Civil war in Ukraine: News & discussion

[Superboy]

Come on . You are making me to laugh now

Crimea had referendum in 1991 and overwhelmingly chose to be independent. Ukraine occupied Crimea for 22 years. Enough.

Crimean sovereignty referendum, 1991 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Hindustani78]

Donetsk residents make a bomb shelter their home
Dec. 23, 2014, 4:37 p.m

Liubov Kushnareva 63, along with her disabled son Vitaliy, 41, and partner Ihor live in a tiny cell in a wall veiled with a blanket that has become their only claim to privacy from passers-by.

Although the area is mostly quiet now, with sounds of shells and fighting almost gone, more than 100 people still live in a bomb shelter, located in the House of Culture of Petrovskiy district, including more than two dozen children.

A girl sits on a bed in a nursery room for kids in a bomb shelter in Petrivskiy district of Donetsk.

Anna, 33, fries fish on a small electric oven in the kitchen and blames president Petro Poroshenko for forcing her and her children to hide in the basement.

Lida, who is in charge of the kids, says in the bomb shelter they are always sick because of the cold and wet air underground.

Crimea had referendum in 1991 and overwhelmingly chose to be independent. Ukraine occupied Crimea for 60 years. Enough.

Crimean sovereignty referendum, 1991 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crimea 1991 and 1994 referendums were both regarding the greater autonomy within Republic of Ukraine on the basis of 1954 draft which made Crimea transfer to Ukraine and this is the reason that now Russian Federation upper house wants to make 1954 Draft related to the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine as illegal.

 

[NaMaloom]

At the end of the day, Russia will pay a crippling price for its misadventures in Ukraine. Putin, the megalomaniac crossed the line the day he chose to annex Crimea in violation of all previous agreements and assurances to Ukraine. He is now coming to the sad realization that Russia of today, cannot even match Germany's economic might, forget the United States.

Sad days ahead for the Russian population. My sympathies for them as Russia sinks back in to recession.

Crimea had referendum in 1991 and overwhelmingly chose to be independent. Ukraine occupied Crimea for 60 years. Enough.

Crimean sovereignty referendum, 1991 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From what I have read, it was a referendum on 'autonomy', not 'independence' like the one Ukraine held on Dec 1, 1991. As for WHO the Crimea really belongs to, it is pertinent to give a thought to the following:

The modern name "Crimea" seems to have come from the language of the Crimean Tatars, a Turkic ethnic group that emerged during the Crimean Khanate. The Tatars called the peninsula "Qırım." While Russia, which annexed the state in 1783, officially tried to change the name back to Taurica, Crimea was still used informally and eventually reappeared officially in 1917.

So yeah, if its alright to deport pretty much every Crimean Tatar during Soviet years (only a small percentage has been able to return, only to be suppressed again following Russia's occupation of Crimea during the current crisis) and flood the region with ethnic Russians. NO wonder you can skew any poll results in Russia's favor.

 

[Hindustani78]

At the end of the day, Russia will pay a crippling price for its misadventures in Ukraine. Putin, the megalomaniac crossed the line the day he chose to annex Crimea in violation of all previous agreements and assurances to Ukraine. He is now coming to the sad realization that Russia of today, cannot even match Germany's economic might, forget the United States.

Sad days ahead for the Russian population. My sympathies for them as Russia sinks back in to recession.

I think President Putin and Russian Federation establishment are keeping firm grip and Russian population will not suffer like the 90's. Russian Federation is turning towards Asia to beat the sanctions and working for a regional economic corridor in the shape of SCO and then BRICS. Russian Federation is expanding itself in Arctic, Asia, Latin America and even in EU.

 

[Superboy]

At the end of the day, Russia will pay a crippling price for its misadventures in Ukraine. Putin, the megalomaniac crossed the line the day he chose to annex Crimea in violation of all previous agreements and assurances to Ukraine. He is now coming to the sad realization that Russia of today, cannot even match Germany's economic might, forget the United States.

Maybe. But 100 years from now Russia will still be a strong country, and Crimea will still be a part of Russia because Crimea is an inalienable part of Russia.

 

[vostok]

Unrest in Kiev: protesters blame the new authorities
Ukraine: Protest in Kiev outside Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) against IMF austerity plans

Protesters hold posters:

"National Bank, stop robbing us!"

