Crisis in Oekra�ne #94 Biden oligarch dynastie?

quote:

Tijdlijn van de ontwikkelingen in Oekra�ne
NOVEMBER
* Nov 21: Kiev suddenly announces suspension of trade and association talks with the EU and opts to revive economic ties with Moscow, triggering months of mass rallies in Kiev.
* Nov 30: Riot police try to break up the Kiev demonstration by force. Protest turns against Yanukovich and his government.

DECEMBER
Protests continue with crowds of up to 800,000. Some clashes with police. Opposition forms bloc called Maidan. Yanukovich and Putin meet, Putin agrees to buy $15 billion of Ukrainian debt and to slash by a third the price of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine.

JANUARY
* Jan 22: Three people die in protests in Kiev. EU threatens action over crisis. Talks between opposition, Yanukovich fail.
* Jan 23: Washington threatens sanctions over violence.
* Jan 26: Unrest spreads to pro-Yanukovich east.

FEBRUARY
Anti-government protests turn increasingly violent. At least 77 people killed in clashes between demonstrators and police.
* Feb 21: Opposition leaders sign EU-mediated peace pact with Yanukovich.
* Feb 22: Ukraine's parliament votes to remove Yanukovich, who flees. Arch-rival Yulia Tymoshenko released from jail.
* Feb 26: Ukraine appoints new government. Angry Russia puts 150,000 troops on high alert.
* Feb 27-28: Armed men seize Crimea parliament, raise Russian flag. Militia take control of two airports in Crimea.

MARCH
* March 1: Putin wins parliamentary approval to invade Ukraine, angering the White House. Russian forces fan out in Crimea.
* March 6: Crimea's leadership votes to join Russia. U.S. President Barack Obama orders sanctions on those responsible for Moscow's actions in Ukraine.
EU leaders hold emergency summit to find ways to pressure Russia to back down and accept mediation.
* March 15: Two killed in clashes between pro-Russian demonstrators and Ukrainian nationalists.
* March 16: Referendum held in Crimea, shows overwhelming support for joining the Russian Federation.
* March 21: Putin signs laws completing annexation of Crimea. The U.S. imposes sanctions on Putin's close allies, EU follows with similar measures.
* March 23: NATO says Russia has amassed a large force at Ukraine's border.
* March 24: Ukraine pulls troops from Crimea.

APRIL
* April 2: NATO suspends cooperation with Russia.
* April 7: Pro-Russia activists in eastern Ukraine proclaim the creation of the "Donetsk People's Republic".
* April 12: Separatists take control of city of Slaviansk in eastern Ukraine. Kiev prepares troops.
* April 13: One Ukrainian state security officer killed and five wounded in operation against separatists.
* April 14: Obama warns Putin in phone call that Moscow would face further costs for its actions in Ukraine.
* April 17: Pro-Russian separatists seize armored vehicles of Ukraine forces trying to recapture rebel-controlled town.
* April 18: The United States, Russia, Ukraine and the EU reach deal for illegal armed groups to disarm and end occupations of public buildings and spaces.
* April 19: Separatists say they will not sign deal until the Kiev government steps down.
* April 24: Ukraine sends in troops again to try to expel the separatists in Slaviansk, kill five rebels.
* April 25: Ukrainian forces mount full blockade of Slaviansk. Separatists detain group of international observers, say a Kiev "spy" among them.
* April 26: G7 leaders agree to impose extra sanctions on Russia over Ukraine. Yatsenyuk cuts short a Vatican trip to see Pope Francis, saying Russian warplanes violated Ukraine's airspace seven times overnight. Russia denies the claim.
* April 27: Rebels say the OSCE observers are "prisoners of war" and present them in front of the press, where they say they have not been mistreated.
* April 28: West imposes new sanctions on Moscow. Russia vows a "painful" response. Russia says troops have returned to barracks after conducting exercises on the border with Ukraine. The West says there is no sign of this pull-back. Russia assures the US it will not invade Ukraine.
* April 29: Russia accuses Washington of seeking to revive Iron Curtain policies. Putin warns sanctions could harm Western interests in Russia's lucrative energy sector, denies there are Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
* April 30: Kiev says its armed forces are on "full combat alert" against a possible Russian invasion. Interim president Oleksandr Turchynov admits Kiev is "helpless" to prevent rebels over-running towns. Rebels storm the regional police building and town hall in Gorlivka. The International Monetary Fund approves $17-billion aid deal for the beleaguered Ukrainian economy.

MAY
* May 1: Some 300 pro-Russian militants seize prosecutor's office in Donetsk amid violent clashes with police. Conscription reintroduced for all Ukrainian men aged 18-25.
* May 2: Ukrainian commandos launch pre-dawn raid to retake Slavyansk. Rebels shoot down two helicopters and two servicemen are killed.
* May 3: Slavyansk rebels free OSCE inspectors after Kremlin envoy intervenes. Two days of mourning proclaimed over Odessa deaths. Fierce firefights around Slavyansk and nearby towns as military seeks to retake control.
* May 4: Kiev vows to expand "anti-terrorism" operations. Yatsenyuk launches probe into security forces in Odessa over the deaths.

quote:

Op dinsdag 13 mei 2014 20:10 schreef Zolder het volgende:
Wat is er aan de hand dan?

twitter:

hdevreij twitterde op dinsdag 13-05-2014 om 18:17:40 #Ukraine used an Mi-24 attack helicopter in #UN colors near #Kramatorsk, Russian TV reports http://t.co/N7IcIB4CZz /2 http://t.co/w5oAvzTfOo reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 13 mei 2014 21:24 schreef deelnemer het volgende:

[..]

