US/NATO/EU and the desperate subversion of Ukraine

[John Dolva]

02:53 GMT:

The EU should accept that Crimea is now part of Russia, Czech President Milos Zeman told Czech radio in an on-air interview on Sunday. He added that he does not expect Crimea to return to Ukraine in the near future.

09:00 GMT:

Radical activists representing nationalist Right Sector group are attempting to storm Kiev’s Supreme Court building. They have blocked the entrances into the building and surrounded its perimeter.

[John Dolva]

Crimea and Sevastopol have officially joined Russia as President Putin signed a final decree.

The US and the EU are moving forward with more sanctions, targeting Russian officials, businessmen and economic sectors.

Monday, April 7

20:42 GMT:

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has voiced concerns over an earlier report that Kiev’s authorities are sending troops to eastern Ukraine.

“Masterminds and participants of such a provocation are taking a big responsibility for threatening rights, freedoms and lives of Ukrainian civilians and Ukraine’s stability. We urge to immediately stop all military preparations which could lead to a war,” the ministry said in a statement on its official Facebook page.

19:52 GMT:

A source in the Ukrainian Interior Ministry has told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency that Kiev is transferring three special forces units to the east of the country – including a unit of radical Right Sector fighters, and one staffed with “Greystone" dressed in Ukrainian uniforms.

“Their role will be to suppress the uprisings as swiftly and as brutally as possible,” alleged the source.

19:44 GMT:

Ukraine may be forced to return $800 million it received from Japan, which purchased its excess emissions quotas in 2009, in return for the country promising to implement over 500 greenhouse gas-reducing projects.

“We have reached a critical point in terms of fulfilling the terms of the Kyoto agreement,” said acting environment minister Andrey Mokhnik.

“After no movement in three months, the Japanese side has said it is ready to break the agreement, in which case we will have to repay the money.”

19:05 GMT:

Kiev must not use force against pro-Russian protesters in southeastern Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Ukraine's acting foreign minister, Andrey Deshchytsa, in a phone conversation.

The Russian side emphasized "the need to respect the aspirations of the residents of southeastern Ukraine and the inadmissibility of the use of force to respond to legal demands [by protesters] to protect their language, culture and socioeconomic rights," the ministry said in a statement.

18:41 GMT:

Activists in second-largest Ukrainian city of Kharkov have proclaimed the creation of a People’s Republic independent from the coup-imposed Kiev authorities, Itar-Tass reports. A group of local "deputies" have proclaimed they have taken all the responsibility for government activity in the eastern Ukrainian city, the agency said.

The move was proclaimed near the building of Kharkov regional administration, where massive pro-Russian rallies have been held.

All the further decisions will be made by the people of the region in the form of a referendum, the activists have announced.

18:37 GMT:

About 80,000 Crimeans have already received Russian passports and only 16 have so far refused applying for Russian citizenship, a representative of the Federal Migration Service told Interfax.

According to the source, 145,000 citizens in the republic have submitted the documents needed to get a Russian Federation passport. In total, the migration service will have to issue about 2 million passports for the country’s new citizens.

18:32 GMT:

Moscow insists on the removal of the Kiev-proposed draft resolution on Crimea from the agenda of UNESCO’s Executive Board session being held in Paris until April 15.

According to Russia’s representative at the organization, Eleonora Mitrofanova, discussions on Crimea are often “politicized” and some members “lack non-biased information,” cited Itar-Tass.What is even worse, in her words, is that some “interested parties” deliberately twist facts “attempting to manipulate international opinion.”

18:01 GMT:

Russia, the US, the EU and the coup-imposed Kiev authorities will hold a crisis meeting on resolving the situation in Ukraine “within the next 10 days,” said the US State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki. The direct talks were agreed upon by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

17:58 GMT:

EU member-states are not ready to launch the procedure of Ukraine’s accession to the union, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said in an interview with German newspaper, the Berliner Zeitung, as cited by Itar-Tass.

“Ukraine is not ready [for joining the EU]. That is the current state of affairs, and that is what it will be like in the nearest future,” he said. “However, the EU is also not ready to integrate into its member a country like Ukraine. But we offered it a close cooperation in the form of the Association Agreement.”

In Barroso’s view, Kiev needs assistance by Brussels on “its way to democracy and stability.”

17:07 GMT:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told his German counterpart on Monday that "international assistance" was needed in Ukraine to help carry out constitutional reform, his ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov told Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a telephone conversation that it was necessary "to take urgent efforts to organize international assistance for the soonest start of a national dialogue of all political forces and regions of Ukraine ... in order to openly agree on a mutually acceptable constitutional reform." (Reuters)

[John Dolva]

1 April 2014 Last updated at 17:46 Ukraine crisis: Kiev takes on far right

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By David Stern BBC News, Kiev

Members of the Right Sector remain on Kiev's Independence Square, armed and angry

Continue reading the main story

Ukraine crisis

• Nato's task
• Grand illusion
• Federal set-up?
• Spin doctors Watch

Early on Tuesday, a group of young men - and a few young women - left the Dnipro Hotel in the centre of Kiev and marched through a cordon of heavily armed riot police.

Some of the group were wearing ski masks and black military uniforms. They boarded buses which reportedly then took them to a location on Kiev's outskirts.

