igor Shatrov told Sputnik that if the US had large amounts of sparsely populated territory at its disposal in Eastern Europe, somewhere like Ukraine, it would almost certainly store its hazardous materials there instead.

Fears Mount That Ukraine Will Replace Germany as US Toxic Waste Dumping Ground
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708081056284369-germany-ukraine-us-toxic-chemicals/

"After all, [Western] Europe is a fairly densely populated region. Therefore, Ukraine would be interesting for them [the US military], where there is also a lot of territory but it isn't so densely populated. In fact, this is the plan. The Ukrainians now have to think about their fate, and what will happen to them when they become too closely aligned with NATO and the United States. The Germans defend their rights, but that will be more difficult for the Ukrainians," Shatrov warned.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' losses since the start of the operation in Donbas have exceeded 3,000, Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff Chief Viktor Muzhenko said.

Donbass, Three Years On: Ukraine Army Loses 3,000 Troops Since Start of Conflict
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708081056283590-ukraine-army-3000-killed/

Muzhenko made the figures public in an interview with the Ukrainian agency LIGA.net that was published Tuesday.

Over the three years of the war, we have 2,307 irretrievable losses and 8,185 those wounded [as of July 27]. These are purely combat losses. Non-combat losses total 871 people," Muzhenko said.

Kiev launched a special military operation in Ukraine’s southeast in April 2014, after local residents refused to recognize the new Ukrainian authorities, which came to power as a result of a coup.

Observers of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine recently witnessed a conflict between Donbass local residents and Ukrainian forces involved in a military operation in eastern Ukraine.

Donbass Locals Take Up Shovels, Confront Ukrainian Troops Building Dugout
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708061056226389-civilians-revolt-donbass-ukraine-troops/

"In government-controlled Sopyne the SMM observed about 40-50 residents (of various ages, over half of whom were women) angrily confront 10 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers," the SMM said in a report on August 3.

Residents told the observers that they were angry that soldiers were building a dugout on the territory of their village. "The SMM saw a fresh 2m-deep dugout about 20m from the nearest house. After the soldiers withdrew from the area the SMM observed some residents filling it in with shovels," the report added.

Commenting on the incident, the Ukrainian military said that its personnel had to stop the construction of fortifications in Sopyne due to the resistance of locals.

"Local residents were outraged that Ukrainian forces were building fortifications there. Understanding their unwillingness to be near the defense line, our personnel decided to stop the works," the command of Kiev’s military operation in Donbass said in a statement on Facebook.

In an interview with Radio Sputnik, Miroslav Rudenko, a lawmaker of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), commented on the situation.

"This incident is yet another proof that the current Ukrainian government has no moral limits. The military wanted to set up fortifications in an area where civilians live," Rudenko said.

At the same time, according to the lawmaker, it was "surprising" that the SMM registered the incident and included it in a report.

"Its previous reports show OSCE observers’ reluctance to report on any violations by Ukrainian forces. Possibly, this is a sign of some progress. Maybe, the SMM will stop turning a blind eye on war crimes committed by Ukrainian troops. We hope that the situation will change and Western moral and information support for the Ukrainian government will decrease and an adequate approach will prevail, including towards those crimes," Rudenko said.

 

[angelburst29]

Ukraine Hosts US Military to Be Permanently Stationed on Its Soil 14.08.2017
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2017/08/14/ukraine-hosts-us-military-permanently-stationed-on-its-soil.html

United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Seabees (C.B. – construction battalion), of the Naval Construction Force held a groundbreaking ceremony for a maritime operations center on Ochakov Naval Base, Ukraine, July 25. According to the Navy.mil, the official website of the US Navy, the maritime operations center is one of three projects that are currently planned to be executed by the Seabees in Ochakov and will serve as a major planning and operational hub during future military exercises hosted by Ukraine. The Seabees arrived in Ochakov in April to establish contracts, obtain construction permits and perform other logistical tasks for the maritime operations center project.

Maritime operations centers are the operational-level warfare command and control organizations designed to deliver flexible maritime capabilities throughout the full range of military operations. The future Seabee projects in Ochakov include a boat maintenance facility and entry control points with perimeter fencing.

In July, several US missile warships, including the USS Hue City Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser and the USS Carney Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, a P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft and a Navy SEALs team took part in the 12-day Sea Breeze 2017 NATO naval exercise held in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, near the port city of Odessa. 17 nations took part in the training event.