Is dat net zoiets als Gehard Schroder die voor Gasprom werkt?

quote:

Devon Archer is a wealthy investor and Democratic campaign bundler with long ties to the family of Secretary of State John Kerry. He was the college roommate of Christopher Heinz, Kerry’s stepson, and also served as co-chair of the national finance committee for Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.

quote:

You could call Mr. Archer a “baby bundler,” a well-connected macher-in-training who has spent every free moment of the last two years tapping friends, family, business partners and even Republicans for contributions to the Kerry cause. Ever since the Massachusetts Senator announced his candidacy in 2003, the dimple-cheeked Mr. Archer has dedicated himself to hosting cocktail parties at old-boy hideaways like the University Club and the Links Club, attending weekly finance-committee pow-wows and dialing, dialing, dialing for dollars. He has coaxed as little as $50 from his friends and cajoled the maximum, $2,000, from his family and business associates. In the process, he has outpaced veteran bundlers more than twice his age and joining the finance committee alongside such finance gurus as Steven Rattner and Richard Holbrooke.

Now his hard work is paying off, with the kind of convention access lowly Hill staffers can only dream of. He has a room at the Four Seasons Hotel, tickets to all the hot parties, access to the convention floor and face time with Mr. Kerry. The convention is his induction into the Democratic elite, and when the bunting comes down and the four-day Boston romp is done, there will be little doubt that Mr. Archer is the Democratic equivalent of a made man.

quote:

9. This has to be a hoax, right?

It’s so bizarre that you almost have to assume it’s a hoax. It sounds more like a cliched movie plot — a shady foreign oil company co-opts the vice president’s son in order to capture lucrative foreign investment contracts — than something that would actually happen in real life. But the indications as of this afternoon are that the board appointments actually happened, and that a Ukrainian energy company has retained the counsel of the vice president’s son and the Secretary of State’s close family friend and top campaign bundler.

quote:

Op dinsdag 13 mei 2014 21:42 schreef deelnemer het volgende:

[..]

Schroder is natuurlijke een vooruitgeschoven post van Duitsland, om goede gascontracten te kunnen afsluiten. En om Poetins grootsheidswaanzin te voeden en zo de RF ten val te brengen. Een speciale vergeldingsmissie van Angela Merkel voor de annexatie van Oost-Duitsland door de Sovjet Unie na WOII. Ben ik nu warm?

quote:

Op dinsdag 13 mei 2014 22:57 schreef Nintex het volgende:
Haal de aluhoedjes maar weer uit de kast, het is allemaal de schuld van het grote internationale gas-kartel.

Het lijkt er eerder op dat de Oekra�ense gasboeren een snelle weg zoeken naar de Amerikanen nu dat Putin zijn leger op 75km heeft gestationeerd. Dit is ook een tactische zet, omdat de Amerikanen weer geld hebben iets dat in Oekra�ne nu ontbreekt.

[..]

Ik weet nog dat er in Rusland een privaat olie bedrijf was en Putin de boel nationaliseerde om het failliete Russische staatsbedrijf te redden en de eigenaar opsloot in Siberi�.

Owja, politieke tegenstanders opsluiten mag, provincies annexeren ook, maar een baantje geven aan een Amerikaan, foei, foei, foei

quote:

Russia Pulls Space Cooperation in Response to Ukraine Sanctions

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will bar the United States from using Russian-made rocket engines for military satellite launches, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Tuesday, retaliating for sanctions on high-tech equipment which Washington has imposed over the Ukraine crisis.

He also said Russia would reject a U.S. request to prolong the use of the International Space Station beyond 2020.

Russia pledged to respond in kind when the United States said last month that it would deny export licenses for any high-technology items that could aid Russian military capabilities and would revoke existing licenses.

Moscow's measures would affect MK-33 and RD-180 engines which Russia supplies to the United States, Rogozin told a news conference. "We are ready to deliver these engines but on one condition that they will not be used to launch military satellites," he said.

Washington wants to keep the International Space Station, a $100 billion orbital outpost that is a project of 15 nations and a showcase of Russian-U.S. cooperation, flying until at least 2024, four years beyond the previous target.

In spite of differences on foreign policy and security matters, Washington and Moscow have cooperated extensively on space exploration. Russian Soyuz spacecraft are the only way astronauts can get to the space station, whose crews include both Americans and Russians.

Rogozin also said Russia will suspend the operation of GPS satellite navigation system sites in Russia from June and seek talks with Washington on opening similar sites in the United States for Russia's own system, Glonass.

He threatened the permanent closure of the GPS sites in Russia if that is not agreed by September.

quote:

Op dinsdag 13 mei 2014 23:40 schreef Nintex het volgende:

[..]

Dat Nuland telefoontje is vaak aangehaald, maar bekijk het even vanuit het perspectief van de Amerikanen.

- Ze zien van Baalen en Verhofdstadt onzin uitkramen op het podium in Kiev (no way dat de EU Oekraine gaat helpen met de rekeningen)
- Ze zien dat Yanukovich geen krediet meer heeft en bezig is om te vluchten
- Ze zien dat er op dat moment 3 mogelijke keuzes zijn voor interim premier - Klitschko, Tymoshenko, de leiders van de Right Sector .. etc. en de bureaucraat Yatsenyuk. Voor wie had je zelf gekozen?

Als ik me niet vergis is de voorzitter van het parlement nu tijdelijk president die direct een veto uitsprak toen radicale clubjes probeerden om de Russische taal status te veranderen. De vorming van de interim regering is een van de weinige dingen in deze chaotische teringbende die alles mee gerekend redelijk soepel verlopen is. Daardoor is het gros van de Maidan demonstranten ook redelijk snel weer naar huis gegaan na de protesten, wat harde kern kampeerders daar gelaten.

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 00:30 schreef Nintex het volgende:

[..]

De Amerikaanse inlichtingen diensten waren er oprecht van overtuigd dat er WMD's lagen. Mede door de gek gehouden door oppositiefiguren in Irak zelf die met 'bewijzen' kwamen.

quote:

Cheney is een crimineel, maar dat bleek al toen hij op zoek moest gaan naar een vice president en zichzelf als beste kandidaat vond. Die heeft daar zonder meer een slaatje uit weten te slaan, maar de VS was ook zonder Cheney Irak binnen gevallen op basis van de verzamelde Interpol, CIA en FBI bewijzen. Saddam werkte ook tot op het laatste moment inspecties en dergelijke tegen tot Hans Blix eindeijk een kijkje mocht nemen (achteraf gezien een hele domme actie ).