These were members of the Right Sector: an umbrella organization of far-right groups that has attracted a heavy share of international media attention, and has recently come into conflict with Ukraine's newly formed government.

The Right Sector was a small but influential group that formed part of the "self-defence units" in the recent anti-government protests on Kiev's Independence Square and elsewhere in the country.

Armed and aggressive

The extent of their impact on the events that ultimately forced former President Viktor Yanukovych to flee Ukraine - and the number of people who ultimately make up their ranks - are hotly debated.

Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that at certain moments, they exerted an influence disproportionate to their seemingly small numbers.

But now the revolution is over, and the Right Sector - like many of the other self-defence groups - is still there on the square, sometimes equipped with firearms and often very aggressive.

The group's presence has bolstered Moscow's claims about Kiev being overrun by "fascists"

Their presence has complicated the work of Ukraine's new leaders, who have struggled to demonstrate they are fully in control, after Russia's disputed annexation of Crimea and violent pro-Russian protests in eastern parts of the country.

What is more, Right Sector has bolstered the Kremlin's seemingly exaggerated claims that "fascists" have taken over Ukraine's government and are roaming the capital's streets, threatening minorities and Russian-speakers.

But now officials in Kiev may at last be tackling the thorny issue of Ukraine's radical far right groups.

Continue reading the main story “Start Quote

The Right Sector has bolstered the Kremlin's claims that "fascists" have taken over Ukraine's government ”

The government and Right Sector have clashed a number of times in recent days. Acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said all unofficial armed groups are operating illegally and must turn in their weapons.

Destabilising Ukraine

Last week, a Right Sector leader from western Ukraine, Olexander Muzychko - who at one point was caught on video threatening a local council meeting with a gun and striking an official - was killed in a shoot-out with police.

Right Sector activists rejected officials' explanations that Mr Muzychko had fired on police first and then possibly shot himself. On Thursday, hundreds of them marched on parliament, demanding Mr Avakov's resignation and smashing windows.

Interim President Olexander Turchynov condemned the group's aggressive actions and said they were trying to "destabilise" Ukraine.

Now, with the Right Sector's early-morning retreat, the situation may be reaching its conclusion.

Late on Monday evening, an argument in Kiev's centre between a member of the group and another self-defence unit reportedly led to shots being fired. Three people, including a deputy mayor of Kiev, were injured.

The Right Sector activist found refuge in the Dnipro Hotel, the group's main headquarters. Riot police quickly surrounded the building and demanded all members of the group disarm and evacuate the building.

After a standoff lasting a few hours, they finally agreed and left the hotel.

'Discrediting the revolution'

The reaction to these events has been swift. Parliament voted unanimously for the "immediate disarming of illegally armed groups in Ukraine", which would also include pro-Russian groups in the country's east.

Continue reading the main story “Start Quote

I'm calling on the leaders of the Right Sector. Guys, sort out the mess in your ranks”

Volodymyr Parasyuk Self-defence leader

Criticism was also high among commentators and bloggers, who saw Right Sector providing fodder for Ukraine's critics.

"I'm calling on the leaders of the Right Sector. Guys, sort out the mess in your ranks," tweeted another self-defence leader, Volodymyr Parasyuk. "With these actions, you are discrediting [the revolution] and setting people against you."

The question that no one can answer at the moment is how much support, direct or tacit, Right Sector enjoys among the population at large.

At times during the anti-government movement they seemed to inspire the admiration of large numbers of people, who approved of their direct, violent methods to counter the brutality of Mr Yanukovych's government.

Ultimately, the issue of Right Sector's popularity and future viability may be determined by Ukraine's presidential elections on 25 May.

The group's leader, Dmytro Yarosh, is running in the contest. At the moment, though, he is polling just 1.6%.

But given that the group did not even exist a few months ago, some could view this as just the beginning.

[John Dolva]

The reports of Greystone Limited (an affiliate of Academi/Blackwater) [MERCENARIES] operating in Ukraine remain unconfirmed.

In a separate press release on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it is “closely watching what happens in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, in particular in the Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkov regions.”

Moscow noted that without “real constitutional reform in Ukraine,” the “federalization” of the country, and the implementation of Russian as a second official language, long-term stabilization of the crisis is unlikely.

The ministry said that is time to stop “putting the blame on Russia, accusing [Moscow] of all the troubles in today's Ukraine.”

Instead, Moscow urged Kiev to answer the legitimate questions that people in Ukraine have for the self-imposed government.

“Ukrainian people want to get a clear answer from Kiev to all their questions. It's time to listen to these legal claims,” the Foreign Ministry said, accusing the Ukrainian government of acting “irresponsibly.”

At the same time, the ministry confirmed the Kremlin's commitment to kickstart a national Ukrainian dialogue to stop the crisis. Russia is trying to propose the federalization of Ukraine, where regions would have broader powers of autonomy - including the right to promote regional language minority rights.

[John Dolva]

RT :

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry has launched an anti-terrorist operation in the eastern city of Kharkov by blocking the city center, said acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. At least 70 activists have been arrested by the police.

“The anti-terrorist operation has begun. The center of the city and Metro stations are closed. As soon as we finish the operation, we will unblock them,” wrote Avakov on his Facebook page, “The building of Regional State Administration is totally free from the separatists who seized it earlier.”

