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Tag: Crimea

  • World War 3: Has Vladimir Putin Been Planning to Instigate Major War?

    According to a former advisor of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president has been planning to spark a major conflict in the Baltic region for the past decade.

    Andrey Illarionov, a former advisor to Putin, said the Russian leader has been planning for a major war since at least 2003. His accusation came during a conference in Lithuania.

    According to the Inquisitr, Illarionov referenced a 2008 article from Russian Journal that apparently laid out a plan for Russia to attack Crimea before moving on to capture the city of Kiev.

    “As we see, not only were they preparing, they were publishing it,” Illarionov said.

    Illarionov said Putin does not believe Ukraine is a real nation, but rather a state that belongs to Russia, and believes the same for Hungary, Poland, and Romania. He remarked that the latest conflict in the region began when Putin began referring to a “Russian world” during a ceremony honoring Slavic groups.

    The Lithuanian Tribune reported that Putin may have plans to invade nations beyond Ukraine, creating a major conflict that could equate to World War 3.

    “According to the former presidential adviser, Russian laws essentially define four categories of ‘Russians’: ethnic Russians, irrespective of whether they reside in or outside Russia; Russian-speakers, irrespective of their nationality; all former citizens of the Soviet Union and their offspring living in the territories formerly covered by the USSR; and former citizens of the Russian Empire (pre-1917) and their offspring living in the territories once covered by the Russian Empire,” reported the newspaper.

    “‘Such a legal base allows the Russian army to protect all the Russians listed in the law. Therefore, for the Russian side, such actions of the Russian army beyond Russian borders might seem completely legitimate,’ Illarionov says.”

    There have been other reports that Putin plans to instigate a wide conflict, including threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine if the fight continues. Sources allegedly say Putin claimed that Russia could reach Kiev in two weeks if they so desired.

  • Steven Seagal’s Estonia Blues Gig Canceled

    Concert organizers for the Tallinn, Estonia “Augustibluus” summer blues festival axed action star Steven Seagal’s time slot due to his pro-Russia/Vladimir Putin leanings.

    Back in March while filming a movie in Romania, actor, film producer, screenwriter, director, martial artist, musician and reserve deputy sheriff Seagal did an interview with the state-run Russian newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta, in which he’d expressed that Vladimir Putin’s actions against Crimea are “highly reasonable.”

    The 7th-dan black belt in Aikido commented that Putin’s “desire to protect the Russian-speaking people of Crimea, his assets, and the Russian Black Sea military base in Sevastopol … is very reasonable,” and added that the U.S. policy on Ukraine was “idiotic.”

    Estonian rock star Tonis Magi, the Augustibluus headliner, called for a boycott of the Tallinn event if Seagal was allowed to perform.

    Rock stars in Estonia do things a tad differently, as seen in a Tonis Magi video for a song called Mägi Ruja Rockooperis:

    While confirming Seagal’s set was cancelled, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet commented, “this situation has been solved. The festival organizers have made changes in the program.”

    Paet added, “Steven Seagal has tried to actively participate in politics during the past few months and has done it in a way which is unacceptable to the majority of the world that respects democracy and the rule of law – Just like we can’t accept the partial occupation of our neighboring country, we also can’t accept mindless praise of it.”

    Republican Seagal, a close friend of Putin’s, reportedly because they both share a keen interest in the martial arts, called the Russian president “one of the great living world leaders,” and remarked that he “would like to consider him as a brother.” In early March, the straight-to-video action star helped Putin relaunch a national physical fitness program that had been axed after the fall of the Soviet Union.

    Here is a taste of what Estonia will be missing:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Russian Bombers Seen Flying Over Crimea Ahead Of Putin’s Visit

    Russian bombers used to cause little concern when seen flying. After all, it was probably just the Russian military performing some training exercises. With the conflict in the Ukraine, however, Russian bombers have now taken on an entirely new meaning for the citizens of Crimea.

    AFP reports that Russian bombers have been spotted flying over Crimea over the past few days. The planes were reportedly flying low and some were even caught refueling in mid-air. While nothing has been formally announced, some take this to mean that Russia is getting serious about protecting its interests in Crimea.

    Beyond protecting its interests, the planes are also a harbinger of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s visit to Crimea. The outspoken Russian president is said to be overseeing Russia’s own V-Day celebration this week and then will travel to Crimea on Friday.

    Interestingly enough, it appears that Russia is bringing out the “big guns” for his visit. According to aviation experts, the Sukhoi Su-34 could be seen among the planes flying over Crimea. This particular war plane has been designed for high-precision strikes and nuclear weapon launches. While it’s rather absurd to think Russia would ever load their plane with nuclear weapons, the use of these particular fighters does leave a lot of people on edge.

    Here’s the Su-34 in action:

    The other model spotted above Crimea is the Mikoyan MiG-29. This particular plane has been in production since the 80s, and continued to be built even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Most of the planes flying over Crimea seem to be made up of this particular model.

    Here’s the MiG-29 in action:

    While these planes could simply be performing routine sweeps over Crimea, some people are really spooked. The situation in Crimea has led some to think a war is almost upon us and the presence of these planes will not calm those fears. Until the situation in Crimea and the Ukraine is resolved, the world will remain suspicious of Russia.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ukraine and Russia Make Plans to Ease Tensions

    Thursday morning, a four-party meeting was held in Geneva between the United States, the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine, with the intention being to create a plan which would lead to decreased overall hostilities between Ukraine and Russia and the end of the current violence in Eastern Ukraine. After six hours of talks, the four parties have come to an agreement as to how to alleviate the Ukrainian crisis, for now.

