As I have already written here many times, what is currently taking place in the Ukraine is basically a bizarre form of national suicide. The strangest aspect of this is the kind of bizarre zig-zag the new revolutionary regime is constantly making like, for example, in the case of the law on languages which removed the official status of the Russian language and which was repealed almost immediately after its adoption. Well, the Ukies did it again.
First, they passed a law introducing visas with Russia. Then, somebody realized that the amount of money sent home by Ukrainians working in Russia was roughly equal to 12% of the Ukrainian GDP. Then, somebody also realized that most of the folks working in Russia are not from the eastern Ukraine, which actually has a semi functional industry and economy, but from the poor western Ukraine and that the only people hurt by the passing of such a visa regime would be the western Ukrainians amongst whom the vast majority of the neo-Nazis from the Right Sector and the “Freedom” Party are recruited. So they “suspended” that decision.
In the meantime, the Nazi thugs have stormed a well-known vodka factory in the western Ukraine. The resulting drunken stupor must be a “fringe benefit” of revolutionary fervor…
The Saker
Saker Message:
I hope this fake government in Ukraine self-implodes soon and with minimal fuss, so that Ukrainians can start forging a viable future and rebuild their state and country.
Another funny thing is that if they insist on Crimea being part of Ukraine, they will never be able to join NATO due to unresolved border issues. LOL
Speaking of “fringe benefits”. The usual suspects are already using this Israeli-American aggression against Russia and the Ukraine sell increases in the war budget:
Pentagon Not Ready for Cold War 2 http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-not-ready-cold-war-2-094500985–politics.html
вот так
I’ve learned that Russians responded to the list of “persona non-grata” with their own version. I would raither they did not. As they treated US/EU “sanction” as the joke in the beginning, they should continue, and impose economic sanction when needed.
Well the sanctions farce continues too – US ratching it up again today. The tongue in cheek Russian response made me chortle – the Russians put nutter McCain on the list :)- happy days.
Apparently, the coup interim govt. now saying they are going to seize Russian assets belonging to Gazprom etc. because of the loss of assets in Crimea….they really are thick. Don’t they owe Russia a huge gas bill and $20 billion in repatriation costs etc. They really are a bunch of dumb **ks! (excuse the language).
Looks like the US is writing their scripts for them…..
Rgds,
Veritas
It seems to me that Ukraine is already a defacto member of NATO, because it is allowing NATO-US led military training exercises to be conducted in the western part of the country. Does that set a precedent for Russia to conduct similar exercises in the eastern part? It’s very worrisome.
“Soon Putin Wont Help You”
«Скоро никакой Путин вам не поможет»
Article paints how Putin is held responsible for all that ails the Ukraine, but soon reality will set in.
http://www.km.ru/world/2014/03/19/protivostoyanie-na-ukraine-2013-14/735053-platon-besedin-skoro-nikakoi-putin-vam-ne#.UymP77cFVGh.facebook
Sorry, Russian only.
T1
As the old saying goes: whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.
Lysander 14:50 Well, you couldn’t call the City of London quite as mad as the US or Israel, all things considered, but two out of three ain’t bad, huh?
Russia should respond by banning Western NGOs and seizing their assets.
I am following this blog with interest, not least because I worked for months last year on a publishing project involving Gazprom. I have tried to post comment numerous times but so far none has been posted. I guess someone must have decided that I am a troll or Nazi of some kind, which is odd because actually my mother was a victim of the Nazi Regime. Or, perhaps I am failing to do a step in posting a comment, but I don’t see what it could be.
Swedish media tells us a TV-channel called Dozjd is being closed. “Last free channel” the saying goes.
Comments ?
@Anonymous:I guess someone must have decided that I am a troll or Nazi of some kind, which is odd because actually my mother was a victim of the Nazi Regime. Or, perhaps I am failing to do a step in posting a comment, but I don’t see what it could be.
When did that happen? I have not banned a comment in many days already. I think that the Nazi trolls just packed their crap and left. Please try again and email me if you are not getting through, ok?
Cheers,
The Saker
Regarding the vodka factory invasion:
The nazis seem unable to control their thugs country-wide. Which means that the Ukraine will likely fracture.
Will we be seeing warlords there?
@Saker (and everyone)
Do we have more details on the zig-zagging process? First the language thing, then non-action in Crimea and the visa issues.
To make any analysis that would help us see into the future, it would be interesting
* who initiated these policies?
* who promoted them?
* who “vetoed” them?
My uneducated guess – as I can’t read Ukrainian or Russian and am not able to follow the stories in detail – was that the nationalists initiate these irrational policies, only to get frustrated by the banker Yats, who might be an asshole, but he probably thinks about the consequences of his actions on his own government beforehand.
That said, Yats himself has given some agitated speeches like the “there’s nowhere to hide for secessionists, the earth will burn, you won’t even be safe in Crimea” – which sounds like he’s eying Mossad style actions. No wonder, as a Jew, like many of the oligarchs, these guys do have connections to the West, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they approved of the various Israeli and American assassination and terror campaigns.
Honk
This is an interesting post. i have a Ukrainian friend from central Ukraine that would venture up to Russia to work construction in Moscow. The working conditions were horrible (sleeping on the floor in the cold etc.) pay was awful, and to top it off, when he was on the way back to Ukraine a Russian policeman stopped him asked why he as a Ukrainian was taking Russia’s money… then proceeded to steal his hard earned cash.
Bottom line… i highly doubt these types of Ukrainian folks at this point care to work for Russia. They are pissed about what is happening… and most likely were mobilized a few weeks ago, and are in training now.
Whom the gods would destroy , They first ally with John McCain and Bernard Henri levy democracy democracy
@myself
> * who initiated these policies?
> * who promoted them?
> * who “vetoed” them?
Watching today’s RT news, it looks like Yats himself promoted many, only to backtrack later. And I guess he gets “advice” from the US, and of course talking to his loligarchs. Looks like he’s lacking the very “political experience” imputed by Noland.
Honk
@Brian lol. Nice update to a classic.
Hi Saker ,Keep up the good work.
Ot : i found this article on Liz Wahl ‘ RT stunt.
Might be helpfull.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/how_cold_war-hungry_neocons_stage_managed_liz_wahls_resignation_20140319
Hello Saker!
First I’d like to express my great admiration for the work you are doing in the blog.
And for the moment I’d jkust like to say that your references to Ukraine’s national suicide. reminded me of the extraordinary words said by Yatsenyuk to the BBC in a short interview right after the Maidaners announced he was to be the new PM:
“We are on the brink of a disaster and this is the government of political suiciders! So welcome to hell.”
I think he means it. They must have realized from the beginning that power would be theirs only through force.
The video report is at this BBC page:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26359150