[John Dolva]

[note to self : Edward Snowden is participating in a parliamentary hearing on “mass surveillance” of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg via a live]

After Crimea and Sevastopol officially became a part of Russia, south-eastern Ukraine began to ‘boil over’, with clashes erupting between police and anti-government activists trying to proclaim the independence of their regions from Kiev.

Tuesday, April 8

11:54 GMT:

Vladimir Putin called upon Russian authorities to assist entrepreneurs from Crimea and Sevastopol.

“I count that Russian government and new Crimean ministry will help small and medium enterprises in new subjects of Russian Federation – Crimea and the city of Sevastopol,” he said.

The president believes that all the events in Crimea will open new possibilities for fair business in Russia.

11:18 GMT:

Sergey Pashinsky, the interim head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, told journalists in Kiev that no nationalist militias or foreign private security companies have been deployed to the country’s eastern cities. “I do confirm with full responsibility that neither the [ultranationalist] Right Sector nor American security contractors are operating in Kharkov, Donetsk or Lugansk,” Pashinsky said.

10:31 GMT:

Donetsk Mayor Aleksandr Lukyanchenko has announced that a portion of the weapons seized by the protesters in regional headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine has been handed back to security officers after negotiations with the protesters. The SSU headquarters have been captured last night by members of the National Levy of Donbass. On Monday evening security officers managed to return to their cabinets.

09:17 GMT:

At least 15 people have been injured and more than 20 arrested after the recent clashes in the southern Ukrainian city of Nikolaev, the city’s health department reports.

08:56 GMT:

The city administration in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk is still under control of the pro-Russian activists, reported Interfax. Some of them seized the offices of the administration staff and provided a free canteen for protesters.

08:55 GMT:

Ukrainian parliamentarians have started fighting after an MP from a conservative party accused the Rada of “inactivity in south-eastern Ukraine.”

“It’s been a long time that people [in south-eastern Ukraine] demand Russian to be the second state language in the region. But [Kiev] authorities don’t listen to them,” said MP Pyotr Simonenko.

Now Kiev calls the protesters ‘separatists’ while a month ago the same people who stormed local administrations in western Ukraine were ‘patriots.’

After these words, MPs from the Svoboda Party ran to Simonenko and began pushing him from the tribune. Acting President Vladimir Turchinov had to announce a pause in the session.

[John Dolva]

​US wants to destroy Ukrainian ‘bridge’ between EU and Russia – German intellectuals support Putin

Published time: April 09, 2014 00:50

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Members of German civil society have written an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, condemning Russophobia in mass media and German political establishment while showing support for Moscow's actions in the ongoing Ukrainian crisis.

Retired German Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jochen Scholz wrote an open letter to the Russian leader in response to the speech Putin made on March 18, 2014 at the reunification of Crimea with Russia. The letter was cosigned by hundreds of Germans including lawyers, journalists, doctors, servicemen, scholars, scientists, diplomats and historians.

In that letter the German intellectuals said that Putin’s speech “appealed directly to the German people” and deserved a “positive response that corresponds to the true feelings of Germans.”

The letter acknowledges that the Soviet Union indeed played a decisive role in the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany and supported the reunification of Germany and its ascension into NATO after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact.

Then US President George Bush Sr. had given assurances to Russia that NATO will not expand eastward, and yet despite Moscow's show of trust, the US and its allies violated that commitment, Scholz says.

“NATO expansion into the former Soviet republics, the creation of military bases in the former Warsaw Pact countries and the setup of an umbrella missile defense system in Eastern Europe, while unilaterally withdrawing from the ABM Treaty by the US is a flagrant violation of promises,” the letter reads.

According to the author, that was the West's demonstration of power and readiness to confront Moscow in response to the recent economic and political consolidation of Russia, which became apparent after Vladimir Putin was elected President back in 2000.

In an interview with RT, Scholz elaborated on his position claiming that the US interests and vision of the world order, where the continent is allocated the role of Washington’s “vassals”, differs from European interests.

“During the Cold War, the interests of United States and Europe where almost 100 percent identical. But since 1990 this has changed. European interests are objectively different than those of the US,” he told RT. “So our task here in Europe, and off course Russia belongs to it too, is to take our affairs in our own hands. To work with each other in peace and cooperation with respect for human rights.”

The Europeans are now “considered to be an obstacle in the way of American intentions in the region,” as revealed by the leaked telephone conversation between Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Victoria Nuland and US ambassador, Scholz says.

Having in mind the main US geopolitical goal of neutralizing Russia, the retired colonel believes, as stated in the letter, that Washington used the Ukrainian unrest as a “tool” to achieve it.

“This template was used repeatedly: in Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine in 2004, Egypt, Syria, Libya and Venezuela,” the letter addressed to Putin reads.

Discussing the Ukrainian crisis in more detail, Scholz emphasized that the main US objective was “to deny Ukraine a role as a bridge between Eurasian Union and European Union.”

“Instead they want to bring Ukraine under the NATO control,” retired serviceman told RT, stressing that he supports Putin's proposal to build a “common European House,” united under “a common economic zone from Lisbon to Vladivostok.”