The drills were conducted in the 'free game' format in the Odessa and Nikolayev regions and the northwestern areas of the Black Sea. The practice scenarios cover amphibious warfare. The only country the forces could be training to assault is Russia.

During the exercise, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made his first visit to Ukraine (July 9) to demonstrate the political support of Kiev’s policy aimed at integration with the United States and NATO. He was accompanied by Kurt Volker, the newly appointed US Special Representative to the Minsk peace process, who is known as a hawk against Moscow.

The US political support is not gratuitous. In late June, the Ukrainian government took a decision to buy American coal from Pennsylvania, which is said to be almost twice as expensive as locally sourced in the Donbass – Ukraine’s traditional supplier of energy needs.

In July, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the Law of Ukraine «On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Foreign Policy of Ukraine», which determines membership of the Alliance as one of the country’s foreign policy priorities. Poroshenko said that a referendum on NATO membership would be held by 2020.

Ukraine takes part in a host of NATO exercises: Operation Fearless Guardian, Exercise Sea Breeze, Saber Guardian/Rapid Trident, Safe Skies and Combined Resolve. It became the first non-member country to contribute its troops to the NATO Response Force.

On June 8, Ukraine’s parliament adopted a bill called «On Amending Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine (on Foreign Policy Course of Ukraine), setting NATO membership as Ukraine’s foreign policy goal, replacing the country’s non-aligned status.

The United States will deliver lethal weapons to Ukraine. The Joint Staff is working with US European Command to determine what the lethal defensive aid to Ukraine would look like. The House version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) cuts military aid to Ukraine from the initial $300 million to $150 million, but it provides permission for lethal arms supplies. The idea is strongly supported in the Senate. If the legislation goes through, the weapons could be legally sent to Ukraine starting October 1. The money could be used to deliver over 900 FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles designed to strike armored vehicles, fortified ground installations and low flying aerial targets at a distance of 50-2,500 meters.

Former President Barack Obama was unconvinced that granting Ukraine lethal defensive weapons would be the right decision in view of corruption widespread in Ukraine. Skepticism about sending weapons to Ukraine is common in Europe. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier opposed the idea. NATO Military Committee Chairman Petr Pavel has spoken against lethal arms deliveries to Kiev.

A recently published RAND study says that the country faces deeply embedded problems which cannot easily be solved by foreign-provided assistance.

A US military facility near Russia’s borders is a very serious threat to regional security. The Black Sea region is turning into a hot spot. US destroyers and cruisers visit the Black Sea regularly to provide NATO with long-range first strike capability. The Romania-based Aegis Ashore BMD system uses the Mk-41 launcher capable of firing Tomahawk long-range precision-guided missiles against land assets.

Romania has worked energetically to increase US and NATO force presence in the region. The US has recently taken the decision to send an additional 500 forces to the Romanian Mihail Kogalniceanu (MK) forward operating base. A brigade-size multinational NATO force is based in Craiova, Romania. Nations which have pledged to contribute include Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the United States. The unit is intended to facilitate the deployment of reinforcements. Georgia and Ukraine will be fully involved in the plans.

Romania calls for a regular trilateral format of joint naval exercises in the Black Sea, along with Turkey and Bulgaria, with the eventual participation of non-littoral NATO members.

The United Kingdom has decided to deploy four Typhoon aircraft to Mihail Kogalniceanu in 2017. Deveselu, Romania, is home for Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense site and a target for the Russian military.

Bulgaria has offered to participate in the Multinational Framework Brigade stationed in Romania with 400 troops. In September, about 150 US Marines, part of the Black Sea Rotational Force, are due at Novo Selo, Bulgaria. This will be the first of three six-month rotations of about 150 US Marines, part of the Black Sea Rotational Force. Under the 2006 defense cooperation agreement, the United States has access to three Bulgarian military bases.

The US plans to deploy up to 2,500 troops at Novo Selo; the base can hold as many as 5,000 during joint-nation exercises with NATO allies. The facility’s upgrade is finished to add a helicopter landing zone and an air operations building. The base is expected to host US heavy tanks. A NATO maintenance support area is to be built in Sliven or Plovdiv. This is a serious military build-up turning Bulgaria into springboard to attack Russia or a target for the Russia’s armed forces.

It’s hardly a wise decision to militarize the country against Russia when 80 percent of Bulgarian exports and imports transit the Black Sea and tourism contributes heavily to the country’s economy, increased maritime militarization could have a widespread negative economic impact in case of heightened tensions, accidents or clashes.

