Crisis in Oekraïne #94 Biden oligarch dynastie?

quote:

Ukraine crisis: UN sounds alarm on human rights in east

The UN has warned of an "alarming deterioration" in human rights in eastern Ukraine, where separatists are fighting security forces.

It also found "serious problems" of harassment and persecution of ethnic Tatars in Crimea, the mainly ethnic Russian region Moscow annexed in March.

Russia condemned the report, saying it ignored abuses by Ukraine's government.

Violence between separatists and pro-Ukrainian forces has left dozens dead in the east and south this month.

Separatists control towns in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where they have been skirmishing with units of the Ukrainian security forces, sent in to reassert government control.

The revolt in the east gained momentum after Russia annexed Ukraine's mainly ethnic Russian region of Crimea in March.

Moscow acted after the overthrow of Ukraine's elected pro-Russian President, Viktor Yanukovych, during unrest in the capital Kiev in February, and his replacement with an interim government, backed by Ukrainian nationalists.

A new Ukrainian president is due to be elected on 25 May.
'Tearing Ukraine apart'

The UN's conclusions are contained in a 37-page report, its second monthly assessment of the situation.

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said in Geneva: "Those with influence on the armed groups responsible for much of the violence in eastern Ukraine [must] do their utmost to rein in these men who seem bent on tearing the country apart."

The UN's report details growing lawlessness in eastern and southern Ukraine:

Peaceful demonstrations, primarily by supporters of Ukraine's unity, deteriorate into violence

Protesters are attacked and beaten

Local police do nothing to prevent the violence and sometimes openly co-operate with the attackers

UN monitors have also documented cases of targeted killings, torture and abduction, primarily carried out by anti-government forces in eastern Ukraine.

The report highlights threats to journalists and international observers, and abductions or attacks on some.

In its response, Russia's foreign ministry said the report lacked any semblance of objectivity, and accused its authors of following "political orders" to whitewash Ukraine's new, pro-Western leaders.

quote:

Steelworkers in the flash-point port of Mariupol have begun citizen patrols after talks between officials from their company Metinvest, which is owned by oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, and local police and community leaders.

There are conflicting reports as to whether separatists in the city are backing the initiative too.

Gherman Mandrakov, who led the occupation of government buildings in Mariupol, told the Associated Press news agency on Friday he had been forced to vacate them. "Someone is trying to sow discord among us, someone has signed something, but we will continue our fight," he said.

Metinvest employees could be seen on Friday removing barricades in Mariupol.

Mr Akhmetov, Ukraine's richest man, was the main financial backer of deposed President Yanukovych and remains a powerful figure. He has called for the east to remain inside a "united Ukraine".

Analysts say he is finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a neutral line in the east, where he has his main assets.

"He has understood that his tactic of passive neutrality no longer works," analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told Reuters news agency. "He will have to become an active intermediary between separatists and the government."

quote:

Latest from the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine - based on information received until 18:00 hrs, 15 May (Kyiv time)

The situation in Kharkiv remained calm.

In Luhansk region the situation remained volatile. The Head of Regional Police Department informed the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) that the Regional Police can only enforce law and order in the northern parts of Luhansk region. According to him the remaining territory is under control of several irregular armed groups. According to the Head of the Regional Police, the irregular armed groups comprise approximately 1,000 individuals armed with a variety of weapons ranging from Kalashnikov assault rifles to anti-aircraft missile launchers. Seventy illegal checkpoints have been established throughout the region.

In Donetsk the situation remained volatile. The SMM observed that at both the Donetsk Military Prosecutor’s Office and the Donetsk Television Broadcasting Centre the “Donetsk People’s Republic” flag was flying. The latter also had the flag of forces opposed to the government, the “OPLOT” organization. The television station was barricaded and guarded by about ten OPLOT members, who were on high alert. Close to the barracks in Donetsk Military Unit 3037, concrete block barricades were observed on both roadsides. In addition, the barracks was flying the flags of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “People’s Militia of Donbas”.