Een tweede Irak-oorlog was onvermijdelijk net als een confrontatie tussen Putin/Medvedev en Georgi� onvermijdelijk was met iemand als Saahkasvilli aan het roer.

De zoon van Biden heeft al allerlei baantjes en consultancy jobjes gehad ook op het gebied van de energiesector. Daarbij zie ik niet hoe een privaat Oekra�ens gasbedrijf baat heeft om een conflict te starten waarbij het risico is dat Putin de gaskraan dichtdraait en/of seperatisten de pijpleidingen opblazen. Dit zou wel de meest domme conspiracy ooit zijn.

quote:

U.S. Sanctions against Russia Sowing Confusion, Caution among Space Firms

PARIS — Morocco’s decision to drop the European version of Russia’s Soyuz rocket as a backup launch option for two Moroccan reconnaissance satellites is the latest example of the ripple effects of the U.S. government’s sanctions against Russia for its incursion into Ukraine, industry officials said.

Morocco’s hypersensitivity to any possible licensing issues with the two satellites may be an extreme case of risk aversion. It remains unclear whether the European Soyuz — launched from French territory under French legal authority and sold by Europe’s Arianespace consortium — will ever be affected by the expanding sanctions imposed by the United States and other governments against Russia.

Even before the Ukrainian issue, officials in Morocco’s capital refused to acknowledge a contract with French manufacturers to build the satellites, which will be launched by Europe’s new Vega rocket.

But Morocco’s prudence is reflective of the confusion that surrounds the U.S. government’s intentions as the Ukrainian crisis appears to worsen and the confrontation with Russia heats up, officials said.
[..]
For now, industry officials said, licenses are being neither denied nor approved — a tactic the U.S. government used starting in 1999 when it blocked U.S. satellites from being launched on Chinese rockets. The China policy remains in effect 15 years later, surviving on the idea that a commercial launch aboard a Chinese rocket constitutes aiding China’s military.
[..]

quote:

'Trampolines' to space? Where Ukraine crisis leaves a Russia-dependent US.

A House panel's move to find a replacement for a Russian rocket motor highlights US second thoughts over its heavy dependence on Russia for flight hardware – a bit late in the game, analysts suggest.

quote:

Ukrainian Soldiers Killed in Militia Ambush

DONETSK, Ukraine — Antigovernment forces ambushed a Ukrainian Army convoy outside a village west of Kramatorsk on Tuesday afternoon, further intensifying tensions in Ukraine’s restive eastern regions.

The attack represented a significant tactical escalation, with the pro-Russian militia venturing for the first time outside its strongholds to disrupt Ukrainian military movements along routes it uses to supply the positions essential to what it calls a blockade of armed rebel areas.
[..]

quote:

Ukraine favors Europe over Russia, new CNN poll finds

(CNN) -- Ukrainians are a lot less pro-Russian than separatists there would like the world to believe, even in regions along the border with Russia which are supposedly voting overwhelmingly to declare independence from Ukraine, a new poll for CNN suggests.

The people of Ukraine feel much more loyal to Europe than to Russia, and a clear majority back economic sanctions against Russia, according to the poll of 1,000 people across the country conducted in the past week.

Two out of three (67%) people in Ukraine approve of economic sanctions against Russia, while one out of three (29%) disapproves, the poll by ComRes for CNN found.
[..]

quote:

Ukraine vs Russia: A mafia state's cover-up?

It's not yet quite as bad as the battle of Vukovar, but the armed conflict in Ukraine is looking increasingly similar to the war in Croatia fought in 1991. One by one, Russia is trying to chip off the predominantly Russophone southeastern parts of Ukraine either through direct annexation, as in the case of Crimea, or by setting up puppet regimes akin to the one the Serbs established in eastern Croatia during the war.

The latter scenario appears to be implemented in the coal-rich region of Donbass, where on May 11 Russia-backed militants conducted a vote on either independence or autonomy from Ukraine (depending on how you interpret the vaguely worded question people had to answer). Although they called it a referendum, it was abundantly clear that the poll was neither fair nor representative.

The region is gripped by terror that is sown primarily by the insurgents. They have kidnapped dozens of Ukrainian activists and politicians. Three of them were found in a river near Sloviansk, the epicentre of the insurrection and the main rebel HQ, with signs of torture and their bellies cut open. Ruthless and armed to their teeth, the insurgents left the Ukrainian government with no other choice, but to use the army in an urban environment. The army's often hapless performance has contributed to the overall chaos.
[..]

quote:

Ukraine crisis provokes more economic sanctions against Russia

The economic sanctions that Western nations and Japan have brought against Russia over Ukraine have targeted people and businesses, with travel bans and asset freezes hitting individuals who are considered to be close financially or politically to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

World leaders have also dangled the prospect of harsher actions in economically sensitive areas such as energy if Russia disrupts elections to choose a successor to ousted Ukranian President Victor Yanukovych on May 25.

Canada's sanctions have focused on senior officials, businesses and some institutions in Russia and Ukraine.
[..]
Notably absent from everyone's sanctions lists are the top officials with Gazprom, the Russian energy behemoth that supplies Western Europe with much of its natural gas, and is half-owned by the Russian government.
[..]

quote:

Russia says EU sanctions will hurt Ukraine peace efforts

(Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday new European Union sanctions will hinder efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine and urged the West to persuade Kiev to hold discussions on the country's future structure before a May 25 presidential election.

The results of self-rule referendums in the mainly Russian-speaking eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk "should be a clear signal to Kiev of the depth of the crisis" in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Kremlin has stopped short of endorsing independence for the regions or their absorption into Russia but has said the referendums underscore the need for talks between the pro-Western government and separatists from the east.
[..]

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 01:06 schreef deelnemer het volgende:

[..]

Als dat zo is, hoe verklaar je de aanvalsoorlog op Irak dan? Want wat is dommer dan een oorlog beginnen tegen een land, waarvan je denkt dat ze beschikken over direct inzetbare WMDs (volgens Tony Blair) aangevoerd door een gewetenloze gek (volgens de hele politiek), met het plan om Bagdad te belegeren en het regime uit te roken?