    The agreement the parties came to had three key criteria toward ending the current hostilities:

    1) All “illegally armed groups” in eastern Ukraine must lay down their weapons and cease violent activities.

    2) All government buildings and belongings which have been seized by insurgents must be returned to their proper owners.

    3) All pro-Russian insurgents will be given amnesty by the Ukrainian government as long as no capital crimes have been committed.

    The meeting came after Ukraine launched an anti-terror campaign on Tuesday to nullify the pro-Russian hostilities taking place in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine. The move was made in response to pro-Russian sympathizers seizing governmental buildings in ten eastern Ukrainian cities.

    In spite of the peace-talk meeting on Thursday, violence from the insurgents did not cease, with 300 pro-Russians attacking a military base in Mariupol, Ukraine. This attack was coupled with a message from the chairman of the people’s council in Donetsk asking for an early referendum to occur in May to decide if the Donetsk region of Ukraine wants to be annexed to Russia as Crimea did previously.

    Perhaps of more import, however, were the statements made by Russian president Vladimir Putin Thursday morning on national television.

    Until Thursday, Putin had denied any Russian troop involvement in Crimea prior to the vote for annexation. On Thursday, Putin’s tone changed completely.

    “Of course we had our servicemen behind the self-defense units of Crimea. We had to make sure what is happening now in eastern Ukraine didn’t happen there,” Putin defended.

    Putin would go on to add, “In Crimea, the threats to the Russian-speaking population were quite real, palpable. They turned to Russia for help. Russia never planned any annexation or military actions in Crimea… But when this situation came up, when people said they wanted self-determination, that’s when we knew what we had to do. Everyone in the National Security Council agreed. Everything was done quickly and decisively. There have been no analogues in global history.”

    Despite stating that the reason for Russian troops being deployed to Crimea was to ensure a fair and proper vote, Putin condemned Ukraine’s military presence in the east and warned that Russia would not deem Ukraine’s elections for a new president valid unless their current hostilities against the Russian-sympathizers in Ukraine changes.

    If Russia does not help bring about the end of the hostilities in eastern Ukraine, the United States is prepared to enact more sanctions against the Russian government. When asked if this Geneva agreement was the last of talks between the four-parties, Secretary of State John Kerry remained pragmatic: “All of this we are convinced represents a good day’s work, but on the other hand, this day’s work has produced principles, and it has produced commitments and it has produced words on paper. And we are the first to understand and agree that words on paper will only mean what the actions taken as a result of those words produce.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Ukraine Anti-Terror Campaign Begins in East Region

    On Tuesday, acting president of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov surprised many by following-up on his ultimatum laid down against Russian sympathizers in Eastern Ukraine on Sunday. The deadline for Russian supporters to lay down their arms and submit peacefully expired at 0600 GMT Monday. When Ukrainian forces did not immediately respond with force, many in the international community believed Turchynov to be full of empty promises. Turchynov proved those naysayers wrong today.

    “The Security Council has made a decision to begin a large-scale anti-terrorist operation with participation of army forces. We’re not going to allow Russia to repeat the Crimean scenario in Ukraine’s east,” stated Turchynov.

    The decision came as a result of pro-Russian forces gaining more and more traction in eastern Ukraine, most specifically in the Donetsk region. On Saturday, gunmen were able to take control of multiple government buildings in Slovyansk, Ukraine, a city 100 miles east of the Russian border. In all, nine cities have been taken control of by pro-Russian forces in the Donetsk region.

    “An anti-terrorist operation began in the north of Donetsk Oblast. It will be conducted step-by-step, responsibly, deliberately. The goal of these actions, I want to underline, is to defend the citizens of Ukraine,” Turchynov proclaimed to the Ukrainian parliament.

    Map of Eastern Ukrainian Activity

    Turchynov would go on to add, “The plans of the Russian Federation were and remain brutal. They want not only for Donbass (Donetsk region), but for the whole south and east of Ukraine to be engulfed by fire.” Turchynov stated that the goal of the anti-terror campaign is to “defend the citizens of Ukraine, to stop terror, stop crime and stop attempts to tear our country into pieces.”

    As it currently stands, soldiers have been transported to the Donetsk region by helicopter to attempt to recapture and hold the towns threatened by pro-Russian Ukrainians and Russian soldiers stationed along the border.

    Russia, as its position was with the incidents in Crimea, denies any coercion or assistance to the insurgents in eastern Ukraine. In fact, Russian leaders went as far as to say that if Ukraine decided to use military force against those Russian sympathizers in the Donetsk region, Russia would most likely back out of talks in Geneva to discuss the Ukrainian crisis. “You can’t send in tanks and at the same time hold talks. The use of force would sabotage the opportunity offered by the four-party negotiations in Geneva,” stated Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister.

    Russian officials insisted that these uprisings “are the result of the Kiev authorities’ unwillingness and inability to take into account the interests of the Russian and Russian-speaking population.”

    President Obama and NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen believe otherwise, however.

    Anders Fogh Rasmussen reported that “We never comment on intelligence, but I think from what is visible, it is very clear that Russia’s hand is deeply engaged in this.”