On the northwest entrance to Donetsk city supporters of so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” stopped the SMM at the main roadblock with the explanation that permission from superiors based in Donetsk Regional Administration Building would be needed. The SMM was able to proceed after one hour.

On the way from Donetsk to Mariupol on the road H-20, the SMM observed traffic police officers checking cars coming to Donetsk and personnel with “Battalion Vostok” insignia armed with AK rifles and grenade launchers. At the time the SMM passed the checkpoint, a truck arrived with about 20-armed persons wearing St. George ribbons.

SMM reached the eastern checkpoint of Mariupol city on the M-14 road direction to Novoazovsk. The SMM observed three BMP-2’s carrying Ukrainian flags. National Guard staff were checking the vehicles.

Forces opposed to the government stopped the SMM at a roadblock at the entrance to Horlivka. SMM was asked to get out of the vehicle, about 8 activists approached SMM and the vehicle was searched (trunk, bags, compartments). The activists were in civilian clothes; some of them were carrying pistols. The SMM was allowed to leave the roadblock after 30 minutes.

The SMM met, in Dobropillya (100 kilometres northwest of Donetsk), a representative of the leadership of the opponents of the centrally-appointed authorities in Donetsk. The representative underlined that the opponents of the Government accepted the SMM and their mandate.

The situation in Dnipropetrovsk remained calm.

In Kherson the general situation remained calm.

In Odesa the situation was assessed as calm. The SMM observed that the Ukrainian military have withdrawn from the two key checkpoints immediately to the west of Odessa town, at “Dva Stovpy “and “7th Kilometre” checkpoints, the sandbagged defences remain in place. Ukrainian military are now manning checkpoints at Myrne (15 kilometres from Odessa) and Mayaky (38 kilometres west of Odessa) on the E87/M15. Ukrainian military are also manning two checkpoints on either side of Zatoka (53 kilometres southwest of Odessa).

The situation in Chernivtsi was calm.

SPOILER: Aantal vids, recente uploads, mixed bag..

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:

Ukraine Situation Puts Helium Supply in Danger

April 21, 2014

As turmoil caused by the Russia-Ukraine situation aggravates helium shortages, Japan's plans to commercialize a maglev train―a key use of helium―will unavoidably be affected. METI forecasts a potential 22% global shortfall in helium by 2020.

Liquid helium is essential as a coolant for superconducting magnets and other industrial processes, and uncertainty over the international situation in Ukraine will exacerbate the global shortage. A new Siberian gas development project holds the promise of additional helium supplies equal to approximately 60% of global demand, but the project has now run aground. If something does not turn around soon, global industry could experience a 22% shortfall in 2020.

To develop gas fields in East Siberia, talks have been ongoing for years between Gazprom, controlled by the Russian government, and PetroChina, an arm of state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation. The bulk of the natural gas produced through the Chayanda joint project is to be supplied to China via a pipeline. The helium produced in the process as a byproduct (100 million m3 annually) would be sold to Japanese interests. Suddenly, however, the lights have gone out on this Russian resource development project.

Due to recent tensions, major Western players in the petroleum industry have begun to show signs of curtailing their resource development projects in Russia and Ukraine. The potential loss of customers in the West has prompted China to "seek a significant reduction in purchase price, taking advantage of Russia's weakened bargaining position," says a government official with knowledge of the talks. As neither side is likely to make any concessions anytime soon, it is likely that the plan will remain shelved for some time to come.