Therefore, the author and the cosigners of the letter support the actions taken by Russia as a counterweight to US interests.

“Based on the background of the developments in Europe since 1990, the establishment of some 1,000 US military bases around the world, control of sea straits by the United States, as well as the danger posed by the abuse from Maidan for the Russian Black Sea Fleet – we consider the separation of the Crimea as a defensive measure and, simultaneously, as a warning: this is a line that cannot be crossed,” the open letter states.

While accepting Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 as a precedent for self-determination of Crimea, the letter said that the principle difference in comparison is clear. Unlike Crimea, the Kosovo process was “violating international law by the NATO air war in which Germany unfortunately participated.”

In conclusion of his letter Scholz expressed hope that European nations can agree not to interfere in other nation's affairs which can act as a guarantee of peace in the rest of the world. He called Vladimir Putin an ally of Europe and wished him “strength, endurance and wisdom.”

Commenting on the position of the German government towards Russia at the moment, Scholz told RT that Berlin is in a “very difficult position” as a member of EU and NATO as goals of these blocs contradict German desire “to develop closer relationship with Russia.”

“We should develop our neighbor policy together with Russia and on that way we can move forward. But in any case there should be no further expansion of NATO towards the Russian borders,” he told RT.

[John Dolva]

Wednesday, April 9

00:09 GMT:

Another American military ship will soon arrive for deployment at the Black Sea as the Ukrainian crisis continue, Derek Chollet, the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs told the House Armed Services Committee. Chollet also stated that USS Truxtun’s stay in the Black Sea will be extended, “to conduct exercises with Romanian and Bulgarian naval forces.”

Headlines in Bulgaria circulate reports emerging from the Bulgarian Defense ministry, that a missile cruiser USS Donald Cook is soon to arrive to the Black Sea to join the war games.

Tuesday, April 8

22:16 GMT:

The Ukrainian Parliament has allowed charitable contributions by individuals and entities to fund the army. The bill was approved by 231 MP votes out of 226 required.

Under the new law, the Cabinet of Ministers shall determine the manner of financing of the armed forces through charitable contributions, which will be used to provide combat and mobilization readiness. Currently, state budget is the only legal means to finance the Ukrainian armed forces.

[John Dolva]

Thursday, April 10

00:01 GMT:

Ukraine’s coup-imposed president Aleksandr Turchinov has ordered the protester-held local govt HQ in Donetsk to be taken under ‘state protection’ as armed personnel and armored vehicles have been reported moving into the eastern region of Ukraine.

Wednesday, April 9

23:09 GMT:

Russia has handed over to Ukraine more than 350 pieces of military equipment located on the territory of Crimea, Deputy Defense Minister General Dmitry Bulgakov told reporters. Negotiations to return some 70 vessels to the Ukrainian Navy fleet are also underway.

"As of April 9 this year, more than 350 pieces of different types of military equipment formerly owned by military units of Ukraine, have been exported from the territory of the Crimean peninsula outside the border of the Russian Federation," said Bulgakov. The Russian defense ministry would like the return to be completed by June 2014.

21:49 GMT:

Washington “admires” how the authorities in Kiev are handling the ongoing tension in the south-east of the country.

“Ukrainian authorities continue to act professionally and with restraint,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday, adding that the US supports a peaceful dialogue.

Carney also accused Russia of orchestrating unrest in Ukraine, saying that “there is ample evidence, both in traditional and social media and elsewhere, that some of the protestors are being paid, that they’re not locals, and that is certainly of concern to us.”

He claimed that Russia risks further sanctions if it does not comply with US interests.

“We urge Russia to refrain from provocative actions and to instead pursue a path of de-escalation. The cost of further escalation, of further transgressions and provocations I think are clear to the Russians. The authorities exist under the executive orders the President signed to increase sanctions on Russia,” Carney said.

17:10 GMT:

Washington has not found any evidence of American mercenaries from Greystone Ltd. operating in eastern Ukraine, US Secretary of State John Kerry told Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over the phone.

Responding to Russia’s requests, the US State Department checked the allegations but “found no confirmation of such reports,” Kerry said. He added that Washington “took notice” of the allegations.

The two top diplomats discussed the situation in eastern Ukraine, with Lavrov stressing that there should be “no alternative” to involving all the regions of Ukraine in the process of constitutional reform, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov also said that the proposed international talks on Ukraine would only be effective “if they are not aimed at discussing various aspects of some bilateral relations,” but are instead focused on “helping develop a wide and equal inter-Ukrainian dialogue with the aim of negotiating a constitutional reform acceptable to all.”

14:55 GMT:

Russia will participate in a four-way meeting on the Ukrainian crisis due next week if the talks are concentrated on establishing contacts between Kiev and Ukraine’s regional authorities, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

“We want to understand what the goals of the meeting are,” he said. “The crisis in Ukraine is internal, and the Kiev authorities should invite [the representatives of] all regions, all political forces to the talks, [which should include talks] concerning the constitution, language and other points.”

He added that Moscow will join Kiev in the call to sit down at the negotiating table with all of Ukraine’s regions. But Lavrov said that if the parties are negotiating for “cheap gas” then the talks have “no point.”