Since September, 2016 US and Bulgarian aircraft conduct patrol flights in the Black Sea. The patrolling mission greatly increases the risk of an accident, especially with the Russian S-400 long range systems stationed in Crimea. Russian aircraft deployed in the Northern Caucasus and Rostov region are capable of controlling the whole Black Sea. President Putin has warned NATO about the consequences such a policy would lead to.

Non-Black Sea NATO members cannot stay in the Black Sea for more than 21 days, according to the Montreux Convention. NATO has three members with Black Sea ports in Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, as well as two more aspiring members in Ukraine and Georgia. Bulgarian, Romanian, Ukrainian and Georgian navies have limited capabilities. Handing over to them some of other NATO members’ warships is an option under consideration. The ships could be reflagged to beef up permanent naval capabilities in the theater. US warships frequent the Black Sea to provide NATO with long-range first strike capability.

The Romania-based missile defense system as well as NATO air bases and headquarters will be targeted by Russian Kalibr sea- and air-based medium-range cruise missiles successfully tested in Syria some time ago. The active phase array antenna-based radar, located in Romania, can be countered by Russian ground and air-based electronic warfare systems.

In response to NATO growing presence, Russia has deployed S-400 long-range air-defense systems and Bastion-P (K-300P) anti-ship coastal defense missile systems equipped with Onyx missiles. These Mach 2.6 supersonic missiles are highly maneuverable, difficult to detect and have a range of nearly 300 kilometers. With the help of the Monolith-B radar station, the system is capable of obtaining over-the-horizon target designation many miles beyond the horizon. The long-range cruise missile capable Su-24 supersonic attack aircraft are already deployed in Crimea.

Russia has to react in view of massive militarization of the region against the background of high tensions. An accident may spark a big fire. The US military presence in Ukraine is a highly provocative step, which will very negatively affect the situation. Nothing justifies the whipping up of tensions in the Black Sea region, but the United States keeps on doing it with great vigor.

 

[angelburst29]

Volunteers of the project ‘Mirotvorets’ launch online-system on recognition of separatists and other criminals ‘Identigraf’.

Kiev threatens to reveal all separatists with a help of online-system IDENTIGRAF
http://novorossia.today/en/news/kiev-threatens-reveal-all-separatists-help-online-system-identigraf

In regard to Geraschenko, this system may work with millions of photos for 20-30 sec.

They promise to launch it on the August 24, the Day of Independence of Ukraine.

In Ukraine, a new system is being launched to identify the personalities of political opponents. This was reported by Verkhovna Rada MP, member of the board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Anton Gerashchenko.

Ukraine launches system of facial recognition for 'separatists and enemies of the nation'
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/08/ukraine-launches-system-of-facial.html

"On August 24, 2017, exactly at 00:01, the volunteers of the "Peacemaker" project will launch a unique Photo Recognition and Detection System, unparalleled in the world. The development of this system took 9 months and was carried out in cooperation with one of the world's most famous social networks. The uniqueness of this system is that it is the first system in the world that will work on the Internet to search out separatists, terrorists and criminals, and their whereabouts.

All other similar systems, based on the face recognition algorithm, work either in secret mode in the offices of leading intelligence agencies or are used in closed mode for commercial purposes to analyze large arrays of photos by software giants such as Google or Microsoft. The capabilities of our system are such that it can search and match millions of photos of separatists, terrorists, and militants, painstakingly collected over three years by our volunteers."

He points out that the users of the system can be police investigators, prosecutors, border guards, private detectives, lawyers, bank employees, private entrepreneurs, and ordinary people.

Kiev cuts per person gas allotment 25%. Now it is 3.3 cubic meters per person per month. The issue was considered at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on August 18.

Kiev rations gas for the heating season
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/08/kiev-rations-gas-for-heating-season.html

"The government analyzed the situation and brought social norms of gas closer to the actual consumption for cooking and heating water," said Andriy Reva, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine said, as TASS reports.

According to the new changes, from October 1, 2017, if there is a gas stove and centralized hot water supply, the norm is reduced from 4.4 to 3.3 cubic meters of gas per person per month. In the absence of centralized hot water supply and a gas water heater, the rate is reduced from 7.1 to 5.4 cubic meters of gas, and in the presence of a gas water heater - from 14 to 10.5 cubic meters.