"500.000 investors demand VAB Bank nationalization"

"Bank window is perfect target"

"Fixed exchange rate of 5UAH or the banks will be burnt"

"Join us: we still have gunpowder and tires"

 

[Hindustani78]

ATO NEWS: Militants have completed 25 attacks - Міністерство оборони України

Wednesday, December 24, DONBAS – According to the ATO press center, the illegal armed formations increase provocations. In the past night they have completed 25 small arms, grenade launchers, mortars and artillery attacks against ATO positions.

The enemy’s drones were seen near Mariupil.

The ATO press center informs: Ukrainian servicemen continue to fortify positions and enhance combat readiness, complete duties at block posts, as well as participate in development of peaceful and calm life in Donbas.


400 Russian mercenaries moving from Rostov to Donetsk| Ukrinform
KYIV, December 24 /Ukrinform/. Near Snizhne, Donetsk region, movement of 400 Russian mercenaries was fixed, who passed training at the “training camp” in Russian Rostov-on-Don.

Head of the Information Resistance group Dmytro Tymchuk wrote on Facebook.

“Near Snizhne, movement of 400 Russian mercenaries was fixed, who passed training at the “training camp” in Rostov-on-Don (Russian Federation), they are moving in the direction of Donetsk,” he writes.

Tymchuk added that the mercenaries are unarmed.

“Equipment and weapons are delivered separately for them. They are accompanied by the armed Russian servicemen. Group commanders received stringent requirements for the time of the movement to nip alcohol and other misconduct,” the Information Resistance group leader informs.




Kryivka – small houses-shelters for soldiers - Міністерство оборони України
Wednesday, December 24. RIVNE OBLAST — Rivne specialists completed re-equipment of 8 naval containers in military kryivka (small houses-shelters for soldiers). They will be sent to the ATO region soon.

Eleven containers are under re-equipment now. Totally, it is planned to send over 20 re-equipped containers.

 

[vostok]

Presentation of the battle flag to detached commandant regiment of the People's Militia of Lugansk Republic.

 

[Hindustani78]

What are the borders of this Lugansk Republic ?

 

[Hindustani78]

Saboteurs blow up railway bridge in Mariupol - watch on - uatoday.tv
Dec. 24, 2014

Police call bridge explosion in Mariupol an act of terrorism

Saboteurs have blown up a railway bridge over the Kalchyk river near the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol. As a result, one of the concrete supports for the bridge collapsed.

There were no reports of injuries, although the railway connection with Mariupol has been disrupted. Local officials say residents could have helped by informing authorites of threats to the bridge.

Oleg Kalinin, spokesman of Mariupol city council: "We have an information there was a car near the exploded bridge during two days. Local residents saw that car but they didn't tell it to police. As a result, the act of terrorism occured."

Police said another incident occured that night, when unknown assailants tried to blow up a bridge at the Azovstal factory. Workers prevented the accident.

Shooting erupted and one worker was killed while another was injured.

A bridge, which was destroyed during the early hours on Tuesday by an unknown group, is pictured on a railway across the river Karchyk at the southern coastal town of Mariupol, December 23, 2014.

Car blown up in center of Odesa near Board of Public Safety office - read on - uatoday.tv
Another explosion occurred in central Odesa on Tuesday night, adding to a list of as-yet unsolved bomb attacks in the southern Ukrainian port city

News of the explosion was reported by the head of Public Relations Department of Chief Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Odesa region, Vladimir Shablienko.

According to him, yesterday at about 6:30 p.m. an unidentified person approached a Moskvich 2141 car parked next to a building at 36 Zhukovsky Street. Shablienko, said surveillance cameras captured video of the person throwing a package under the back of the car. After some time, an explosion occurred.

According to the head of the department, a team of investigators and experts is currently working at the scene. No casualties were reported as the result of explosion.

As reported by the Public Relations Department of Regional Chief Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the explosive package contained approximately 70-100 grams of TNT based on the preliminary findings of experts. The suspect fled the scene after committing the crime.

 

[Hindustani78]

Russia says NATO turning Ukraine into 'frontline of confrontation'| Reuters

(Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday NATO was turning Ukraine into a "frontline of confrontation" and threatened to sever remaining ties with the Atlantic military alliance if Ukraine's hopes of joining it were realized.

The Kiev parliament's renunciation of Ukraine's neutral status on Tuesday in pursuit of NATO membership has outraged Moscow and deepened the worst confrontation between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War.