However, he said that Russia is ready to negotiate gas prices with Ukraine. Lavrov said that earlier acting Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenuk said Ukraine has planned a budget for gas at $485 for 1,000 cubic meters, but now “they are saying that they won’t pay until they negotiate the price that they want.”

Ukraine’s current debt to Russia for gas stands at $2.238 billion. President Vladimir Putin has asked Gazprom to hold off on advance payments for gas, until further consultations are held

11:54 GMT:

Irina Farion, an MP of nationalist Fatherland Party, has called for the deaths of citizens in Donetsk, Kharkov and Lugansk protesting against the new government in Kiev.

“The measures should be much tougher. Our people laid down their lives. That’s why those creatures that arrive here deserve only death,” Farion proclaimed.

11:51 GMT:

Activists in Lugansk who captured local headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) along with an arsenal stored there announced they are not going to leave the building until nationwide referendum on federalization of Ukraine is organized.

“This is expression of the will of the people – and we want to be heard,” the group stated and strongly recommended “not to mess with active duty officers.”

11:49 GMT:

Ukraine’s acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov told journalists on Wednesday that the coup-imposed government is ready to use force in the mutinous eastern regions.

"There are two solutions: a political one through negotiations or through force,” the minister said on the margins of a government meeting, threatening to resolve the situation “in 48 hours”.

[John Dolva]

Thursday, April 10

01:03 GMT:

As Washington says that there is “no confirmation” that American mercenaries are operating in eastern Ukraine, Iraq war veteran Michael Prysner told RT that US mercenaries have been covertly operating all around the globe wherever there is “dirty work” needs to be done since “there is no law in the world that Pentagon recognizes.”

Watch full interview with Michael Prysner

http://rt.com/news/kiev-clashes-rioters-police-571/

00:25 GMT:

US Secretary of state held a phone conversation with his Russia counterpart, Sergey Lavrov where John Kerry “reiterated our concerns – his concerns about escalating tensions in the east. They discussed the possibility of a quad meeting next week,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a daily press briefing.

The Russian Foreign ministry has elaborated on the conversation stating that this was the second phone call between the two diplomats that took place on Wednesday.

“[Washington] is taking steps to use its influence with the authorities in Kiev to encourage them to organize an internal Ukrainian national dialogue to normalize the situation in the south- east of Ukraine, to ensure a truly representative character of the constitutional reform,” the ministry said in a statement.

The foreign ministers of Russia and the US agreed that progress in these areas will contribute to the convening of the meeting in the format of "Russia-US-EU" and Ukraine in order to facilitate settlement of the Ukrainian domestic crisis.

[John Dolva]

RT :

With 24 hours until Kiev’s threatened deadline to use force against anti-government protesters occupying buildings in eastern Ukraine, reports emerge of tanks around the city of Donetsk. Several locals were allegedly injured trying to stop the convoy.

An eyewitness confirmed the information about military forces arriving in the city in an interview with RT.

“At about 2pm we received information that military hardware had arrived at our local train station. We went there and saw APCs, military vehicles and troops. The whole town gathered nearby. The soldiers tried to start moving, and the people tried to stop the vehicles,” Lyudmila said.

She also noted the harsh response from the military when the locals attempted to stop them.

“The soldiers twisted the arms of pensioners, there were two men standing there and [the soldiers] drove over their feet [in tanks]. I was pulled back by local coalminers while I tried to stop the vehicles. They didn’t even look at who was in front of them. The men started shouting for them to stop, saying there were girls and women in front of them, but they didn’t care.”

According to a decree signed by coup-imposed leader Aleksandr Turchinov, the local administration building in Donetsk and surrounding territory is an “important government facility, which is a subject to state protection.”

The decree entered into force upon signature and Turchinov has already given Ukraine's state security service appropriate directions, Itar-Tass reports.

Ukraine’s acting interior minister Arsen Avakov stated earlier on Wednesday that a “special police task force” had already arrived in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkov from western regions of Ukraine and was ready to take them under control within 48 – using force, if needed.

The buildings of power structures in the eastern cities of Donetsk and Lugansk remain under control of the protesters. While so far there have been no attempts to recapture the occupied buildings, activists continue building barricades preparing for a possible attack by forces shipped in from other regions of Ukraine.

People are burning bonfires to stay warm in front of the barricades and singing songs to keep up their spirits, with Russian and regional flags waiving in the background. Many women and elderly people are among those on nightwatch in the center of city.

“We will be on duty here all night, because the assault could begin at any moment,” one of the activists told Ria Novosti. Thousands more people are ready to stand up against attackers at the first call of those keeping watch around the perimeter. Several times over the last few days activists assembled to train their response to emergency situations.

[Steven Gaal]

10 April 2014, 18:08

Crisis in Ukraine: anti-Maidan protesters in Kharkov detain US mercenary

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_10/Crisis-in-Ukraine-anti-Maidan-protesters-in-Kharkov-detain-US-mercenary-3490/

Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_10/Crisis-in-Ukraine-anti-Maidan-protesters-in-Kharkov-detain-US-mercenary-3490/

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Replacing Russian Gas Deliveries with US Shale Gas? Washington Lies to the EU

============

The White House and State Department have engaged in brazen lying to EU governments regarding the ability of the US to supply more than enough natural gas to replace Russian gas deliveries. Recent statements by US President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry are so patently false that it betrays an incredible desperation in Washington over the situation in Ukraine versus Moscow. Or it suggests that Washington is so out of touch with any factual reality she simply doesn’t care what she says. Either way, it suggests an unreliable diplomatic partner for the EU.

