It’s been over a month since my last Ukraine SITREP.
and the Saker’s Ukraine SITREP covering the latest “democratic” elections in Ukraine.
Nothing has changed since then. It seems that Ukraine experiences Groundhog Day over and over again. Even worse, since Russia has commenced its fight against ISIS in the Middle East, since the beginning of the Middle Eastern and African refugee crisis in Europe, since the Paris terror attack and since the closing of the EU borders and the establishment of the European Union army, Ukraine has been all but forgotten in the Western media. Unfairly so, because everything that’s going on in Ukraine, starting with the fascist putsch in February 2014, is a horrifying sick farce, but a very European farce nevertheless, with its brutal anti-culture, anti-history, and anti-Russian nature.
I must say here that I have never blamed the Ukrainians for wanting to have better lives. Their desire to be a part of a prosperous, peaceful and law abiding community is fully understandable. Things get murky, though, when it comes to the question of who would be paying for Ukraine’s European prosperity. Never ever, not even once a Ukrainian has said that they were going to work hard, and to sacrifice everything to build their own Ukrainian dream. No.
Since the American occupation of Soviet Union in 1990s, Russian economy and society lived under the Constitution and laws written by the US State Department organization USAID. Somewhere there was a provision that Russia had to sponsor Ukraine, and Russia had been supporting Ukraine to the extent of $100bln annually in direct money infusion, payments for Sevastopol ports, deep gas and oil discounts, cheap electricity, free markets for Ukrainian goods, visa free regime for Ukraine migrant workers, and who knows how else. When the Russian people would express their outrage towards this enormous draw on the Russian economy and consequently on their own livelihoods, the Russian government would explain that it was a price to pay for keeping Ukraine neutral and not joining the EU and NATO. It was easier to pay the Ukrainian government and support Ukrainian society, the Russians were told, than to fight NATO on our borders. “Don’t you forget,” the Russian government was saying since Gorbachev. “They’re our people, we can’t abandon them.”
This strategy of paying for friendship worked for twenty some years, until the financial crisis of 2008 started the biggest wealth transfer from the people of the Western and not so Western nations to the private Central banks. As a consequence, consumption dropped, commodity prices dropped, petrodollar died, and $700 trillion in toxic derivative debt issued by the Western “developed” countries rose up over the world economies seeking redemption. In comparison, the entire globe’s annual GDP is $70 trillion.
That’s why in 2013, the NATO countries decided that they wanted Russia to support them fully via Ukraine. Washington and Brussels in their eternal political wisdom decided that they would take over the Ukrainian government, and make Ukraine’s economy that was fully sponsored by Russia to be a part of the European Union economy. The free trade agreement with Ukraine would let them to dump cheap low quality European goods and produce on the Russia’s market and get back trillion dollars from Russia to support and grow their own economies and workforce. Meanwhile, the Washington people in the Russian government and the Russia’s Central Bank would do everything to keep Ukraine awash with Russian monetary infusions and to continue pumping cheap gas to the EU via Ukraine, being a “gas station masquerading as a country” (John McCain) and all. Meanwhile, NATO military basis and fleet located in Crimea and along the Russia borders would guarantee the Russians compliance with this brilliant scheme.
Something went terribly wrong, though.
Washington and Brussels, and the Western nations en mass, underestimated the horrible trauma that Russian society has been enduring since the Great Patriotic War against fascist Europe, when all the European countries came to Russia (or USSR) to “kill all the Russians.” Since the victory of the Soviet Union, the Europeans and the Americans insulted, belittled, and mocked the superhuman efforts and losses the Russian people endured to push the murderous European hordes back to Europe.
The Western nations underestimated the horrible trauma that the Russian society experienced in 1990s when the Russians peacefully surrendered their society, their lands, their economy to the West, hoping to be accepted and treated as equals by the “world” community. Instead, the West dealt with the Russian skillfully, decisively, and mercilessly, just like the American Indians were dealt with by the colonizers. The Russia was gutted, scalped, and hanged on a cross to die slow and painful death. Some say that Russia like a cat has nine lives. Others say that Russia died and resurrected like Phoenix or Jesus. Open wounds have not healed yet, when after the February 22nd 2014 putsch in Kiev, and publication of the US Department of Defense tenders on the constructions of facilities in Sevastopol for the US fleet and NAVY everyone in Russia, including its government, understood that it was a declaration of war, and stood up in arms.
What has that spelled for Ukraine? The country turned into an economic wasteland, with an openly fascist, ultra-nationalist government, endless civil war, tortures, kidnappings, murders of the opposition to the Kiev junta, the systemic shutdown of the whole manufacturing sector, transfer of the state owned arable lands to new owners like Monsanto, Dupont, Saudis, and Germany; discontinuance of the free trade with Russia from January 2016; discontinuance of the visa free regime with Russia starting with December 2015; deportation of about 1.3 million migrant workers back to Ukraine; discontinuance of the free electric power, free coal from Russia plus $800 million in subsidies to keep Crimea on the Ukrainian power grid; discontinuance of the supplies of maintenance parts, and fuel for the Ukraine’s failing nuclear power stations. Ukraine has turned into a hub for the ISIS Jihadists to travel in and out Europe, for illegal weapon trade, hub for slave trafficking and human organs trafficking, List goes on, and on, and on. Instead of Russia supporting Ukraine and Europe as planed, the US and EU have Ukraine on their financial life support. The full scale of this support is not known, but most likely it’s in hundreds of billions per year.