Earlier, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Andriy Reva found a simple way to correct an unattractive picture of the structure of expenses of ordinary citizens of Ukraine, in which about 50% of the funds go to food. For this, the citizens of the country need to eat less.

In Ochakov, Ukraine, in direct proximity to Crimea, the construction of an American naval base has kicked off. This was announced on the official site of the US Navy on August 7th, 2017. Earlier, on July 19th, the US Navy announced new cooperation efforts between its elite troops and their Ukrainian counterparts.

US building naval base in Ochakov, Ukraine - Will Russia respond?
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/08/us-building-naval-base-in-ochakov.html

Ochakov, a port city on the Black Sea, was wrested from the Ottoman Empire in the late 18th century by Generalissimo Suvorov’s troops. Ochakov is the birthplace (or one of the birthplaces) of the USSR’s marine spetsnaz, and in 1968 the island of Berezan became the new stationing point of the 17th Naval Infantry Brigade transferred from Sevastopol. Following the collapse of the USSR, the 73rd Marine Special Operations Center of the Ukrainian Navy was established there followed by the 7th Naval Infantry Brigade consisting of underwater mining, underwater de-mining, reconnaissance and saboteur, and special communications units. This is a rough equivalent to the American Navy Seals.

Back in Soviet times, the Ochakov naval intelligence training center constituted a unique base and drew top-class experts into its ranks. Even over the several decades of Ukrainian independence, the remnants of this former gem were not liquidated, although Ukrainian naval commandos did decline drastically in professional skill compared to their Soviet naval predecessors.

In other words, Ochakov has not been chosen as a US Navy base in Ukraine by accident. Ukraine’s naval forces are in a state close to clinical death, with a single detachment of marine special forces being one of the few combat-ready units of the Ukrainian Navy left, a fact thanks exclusively to the heritage - training methods, equipment, and people - which Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union.

The construction of a US Navy base in Ochakov is not something unexpected. Since 2015, and perhaps even earlier, the Americans have held military instruction programs for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and National guard. At the Yavoriv training grounds in the Lvov region. 290 American commandos are known to be training Ukrainian National Guard soldiers.

According to military observers in Ukraine, there are three polygons (training grounds) at which American instructors are training Ukrainian soldiers for the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone in Donbass. In particular, my sources associated with the 128th Mountain Infantry Brigade (Mukachevo, Transcarpathian region) have posited that mountain shooters are constantly being trained in Transcarpathia. Moreover, American instructors are training not only UAF unit personnel, but also some Nazi groups, in particular Right Sector.

On the one hand, US Congressmen have demanded that American military aid not be distributed to Nazi battalions such as Azov and others. On the other hand, American commandos are secretly training Ukrainian Nazis in at least once place - Transcarpathia.

While the American military has long since established training programs for Ukrainian troops in Western Ukraine, their current “cooperation” is reaching a qualitatively new level with the establishment of permanent American military bases on Ukrainian territory. US military bases would soon be built across Ukraine as part of NATO-Ukraine cooperation. Let us recall that Andrey Parubiy is one of the founders and the chairman of the Social-National Party of Ukraine (which Oleg Tyagnibok’s Svoboda later grew out of), which openly professes the ideology of “social nationalism”, or the Ukrainian version of the ideology of Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers Party. It is with such a “partner” that the US is developing military cooperation.

The Constitution of Ukraine, however, stipulates the country’s non-aligned status. The NATO Charter also forbids accepting countries which have territorial conflicts with their neighbors. Moreover, any induction of Ukraine into NATO would pose too many big problems for both the alliance and Ukraine itself. For example, Ukraine would be compelled to adopt NATO arms standards, and NATO would become responsible for “defending Ukraine from Russia” if we take NATO and Ukrainian rhetoric, and the realities of the New Cold War, to their logical conclusion. Russia, meanwhile, would not stand idly by and watch Ukraine be adopted into the aggressively anti-Russian NATO bloc.

Thus, the American political leadership and military command have chosen the path of least resistance. Yet the creation of a network of American military bases on the territory of Ukraine is nothing other than a form of military occupation. Meanwhile, Ukraine itself will not even get the carrot of European Union membership, all the while receiving the stick of US-NATO boots on its soil.

Since then, NATO has overtaken not only all the countries of Eastern Europe, but three former Soviet republics as well. In this context, the creation of the first “official” US military base in Ukraine is the next phase of NATO’s offensive to the East. There can be no doubt that Ochakov will be followed by other land and naval bases in both Ukraine and Georgia.

