(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, April 18, 2014) What the US, the EU and Ukraine itself agreed to in Geneva is “worse than Munich” because Kyiv joined in giving international sanction to actions of the Russian aggressor and opening the way for the transformation of the internal arrangements of Ukraine regardless of what Ukrainians want, according to […]
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Supreme Allied Commander Europe http://aco.nato.int/saceur2013/blog/who-are-the-men-behind-the-masks.aspx 17 April 2014 Who Are the Men Behind the Masks? By General Philip Breedlove NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and Commander of U.S. European Command. [DJ: Headline in Military Times : “4-star: Armed attackers in Ukraine are Russian troops in disguise”] It’s hard to fathom that groups of armed men in masks suddenly sprang […]
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… 11. Financial Times: Kathrin Hille, The Putin Show.
12. Jamestown Foundation Eurasia Daily Monitor: Pavel Felgenhauer, Putin Hovering on the Brink of a Massive Invasion of Ukraine.
13. www.thenation.com: Katrina vanden Heuvel, For Now, Diplomacy Defuses Ukraine Crisis. …
(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 11, Issue 73 – Pavel Felgenhauer – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – April 17, 2014) The Ukrainian crisis and the “reunification” of Crimea with the rest of Russia dominated President Vladimir Putin’s almost four-hour-long televised national phone-in-an annual PR performance that had been previously dominated by discussion of pensions, utility payments, inflation, wages and other internal “bread […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – April 17, 2014) Breaking his tradition of publicly tongue-lashing opponents at home and abroad, President Vladimir Putin assumed a non-predatory stance Thursday to diffuse fears of escalation of the ongoing rift with the West over the Ukraine crisis during his annual live call-in show broadcast on national television and online. “I believe […]
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… 11. New York Times: Talks a Chance for Russia to Step Back on Ukraine.
12. Irish Times: Ukraine’s anti-terror operation undone by villagers.
13. Wall Street Journal: Ukrainian Troops Encounter Angry Words, Gifts of Food.
14. The Guardian: Ukrainian troops ‘demoralised’ as civilians face down anti-terror drive. …
[“Is Vladimir Putin Another Adolf Hitler?” – Forbes – Paul Johnson – May 5, 2014] Forbes recalls the aggressive expansion of the Third Reich and draws parallels with the ideology and policies of today’s Putin-led Kremlin. … Had the Allies stopped Hitler at the beginning, when he was remilitarizing the Rhineland, he’d have been overthrown and World War II avoided. But the only one […]
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[“A fearful new world, imperiled by Russia’s subterfuge” – Anne Applebaum – Washington Post – April 17, 2014] The Washington Post covers Russia’s reported involvement in Ukraine, including the role of Russia special forces and military intelligence: … So far, the Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine looks nothing like these battles. This war involves not soldiers but local thugs and […]
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[“U.S., EU, Russia Talks Working Toward Joint Statement on Ukraine; First Sign That Geneva Discussions are Making Progress” – Wall Street Journal – Laurence Norman – April 17, 2014] The Wall Street Journal reports on unfolding talks in Geneva between the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and the European Union. While there reportedly was mention of a joint statement as a sign […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Christopher Brennan – April 17, 2014) The State Duma has approved in a first reading a bill that would put an end to direct mayoral elections in some of Russia’s largest cities in what critics said was an attempt to ensure the appointment of mayors loyal to the Kremlin. The bill was approved Tuesday by […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Delphine d’Amora – April 17, 2014) After a string of domestic blockbusters and the strongest first quarter in recent years, it seems fair to say that the Russian film industry is on the rise – but the story is far from over, a local producer says. “Russian cinema is experiencing a very important moment right […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, April 17, 2014) Given the Kremlin’s promotion of traditional family values and Russian interest in all things Putin, a distant relative of the Kremlin leader has put out a second edition of his genealogy of the family, the presentation of which in Moscow this week speaks volumes about Vladimir Putin’s real family […]