After his recent meeting with EU leaders Obama issued the incredible statement that the secret Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) that is being secretly negotiated behind closed doors by the major private multinational companies would make it easier for the United States to export gas to Europe and help it reduce its dependency on Russian energy: “Once we have a trade agreement in place, export licenses for projects for liquefied natural gas destined to Europe would be much easier, something that is obviously relevant in today’s geopolitical environment,” Obama stated.

That bit of political opportunism to try to push the stalled TTIP talks by playing on EU fears of Russian gas loss after the US-orchestrated Ukraine coup of February 22, ignores the fact that the problem in getting US shale gas to the EU does not lie in easier LNG licensing procedures in the USA and EU.

In other recent statements, referring to the recent boom in unconventional US shale gas, Obama and Kerry have both stated the US could more than replace all Russian gas to the EU, an outright lie based on physical realities. At his Brussels meeting Obama told EU leaders they should import shale gas from the US to replace Russian. There is a huge problem with that.

Shale revolution a failure

Number one, the “shale gas revolution” in the USA has failed. The dramatic rise in US natural gas production from “fracking” or forcing gas out of shale rock formations is being abandoned by the largest energy companies like Shell and BP as uneconomical. Shell has just announced a huge reduction of its exposure to US shale gas development. Shell is selling its leases on some 700,000 acres of shale gas lands in the major shale gas areas of Texas, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Kansas and says it may have to get rid of more to stop its shale gas losses. Shell’s CEO,Ben van Beurden stated, “Financial performance there is frankly not acceptable … some of our exploration bets have simply not worked out.”

A useful summary of the shale gas illusion comes from a recent analysis of the actual results of several years of shale gas extraction in the USA by veteran energy analyst David Hughes. He notes, “Shale gas production has grown explosively to account for nearly 40 percent of US natural gas production. Nevertheless, production has been on a plateau since December 2011; eighty percent of shale gas production comes from five plays, several of which are in decline. The very high decline rates of shale gas wells require continuous inputs of capital—estimated at $42 billion per year to drill more than 7,000 wells—in order to maintain production. In comparison, the value of shale gas produced in 2012 was just $32.5 billion.”

So Obama is either being lied to by his advisers on the true state of US shale gas supplies, or he is willfully lying. The former is most likely.

The second problem with the US “offer” of gas to the EU to replace Russian gas is the fact that it requires massive, costly infrastructure in the form of construction of new Liquified Natural Gas terminals that can handle the huge LNG supertankers to bring it to similar huge LNG terminal harbors in the EU.

The problem is that owing to various US laws on export of domestic energy and supply factors, there exist no operating LNG liquefaction terminals in the US. The only one now under construction is the Sabine Pass LNG receiving terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, owned by Cheniere Energy, where John Deutch, former CIA head, sits on the board. The problem with the Sabine Pass LNG terminal is that most of the gas has been pre-contracted to Korean, Indian and other Asian LNG customers, not to the EU.

The second problem is that even were a huge port capacity installed to satisfy EU gas needs to replace Russian supplies, that would push domestic natural-gas prices higher and cut short the mini-manufacturing boom fueled by abundant, cheap shale gas. The ultimate cost to EU consumers of US LNG would have to be far more than current Russian gas pipelined over Nord Stream or Ukraine. The next problem is that the specialized LNG supertankers do not exist to supply the EU market. All this takes years, including environmental approvals, construction time, perhaps seven years on average in best conditions.

The EU gets some 30% of its gas, the fastest-growing energy source there, from Russia today. In 2007, Russia’s Gazprom supplied 14 percent for France, 27 percent for Italy, 36 percent for Germany, with Finland and the Baltic states receiving as much as 100 percent of gas imports from Russia.

The EU has no realistic alternative to Russian gas. Germany, the largest economy, has foolishly decided to phase out nuclear power and its “alternative energy”—wind power and solar–is an economic and political disaster with consumer electricity costs exploding even though alternatives are a tiny share of the total market.

In short, the chimera of shutting Russian gas and turning on US gas instead is economic, energy and political nonsense.

F. William Engdahl is strategic risk consultant and lecturer, he holds a degree in politics from Princeton University and is a best-selling author on oil and geopolitics , exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”

Edited April 10, 2014 by Steven Gaal

[John Dolva]

I'll put a link of that to the Fracking topic. Interesting dilemma. Meanwhile Desmond Tutu is calling for a global boycott of the fossil industry to be based on the campaign that brought an end to apartheid in south africa and as is being done with apartheid israel with the BSD movement.

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RT :

NATO uses crisis in Ukraine to justify its existence – Russian Foreign Ministry

Published time: April 10, 2014 13:50
Edited time: April 10, 2014 18:13

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NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (AFP Photo / Angelos Tzortzinis)

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Army, Europe, Lavrov, Military, NATO, Politics, Russia, Sanctions

Moscow has slammed NATO’s Secretary General for using the political crisis in Ukraine to mobilize the alliance’s member states against an imaginary Russian threat and justify the very existence of the bloc in the 21st century.