    The White House and President Obama believe along the same lines, as evidenced by Obama’s call to Putin to address the situation before it gets out of hand:

    “The president emphasised that all irregular forces in the country need to lay down their arms, and he urged president Putin to use his influence with these armed, pro-Russian groups to convince them to depart the buildings they have seized… The president noted Russia’s growing political and economic isolation as a result of its actions in Ukraine and made clear that the costs Russia already has incurred will increase if those actions persist… [He] said that while he continues to believe that a diplomatic solution is still possible, it cannot succeed in an environment of Russian military intimidation on Ukraine’s borders, armed provocation within Ukraine, and escalatory rhetoric by Kremlin officials.”

    One can only hope that some solution will come as a result of the four-party talks between the US, EU, Russia and Ukraine in Geneva, Switzerland this Thursday.

    Images via Twitter (1) (2)

  • John Kerry Meets with Russian Foreign Minister

    Upon meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Sunday in Paris to discuss a diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that their positions are “getting closer” in alignment.

    Kerry had left a trip to the Middle East, but touched down in Ireland to refuel his plane, and turned around to head to Paris. Kerry arrived at Lavrov’s Parisian residence, the two posed for a picture, and then commenced a meeting to devise a strategy to help ease the most significant East-West standoff since the end of the Cold War. The meeting took place behind closed doors.

    Today’s meeting is said to be a followup to the phone call Russian President Vladimir Putin made to President Obama on Friday to discuss a plan concerning how to peacefully resolve the international standoff over Ukraine, which was an unexpected move by Moscow to attempt to tone down the escalating situation that has unnerved Europe and much of the world.

    U.S. officials have said that the plan Kerry took to Paris includes the disarmament of irregular forces, international watchdogs to protect minority rights, direct communication between Russia and Ukraine and Ukrainian political and constitutional reforms. Kerry’s meeting with Lavrov reportedly lasted four hours, though the results are yet unknown.

    Kerry and Lavrov have been on the phone almost daily and have met several times in person since the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine, but have not yet agreed on how to move forward. The two met last week in The Hague, where Kerry presented Lavrov with the proposal, as a response to a plan Lavrov had mapped out during a March 10th meeting in London.

    Lavrov had told Russia’s Channel One television station Sunday that “We have absolutely no intention of, or interest in, crossing Ukraine’s borders.”

    Moreover, the Kremlin stated Putin had directed Obama’s attention to a “rampage of extremists” in Ukraine and suggested “possible steps by the international community to help stabilize the situation” in the region.

    Image via YouTube

  • Steven Seagal Supports Vladimir Putin

    While filming a movie in Romania, actor, film producer, screenwriter, director, martial artist, musician and reserve deputy sheriff Steven Seagal did an interview with the state-run Russian newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta, in which he’d expressed that Vladimir Putin’s actions against Crimea are “highly reasonable.”

    The 7th-dan black belt in Aikido commented that Putin’s “desire to protect the Russian-speaking people of Crimea, his assets, and the Russian Black Sea military base in Sevastopol … is very reasonable,” and added that the U.S. policy on Ukraine was “idiotic.”

    Republican Seagal, a close friend of Putin’s, reportedly because they both share a keen interest in the martial arts, called the Russian president “one of the great living world leaders,” and that he “would like to consider him as a brother.” Early this month the straight-to-video action star had helped Putin relaunch a national physical fitness program that had been axed after the fall of the Soviet Union.

    As a sort of Renaissance Man, Seagal has also developed an energy drink called “Lightening Bolt,” as well as a fragrance called “Scent of Action.”

    seagal

    Seagal was recently part of an American delegation to Russia following Boston Marathon bombing, and conveys his stance against the U.S. policy regarding Russia and the crisis in Ukraine:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAb39HMVAGE

    Excited about Seagal’s perceived superstar status, Rossiskaya Gazeta went on to compare the former silver screen star’s popularity to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan’s, deeming him “no less popular or authoritative in the world today.” Seagal had previously threatened to run for governor in Arizona, and when asked to comment on the matter, the former husband of Pantene peddler Kelly LeBrock stated that it was more important to be a peacemaker than the leader of a state.

    Seagal also stated that he might “sometime” become a Russian citizen, though he stills loves the United States.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons (1), (2)

  • Group of 8 Now Group of 7: Russia’s Out

    Group of 8 Now Group of 7: Russia’s Out

    7 members of the Group of 8 who were supposed to meet in Sochi, Russia in for the G-8 Summit in June met for two hours behind closed doors today. They decided that it would be relocated to Brussels and that Russia is no longer invited until their government changes course, according to the New York Times.

    A statement from the Group of 7 read, “This group came together because of shared beliefs and shared responsibilities. Russia’s actions in recent weeks are not consistent with them. Under these circumstances, we will not participate in the planned Sochi Summit. We will suspend our participation in the G-8 until Russia changes course.”

    The course they wish to be changed is, of course, President Vladimir Putin’s hasty annexation of Crimea in the past few weeks. This is the latest in a series of steps that the group has taken and will continue to take to further isolate and punish Russia for its actions.

    “We remain ready to intensify actions including coordinated sectoral sanctions that will have an increasingly significant impact on the Russian economy, if Russia continues to escalate this situation,” the leaders’ statement said.

    Russia’s economy may not be the only one affected. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is ready to take steps, along with several other nations, that may hurt their own economies somewhat. But if it puts the brakes on Russia, she says it would be worth it.