"NATO countries pushed Kiev to this counterproductive decision, trying to turn Ukraine into a front line of confrontation with Russia," Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov told the Russian news agency Interfax.

"If this decision in the future takes on a military character (accession to NATO), then we will respond appropriately. Then there will be a complete severing of ties with NATO, which will be practically impossible to repair," Antonov said.

It is likely to take years for Ukraine to meet the technical criteria for accession to NATO and, even then, there is no certainty that the alliance is ready to take on such a political hot potato.

Yet Russia has made clear it would see the NATO membership of such a strategic former Soviet republic with a long common border as a direct military threat.

A NATO official, who asked not to be named, said it was solely up to Kiev to decide on its foreign policy.

"Should Ukraine decide to apply for NATO membership, NATO will assess its readiness to join the alliance in the same way as with any candidate. This is an issue between NATO and the individual countries aspiring to membership," the official said.

NATO has already boosted its military presence in eastern Europe this year, saying it has evidence that Russia orchestrated and armed a pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine that followed the overthrow of a Kremlin-backed president in Kiev.

Moscow denies supporting the rebellion, and is currently trying, along with Kiev and the rebels, to renew efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine.

A so-called "contact group" is expected to meet in Minsk on Wednesday to try to reinforce a shaky ceasefire and de-escalate the conflict, in which more than 4,700 people have been killed.

A truce agreed in September has been regularly flouted by both sides, but violence has lessened significantly in December.

The rebellion began shortly after Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in March.

 

[Superboy]

What are the borders of this Lugansk Republic ?

Not yet settled. The US declared independence in 1775 but didn't retake all territory until 1783.

 

[Hindustani78]

Not yet settled. The US declared independence in 1775 but didn't retake all territory until 1783.

you gave really very strange answers. how many regions are under control of Separatists in East Ukraine ?


A pro-Russian separatist stands guard in front of a building damaged during fighting between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian government forces near Donetsk Sergey Prokofiev International Airport, eastern Ukraine, December 16, 2014.

Ukraine warns of more power cuts if mild weather fades| Reuters

(Reuters) - Ukraine will be forced to implement more power cuts if the weather gets sharply colder, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said on Wednesday.

Kiev had already temporarily cut off electricity to Crimea.

Ukraine used to be self-sufficient in electricity, but months of fighting a pro-Russian uprising has disrupted coal supplies to thermal power plants, which had generated around 40 percent of its power.

"At the moment the warm weather is saving us," Yatseniuk said in a government meeting.

"If temperatures go down, this means coal consumption will rise and the rolling blackouts will increase significantly."

The energy ministry temporarily cut off power supplies to Crimea after the peninsula, annexed by Russia, failed to curb consumption as required by all regions due to the power shortage.

Supplies were later resumed, but Energy Minister Voldymyr Demchyshyn warned that all regions, including rebel-held territories, would be cut off entirely if they did not ration power according to the official guidelines.

"The outlined limits will be monitored very strictly," he told the government.

Kiev stopped paying pensions and social benefits in Donetsk and Luhansk out of worries the funds would end up in rebel hands, but said in November it would continue supplying gas and electricity.

Coal reserves stand at 1.5 million tonnes compared with normal winter stocks of 4-5 million tonnes, according to energy ministry data.

Ukraine has looked to buy in coal from abroad to restock depleted reserves, but potential supplies from Russia have been held up at the border.

Demchyshyn said he was holding talks with Russia's energy ministry and hoped that an agreement would be reached "in the near future" that would allow the more than 1,000 freight cars at the border to cross into Ukraine.

He also said talks on power imports from Russia were in progress.

Turning to Russia for supplies will be a blow for Kiev, whose relations with the Kremlin are at an all-time low following Russia's annexation of Crimea in March and its involvement in the eastern conflict in which over 4,700 have been killed.

(Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Katya Golubkova and William Hardy)

 

[Superboy]

how many regions are under control of Separatists in East Ukraine ?

For now, roughly half the population or 3 million, 1 third the area of Donbas, most of the big cities including the capitals Donetsk and Lugansk, over 50% of Ukraine's coal mines.

 

[Hindustani78]

For now, roughly half the population or 3 million, 1 third the area of Donbas, most of the big cities including the capitals Donetsk and Lugansk, over 50% of Ukraine's coal mines.

Its seems very less area just some districts.