Het lijkt mij veel logischer dat je eerst jezelf overtuigd dat er geen inzetbare WMDs meer zijn, en dan pas aanvalt. Dus toen Blix constateerde dat Irak niet beschikte over WMDs (en daar is een lange weg aan voorafgegaan), begon al snel de aanval.

Daarom geloof ik niet dat men aanviel, met de overtuiging dat er WMDs aanwezig waren. Stel dat deze waren ingezet om de Amerikaanse troepen, op Israel ... Wat zou de publieke opinie dan ... onwaarschijnlijk. Men viel aan omdat men zichzelf overtuigd had dat er geen WMDs aanwezig waren.

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 01:22 schreef deelnemer het volgende:

[..]

Het kan ook zo zijn dat de RF de Oekraine stimuleert om vaart te zetten achter de exploratie van (shale) gas door zijn voortdurend gebruikt van het 'gas-wapen'.

[..]

quote:

Former PM Clark says Ottawa needs to tone down rhetoric on Ukraine

The Conservative government’s rhetoric on Ukraine could compromise Canada’s efforts to resolve the protracted crisis, former prime minister Joe Clark says.
..
Earlier this year, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Prime Minister Stephen Harper both compared Russia’s annexation of Crimea to actions by Adolf Hitler in the leadup to the Second World War. Mr. Clark said he understands why the government has been outspoken on the matter, but added that he is concerned some of its statements could make it more difficult for Canada to participate in future negotiations.

“I think that the co-operation would have proved more effective without the rhetoric,” he said. “I think there was a risk, there may still be a risk, that our rhetoric was so extreme that we will not be called to the influential decision-making meetings.”
..
Mr. Clark said he would not want to overstate Canada’s potential role in helping to resolve the crisis, but said Canada is a skilled player with a reputation for moderation and for “keeping the lines open” – qualities he said could prove useful when it comes to Ukraine. “We have those skills, but we have to safeguard them. And the rhetoric, I think, raises the risk that we might not be as free to be helpful as we want to.”

On Tuesday, Germany attempted to launch talks between the government in Kiev and pro-Russia separatists, a first step in implementing a “road map” developed by the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe. Acting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk thanked the OSCE for the plan, but said Ukraine has its own “road map” for resolving the crisis.

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

quote:

Subject: On Ukraine.
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Tue, May 13, 2014 at 7:40 PM
To: Matthew.Lee@innercitypress.com

The Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities concerning this issue. It is the responsibility of Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) that provide Contingent Owned Equipment to peacekeeping missions to remove all logos and signage bearing the UN's name once such equipment has been repatriated to the home country or is no longer being used for official UN purposes. Moreover, every Letter of Assist, signed between the UN and TCC, also clearly states that “the Government may only use such painted and marked Aircraft for flights, which have been tasked by the United Nations.”

twitter:

Aureliano_no_24 twitterde op woensdag 14-05-2014 om 05:37:24 Ridiculous: #Ukraine still fielding 600 peacekeepers in Congo, Liberia, Kosovo incl heli pilots; 250 fresh replacements abt to ship out. reageer retweet

quote:

SPD-Chef Gabriel sieht Fehler der EU

Gabriel sieht Fehler bei EU: SPD-Chef Sigmar Gabriel sieht in der Ukraine-Krise auch Fehler aufseiten der Europ�ischen Union. "Es war sicher nicht klug, in der Ukraine den Eindruck zu erwecken, sie m�sse sich zwischen Russland und der EU entscheiden", sagte Gabriel der "Rheinischen Post" einem Vorabbericht zufolge. Allerdings sei dies "keine Rechtfertigung, ein Land ins Chaos zu st�rzen", sagte Gabriel mit Hinweis auf Russland. Von heute an soll ein Runder Tisch der Organisation f�r Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa (OSZE) nach einer L�sung des Konflikts suchen.

quote:

Russian missile ship barred from Israeli port over Ukraine crisis

Israel denied a request by Moscow to let a Russian missile boat anchor at Haifa a month ago, making the decision against the backdrop of the crisis in Ukraine, said a senior official in Jerusalem involved in the matter.

Israeli officials were worried that allowing a Russian naval vessel to visit Haifa would worsen tensions with the United States. There were also concerns about possible espionage.
..

quote:

White House Sees No Conflict in Hunter Biden's Ukraine Gas Job

The White House has brushed aside questions about whether the involvement of Vice President Joe Biden's son in a Ukrainian natural gas company raised ethical issues at a time when the administration is promoting energy diversity in the country.

R. Hunter Biden, a lawyer and a partner in an investment firm, was recently named to the board of directors of Burisma Holdings, a private company that has drilled for natural gas in Ukraine since 2002.

quote:

Ukraine adopts more conditions to secure visa-free travel to European Union
Ukraine came one big step closer to meeting the requirements for a visa-free regime with European Union with parliament’s adoption of four laws on May 13, all meeting the 28-nation bloc’s list of demands.

With their passage, Ukraine has completed the first stage of preparing for the day when Ukrainians won’t need visas to travel throughout Europe.

“When the decision about the second stage will be made, it will mean that by the end of this year Ukraine will get a visa-free regime,” said interim President and parliament chairman Oleksandr Turchynov, speaking to the lawmakers in parliament on May 13.

quote:

Boris Danik: Getting rid of the brick around Ukraine's waist

“Donbas unfortunately is the brick around Ukraine’s waist…. Pointing out the obvious that everyone is afraid to say” was a sterling comment to my “Who says Ukraine needs the Donbas?” (Kyiv Post, May 9).

Afraid or not, the acceptable conventional symphony mimics the poetic version of Ukraine’s aspirations.

It is understandable that in the current dire predicament the overall mood is one of dejection. Those who are willing or obliged to say something (the latter are mainly the country’ leaders) can easily miss the proverbial forest behind the trees.