    Last week she stated that “we are ready at any time to introduce phase-3 measures if there is a worsening of the situation,” referring to the so-called third stage of sanctions which could very likely be harmful to her own country.

    President Obama made clear the stance of the United States and our allies on Monday. He expressed solidarity with Ukraine, saying “Europe and America are united in our support of the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people,”

    “We’re united in imposing a cost on Russia for its actions so far,” Obama said, adding “the growing sanctions would bring significant consequences to the Russian economy.”

    So far the threat of sanctions against Russia have done little to nothing in halting the actions of Vladimir Putin. Time will tell how far these sanctions must go in order to get a satisfactory reaction.

    Image Via YouTube

  • Vladimar Putin Annexes Crimea, Will He Stop There?

    Russian President Vladimir Putin completed the annexation of Crimea on Friday, signing the peninsula into Russia. In a bold move against warnings from the U.S. and European Union, Putin is not backing down.

    Putin said he saw no need to further retaliate against the newest U.S. sanctions, braving a newly conciliatory tone and reflecting an apparent attempt to contain one of the worst crises in Russia’s relations with the West since the Cold War.

    Could it be that Putin is just an opportunist, taunting the U.S., or a clever strategist with the longer-term goal of restoring a greater Russia? As one observer put it, is he “drunk on power” and oblivious to sanctions?

    There were some clues as to Putin’s intentions during his speech to the Duma this week, when he described the fall of the Soviet Union as unfortunate, stating it separated Russians. “The Russian nation became one of the biggest, if not the biggest ethnic group in the world to be divided by borders,” he said.

    “It was only when Crimea ended up as part of a different country that Russia realized that it was not simply robbed, it was plundered.” He went on to say, “if you compress the spring all the way to its limit, it will snap back hard.”

    But is he just after Crimea, or is he just “power crazy” and Ukraine just the tip of the iceberg?

    Thursday, Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said that Americans should turn their focus to Ukraine and away from the missing flight MH370 news, as Russian President Vladimir Putin considers himself “a new czar.”

    “Those of us that have dealt with Putin know how he thinks, and he really is nostalgic and believes that he’s some kind of a new czar,” Albright said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

    She said the U.S. must be “more vigilant” and called the situation in Ukraine a “game-changer” in U.S.-Russian relations. She explained that Americans’ “very short attention span.”

    “I know we’re all focused on the airplane, but the bottom line is: This has really, truly long-term implications, and we all need to focus on how to deal with Ukraine, how to deal with U.S.-European relations,” Albright said. “Then focus on our relations with Russia. Turning point.”

    Her comments led to her stressing that in order to stop Putin, there is a need for military intervention, although not necessarily by sending in troops.

    “When people talk about military force, they always think boots on the ground. And there are obviously other ways to think about military force,” Albright said. “I do think that NATO, and through a variety of exercises and support, I think that there is a way that that tool has to also be on the table. And vigilance.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Vladimir Putin Shrugs Off U.S. Sanctions

    Vladimir Putin Shrugs Off U.S. Sanctions

    As if he couldn’t care less, Russian president Vladimir Putin appears completely unaffected by the sanctions the Obama administration has placed on Russian officials, including Putin.

    “You know, both in the first case — the American sanctions — and in the second case — the introduction of a visa regime with Ukraine — I think we should for now hold off on reciprocal steps,” Putin told a meeting of his Security Council.

    Yesterday, President Obama added to those sanctions, with more punitive measures against 20 lawmakers, officials and billionaires believed to be close to Putin. These came after the White House named the first round of targets this week, including several Russian officials, who then mocked the punitive measures as meaningless because they had no assets in the United States.

    With the most recent announcement, the Treasury Department argued that the sanctions would, in all likelihood, severely limit some Russian oligarchs’ ability to do business outside of Russia.

    “With its currency near an all-time low, its stock market down 20% this year and a marked rise in interest rates, Russia has already started to bear the economic costs of its unlawful effort to undermine Ukraine’s security, stability and sovereignty,” said David Cohen, the Treasury Department’s undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

    Putin, with his dark and flippant attitude, said he would open an account with a bank targeted by the Washington sanctions, which came in response to Kremlin’s decision to send troops to Crimea, including a move to make it part of Russian territory.

    The Russian president also said he would task his aides with transferring his salary to Bank Rossiya described by Washington as a “crony bank” for the Russian elite.

    “No doubt we should not only protect but also render every possible assistance to the bank’s clients,” Putin added, speaking to Russian journalists.

    But Russia’s Alfa-Bank commented that these sanctions would have a limited effect and a “negative sentiment will be emotional in nature”.

    However, Visa and MasterCard have stopped servicing the credit cards of customers using the banks affected by the Washington blacklists.

    Russia semi-retaliated though, Thursday they said it was introducing travel bans against nine US officials.

    That came in response to an announcement by Washington on Monday of financial sanctions on seven top Russian government officials and lawmakers, which represented the first U.S. sanctions.

    “I guess this means my spring break in Siberia is off,” US Senator John McCain, one of the nine US officials on the Russian blacklist, quipped on Twitter.

    “Well, Jonnie, never say never!” replied Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is on the US sanctions list.

    President Obama said there is currently no military option being considered in response to Russia’s actions, in an interview on Wednesday.