On this note, it is worth recalling that the American geopolitical tradition has christened this specific strategy the “anaconda”, which envisions suffocating Russia to death by bringing military bases up to its borders, a tactic which renders even the use of nuclear weapons hopeless.

In my opinion, the construction of the US Navy base in Ochakov will finally rid Russia’s leadership of any last illusions as to the possibility of reaching an agreement with Trump. Judging by the facts - and not the pre-election declarations of who is now the 44th President of the United States of America - an even more stringently anti-Russian line is being pursued than under Trump’s Democratic predecessor. Russia has no other option but to harshly respond to these anti-Russian steps which threaten the country’s national security.

I can only guess as to the reciprocal steps which Moscow may opt for in this situation. Some options have already been voiced by military experts and political analysts.

For example, one such retaliatory step could be recognizing the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics in the borders prescribed in their constitutions, 60% of which are currently under Ukrainian occupation. As a response to America’s legal and illegal arms supplies to Ukraine, Russia should legally and openly supply Russian weapons to the DPR and LPR's armies.

The next move would be for the Donbass republics. To this day they have bit their tongues and, under strong pressure from Moscow, complied with the provisions of the Minsk Agreements while Ukraine has defiantly violated them. With the opening of the floodgates of American arms deliveries to Ukraine (secret channels have been flowing since spring of 2014), both the warring sides will opt to abandon the Minsk Agreements, after which the Donbass republics’ armies will go on an offensive campaign aiming to liberate at least all of Donbass that remains under Ukrainian occupation. We can assume that once that starts and once the UAF starts to rout, anti-Nazi, and indeed anti-Ukrainian uprisings will spread like wildfire across the historical lands of Novorossiya. And then the idea of Malorossiya will be imbued with some sense of objective reality.

This is but one of the possible steps Russia could take in one of the conflict’s theaters, and it can take other forms as well. In any case, an answer can, will and must follow.

No statues of the former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin have been left across Ukraine, the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, Vladimir Vyatrovich, said in an interview with Liga edition issued on Thursday.

All Across Nazi Ukraine, Statues Of The Former Soviet Leader Vladimir Lenin Have All Gone, Over 2,000 Pulled Down
http://novorossia.today/en/news/all-across-nazi-ukraine-statues-former-soviet-leader-vladimir-lenin-have-all-gone-over-2000

“A total of 2,389 monuments have been pulled down, including 1,320 statues of Lenin. As far as we know, there are no more (statues of) Lenin in the cities – on the territory controlled by Ukraine,” he said. According to Vyatrovich, some monuments may still have survived in certain Ukrainian villages or at enterprises. “The fact is that they have never existed in inventories, they can be dismantled only if they are spotted,” he added.

Vyatrovich said statues made of plaster don’t have any monetary or historical value, and were destroyed. Bronze busts have been either melted or went to museums. He also said that before the end of the year, a museum of “monumental propaganda of the USSR” may be opened at Kiev’s exhibition of economic achievements (VDNkH), where statues of Lenin will also be featured.

In May 2015 Kiev adopted decommunization legislation aimed at denouncing the Communist regime and outlawing Soviet symbols. The decommunization crusade requires that all facilities bearing the names of Soviet figures regardless of status be renamed. Also in the crosshairs, anything mentioning communism, Soviet power, or its institutions, is deemed illegal as well.

Period of validity of former law on the special status for Donbass is expiring on September 16.

Kiev is ready to split up with Donbass totally on September 16
http://novorossia.today/en/news/kiev-ready-split-donbass-totally-september-16

The law on the special status was adopted on September 16, 2014 after the Minsk-1. And its limit is till September, 2017.

It will be not possible to realize this process after this data. And the territory of the LDPR will lose legal status in margins of Ukraine. It was stated by the Head of Ukrainian institution of strategies of global development Victor Levitskiy.

 

[angelburst29]

Ukraine wants nearly three trillion rubles from Russia for Crimea
http://www.pravdareport.com/news/world/ussr/ukraine/23-08-2017/138488-ukraine_crimea-0/

Ukraine evaluated the "loss of the Crimea" at 1 trillion 80 billion 352 million hryvnia (2.6 trillion rubles), representative of the so-called "Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea" Gyunduz Mammadov said.