In the latter category is a recent statement by Ukraine’s interim President Oleksandr Turchynov, as reported by Reuters (“Kyiv tells east Ukraine rebels vote for self-rule would be catastrophic”, May 10), in reference to the referendum in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts on May 11 to secede from Ukraine:

quote:

Mine catches fire in Ukraine, ten miners remain on site

The fire started in a dead-end working at the depth of 1,000 metres. There were no miners in the hazardous area at the time of the fire breaking out. All in all, 60 miners worked in the mine, 50 of them came out to the surface unassisted.

Ten miners still remain in the mine to keep it in working order, the UNN reports.

The fire-fighting operation continues.

quote:

IMF Chief Says Ukraine Crisis Damaging Russian Economy
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde warned Russia that its economy, already facing lower economic growth because of the crisis in Ukraine, would face still further decline if tension with the West is allowed to continue.

"Clearly the situation is already having consequences," she said Tuesday after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of other multilateral bodies, including the World Bank.

"We have revised growth projections for Russia. That is provided that the situation is resolved. If it was not … that would clearly deteriorate the situation," Lagarde told a news conference in Berlin.

The IMF has already cut its 2014 growth forecast for the oil- and gas-based Russian economy to just 0.2 percent from an earlier 1.3 percent, which was the rate of growth last year. The fund says sanctions over Ukraine, imposed by the U.S., the European Union and Japan, are scaring off investors.

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 11:25 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

[..]

Rusland staat voor homohaat en intolerantie.

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 11:35 schreef sp3c het volgende:
global lightning is een jaarlijks terugkerend feestje net als bv global thunder en red flag

dat heeft niet zoveel met de situatie in de oekraine te maken

quote:

Ukraine is due to host round-table talks in Kiev as efforts continue to find a negotiated settlement to the crisis in the east of the country.

The talks will include members of the interim government and regional leaders, but pro-Russian separatists have refused to take part.

The move is part of a "roadmap" drawn up by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation and Europe (OSCE).

On Tuesday, seven Ukrainian soldiers were killed by rebels in the east.

quote:

Kiew/Moskau (dpa) - Die ukrainische �bergangsregierung will heute in Kiew einen "Runden Tisch zur nationalen Einheit" ins Leben rufen und einen Dialog f�r eine Friedensl�sung beginnen. Vertreter der prorussischen Kr�fte aus dem Osten der fr�heren Sowjetrepublik sind allerdings nicht eingeladen.

Die prowestliche Regierung lehnt Gespr�che mit den Separatisten ab. Zu den Verhandlungen erwartet werden Regierungsmitglieder sowie politische und gesellschaftliche Pers�nlichkeiten der Krisenregionen Donezk und Lugansk. Moskau kritisierte den "Unwillen" der prowestlichen Machthaber in Kiew zu direkten Gespr�chen mit ihren Gegnern vor der Pr�sidentenwahl am 25. Mai.

quote:

Au�enminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier wollte im ukrainischen Odessa einen Kranz in Gedenken der Toten niederlegen. Doch die Aktion wurde abgesagt. Das zeigt, wie labil die Situation in dem Land derzeit ist.

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 12:43 schreef DustPuppy het volgende:
Er zit nu iemand in Rusland die vrij vertaald hetzelfde typt:

[..]

Dus tja, lekker belangrijk.

Die persoon is Rusland wordt wel binnenkort naar de Gulag in Siberi� verbannen. Dat dan weer wel.

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 13:30 schreef Happel het volgende:

[..]

Hier worden ze niet vermoord, dat is daar in dat proletenland wel anders.

twitter:

herszenhorn twitterde op woensdag 14-05-2014 om 12:36:50 Democracy #Ukraine: challenger @LesyaOrobets says elex officials scratched her from #Kiev mayor's race citing obscure procedural violation reageer retweet

quote:

Les Orobets @ LesyaOrobets 5h
Oligarchic DOHOVORNYAK worse. ME was removed with a choice http://on.fb.me/1gmkBtQ

Les Orobets @ LesyaOrobets 5h
At 11:00 a press briefing in crisis media center @ uacrisis of prvodu removal from mayoral election . We invite journalists and bloggers.

Les Orobets @ LesyaOrobets 3h
Yesterday's broadcast 1 +1 about my withdrawal - a fine example of " Russian journalism " http://on.fb.me/T12NtR

Retweeted by Les Orobets:
Nezavysymoho candidate mэrы Kyiv Les @ LesyaOrobets Orobets withdrew with elections. Her position in n on Besttudee http://bit.ly/1oNDrtE

Les Orobets @ LesyaOrobets 2h
Here is an explanation of the CEC that the mayor and self- nomination by the party spsykom not a violation of that yesterday ignored TEC.

quote:

TEC members from shock, homeland, the Party of Regions and the Communist Party demonstrated touching unity.

Never thought I say this vsluh worn phrase for what we stood on the Maidan ? For three months after former colleagues on the barricades soaked my methods Yanukovych- Kivalova ?

Members oligarchic dohovornyaka did not understand what happened in Ukraine over the past six months. It did not help any fuss circle bulldozer or inhalation powder extinguisher.

Advertise "life in a new way " on TV - is one thing, but their real deeds - is another.

PS The formal reason was that the mayor , I 'm going as a self and how to lead a non-partisan party list (Article 35 ). Removal took place on the last possible day ( an old trick - even under Kuchma as filmed ).

The same fate postyhla John Salia - it too was removed , he said , " for the company ." Commission " could not find" this fatal mistake in the documents and I filed April 29. Now executed the command " remove" .

The official explanation of the CEC representative Andrei Magera in my favor - first cooled dust. But after telephone calls rates have increased, and shyness has given way to greed

P.p.s. Chairman of the TEC from shock, secretary of homeland.

We will appeal against this decision tomorrow . The campaign continues.

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 13:36 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

[..]

Hilarisch hoe je blijft volhouden dat het in Rusland best goed toeven is.