    “But what we can do is stand up for principle, stand by the Ukrainian people,” Obama told KSDK-TV.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Crimea: Ukraine Withdraws Amid Sanctions

    Thousands of Ukrainian troops are preparing to withdraw from Crimea, as Western leaders begin sanctions against Russia for attempting to annex the region. “We are working out a plan of action so that we can transfer not just servicemen, but first of all, members of their family who are in Crimea, quickly and effectively to mainland Ukraine,” Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council Andriy Parubiy said according to the Daily Mail. The withdraw could consist of 25,000 troops and may leave many more stranded on the peninsula. Many of these troops are rumored to have already defected to Russian forces.

    The Associated Press reported that Wednesday, only a day after Russia signed a treaty to move forward with annexation, that Crimean self defense force stormed the gate of the Sevastopol naval base. Russia then quickly arrived with its Black Sea Fleet.

    Later that day, Russian troops seized another base in Bakhchisaray. Ukrainian troops offered no resistance. As Ukrainian navy Major Eduard Kusnarenko told Reuters: “Russian troops came and asked us to leave the base, which we did,”

    In the West, German Chancelor Angela Merkel said the European Union was prepared to further raise sanctions against the Ukraine. According to the Associated Press, she said: “The European Council will make it clear today and tomorrow that with a further deterioration of the situation we are always prepared to take level 3 measures, and those will without a doubt include economic sanctions.”

    On Tuesday, Russia issued an executive order admitting the “Republic of Crimea” into the Russian Federation.

    The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, tweeted in response to Russia’s moves to annexation:

    In a statement, the European Commission said: “The sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine must be respected. The European Union does neither recognise the illegal and illegitimate referendum in Crimea nor its outcome. The European Union does not and will not recognise the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation.”

    Image via RT, Youtube

  • Mikhail Gorbachev: Crimea Annexation is ‘Happy Event’

    Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union, has proclaimed Crimea’s vote to join Russia as a “happy event.”

    In comments published on Russian news website Slon.ru, Gorbachev supported the referendum vote that will lead to the annexation of Crimea, saying it was a just and accurate reflection of Crimean residents’ free will.

    Indeed, Gorbachev sees the vote and its repercussions as the righting of a Soviet-era wrong.

    “Earlier Crimea was merged with Ukraine under Soviet laws, to be more exact by the [Communist] party’s laws, without asking the people, and now the people have decided to correct that mistake. This should be welcomed instead of declaring sanctions,” he said on Monday.

    Gorbachev added that the Crimean referendum may set a precedent for Russian-speaking residents of eastern Ukraine.

    Crimea’s Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliev has said the same thing: “I think the second step will be east Ukraine.”

    “I think that in the east of Ukraine approximately 70 percent, 75 percent want to join to Russia,” Temirgaliev added, referencing studies performed by unnamed sociologists.

    Not everyone is as enthusiastic about the so-called resolution to the Crimean crisis. Some world leaders, including many in the United States, see the vote as one that was carried out under intimidation and the threat of violence.

    On Tuesday, while speaking to a group of university students at the State Department, Secretary of State John Kerry said the situation has generated a “nationalist fervor which could, in fact, infect in ways that could be very, very dangerous. All you have to do is go back and read in history of the lead up to World War II, and the passions that were released with that kind of nationalistic fervor.”

    Kerry’s predecessor Hillary Clinton had equally strong words about the Crimean situation and Moscow’s actions:

    “What Putin did is illegal; it is against international law,” the former Secretary of State said in an address to the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal on Tuesday.

    “This is a clash of values, and it’s an effort by Putin to rewrite the boundaries of post-World War II Europe. And if he’s allowed to get away with that, then I think you’ll see a lot of other countries either directly facing Russian aggression or suborned with their political systems — so they’re so intimidated that, in effect, they are transformed into vassals, not sovereign democracies.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Hillary Clinton: Russia’s Move To Annex Crimea Is Illegal

    Presidential possibility and former Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, made some strong comments about the Russian appropriation of Crimea on Tuesday. She described Russia’s actions as an affront to “our values” that will set a dangerous precedent if left unpunished.

    “What Putin did is illegal; it is against international law,” Clinton said during a speech in Montreal just after Putin signed treaties with Crimea’s Moscow-backed leaders.

    She additionally warned that Putin’s reasons for invading Crimea, could be extended to other parts of Ukraine, as well as Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

    “It’s not because we gave the poor little Baltic States NATO protection. And people need to say that, and they need to be very clear: This is a clash of values, and it’s an effort by Putin to rewrite the boundaries of post-World War II Europe. And if he’s allowed to get away with that, then I think you’ll see a lot of other countries either directly facing Russian aggression or suborned with their political systems — so they’re so intimidated that, in effect, they are transformed into vassals, not sovereign democracies.”

    She added, “I hope there’s not another Cold War,” when asked if that was how she saw the conflict playing out. “Obviously, nobody wants to see that. I think that’s primarily up to Putin.”

    The United States earlier this week announced strong sanctions targeting officials tied to the crisis on Monday.

    Clinton, who recently likened Putin’s moves in the Ukraine to those of Adolf Hitler’s in the 1930s, warned that allowing Russia to escape relatively unscathed from its actions in the Ukraine sends a problematic message.

    “What Putin did is illegal,” she said.

    “How far this aggressiveness goes, I think, is really up to us,” she said. “I would like to see us accelerating the development of pipelines from Azerbaijan up into Europe, I’d like to see us looking for ways to accelerate internal domestic production [in places like Poland] … and just really go at this in a self-interested, smart way. Russians can only intimidate you if you’re dependent upon them.”