According to Ukrainian media, the above-mentioned number includes the Scythian gold, archaeological heritage, and works of art. In addition, the "Prosecutor's Office of the Crimea" prepared a request to NASA to assess violations of environmental safety during the construction of the Crimean Bridge. The website of the mythical organisation indicates that the construction of the bridge across the Kerch Strait "poses serious danger to the ecology of the Black and Azov Seas."

The Kiev authorities are persistent in their desire to obtain a "compensation" from Russia for the Crimea. In March 2016, Ukraine's chief military prosecutor Anatoly Matios estimated that this damage was equal to one trillion hryvnia, but a year later the number increased almost twice.

The parade in honor of Ukraine's independence with the participation of NATO representatives illustrates a loss of sovereignty said Irina Yarovaya, vice-speaker of the Russian State Duma.

Ukrainian Independence Day parade hosts NATO members for the first time
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/08/ukrainian-independence-day-parades.html

In the center of Kiev on Thursday, a parade in honor of the 26th anniversary of Ukraine's independence was held. For the first time, soldiers from NATO member states took part. The parade was watched by defense ministers who came to the Ukrainian capital from all over the world, including the head of the Pentagon, James Mattis.

"It seems that the procession of NATO symbolizes their personal contribution to the special operation "Maidan" with an unconstitutional coup d'état in Ukraine.

"All that is happening illustrates the already overcrowded chronicle of Ukraine's loss of sovereignty and the transformation into a territory of external governance,"

The deputy said that the invasion of "NATO and the company" began much earlier, "seeds of Russophobia, ignorance and disrespect for the common history of ancestors, ignorance and nationalism" were artificially sown and cultivated in Ukraine.

"The Donbass did not submit to such a policy of self-destruction" Yarovaya concluded.

The Head of the Pentagon, James Mattis is on currently a visit to Kiev.

US approves $175 million arms supply deal to Ukraine
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/08/us-approves-175-million-arms-supply.html

"If we talk about defensive lethal weapons, we are considering this issue," he said.

According to the US Secretary of Defense, recommendations on this issue will be presented following the visit.

"I will now return to my place of work, and based on what I saw and what I learned, I will, of course, inform the country's leadership about very specific things that I will recommend to implement," he said.

He also said that the US has already approved the supply of military equipment to the Ukraine for $ 175 million.

Earlier, US Senator John McCain said that Mattis's visit to Ukraine opens up the possibility for Washington to begin deliveries of lethal weapons to Kiev. According to McCain, the Ukrainian authorities need such assistance to "protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country."

The senator also said that US President Donald Trump took the first "significant step" to contain Russia by imposing new sanctions against it.

 

[angelburst29]

The Ukrainian armed forces resumed shelling of the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's (DPR) despite the ceasefire agreement reached in June, leaving over 30 people dead and 41 others injured, Eduard Basurin, deputy commander of DPR's Operational Command, said Friday.

Ukrainian Troops Kill Over 30 People in Donbass Amid 'Harvest Ceasefire'
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708251056784852-donbass-30-killed-harvest-ceasefire/

The killings occurred amid the so-called "harvest ceasefire." It was agreed upon on June 21 by a trilateral contact group, composed of Russian, Ukrainian and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mediators, and was expected to last from June 24 to August 31.

Within the 'harvest ceasefire' period alone, since June 24, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have fired 20 projectiles, 900 artillery rounds and over 8,000 shells on the [Donetsk People's] republic. Five civilians and 26 DPR defenders were killed, 21 civilians and 20 servicemen were wounded," Basurin said.

Over 160 houses have been damaged by artillery fire, Basurin added.

An unknown object has exploded in the Ukrainian capital's center on the country's Independence Day, at least two people sustained injuries, according to a statement by police.

Blast Hits Central Kiev on Ukraine Independence Day
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708241056751563-ukraine-independence-day-kiev-blast/

"At 14:06 [11:06 GMT] the duty unit received a report of an explosion of an unknown item on Hrushevskyi Street. A man and a woman were injured due to the explosion," the statement read. Police officers are investigating the incident.

A senior Russian lawmaker claims that the United States clearly intends to bolster its military presence in Ukraine, which will cause Russia to retaliate and reinforce its borders as a response.

Russia to Respond to Possible US Increase of Military Presence in Ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201708251056768450-russia-response-usa-ukraine-presence/

The United States clearly intends to bolster its military presence in Ukraine, which will cause Russia to retaliate and reinforce its borders as a response, a senior Russian lawmaker told Sputnik Thursday.