"Helium remains nothing more than a byproduct. Our hands are tied until action is taken to export the natural gas, which is the main product," explains the representative of a Japanese gas firm waiting to purchase the helium.

quote:

Reuters quoted an anonymous U.S. official who explained that the United States wanted to make it impossible for Gazprom to "have dealings with Chornomorneftegaz", and if that were to happen, Gazprom itself could face sanctions

SPOILER: nutteloze trivia over gaspijplijn

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:

Op vrijdag 16 mei 2014 19:41 schreef JimmyJames het volgende:
Door het conflict met het Westen zullen de Chinezen een betere prijs kunnen bedingen.

quote:

Op vrijdag 16 mei 2014 19:21 schreef deelnemer het volgende:
Loved and Hated: Can Tymoshenko Still Lead Ukraine?

quote:

She Loved Power But Wanted to Be Loved

twitter:

p357 twitterde op vrijdag 16-05-2014 om 21:32:37 get some RT @CustosDivini: pro-#Russia militant appearing to be holding an Igla launcher tube http://t.co/O6XsabqeDm via @ISNJH #Ukraine reageer retweet

quote:

Ukraine: des séparatistes armés pro-russes prennent le contrôle d'une caserne à Donetsk

Donetsk (Ukraine) - Des séparatistes armés pro-russes ont pris vendredi le contrôle du quartier général de la Garde nationale ukrainienne à Donetsk, l'un des centres de l'insurrection pro-russe dans l'est de l'Ukraine, selon une journaliste de l'AFP sur place.

Dans la soirée, des hommes en armes et avec le ruban de Saint-Georges, porté par les séparatistes dans l'est de l'Ukraine, sont entrés dans le quartier général des forces spéciales du ministère de l'Intérieur.

Ces derniers semblent n'avoir pas opposé de résistance, selon une journaliste de l'AFP qui a vu des camions transportant des membres de la Garde nationale quitter les lieux. Nous contrôlons la base, s'est borné à dire à l'AFP un homme armé en treillis à l'entrée de la caserne.

Selon une agence ukrainienne qui cite un responsable du ministère de l'Intérieur, le quartier général est bien passé sous contrôle séparatiste.

Tout s'est passé dans le calme, a déclaré à l'AFP une voisine de la caserne, témoin de la scène. Nous avons vu arriver des hommes armés, le visage masqué. Ils ont encerclé le bâtiment et ensuite les négociations ont duré deux heures. Ils ont laissé le choix aux militaires de rejoindre la rebellion ou de quitter la base, a ajouté l'habitante qui a souhaité conserver l'anonymat.

Après le départ des derniers membres de la Garde nationale dans plusieurs camions, tout était calme dans cette petite rue de l'est de Donetsk. Des hommes armés sortent de temps en temps de la caserne avec des pneus et des ordinateurs.

Au moment où les séparatistes pro-russes prenaient le contrôle de la caserne, des explosions ont été entendus depuis le centre de Donetsk, sans lien apparent toutefois avec la caserne de la Garde nationale.

twitter:

GermanyAktuell twitterde op vrijdag 16-05-2014 om 21:49:32 #Ukraine: Sehr laute Explosionen sind zur Zeit in #Sloviansk zu hören reageer retweet

twitter:

Bubble__Popper twitterde op vrijdag 16-05-2014 om 21:54:26 #BREAKING #Russian terrorists aggressively trying to break out of the tightening encirclement near #Slavyansk #Sloviansk #Ukraine reageer retweet

twitter:

Ukroblogger twitterde op vrijdag 16-05-2014 om 21:57:37 #Sloviansk tonight: #Ukrainian fighter jet,tanks at work acc to #Russia's lifenews.ru #Ukraine #Slovyansk #Slavyansk http://t.co/6qPpn7y2RK reageer retweet

twitter:

MarkSleboda1 twitterde op vrijdag 16-05-2014 om 21:58:02 #Ukraine Communist Leader Simonyenko finally withdrew from "election" after months harassment, just survived assassination attempt in Kiev reageer retweet

twitter:

wavetossed twitterde op vrijdag 16-05-2014 om 21:58:17 #Ukraine Rumor has it that Dmitro #Yarosh was killed today by a grenade during a Right Sector training exercise. reageer retweet

twitter:

wavetossed twitterde op vrijdag 16-05-2014 om 22:00:08 #Ukraine in the explosion which killed #Yarosh, two others were killed, several wounded and key member of his staff in critical condition reageer retweet

quote:

On the leader of the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU ) Petro Symonenko was assassinated. He said this in a telephone channel comments " 112 Ukraine " . Symonenko said that when leaving the building " First National Channel ," his waiting unknown people . " We could not get out of the building , we had to go where there was anything possible. Everywhere blocked all machines , these masked gunmen and bats. And they did not give the possibility to leave . And, of course , calls for aggressive what to do with me in this case .. We managed to escape , "- said the deputy , adding that he was forced to leave the building through another entrance and got into another car . After that , according to Symonenko his car chase began . "Some machines are constantly created an emergency situation for the citizens . They blocked in one place, we were stopped .... We could not escape . Bats started to wreck the car and throwing a Molotov cocktail into the car ," - said the leader of the Communist Party , adding that the incident occurred on str. Melnikov. "It Melnikova ... Around " Kievan Rus " ... I do not even know how all these streets are called , because we jumped on the waterfront, along the promenade leaving ... All this time for us to follow these furious fighters . I did not understand why they followed . appeals But very, very unfriendly , "- said the MP. Symonenko also said that he personally was not injured, but " of course someone else hurt ." " No, I gave up on guard ... I was sitting in the backseat ... Bottle ( incendiary ) did not reach immediately jumped ( from the glass )," - he added.

Ukrainian Soldier Shoots at Me

quote:

This is what happens when you leave a tank parked on a city street.

According to these LiveLeak and YouTube posts, a BMP light tank was reportedly left stalled on a city street near Mariupol. Like, a gassed-up, loaded tank. Ready to roll. Ready to obliterate some separatists.

Naturally, when you leave a tank parked in the middle of a city street, people just come and check it out, including one guy who somehow managed to pull the trigger on the canon.

Сепарати�ты захватили БМП и чуть не убили дедушку

According to the LiveLeak post, there were no fatalities, but that was sheer luck. The shot just barely missed an old man, who ended up getting hit by a flying brick.

It could have been much worse, but then, what did you expect was going to happen when you let a bunch of ordinary people get their hands on a tank?

quote:

Op vrijdag 16 mei 2014 23:03 schreef UpsideDown het volgende:

[..]

Het gaat nog niet bepaald vlekkeloos tussen bevolkingsgroepen en hun machthebbers in de kersverse Republiek van de Krim.

quote:

Resist or cooperate? Crimean Tatars split over Russian rule

(Reuters) - Seventy years after their families' mass deportation under Soviet leader Josef Stalin, the Crimean Tatars are in a quandary: should they cooperate with their homeland's new Russian authorities or resist them?
Some Tatars - Sunni Muslims of Turkic origin - fear a return to Stalinist repression despite official promises to respect their rights and freedoms; others say dealing with Russia is the best way of ensuring their people can flourish.
Less than two months into Moscow rule, tensions are running high before Sunday's anniversary of the deportations in cattle wagons which began on May 18, 1944.
"It's either war or compromise. That is the essence of the problem we face. If we don't adopt a unified approach, we risk splitting ourselves up and being marginalized," said Nariman Dzhelyalov, deputy chairman of the Mejlis, the Crimean Tatars' main representative body.
The Tatars, who make up more than 12 percent of Crimea's largely ethnic Russian population of about 2 million, are among the most vociferous critics of Moscow's annexation in March of the peninsula previously governed by Ukraine.