    When asked about her political future Clinton has signaled she could make a decision about running for president this year, restating that she hasn’t made up her mind yet. But she said she will “continue to do everything I can to respond to these legitimate needs and concerns of people I have worked with and represented.”

    Image via YouTube

  • World War 3: Are We Really Talking About This Again?

    The notion of a third World War was of real concern during the Cold War between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. Both sides had nuclear weapons, and acronyms like M.A.D. (mutually-assured destruction – the idea that if either side started, both sides would be wiped out) and an “arms race” kept tensions high but real actions at bay.

    The World War 3 trope ran through out movies. The villains in films in America had Russian accents. The color red, bears, sickles, hammers, and big coats with furry hats were all anathema to Yanks until the late 1980’s when Sting convinced us that the Russians surely must love their children, too.

    We watched Ronald Reagan shake hands with Mikhail Gorbachev, felt sure that we had SDI (a “strategic defense initiative”, commonly called “star wars”), and relaxed a bit. Turns out we didn’t have SDI at all. We bluffed, and the Soviets bought it. Then the big, red giant developed some money problems. America was left to stand alone as the only superpower that mattered.

    Hell, we even went to Russia for the Olympics.

    For a while after 9/11, the notion of a World War 3 sparked by rogue nations or groups that had obtained nukes (always from someone in Russia) got traction. We still see movies with that plot. Sometimes they have Korean accents now, too, though most Americans snicker at the idea of North Korea ever getting within spitting distance of an American flag, much less our homeland.

    World War 3 has been firmly a Hollywood construct for some time. Until now.

    Now the idea is in real news again The U.S. has “warned” Russia about its interference in the recent events in Ukraine. Russia has warned back. Russia fired a dummy nuke in a show of force. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on some Russian officials it sees as responsible for the upheaval in Ukraine.

    The Inquisitr reports that former Ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk stated:

    “Does Russia not understand that this is the beginning of World War 3?”

    And now Reuters reports that a news presenter with Russian state television has said:

    “Russia is the only country in the world that is realistically capable of turning the United States into radioactive ash.”

    Behind him was a green-screen backdrop of a nuclear mushroom cloud.

    In America, there is a saying: Them’s fighting words.

    Cooler heads tend to think that any kind of World War 3 scenario would end up badly for everyone involved. Maybe this is just big talk and headline-grabbing bluster.

    But hearing it with a Russian accent after all these years sure makes some people’s eyebrows raise.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • US Imposes Sanctions on Russia Due to Crimean Crisis

    Monday morning, the White House announced its second set of sanctions imposed against Russian and Crimean government officials and “cronies” due to the recent referendum passed in Crimea announcing the region’s intentions to separate from Ukraine and join with Russia.

    President Obama has signed an executive order which will block the financial assets and suspend any travel visas for certain Russian officials deemed to be supporting actions detrimental to Ukraine’s international sovereignty.

    In all, 11 Russian and Crimean officials were targeted by the sanctions:

    – Vladislav Surkov: Presidential Aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
    – Sergey Glazyev: Presidential Adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
    – Leonid Slutsky: State Duma deputy; Chairman of the Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration, and Relations with Compatriots
    – Andrei Klishas: Member of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Federation Council Committee of Constitutional Law, Judicial, and Legal Affairs, and the Development of Civil Society.
    – Valentina Matviyenko: Head of the Federation Council
    – Dmitry Rogozin: Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
    – Yelena Mizulina: State Duma Deputy.
    – Sergey Aksyonov: Interim Prime Minister of Crimea
    – Vladimir Konstantinov: Speaker of the newly-formed Crimean parliament
    – Viktor Medvedchuk: Leader of Ukrainian Choice, a pro-Russian Ukrainian civilian group.
    – Viktor Yanukovych: Former Ukrainian President

    “We have fashioned these sanctions to impose costs on named individuals who wield influence in the Russian government and those responsible for the deteriorating situation in Ukraine. We stand ready to use these authorities in a direct and targeted fashion as events warrant,” stated a release from the White House regarding the sanctions.

    The sanctions come on the heels of a referendum passed on Sunday in which 97 percent of Crimeans voted to separate from Ukraine and join Russia. The referendum also established an independent Crimean government separate from the interim government currently functioning in Ukraine.

    Following the passing of the referendum on Sunday, President Obama called Vladimir Putin to address the illegality of such a referendum being passed and supported by the Russian government. The reasons for the call were to remind Russia that its actions were in obvious violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and “that a diplomatic resolution cannot be achieved while Russian military forces continue their incursions into Ukrainian territory and that the large-scale Russian military exercises on Ukraine’s borders only exacerbate the tension.”

    The territorial dispute over Crimea is a fall-out from the tension between Ukraine and Russia following the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych, the former President of Ukraine and pro-Russian supporter, due to Yanukovych’s failure to sign an economic deal partnering with the EU and instead succumbing to Russian coercion.

    Following said ousting and the establishment of an interim Ukrainian government, Russia started sending troops to Crimea in order to “protect” ethnic Russians who were supposedly being persecuted by Ukrainian nationals. As it stands, no evidence has been given to support such a claim.

    Image via YouTube

  • Newt Gingrich Eyeing Sec. of State Position?

    In a Twitter rant last month, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich sounded-off against current Secretary of State John Kerry for comments he made in a speech to students in Jakarta, Indonesia, going as far as to ask John Kerry to resign from his position as Secretary of State. So what was the subject of the comments that got Gingrich in such a tissy? None other than the Republican Party’s greatest enemy: climate change.