Earlier in the day, US Defense Secretary James Mattis, during his Kiev visit, said that Washington planned to strengthen its relations with Ukraine at the strategic level in order to ensure peace and stability. The defense secretary added that Washington had recently approved deliveries of various technology worth $175 million, including special equipment that would boost Ukraine's defense capabilities.

"It is clear that everything seems to indicate that the United States will increase its military presence in Ukraine. We are going to take retaliatory measures and reinforce our borders as these developments happen close to our territory," Igor Morozov said.

According to the lawmaker, this reinforcement might be analogous to last year's deployment of two inter-service and one tank divisions in Russia's Western Military District and of Iskander missile systems in the Kaliningrad exclave bordering Poland and Lithuania.

"That was a response to the deployment of the US missile defense in Romania. In this case it is also necessary to react," Morozov stated.

The lawmaker went on to point out that, according to the statements made by the US officials, the country was not actually interested in resolving the Ukrainian crisis.

"Such absurd statements, attributing responsibility for the implementation of the Minsk agreements, have been made by Washington so far. This suggests that [the United States] is still trying to use this issue in order to put pressure on Russia and on President Vladimir Putin," Morozov emphasized.

Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the likelihood of Ukraine introducing biometric control for Russian citizens crossing into the country is low, although Moscow would still consider a response if Ukraine’s plans are realized.

Russia to Consider Retaliation If Ukraine Toughens Border Control
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708241056766550-russia-retaliation-ukraine-border-control/

Earlier in the month, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that Ukraine would introduce biometric control for foreign citizens crossing its border, with decisions on the matter already in the process of being drafted. Currently, Russian citizens can travel to Ukraine without visas.

"Let us see whether Kiev makes such a decision is made or not, because we heard a lot of statements on the matter. They varied and even the position of [Ukraine’s] Foreign Ministry on the issue has changed …. If the decision is made, then we will review it and think about how to respond," Zakharova said at the press briefing.

The spokeswoman noted that there is no point in making hypothetical assumptions on the issue, as the political climate on Ukraine is ever-changing.

Tighter border controls in Ukraine could prompt similar restrictions for Ukrainians coming to Russia. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned Kiev earlier in the month that Moscow would act reciprocally

Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said that the upcoming Russian-Belarusian joint military drills Zapad-2017 (West-2017) might cause "dangerous military incidents."

NATO Concerned Over Scale of Russia-Belarus Zapad-2017 Drills - Polish FM
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708251056791366-russia-belarus-drills-nato/

"We [NATO] express concern over the scale of these drills. Several tens of thousands of servicemen or even several hundred thousand servicemen… This is an excessive level for Europe. There is no threat to Russia and Belarus," Waszczykowski said at a press conference, adding that the military exercise has been discussed at the meeting with Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier in the day.

The Zapad-2017 military drills are scheduled for September 14-20 and are expected to involve around 3,000 Russian troops, 280 pieces of military equipment and up to 25 Russian aircraft.

Senior Russian and Belarusian officials have stated that the drills do not pose any threat to other states and are exclusively defensive in nature.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's motorcade was reportedly involved in a car accident.

NATO Secretary General's Motorcade Involved in Crash in Warsaw
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708251056771902-nato-motorcade-crash-warsaw/

The motorcade of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was involved in a car accident in Warsaw, local media reported Thursday.

According to the TVN 24 broadcaster, the accident took place at the crossing of Zwirki i Wigury and Hynka streets in the Polish capital. A police car, that convoyed the motorcade, collided with a truck.

The broadcaster added that four people were hospitalized following the accident. Stoltenberg is on an official visit to Poland.

Lithuania reaffirms support for Ukraine in building up country's defense capabilities, said Lithuanian Defense Minister.

Lithuania to Continue Supporting Ukraine's Armed Forces
https://sputniknews.com/military/201708251056771679-lithuania-support-ukraine-defence-forces/

On Wednesday, the Lithuanian defense minister met with Poroshenko, who expressed his gratitude to Lithuania for providing assistance in implementing a defense reform in Ukraine.

"Lithuania will continue to provide across-the-board assistance to Ukraine in strengthening its defense capabilities. Defending its territory and independence, Ukraine defends the unity and democracy of the West," Karoblis said as quoted in the statement.

The Lithuanian Defense Ministry also pointed out that the Baltic state was one of the major supporters of Ukraine's military, as Vilnius assisted Kiev in modernizing its armed forces to bring them closer to NATO standards.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said that Ukraine was willing to receive assistance from its partners in the form of weapons, with only Lithuania providing arms to Kiev so far.