Russia views the annexation as righting an historical injustice, describing it as "reunification" of a region which Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev handed to Ukraine only in 1954.
But the Tatars, whose historical capital of Bakhchisaray lies a short distance from the modern day regional centre of Simferopol, remind Moscow they ruled large parts of Crimea for centuries before Russian Empress Catherine the Great conquered the Black Sea peninsula in the late 18th century.
Stalin accused the Tatars of sympathizing with Nazi Germany, and many of the estimated 200,000 deportees died on their way into exile in Central Asia and eastern Russia. Only in the last years of the Soviet Union were members of the community able to start returning to Crimea in the 1980s.
Many Tatars boycotted a referendum on March 16 when local authorities say 97 percent of those who voted opted to join Russia. Kiev and the West derided the exercise as illegitimate.

The Tatars have continued to fly the Ukrainian flag at the Mejlis since the vote, despite a visit by armed pro-Russian "self-defense" units and threats to close their organization by the region's chief prosecutor. "We're used to constant struggle. We don't trust the Russian authorities, and why should we? They have always opposed the Crimean Tatars," Dzhelyalov said.
The Mejlis' former leader, Soviet-era dissident Mustafa Dzhemilev, says he is banned from setting foot on Crimean soil.

"GOOD RIDDANCE KIEV"
While the Mejlis is the largest Crimean Tatar organization, some smaller groups are happy Russia has taken the region under its wing. One such group, Milli Firka, says Kiev had done little to rehabilitate the Crimean Tatars in the 23 years since the Soviet Union collapsed.
"In less than two months Russia has done far more for the Crimean Tatars than Ukraine ever did. Only after Crimea became part of Russia did Kiev even remember that we exist," said Milli Firka's chairman, Vasvi Abduraimov.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently awarded Abduraimov the order "For services before the Fatherland," second-class, for backing the annexation.
Among the reasons Abduraimov cited for his support of Russian control were the security of knowing that Crimea will be protected by a "strong, respected power" and a presidential decree making Crimean Tatar one of three state languages on the peninsula alongside Russian and Ukrainian.
Milli Firka says the Mejlis is a Western project whose aim is to integrate the Crimean Tatars into Europe rather than Putin's planned Eurasian Union of former Soviet states.
"We believe it's better for us to look east to Eurasia, especially as the centre of world economic development is gradually shifting to countries like China and India," Abduraimov said.

Dzhelyalov said the Mejlis and Milli Firka have the same aims - the revival of the Crimean Tatar people and respect for their right to free speech, education in their own language, property rights and real representation in government - but that the two group's methods are different.

FLYING THE FLAG
Rustam Temirgaliyev, Crimea's deputy prime minister, told Reuters that Russia now treated the Tatars in an "absolutely open and democratic manner" and that they had been given ministerial posts in the latest government.
"Russia guarantees that all rights and freedoms of the Crimean Tatars will be respected," he said.
The Mejlis says it hopes to receive official permission soon for a march through central Simferopol to mark Sunday's anniversary, but that the government is insisting the Tatars don't fly the Ukrainian flag or criticize the annexation.

After the annual march, the Mejlis typically adopts a resolution on its demands to the local authorities.
"What are we to say this year? Some want a peacekeeping force brought in to protect us, while others are more worried about solving everyday problems like housing," Dzhelyalov said.
On a recent visit to Bakhchisaray, many were reluctant to give their views, saying they feared persecution for speaking their minds.
A middle-aged man, who would give only his first name, Edem, said: "There is no understanding of democracy in Russia, whereas in Ukraine we could defend our interests. The Russians refuse to recognize that we are the native people here, not them."
Edem said the new authorities were deliberately trying to split the Tatar community from within: "Now people have started asking me whether I'm for Dzhemilev, the current leader of the Mejlis or some other group."

Standing outside a mosque in Simferopol, pensioner Akim said the uncertainty of not knowing how life would be under their new rulers was tormenting Tatars most.
Akim said life was hardly easy under Ukraine. "For 20 years they failed to build a school or install drainage systems in our district. It's because this is known as a Tatar district," he said, also asking that his last name not be published.
"But our relations with the Russians are worse. We know perfectly well who deported our families in cattle wagons and don't know how it will turn out this time."

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.