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 11:50 schreef sp3c het volgende:
het was nu ook weer niet zo dat de sancties tegen Irak afhankelijk waren van de eventuele aanwezigheid van massavernietigingswapens, dat was maar een voetnoot in een hele lijst eisen

probleem was dat de bondgenoten geen zin meer hadden om er na 10 jaar nog tijd en aandacht (=geld!) in te steken en de Amerikanen eigenlijk ook niet dus dachten ze goedkoper uit te zijn door een korte snelle oorlog tegen Saddam uit te vechten

quote:

..
Moreover, Mr Ritter said, the ruling Baath party would mobilise a guerrilla resistance. US casualties, he predicted, could run to hundreds and perhaps thousands. Iraqi deaths would be in the tens of thousands or higher.
..
5. If America went to war with Iraq, would it be in the British national interest to take part?

"Absolutely not," says Paul Rogers, professor of peace studies at Bradford University. "It would risk destabilising the the whole region."

Dr Hollis _{(Rosemary Hollis, head of the Middle East programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs)} is also fearful that by backing a US strike, Britain could be brought into the firing line. Iraq could be provoked into establishing direct links with al-Qaida and provide the network with more recruits, she says, raising the spectre of terrorist attacks on Britain.

quote:

MR. RUSSERT: If your analysis is not correct, and we’re not treated as liberators, but as conquerors, and the Iraqis begin to resist, particularly in Baghdad, do you think the American people are prepared for a long, costly, and bloody battle with significant American casualties?

VICE PRES. CHENEY: Well, I don’t think it’s likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators. I’ve talked with a lot of Iraqis in the last several months myself, had them to the White House.
..
MR. RUSSERT: The army’s top general said that we would have to have several hundred thousand troops there for several years in order to maintain stability.

VICE PRES. CHENEY: I disagree. We need, obviously, a large force and we’ve deployed a large force. To prevail, from a military standpoint, to achieve our objectives, we will need a significant presence there until such time as we can turn things over to the Iraqis themselves. But to suggest that we need several hundred thousand troops there after military operations cease, after the conflict ends, I don’t think is accurate. I think that’s an overstatement.
..
But the—again, I come back to this proposition—Is it cost-free? Absolutely not. But the cost is far less than it will be if we get hit, for example, with a weapon that Saddam Hussein might provide to al-Qaeda, the cost to the United States of what happened on 9/11 with billions and billions of dollars and 3,000 lives.

MR. RUSSERT: Every analysis said this war itself would cost about $80 billion, recovery of Baghdad, perhaps of Iraq, about $10 billion per year. We should expect as American citizens that this would cost at least $100 billion for a two-year involvement.

VICE PRES. CHENEY: I can’t say that, Tim. There are estimates out there. It’s important, though, to recognize that we’ve got a different set of circumstances than we’ve had in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan you’ve got a nation without significant resources. In Iraq you’ve got a nation that’s got the second-largest oil reserves in the world, second only to Saudi Arabia. It will generate billions of dollars a year in cash flow if they get back to their production of roughly three million barrels of oil a day, in the relatively near future.

quote:

* Feb. 7, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to U.S. troops in Aviano, Italy: "It is unknowable how long that conflict will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months."

* March 4, Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a breakfast with reporters: "What you'd like to do is have it be a short, short conflict. . . . Iraq is much weaker than they were back in the '90s," when its forces were routed from Kuwait.

* March 11, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, in a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars: "The Iraqi people understand what this crisis is about. Like the people of France in the 1940s, they view us as their hoped-for liberator."

* March 16, Vice President Cheney, on NBC's Meet the Press: "I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators. . . . I think it will go relatively quickly, . . . (in) weeks rather than months." He predicted that regular Iraqi soldiers would not "put up such a struggle" and that even "significant elements of the Republican Guard . . . are likely to step aside."

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 14:25 schreef HD9 het volgende:

[..]

hij is nooit in rusland geweest, dat merk je aan alles

quote:

Op woensdag 14 mei 2014 15:28 schreef JimmyJames het volgende:
Hmm ik lees op de FT dat de VS de export van energie-technologie naar Rusland die bestemd is voor nieuwe velden die door staatsbedrijven worden gerund, zou willen blokkeren. Bestaande velden en priv�-bedrijven blijven buiten schot. Op de lange termijn, en als hierop kan worden toegezien, zou dit erg vervelend zijn voor Rosneft en Gazprom.

quote:

“while preparing the JODI data the IEF wrote to APEC to tell them to write to the Russian energy ministry to provide IEF with accurate historical production figures.”

quote:

OSCE/ODIHR and HCNM release report by Human Rights Assessment Mission in Ukraine

WARSAW / THE HAGUE, 12 May 2014 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) today released the report from the joint Human Rights Assessment Mission the two institutions sent to Ukraine in early March 2014.

The assessment and recommendations are presented in two separate sections in the report, with those in the first part based on the information gathered by 19 human rights experts deployed by ODIHR from 6 March to 1 April, and the second on information from several HCNM delegations of minority rights experts who visited Ukraine between 8 March and 17 April.

The ODIHR section of the report identifies a significant number of serious human rights violations, including murder and physical assaults, as well as cases of intimidation and enforced disappearances. The victims of these were primarily pro-Maidan activists and journalists, and those in Crimea also included Ukrainian military personnel and members of the Crimean Tatar community.

The HCNM found that the events in Ukraine are having a serious effect on the situation of national minorities, especially in Crimea. In Crimea, the Crimean Tatars are in a particularly precarious position, and ethnic Ukrainians have become a new focus of concern. The HCNM also found that hasty decisions on sensitive issues, such as language and other matters of direct concern to national minorities, without consultations with them, are creating an atmosphere in which inter-community relations and trust in the authorities are strained and tensions are heightened.