In January, the Ukrinform news agency reported that Ukraine had received 146 units of lethal weapons from Lithuania in 2016. In particular, Vilnius has shipped 60 KPV-14.5 (Krupnokaliberniy Pulemyot Vladimirova) heavy machine guns and 86 DShK (Degtyaryov-Shpagin Large-Calibre) machine guns.

Russian and European officials have repeatedly argued that lethal weapons supply to Ukraine will induce exacerbation of the conflict in the country's east.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that German servicemen will remain stationed in the country until the security environment improves.

German Troops to Stay in Lithuania Until Country's Security Improves
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708241056764423-germany-lithuania-troops/

German servicemen, which constitute the majority of the international NATO battalion deployed in Lithuania, will remain stationed in the country until the security environment improves, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday.

"I cannot say precisely right now for how long the German servicemen will remain in Lithuania. Until the situation objectively takes a turn for the better, we have to fulfill our commitments," Steinmeier said at a joint press conference with Lithuanian leader Dalia Grybauskaite.

Grybauskaite, in turn, said that Lithuania would insist that NATO leaders discuss the bloc's reform at the alliance's next summit. She added that the reform should be aimed at "speeding up and raising the quality of the decision-making process, reviewing the NATO forces deployment map and refocusing on reinforcement of the eastern flank, especially in the aerial space."

Since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014, NATO has been boosting its military presence in Europe, particularly in Eastern European states,
citing Russia's alleged interference in the conflict as justification for the move. The alliance's decision to deploy four multinational battalions to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland was announced by its secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, after the NATO summit in July 2016.

Lithuania's NATO contingent is led by Germany. Between 2017 and 2018, over 1,200 of the defense bloc's servicemen are expected to be deployed in the country. At present, 450 German troops serve within the NATO battalion in Lithuania.

 

[Ca.]

8 Months in Ukraine: 101 (Euromaidan - MH17) [1/5]

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Watchdog Media Published on Jul 20, 2017
Part 1: November 20, 2013 - April 14, 2014
Research & Editing by: Chris Nolan
Subtitles by: Angelina Siard & Ollie Richardson

Donetsk Holiday Weekend Report #1 It's Kicking Off
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjz6Rg1bfYQ

Начало праздничных выходных в Донецке. Следите и подписывайтесь чтоб увидеть больше с празднования дня города Донецка и дня Шахтера. подписывайтесь:
Пожалуйста поддержите мою независимую журналистику пожертвованиями через
Сбербанк России, номер карты

Anna News
ГЛАВНОЕ от ANNA NEWS на ВЕЧЕР 27 августа 2017 (3:48)
Published on Aug 27, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weYvOGHIhHE
ведущая: Надежда Баранова

Boris Johnson and the UK on Ukraine: In Response (10:00)
Graham Phillips
Published on Aug 23, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GaDBh_cSX8

Southfront
New Style of Special Ops in Ukraine
12.08.2017 - Links Within
https://southfront.org/new-style-special-ops-ukraine/

In the east of Ukraine, representatives of the Kiev authorities (Ukraine) took a minor girl as a hostage to pressure her mother who is a law enforcement officer in the city of Lugansk. Now this part of the Lugansk Province is not under the control of the central government, but is the administrative center of the self-proclaimed “Lugansk People’s Republic” (LPR or LNR).

The Ministry of State Security of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (one of two self-proclaimed republics during the civil conflict in the East of Ukraine) was reportedly addressed by Marina Gojko, who was a servicewoman of the local law enforcement body. The woman became a victim of kidnappings methods of work of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).

A short while ago the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) took the minor child of Marina Gojko as a hostage. The girl had been on vacation with her grandmother living in the territory controlled by Kiev.

The mother reported that SSU (the Security Service of Ukraine) officers delivered an ultimatum asking for cooperation with them and feeding them with all the classified information requested. In exchange, they promise to keep Marina’s elderly parents alive and release her daughter. (the video could be seen in Russian by follow this link-(https://mgblnr.org/media/d04c256a-de25-4c92-b720-590e18b8e1e7)

Situation in the region with observance of human rights had been long gone far beyond the red lines by all the parties of the conflict.

However, the fact that official representatives of a government can take a minor child as a hostage for the purpose of bluntly blackmailing of the mother is highly questionable even for ISIS.