    In speaking to Indonesian students, Secretary of State Kerry stated that climate change is “the greatest challenge of our generation” and that “climate change can now be considered another weapon of mass destruction, perhaps the world’s most fearsome weapon of mass destruction.”

    Gingrich took great exception to both comments, going to Twitter to speak his disapproval:

    One could debate the validity of Kerry’s or Gingrich’s statements all day and wind-up achieving zero progress. Thus, perhaps the more interesting question is, “Why in the world would Gingrich care so much about what Kerry has to say?”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfktxYF5x4Q

    While Gingrich was a presidential candidate in 2012, he has been irrelevant on the political scene for quite some time. He now spends his days hanging out as the lone out-spoken Republican at CNN.

    His position at CNN allows him the perfect opportunity, though, to have a national media outlet serve as his personal soap-box and campaign platform. Gingrich took full advantage of this situation yesterday by publishing an essay at CNN.com entitled “Beyond empty symbols, a serious strategy for dealing with Russia.”

    In his scathing critique, Gingrich states that the United States needs to do something more than spout “liberal symbolism” in order to deal with the threat of Russia: “What we have so far is symbolic liberalism offering words, symbolic liberalism flying around the world from capital to capital having meetings, and symbolic liberalism targeting narrowly a handful of people in a way that will have no impact on Putin. What we could have is serious, robust action that would have a genuine and immediate impact and would weaken Russia’s ability to act aggressively toward its neighbors.”

    What is Gingrich’s plan to for action, you ask? Well, it’s fairly simple, actually. All Gingrich wants to happen if for President Obama to create multiple executive orders which lead to the construction of the Keystone Pipeline and also opens up the exportation of natural gas to Eastern Europe. Through this plan, Gingrich hopes to lower the international price of natural gas so much that it will cripple Russia’s economic stranglehold on Eastern Europe and thus save the day…. Just like Gingrich’s good ol’ pal Reagan did in order to bring down the Soviet Union….

    One can only think that by lambasting John Kerry on Twitter and by releasing his plan of action to solve an international crisis that no one has been able to properly assess and address yet that Gingrich is prepping himself to become the next Secretary of State for whichever Republican presidential candidate wins the 2016 election.

    Or perhaps Newt is just being Newt. Who knows? It’s American politics, after all.

    Image via YouTube

  • USS Truxtun Deployed to Black Sea Amid Crimea Crisis

    Early Thursday morning, the USS Truxtun, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was deployed from Greece towards the Black Sea.

    The move comes as part of supposedly scheduled and routine drill procedures with the Romanian and Bulgarian naval forces in the Black Sea. Once the USS Truxtun reaches its destination, it will work with the other two navies in order to conduct joint maneuvers and to learn how to land aircraft on the carriers.

    The destroyer is part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, which was stationed originally in the Mediterranean and has plans to move its base of operations to the Middle East soon.

    The US Navy and federal government have made several statements assuring the world that this move has nothing to do with the mounting tensions in Crimea and Ukraine lately, with Navy spokesman Lt. Shawn Eklund stating, “Truxtun’s operations in the Black Sea were scheduled well in advance of her departure from the U.S.”

    However, the move does come at a time when the United States military has recommitted itself to defending democracy in Central and Eastern Europe; Not only has the US moved one of its destroyers closer in proximity to the situation unfolding in the Crimea, but the United States military has also committed six F-15s to Lithuania and 12 F-16s to Poland, along with 300 men: “We are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders,” stated President Obama from the White House Thursday. Obama would go on to add that the US is seeking “to reaffirm our commitment to the security and democracy of our allies in Eastern Europe.”

    Currently, the USS Truxtun is the only naval ship present in the Black Sea besides the USS Taylor, a guided-missile frigate which ran aground in Turkey earlier this year.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • U.S. Imposes New Sanctions in Ukraine Crisis

    The U.S. State Department imposed a ban on visas and a freezing of U.S. assets for officials and other individuals considered to have threatened the territory of Ukraine, the White House announced Thursday.

    According to a statement issued by Jay Carnay, the White House spokesman, the ban is significant because it will apply to both Russian and Ukrainian citizens who are responsible “responsible for or complicit in threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

    President Obama also issued an executive order that provides a legal basis for imposing penalties on such “individuals and entities” who have undermined the territory of Ukraine, misappropriated Ukraine’s assets or have asserted authority over parts of Ukraine without the approval of the Ukrainian government.

    The White House said the measures were a response to Russia’s “ongoing violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, a reference to its intervention in the southern peninsula of Crimea.

    The ban “is a flexible tool that will allow us to sanction those who are most directly involved in destabilizing Ukraine, including the military intervention in Crimea, and does not preclude further steps should the situation deteriorate,” the White House statement said.

    The penalties could involve the freezing of U.S. assets of such people or entities, as well as a ban on travel to the U.S. and doing business with Americans.

    These measures are in addition to visa restrictions that have already been imposed on parties considered responsible for causing political oppression and human rights abuse in Ukraine territory.

    U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to meet with Russian foreign minister Sergey V. Lavrov on Thursday.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

     

  • Rob Serry, UN Representative, Threatened In Crimea

    Tensions continue to rise in Ukraine. This time hostile pro-Russian’s threatened a UN representative.