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MOSCOW, April 17 (RIA Novosti) – Kiev’s claim that Russian special forces are involved in orchestrating protests in Ukraine “smells of paranoia,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Thursday. Shoigu’s comment followed a statement by Ukrainian security chief Valentin Nalivaichenko, who alleged Russian special forces are participating in ongoing pro-federalization protests in southeastern Ukraine. “These statements smell of paranoia,” Shoigu […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, April 17, 2014) Some see the rising tide of anti-Americanism and anti-Western attitudes in Russia as a recrudescence of the Cold War, but in fact, the attitudes that the Putin regime is promoting now are very different and much worse than those which his Soviet predecessors sponsored, according to Georgy Mirsky. In […]
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WASHINGTON, April 17 (RIA Novosti) – Moscow and Kiev can find common ground during Thursday’s four-party talks on the crisis in Ukraine in Geneva, former US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Karl Pifer told RIA Novosti. If Russian Prime Minister Sergei Lavrov comes with a mandate to try to defuse the crisis, “the US, EU, Ukrainian and Russian representatives could have […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexei Lossan, RBTH – April 15, 2014) After seeing its gas discounts canceled by the Russian gas giant, Kyiv is seeking alternatives to purchasing gas directly from Russia. Ukraine has proposed obtaining more than 50 percent of its gas by reversing gas flows from the EU, but Gazprom is blocking the move. After […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Tom Balmforth – KYIV, April 16, 2014) Upon hearing a long, protracted siren, all citizens at home should turn on their radios, learn the location of the nearest bomb shelter, and inform their neighbors. They should then close all their windows, turn off the gas and water supply at the mains, gather up necessities including personal medication, and walk without […]
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KIEV, April 17 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian authorities are open to discussing granting Russian the status of an official language in the country’s southeastern regions, the acting head of the ruling political party in parliament said Thursday. “We will regulate this issue in a law that will stipulate the right of regions with a large proportion of a minority population […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Harriet Salem in Slaviansk and Kramatorsk – April 17, 2014) The Ukrainian government’s military operation to disarm the pro-Russian separatists and take back the seized buildings in the east of the country is in chaos, with soldiers surrendering, abandoning materiel and fleeing in the face of a better organised and more disciplined opposition. This […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Nikolai Gorshkov, special to RBTH – April 17, 2014) While both Russia and the West are calling for a de-escalation of the situation in eastern Ukraine, there appear to be fundamental differences between each side’s view as to what constitute appropriate measures to achieve this aim. What are the possible options for resolving […]
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MOSCOW, April 17 (RIA Novosti) – Russia and Ukraine have grounds for dialogue, Russian political scientists said after analyzing President Vladimir Putin’s comments during a live question and answer session with the public on Thursday. “These words give hope that dialogue is still possible,” Alexei Makarkin, an analyst and deputy director at the Center for Political Technologies in Moscow said. […]
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MOSCOW. April 17 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said U.S. President Barack Obama would save him if he was drowning because he is a decent and courageous person. When asked by six-year-old Albina, whether Obama would save him if he was drowning, Putin said: “I can not say that we have some special personal relations with the U.S. president. […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Dmitriy Romendik, RBTH – April 16, 2014) This huge apartment block across the river from the Kremlin is one of the enduring symbols of the Stalin era. In the 1930s the apartments inside were allocated only to senior officials and the Soviet elite, but when many of them fell from favor, a grim […]
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… 3. Wall Street Journal: First Shots Rile Pro-Russian Crowds in Ukraine.