NATO General Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday that Russia must pull back its troops from the border with Ukraine if Moscow wants a dialogue over the crisis in the country. He said there were an estimated 40,000 Russian troops near Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the US Air Force commander in charge of the NATO alliance’s military presence in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, said that US troops may soon be deployed to the region as tensions continue to worsen near the border between Ukraine and Russia.

Placing NATO troops on territories neighboring Russia would be a fragrant breach of the bloc’s international obligations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

“The fact that under [Eastern European NATO member states’] pressure NATO are considering the issue of placing troops and hardware on the territories immediately adjacent to Russia is a breach of the NATO-Russia Founding Act and of the principles of the Vienna Convention,” Lavrov said. “If they want to break those treaties for the sake of satisfying completely unfounded fears, phobias and ambitions of the minority of [NATO] member states, it might be sending a clear signal, what goals this all procedure is really after.”

NATO has also limited access for Russian diplomats to its Brussels headquarters.

Speaking at a news conference during a visit to the Czech Republic, Rasmussen warned Russia against military action in Ukraine and threatening Moscow with “grave consequences” and “severe economic sanctions.”

In a commentary published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website, diplomats accused Rasmussen of “zealously replicating” Cold War rhetoric, recalling NATO’s boss recent statement made at a seminar in Paris, dedicated to transformation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

“The Secretary General’s constant accusations against Russia convince us that the alliance is attempting to use the crisis in Ukraine to close its ranks against an imaginary threat to NATO member states to strengthen demand for the alliance in the 21st century,” said the statement.

The document points out that despite Rasmussen’s constant emphasis on the “growing militarization of Russia,” the military budget of the Russian Federation is at least 10 times smaller than the combined NATO member states’ military spending.

Rasmussen has launched talks about reviewing a 1997 cooperation agreement with Russia and the subsequent Rome declaration of 2002. But NATO member states undermined the principles of international law by intervening into Serbia in 1999 and Libya in 2011, the Russian Foreign Ministry statement said.

The NATO member states pretend to be leading advocates of international law, but at the same time turn a blind eye to glaring misdeeds by extremists in Ukraine that led to the split of the country’s society, the Russian document states.

Russian diplomats noted they are not surprised at the fact that NATO tries to present itself as an “elite club” with “outstanding political legitimacy,” actually ignoring universal international institutions, such as the UN Security Council, and not respecting the generally recognized right of a nation for democratic expression of will and choice.

The ministry pointed out that over recent months all Rasmussen's remarks were confrontational and that he had not offered “any constructive agenda” for the rapid normalization of the situation in Ukraine “through the launch of an inclusive political process, based on democratic values, respect for human rights and minorities, which are so dear to Anders Fogh Rasmussen.”

Russian diplomats shared belief that such activities do not promote the deescalation of the situation in Ukraine, whereas the “double standards” attitude creates a direct threat to stability in the region.

[John Dolva]

00:19 GMT:

In order to crush the rebellion in southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, the governors newly appointed by Kiev rely on their own armed militias, Ukrainian presidential candidate Oleg Tsarev said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

“It is being carried out by the fighters, hired by local authorities,” Tsarev says. “In all areas of the south and the east these questions are supervised by first deputies newly appointed by the governors. Everyone has around 200 fighters on their allowance.”

Yet Tsarev says that not all of the fighters are from the radical Right Sector nationalist movement. He maintains that while many members of the neo-Nazi group might command the militias, many units consist of “local small criminals” that were assembled on the orders and financial support of the “oligarchs.”

He says that this type of intimidation falls in line with Kiev's government, which relies on “language of threats and individual terror,” something witnessed before in a number of post-coup countries.

“Present day authorities in Kiev with their Right Sector and the National Guard, consisting of former militants, have not invented anything new," Tsarev says.

Kiev's policy in relation to the south-east of the country, according to Tsarev, aims to “discourage not only historical memory, but also very fresh memories of 'Eurorevolution.” He says that the self-imposed government “ignored adopted laws which they passed themselves, for example, an amnesty for all participants in the riots,” when they refer to protests in the south-east as “separatist”, calling participants “bandits.”

[John Dolva]

ITAR-TASS : http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/727287

President Vladimir Putin's letter to leaders of European countries Full text

"Ukraine’s economy in the past several months has been plummeting. Its industrial and construction sectors have also been declining sharply. Its budget deficit is mounting. The condition of its currency system is becoming more and more deplorable. The negative trade balance is accompanied by the flight of capital from the country. Ukraine’s economy is steadfastly heading towards a default, a halt in production and skyrocketing unemployment.

Russia and the EU member states are Ukraine’s major trading partners. Proceeding from this, at the Russia-EU Summit at the end of January, we came to an agreement with our European partners to hold consultations on the subject of developing Ukraine’s economy, bearing in mind the interests of Ukraine and our countries while forming integration alliances with Ukraine’s participation. However, all attempts on Russia’s part to begin real consultations failed to produce any results.

Instead of consultations, we hear appeals to lower contractual prices on Russian natural gas – prices which are allegedly of a “political” nature. One gets the impression that the European partners want to unilaterally blame Russia for the consequences of Ukraine’s economic crisis.