    On Wednesday an envoy, United Nations Robert Serry, went to Ukraine’s Crimea on a diplomatic mission, but his mission ended before it could even really start when armed men stopped him.

    The unidentified armed men told Serry he needed to leave Crimea. Serry said the men also told him “they have received orders…. to bring me immediately to the airport.” The men never shared who gave them the orders.

    The UN representative added that the men also said, “it was in my own safety. I refused and a standoff ensued.” Serry also noted that his driver was pulled from the car at one point.

    Serry was trapped inside a cafe he sought shelter in when the hostile group began to crowd around him. After a two hour standoff and a conversation with the mission, Serry agreed to abandon his mission and was escorted to a car to take him to the airport by police. During all this the crowd was shouting, “Putin! Putin!”

    During a phone conversation from Kyiv, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told New York reporters, “He was not kidnapped but he was seriously threatened…this action should be seriously condemned.”

    “I hope this serves as a reminder to all how dangerous the situation has become in the Crimea. There is a very urgent need to de-escalate this situation. All those who are responsible and can do that must have cool heads, lower their rhetoric and fix this situation. I am very worried for what would happen if there is bloodshed. There are people in the Crimea who actually behaved there with a lot of self-restraint,” said Serry.

    Serry is now in Instanbul and admits he was never worried for his own life.

    New pro-Russian prime minister of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov justified the threats made against Serry. Aksyonov is quoted as saying, “We did not send them an invitation.”

    UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement that Serry “will shortly return to Kiev to continue his mission, which was cut short by today’s incident.”

    Here’s hoping an incident like Wednesday’s, or worse, doesn’t happen again.

    One person on Twitter commended Serry for reacting calmly during the crisis.

    Many took to Twitter to voice their opinion on the incident in Crimea.

    Image via YouTube.

  • Hilary Clinton Backs Up Putin-Hitler Comparison

    Former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton drew fire from many recently for her statements equating Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his country’s actions in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi invasions of Europe in the 1930s. Despite the criticism, Clinton is not backing down from the comments.

    Clinton defended her assertion of the similarities between the two leaders during a question and answer session at UCLA:

    “What I said yesterday is that the claims by President Putin and other Russians that they had to go into Crimea and maybe further into eastern Ukraine because they had to protect the Russian minorities … is reminiscent of claims that were made back in the 1930s when Germany under the Nazis kept talking about how they had to protect German minorities in Poland, in Czechoslovakia and elsewhere throughout Europe.”

    Clinton also characterized Putin as someone who is keenly aware of Russia’s former pace on the world stage and is seeking to restore the nation’s greatness, saying that he “believes his mission is to restore Russian greatness.” All of this was during a session that saw Clinton, a possible presidential candidate in 2016, field questions about everything from the Affordable Care Act to Girl Scout Cookie preference.

    While all of the talk of similarities between Putin and Hitler may stir up some discomfort, don’t start digging a bomb shelter to wait out WWIII just yet. Clinton was sure to mention that all parties are working toward a diplomatic solution to the crisis: “So it’s a real nail-biter, right now, but nobody wants to up the rhetoric. Everybody wants to cool it in order to find a diplomatic solution and that’s what we should be trying to do.”

    Such a solution may prove difficult given the opposite views of Russia on the one hand and the European Union and United States on the other. Current Secretary of State John Kerry is in Kiev working on bringing the two sides together, although no major news has broken about the prospective talks.

    Clinton’s remarks have drawn the usual strong reactions from the internet, ranging from the negative:


    To the positive:


    To the undecided:

    Whether or not Putin’s actions prove to be on a level with that of the Nazis, you can rest assured that Clinton’s comparison will be around at least until the next presidential election.

    [Image via UCLA]

  • Ukraine: European Union To Offer Billions In Aid

    Ukraine has been in economic trouble for some time, and it’s only getting worse.

    Frustration over the country’s money troubles was what lit the fuse ahead of massive protests late last year. Citizens, particularly pro-European Ukrainians, longed for a stronger economic connection to the rest of Europe. They believed being part of the European Union was the right way forward.

    However, former president Viktor Yanukovych believed that it was in the interest of Ukraine to strengthen ties with Russia instead.

    His walking away from the EU and into lockstep with Russian President Vladmir Putin touched off a firestorm of protest.

    Since Yanukovych was forced to flee Kiev, a new government has formed in his absence. In addition to scrambling to assure its legitimacy, the government is seeking a way to move away from Russian influence and onto the path of independent economic stability.

    Despite Putin promising billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, Russia continues to sit on most of it. This is largely as a result of the outcome of the recent protests, which saw the pro-Russian government toppled. Putin also made the decision to send troops into the Crimean peninsula. He has since claimed the act was an effort to protect ethnically Russian citizens. However, the location has long served as a strategic military position for the Russians, one they clearly do not intend to give up.

    The move to send in troops to surround military bases has been viewed Ukraine and much of the international community as nothing short of a military invasion and possibly an act of war.

    It’s clear that despite the disapproval of Russia’s actions, many want to avoid what could spiral into a “third world war” scenario. This has lead countries to look at a financial solution to the situation in Ukraine.

    The United States recently put together $1 billion in aid to help Ukraine. The New York Times has reported that the European Union is working on a possible $15 billion aid package for Ukraine over the next two years.

    It is hoped that between the United States and Europe, the aid will help the Ukrainians find their foothold.

    There remains talks of heavy sanctions against Russia should they continue to occupy Ukrainian territory.

    Image via YouTube