4. The Guardian: Troops fire as locals in Kramatorsk confront Ukraine general Vasily Krutov.
5. Reuters: Separatists fly Russian flag over Ukrainian armoured vehicles.
6. The Guardian: Ukraine crisis stirs resentment in birthplace of fugitive president. ….
(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, April 15, 2014) Vladimir Putin, in his effort to save his rule by intervening militarily in Ukraine, is pushing the world not toward a new cold war as many say but rather to something far worse and more dangerous, one in which one or another side may in fact view the use […]
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[“Russia believed to have plans to split Ukraine in three” – Australian Broadcasting Company – April 15, 2014] The Australian Broadcasting Company intereviews Taras Berezovets, Ukrainian political analyst and strategist. Berezovets also served as an advisor to Yulia Tymoshenka during her second term as Ukraine’s Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010. According to Berezovets, interrogations of captured Russian intelligence officers have prompted a conclusion […]
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[“US backs Ukraine military action in east region” – AP – April 15, 2014] AP reports that the Obama administration is giving tacit support to Ukrainian military action against pro-Russia separatists: White House spokesman Jay Carney says such action isn’t the preferred option, but that the Ukrainian government has to respond to what he says is an untenable situation. * * *… because […]
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[Separatists fly Russian flag over Ukrainian armoured vehicles – Gabriela Baczynska & Thomas Grove – April 16, 2014] Reuters covers emerging events in eastern Ukraine, including separatists hoisting a Russian flag … efforts by the Ukrainian government to reclaim buildings from armed rebels … and upcoming talks between Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the European Union … even as Russia speaks […]
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(The Heritage Foundation – heritage.org – Daniel Kochis – April 15, 2014) Today, the Ukrainian military began “anti-terror” operations to wrest control of some eastern police stations and government buildings from pro-Russian militants who had seized these installations during the previous week. These militants, along with suspected Russian Special Forces, have stirred up unrest in cities in eastern Ukraine, capturing government buildings and […]
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BRUSSELS, April 16 (RIA Novosti) – NATO will intensify air patrols over Eastern Europe and dispatch extra ships to the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas due to the crisis in Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after a meeting of alliance ambassadors in Brussels. “We will have more planes in the air, more ships on the water, and more […]
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HANOI, April 16 (RIA Novosti) – All parties interested in settling the ongoing crisis in Ukraine must call on the Kiev authorities to move from words to action, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday. “Those who are a sincere friend of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people, are obliged to convince the current authorities to move from words to action and […]
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MOSCOW, April 16 (RIA Novosti) – Statements that Russia allegedly threatens Ukraine and Europe with a military invasion are “nonsense,” Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told Rossiya24 TV channel Wednesday. “All the horror stories that Russia will take over Ukraine today and tomorrow the Russian troops will reach the English Channel, Bordeaux and the Cote d’Azur are complete nonsense. We […]
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KYIV. April 16 (Interfax) – Ukrainian Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko has expressed his indignation at the operation in eastern Ukraine and proposed an immediate referendum on the administrative and territorial division of Ukraine and the broadest powers of local communities. “This is the only way to preserve the integrity and unity of the country,” the party press service quoted […]
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(Interfax – Moscow, April 15, 2014) Europe and America should stop talking about the need to help Ukraine and finally do something to help its economy, Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev has said. “All those who talk about the need to help Ukraine should finally do something for Ukraine. I mean our European partners and partners across the ocean. Let […]
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… 24. BBC: Jonathan Marcus, Ukraine crisis: What now?
25. Irish Times: Daniel McLaughlin, Ukrainian army rendered lame by Yanukovich’s neglect.
26. Voice of America: Q&A with US Amb. Geoffrey Pyatt: Ukraine Crisis Escalates as War Fears Grow.
27. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, MOSCOW BLOG: Nato refutes Russian claim was promised no expansion.