The Human Rights Assessment Mission was deployed following a request by the Government of Ukraine on 3 March.

quote:

G7 Unable To Get Deposit Back On Shipment Of ‘G8 Summer Getaway’ T-Shirts


THE HAGUE—Shortly after suspending Russia’s membership in the exclusive coalition of industrialized nations, the United States and the six other wealthy nations that compose the newly renamed Group of Seven reportedly found themselves unable to get their deposit back on a set of “2014 G8 Summer Getaway” T-shirts they had ordered for the body’s scheduled summit in June. “We placed an order for a box of medium- and large-sized crewneck tees back in February, but when we called to cancel this morning, the guy at the printing shop said the deposit is final and they don’t do any refunds,” said UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who explained that the forum of major global economies lost $80 on the order, which included matching yellow shirts featuring a stylized G8 logo and a pair of palm trees as well as a dozen custom-stitched “Scorchin’ In Sochi” hats. “Of course, Putin never gave us his $10 share, so we’re all going to have to cover that too. We’ll make sure everyone pays upfront when we order our new shirts, though we haven’t decided yet whether we want them to say ‘Brussels Bash ’14’ or ‘G7: Summer of Heaven.’ Plus, [Italian Prime Minister] Matteo [Renzi] is still really lobbying for us to pay extra and get tie-dyed ones.” Cameron added that the world leaders were also left scrambling to revise their schedule of events for the upcoming meeting as the group’s downsizing had left German Chancellor Angela Merkel without a partner to participate in their annual three-legged race.

quote:

Talks to end the crisis in Ukraine have begun in Kiev, brokered by international monitors, but pro-Russian rebels are not represented.

Ukraine's interim leaders and other public figures are at the talks, which are part of an OSCE roadmap plan.

The "national unity round table" was meant to be as inclusive as possible.

The interim government has said the annexation of Crimea by Russia this year cost Ukraine at least 1tn hryvnya (�49.3bn; $83bn; 60.5bn euros).

A day earlier, Ukraine's military suffered its heaviest losses to the rebels so far in the fighting in the east, where rebels control a number of towns.

Seven soldiers were killed when rebels ambushed an armoured personnel carrier near the town of Kramatorsk in Donetsk region, according to the defence ministry. One rebel is said to have also died.

Donetsk and the neighbouring region of Luhansk have declared themselves separate from Ukraine after referendums deemed illegal by Kiev, the US and EU, but Russia said it "respected" the votes

twitter:

ChristopherJM twitterde op woensdag 14-05-2014 om 23:06:38 Deep in the Ukrainian woods with Donbass Battalion, an armed militia unit fighting for a united #Ukraine. http://t.co/Yv1CozT8KR reageer retweet

twitter:

paulrbrennan twitterde op woensdag 14-05-2014 om 23:35:05 @ChristopherJM I reported from funeral of a #Ukraine soldier today, and think perhaps the militia 'arms-race' is becoming a major problem. reageer retweet

twitter:

ChristopherJM twitterde op woensdag 14-05-2014 om 23:48:28 @paulrbrennan Absolutely it is. And it may get worse yet. reageer retweet

twitter:

gbazov twitterde op woensdag 14-05-2014 om 23:41:41 #UKRAINE #ODESSA Pro-Kiev column of armoured vehicles spotted heading toward Odessa. via http://t.co/EH17jDLM4M reageer retweet

twitter:

IndependentKrym twitterde op woensdag 14-05-2014 om 23:52:17 @GrahamWP_UK there's reported ongoing clashes in Starovarvarovka (forest area) 30 kilometers from Kramatorsk. reageer retweet

twitter:

Truth_Seeker_11 twitterde op woensdag 14-05-2014 om 23:55:41 @IndependentKrym @GrahamWP_UK apparently national guard is doing house to house searches looking for militia in Starovarvarovka reageer retweet

twitter:

GrahamWP_UK twitterde op woensdag 14-05-2014 om 23:48:37 Coming back to #Slavyansk this eve, some signs of Ukrainian military moving in the area, this back towards #Kharkiv. http://t.co/thccDG1vM0 reageer retweet

twitter:

EuromaidanPR twitterde op donderdag 15-05-2014 om 00:06:48 Battle near #Kramatorsk is going on right now, Ministry of Defense reports http://t.co/BGRoDnM8Gy | EMPR News #Ukraine reageer retweet

twitter:

IndependentKrym twitterde op donderdag 15-05-2014 om 00:34:05 #Starovarvarovka after skirmish,Kievforces encircled town,RS searched houses for"separatists",killed&looted. might try blame it on DNRforces reageer retweet

Луганск нападение вооруженных повстанцев

twitter:

Syricide twitterde op donderdag 15-05-2014 om 00:28:42 #Ukraine's Interior Ministry deny knowledge of #Krasnoarmeysk gunmen identities http://t.co/9v56GE6wGX @OnlineMagazin @bibodude @olfashdeb reageer retweet

Eastern Ukrainians Mourn for Two Men Killed in Gun Fire

quote:

In Ukrainian media, an uncivil war of words

KIEV—It’s too early to call the Ukrainian conflict a civil war, but fierce verbal fighting has already started between newsrooms all over the country. Amid newfound post-revolutionary freedoms, local journalists are struggling to find a balance between being “patriotic” and unbiased.

Should the Ukrainian government revoke visas of all foreign journalists refusing to use the word ‘terrorist’ in their Eastern Ukraine coverage? That’s the view of a group of 10 local journalists, including a couple of high-profile names, like Natalka Zubar, editor in chief of the “Maidan” website and a well-known civil rights campaigner, who made the request of officials in a recent public letter, published on Facebook and Maidanua.org. It generally reflects a larger and contentious debate journalists and their audience are now having on a daily basis now in Ukraine.

The use of the word “terrorist” is the hottest of the hot buttons. Amid a so-called “anti-terrorism operation” in Eastern Ukraine, local officials have used the word a lot to describe pro-Russia rebels and their supporters. “I call on the security bodies to resume and carry out successful anti-terrorist measures aimed at defending Ukrainian citizens living in the east of Ukraine against terrorists,” Ukrainian interim president Turchynov said in a recent statement. “The Russian Federation has a new product for export. Besides of oil and gas exports, Russia has begun to export terrorism to Ukraine,” the Prime Minister of Ukraine said of the Government secession in describing the unfolding conflict in Eastern Ukraine back in April. These statements ignore the reality that the Eastern Ukrainian rebellion also has some support from the general, unarmed population.

Mainstream media got on board with government authorities very quickly and early and began to describe Eastern Ukraine rebels as “terrorists.” All popular media outlets in Ukraine, from websites to evening news shows, now commonly use the “t-word” in their headlines and scripts.