Right from day one of Ukraine’s existence as an independent state, Russia has supported the stability of the Ukrainian economy by supplying it with natural gas at cut-rate prices. In January 2009, with the participation of the then-premier Yulia Tymoshenko, a purchase-and-sale contract on supplying natural gas for the period of 2009-2019 was signed. The contract regulated questions concerning the delivery of and payment for the product, and it also provided guarantees for its uninterrupted transit through the territory of Ukraine. What is more, Russia has been fulfilling the contract according to the letter and spirit of the document. Incidentally, Ukrainian Minister of Fuel and Energy at that time was Yuriy Prodan, who today holds a similar post in Kiev’s government.

The total volume of natural gas delivered to Ukraine, as stipulated in the contract during the period of 2009-2014 (first quarter), stands at 147.2 billion cubic meters. Here, I would like to emphasize that the price formula that had been set down in the contract had NOT been altered since that moment. And Ukraine, right up till August 2013, made regular payments for the natural gas in accordance with that formula.

However, the fact that after signing that contract, Russia granted Ukraine a whole string of unprecedented privileges and discounts on the price of natural gas, is quite another matter. This applies to the discount stemming from the 2010 Kharkiv Agreement, which was provided as advance payment for the future lease payments for the presence of the (Russian) Black Sea Fleet after 2017. This also refers to discounts on the prices for natural gas purchased by Ukraine’s chemical companies. This also concerns the discount granted in December 2013 for the duration of three months due to the critical state of Ukraine’s economy. Beginning with 2009, the total sum of these discounts stands at 17 billion US dollars. To this, we should add another 18.4 billion US dollars incurred by the Ukrainian side as a minimal take-or-pay fine.

In this manner, during the past four years, Russia has been subsidizing Ukraine’s economy by offering slashed natural gas prices worth 35.4 billion US dollars. In addition, in December 2013, Russia granted Ukraine a loan of 3 billion US dollars. These very significant sums were directed towards maintaining the stability and creditability of the Ukrainian economy and preservation of jobs. No other country provided such support except Russia.

What about the European partners? Instead of offering Ukraine real support, there is talk about a declaration of intent. There are only promises that are not backed by any real actions. The European Union is using Ukraine’s economy as a source of raw foodstuffs, metal and mineral resources, and at the same time, as a market for selling its highly-processed ready-made commodities (machine engineering and chemicals), thereby creating a deficit in Ukraine’s trade balance amounting to more than 10 billion US dollars. This comes to almost two-thirds of Ukraine’s overall deficit for 2013.

To a large extent, the crisis in Ukraine’s economy has been precipitated by the unbalanced trade with the EU member states, and this, in turn has had a sharply negative impact on Ukraine’s fulfillment of its contractual obligations to pay for deliveries of natural gas supplied by Russia. Gazprom neither has intentions except for those stipulated in the 2009 contract nor plans to set any additional conditions. This also concerns the contractual price for natural gas, which is calculated in strict accordance with the agreed formula. However, Russia cannot and should not unilaterally bear the burden of supporting Ukraine’s economy by way of providing discounts and forgiving debts, and in fact, using these subsidies to cover Ukraine’s deficit in its trade with the EU member states.

The debt of NAK Naftogaz Ukraine for delivered gas has been growing monthly this year. In November-December 2013 this debt stood at 1.451,5 billion US dollars; in February 2014 it increased by a further 260.3 million and in March by another 526.1 million US dollars. Here I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in March there was still a discount price applied, i.e., 268.5 US dollars per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. And even at that price, Ukraine did not pay a single dollar.

In such conditions, in accordance with Articles 5.15, 5.8 and 5.3 of the contract, Gazprom is compelled to switch over to advance payment for gas delivery, and in the event of further violation of the conditions of payment, will completely or partially cease gas deliveries. In other words, only the volume of natural gas will be delivered to Ukraine as was paid for one month in advance of delivery.

Undoubtedly, this is an extreme measure. We fully realize that this increases the risk of siphoning off natural gas passing through Ukraine’s territory and heading to European consumers. We also realize that this may make it difficult for Ukraine to accumulate sufficient gas reserves for use in the autumn and winter period. In order to guarantee uninterrupted transit, it will be necessary, in the nearest future, to supply 11.5 billion cubic meters of gas that will be pumped into Ukraine’s underground storage facilities, and this will require a payment of about 5 billion US dollars.

However, the fact that our European partners have unilaterally withdrawn from the concerted efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, and even from holding consultations with the Russian side, leaves Russia no alternative.

There can be only one way out of the situation that has developed. We believe it is vital to hold, without delay, consultations at the level of ministers of economics, finances and energy in order to work out concerted actions to stabilize Ukraine’s economy and to ensure delivery and transit of Russian natural gas in accordance with the terms and conditions set down in the contract. We must lose no time in beginning to coordinate concrete steps. It is towards this end that we appeal to our European partners.

It goes without saying that Russia is prepared to participate in the effort to stabilize and restore Ukraine’s economy. However, not in a unilateral way, but on equal conditions with our European partners. It is also essential to take into account the actual investments, contributions and expenditures that Russia has shouldered by itself alone for such a long time in supporting Ukraine. As we see it, only such an approach would be fair and balanced, and only such an approach can lead to success."