28. Moscow Times: Alexander Golts, Why NATO Should Erect a Monument to Putin. …
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – April 15, 2014) Nabi Abdullaev, a former deputy editor-in-chief of The Moscow Times, will replace Andrew McChesney at the helm of the newspaper later this week, MT publisher Ekaterina Movsumova said Monday. Abdullaev, who most recently headed RIA Novosti’s foreign-language news service, said he would concentrate on further developing The Moscow Times into a major […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Marina Obrazkova, RBTH – April 15, 2014) According to statistics, children in Russia have grown bigger over the past 10 years, largely due to changes in lifestyle and the quality of food. Experts have expressed concern over the trend and claim it is a symptom of a growing health problem among the country’s […]
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(Interfax – April 15, 2014) New U.S. sanctions against Russia may impact the global economy but may in the end stimulate economic reforms in Russia, businessmen’s rights commissioner Boris Titov said. “Of course, we would like to avoid sanctions. Money loves tranquility that is why the economy can develop only when international relations in the world are aimed at reducing […]
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MOSCOW, April 15 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s financial sector is reliable and under control, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said during a meeting with finance officials Tuesday. “We are in a very uneasy situation indeed, that’s why we need to make some allowances … but they are not supposed to be fundamental. On the whole, we think the situation of […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Katie Davies – April 15, 2014) Russia’s first anti-sexual harassment law has been submitted to the State Duma, despite concerns among critics that its terms will be used to deport foreign workers unfairly. The changes will protect the honor and dignity of “the more beautiful, but weaker sex,” said Oleg Nilov, the bill’s author and […]
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MOSCOW, April 15 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin will answer questions from the public Thursday during his twelfth yearly call-in show called “Direct Line with Vladimir Putin.” This year’s “Direct Line” comes as the country is facing accusations of fomenting unrest in Ukraine after the breakaway republic Crimea voted by a landslide to leave Ukraine for Russia last […]
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Subject: A Way Forward in Ukraine Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2014 16:58:59 -0500 From: rware@siue.edu A Way Forward in Ukraine By Robert Bruce Ware Robert Bruce Ware is a professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He is the co-author of Dagestan: Russian Hegemony and Islamic Resistance, and editor of The Fire Below: How the Caucasus Shaped Russia. In Ukraine, we […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – D. Garrison Golubock – April 15, 2014) As President Vladimir Putin mobilizes soldiers on Russia’s Ukrainian border and NATO threatens consequences for any interference in eastern Ukraine, the atmosphere of angry rhetoric and brinkmanship seems frighteningly similar to the imperial squabbles of the 19th century that led to the Crimean War. While often thought of […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Sangwon Yoon – April 14, 2014) The U.S. readiness to impose new economic sanctions on Russia over Ukraine is offset by the European Union’s reluctance to introduce stronger measures that could threaten its already fragile economic recovery. While the Obama administration said yesterday that it’s prepared to ramp up sanctions, possibly to target specific sectors of […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – April 15, 2014) Liberal Democrat Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s call to close all McDonald’s restaurants in Russia received a lot of media attention, and a recent poll shows that most Russians would be glad to see the back of the fast food chain. Sixty-two percent of respondents support the closure of all McDonald’s in Russia, […]
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BEIJING. April 15 (Interfax) – Acting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s initiative proposing dialogue with the southeastern regions of the country is a step in the right direction, albeit a belated one, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said. “As for the initiatives linked with Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s recent trip to the southeast and his announcement that the current Kyiv authorities […]
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(Business New Europe MOSCOW BLOG – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – April 15, 2014) The Kremlin is very unhappy about the EU’s bid to pull Ukraine into its economic orbit through the Association Agreement that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych failed to sign in November. But what really gives Moscow the willies is Nato’s unrelenting march eastwards over the […]
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(Voice of America – April 14, 2014) The escalating situation in Ukraine appears to be on the verge of armed conflict as Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov asked the United Nations Monday to send peacekeeping troops to the east of the country, where pro-Russia militias have seized government buildings and blocked major highways with impunity. Geoffrey Pyatt has served as United […]
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PARIS. April 15 (Interfax) – Democracy in Ukraine, as well as in any other country, can not be affirmed via nationalists’ ideology, Russian State Duma Chairman Sergei Naryshkin said. “The initial democratic impulse of many people [in Ukraine] has been essentially devalued by depending on radicals – those, who rattle their sabers in a domestic civil conflict and do not […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Christopher Brennan – April 15, 2014) A pro-Russian candidate for the Ukrainian presidency was beaten on Tuesday morning by a crowd in Kiev and remains in critical condition, the politician’s press service said. Oleh Tsaryov, a former Party of the Region’s deputy, was attacked by armed men outside the ICTV television station, where the lawmaker […]
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