Predictably, the hot-button word has generated pushback, particularly among audiences in rebellious Eastern Ukraine. The other day I witnessed a feisty debate on Ukraine’s most popular news-radio show about what to call rebels and their supporters. Its anchorwoman, Marta Molfar, made a live on-air confession: “Sometimes our listeners would write to me saying, ‘Why are you calling those people separatists or terrorists?’ So I’ve switched to other, more neutral words, but then got a lot of different messages with demands to put ‘separatist/terrorist’ words back,” she said. She added: “I’m confused now.”

One of the show’s guests, Ukrainian journalist Dmytriy Lytvyn, fired back: “Peaceful people sit at home. If those unarmed people joined terrorists in helping them out they are no longer ‘peaceful,’ they become a part of those terrorist groups.”

And in a public video appeal to Ukrainian journalists, Tetyana Kotyuzhynska, a top lawyer from the Ukrainian National Union of Journalists, insisted that colleagues must use “terrorist” when describing rebels in Eastern Ukraine. “Let’s be honest, what is happening in Donbass is terrorism. That’s not our assumption; those actions fit the description of terrorism given by Ukrainian law.” She goes so far as to warn that local reporters could themselves be prosecuted by Ukrainian authorities for giving “terrorists” an opportunity to speak. “When you let terrorists publicly voice their position, you become a terrorist too, and there is a punishment for that in Ukrainian law,” she said, adding that local journalists must be aware and comprehend the fact that in times of war and national-security and public-safety threats, freedom of speech and press freedoms can lawfully be limited. And this from the lawyer whose job is to protect freedoms of Ukrainian journalists.
[..]

twitter:

Syricide twitterde op donderdag 15-05-2014 om 00:28:42 #Ukraine's Interior Ministry deny knowledge of #Krasnoarmeysk gunmen identities http://t.co/9v56GE6wGX @OnlineMagazin @bibodude @olfashdeb reageer retweet

quote:

KIEV, March 22, /ITAR-TASS/. Members of Ukraine’s far-right group Right Sector set up a political party on Saturday, March 22, giving it the same name.

The party was created on the basis of the Ukrainian National Assembly (UNA). “The political party Right Sector has been created on the basis of the Ukrainian National Assembly, which changed its name to Right Sector. The party has also incorporated other nationalist groups which support the Right Sector movement. Dmitry Yarosh has been elected its leader,” UNA representative Andrei Denisenko said.

http://en.itar-tass.com/world/724907

Луганск. Похищение человека средь бела дня/Ukrain, Lugansk kidnepped with shooting

Николаев 12.05.14. Взрыв в 9-ти этажном доме/Exploded house

Украинские фашисты на БМП в Мариуполе

quote:

Very important! From small Igor Ivanovich. On the situation in the settlements Starovarvarovka.

May 15, 2014 00 h 30 min.

"According to reports, in the settlement of Starovarvarovka natsgvardeytsy" right sector "massacred the local population and looting. Our troops are not there - especially specify. But ukrSMI report that there is" surrounded and annihilated squad separatists. "Perhaps under the case will be announced tomorrow about the "atrocities of terrorists." "

twitter:

dnrpress twitterde op donderdag 15-05-2014 om 01:52:14 РЕПОСТ!!!Сегодня ночью была похищена Полторацкая Ирина - координатор ополчения г.Торез. Звоните по тел. 095-642-8659 http://t.co/xaQ5fSWm4l reageer retweet

quote:

Why Is “F’k The EU” ‘Jewish’ Victoria Nuland Pictured With #Ukraine’s Nazi Party Leader, SMILING?

Why Is “F’k The EU” ‘Jewish’ Victoria Nuland Pictured With #Ukraine’s Nazi Party Leader SMILING? We, here on this blog take up the cause of white Americans but we certainly HATE NAZI-ism.

According to Victoria Nuland’s Wiki page: Religion Judaism Click.

There are 2 things I absolutely hate in this life: Communism & Nazi-ism. And, often, we find they are strange bedfellows, right next to Jihadi-Islam. What is incomprehensible to me is to see a ‘Jewish’ person so slap happy, standing next to Neo Nazi Svoboda leader Oleh Tyahnybok in this picture: (He is on the left)

For someone who says “F’k the EU”, she seems to embrace the same humans who f’d our people. She should resign, as should John McCain. For the life of me, I can never understand these types of “Jews” who always make buddies with people that would LOVE to murder them. Like Max Blumenthal, who is endorsed by David Duke. Nuland’s excuse will be that she ‘didn’t know’, we say garbage: Victoria most certainly DID know.

'Ukraine menaces Russia with gas trial, has no chances in court'

quote:

Russian Train Bearing Soviet Symbols Halted in Lithuania
May 14, 2014 • From theTrumpet.com

Border guards at Lithuania’s Kybartai railway checkpoint stopped a train from Kaliningrad, Russia, from entering their nation on Monday because it was adorned with Soviet symbols.

Windows in the chartered train were plastered with posters of Soviet symbols, which are illegal in Lithuania. They’re illegal because Lithuania—like the nation of Ukraine—was part of the Soviet Union for decades, and suffered under ussr oppression.

“It was a terrible 50 years for us in Lithuania,” Sara Linkevičiūtė, a resident of Vilnius, told theTrumpet.com on May 14. “Citizens were deported to Siberia for genocide,” she said, explaining that she and her compatriots would do whatever is necessary to prevent Lithuania from returning to its dark Soviet chapter.

Ukraine is currently being destabilized primarily by a Russian desire to rebuild its old Soviet Empire. And some are worried that Lithuania and other former-Soviet nations of Eastern Europe could be next. This is why the Lithuanian border guards viewed the Soviet symbols on the Russian train warily. After officials removed the posters, the train and over 200 Russian passengers were permitted to leave the Kybartai checkpoint.

Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has Europeans on edge in Lithuania and beyond. The Crimean crisis truly is a global game changer. To understand more about this geopolitical sea change, and what it means for the Lithuanians and other Europeans, check out our exclusive interview from last week with Lithuania’s vice foreign minister.