As for the Ukrainians, they declared that they wanted to get rid of the Russian market, because they don’t need Russia due to being an integral part of the European Union. Who cares about some Asian country of mongoloids, when you are part of the pure blood white Arian Europe? Turns out the EU cares, because they wanted an open door to Russia and China, and instead got a trapdoor to the Ukrainian outhouse, booby-trapped and filled with rotten corpses.
Ukraine SITREP
In preparation of this report, I used the generous assistance of thesaker’s research assistant Baaz.
1. 2016 budget of Ukraine was prepared by the foreign company. [source]
According to the Rada member Sergey Taruta, the state budget for 2015 was prepared by two unnamed persons one of them is dead now, and the second one was fired. In his resent interview for a TV program 112 Ukraine, Taruta said that the Ministry of Economy doesn’t seem to know who prepared the budget for 2016. He also said that the Ministry is more interested in creating zones of complete economic desolation, rather then prosperity.
TASS reported in November that the budget of Ukraine is completely oriented to financed the war on Donbass. IMF required Ukraine to cut at least 25% of spending. Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalia Yaresko earlier said “difficult decisions” were required to cut 2016 budget expenditures by at least 60 billion hryvnia or possibly by 200 billion hryvnia ($8.7 billion), i.e. by 25% The Ukrainian finance minister also proposed cutting budget expenditures at the expense of health care and education.
Now, in mid December there are some voices in Ukraine government that talking about serous pension cuts or even elimination pensions altogether.
2. Ukraine political cleansing continues.
Something weird is happening right now:
SBU claims that it has arrested “Russian spies/diversionists” in a “special operation”, says – two dead, one is “Russian” the other is from SBU’s Alpha assault unit. [source]
Then it says that the leader of the group was a Ukrainian citizen (surprise, surprise): [source]
And just after that there is another operation in Krasnogorovka (Donetsk oblast, under govt. control), 85 arrested: [source]
Killed” Russian” was Right Sector member and buddhist monk, but anyway “FSB agent for 100%” [source]
This gets even more surreal:
Killed leader of the group of “Russian spies” comprised of 3 Ukrainians and two Russians was a “former” member of Right Sector Oleg Muzhyl (not sure how credible is that former part), aka Sergey Amirov, aka Dorzhe-Jambo-lama, a buddhist monk (sic!).
Other members of Right Sector claim that he was kicked out because “he was 100% FSB agent”.
Russia confirms that there are Russian citizens among detained 5, but they don’t know anything specific on the matter: [source]
It seems he was senior RS member [source]
That article claims that in summer of 2014 his unit “destroyed columns of Russian vehicles” and “committed raids in Rostov oblast.” Cocaine is a hell of a drug.
That’s also a nice reading from summer 2014 – [source]
Especially the part of his cooperation with SBU and now being killed by SBU.
3. December 11 – Yatsenyuk denies responsibility for corruption, gets attacked by lawmaker (VIDEO)
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, giving his annual report in Verkhovna Rada on Dec. 11, said government is not responsible for corruption, much to the annoyance of lawmakers. Minutes later, he got attacked by one of them – Oleg Barna of the Bloc of President Petro Poroshenko — and in a way that was exceptional even for the often misbehaving Ukrainian legislators. [source]
The pro-Poroshenko lawmakers lifts Yastsenyuk up like a little doll and almost slammed him on the floor. A brawl ensued afterwards. Hilarious video.
Anyhow Saakashvili who has harshly criticized Yats his nomination as Odessa’s governor in May, is going to replace him soon. Then there will be a open war (the underground one is already going on) between Poroshenko and Saakashvili on one side and Yatsenyuk and his crew on the other.
4. Crimea Blackout: Ukraine Was Just Inches Away From a New Chernobyl
Cutting power to ‘occupied’ Crimea might not be such a good idea when you simultaneously cut power to your own nuclear power stations [source]
As Vasily Volga explains, nuclear power plants require regular preventive maintenance to prevent accidents on a Chernobyl scale.
“We can’t tell the core of the reactor and its ancillary systems “We don’t have money, so continue working and we’ll do preventive maintenance later”. When operating instructions say the gasket in the main centrifugal pump has to be changed every year, it should be changed every year”.
The systems used in the Ukrainian nuclear reactors are produced in the Ukraine or in Russia. Currently, due to poor relations, scheduled preventive maintenance at nuclear power plants is not being done. Kiev knows this, but doesn’t talk about it because to fix it would require a call to Moscow. Or maybe they just don’t understand how dangerous it is to run the nuclear power industry with whatever funds they can scrape together.
5. Dec 6: Kiev junta celebrates Nuland’s visit to Ukraine by increasing the shelling of Donetsk, because the US Democracy feeds on human sacrifice.
6. Poroshenko, Yastsenyuk and Co. failed everything including the EU visa-free regime. [source]
Порошенко, Яценюк и Ко провалили все, в том числе – безвизовый режим
Суббота, 12 Декабрь 2015 Николай Азаров
7. NATO Ukrainian armed forces started advancing and taking over the villages and towns inside the Minsk outlined neutral zone. In following ethnic cleansing, 10% of population is being arrested. [source]
СБУ зачистила донбасскую Красногоровку: арестовано 10 % населения
7. Dec 10th, Rada ratified the New EU dictated law for the Ukraine’s government making the Ukrainian language the only state language, the Russian language status is not even mentioned by this law.
Dec 10
Everyone in the government of Ukraine is obligated to use only Ukrainian language, for the exception of the President, the Head of the President Administration, all the Ministers and their teams, the members of the Parliament of Ukraine, and their local deputies.
8. Ukraine’s infrastructure minister resigns, says the ministry can’t rely on volunteers
“This is my personal decision,” the minister said. “It’s really difficult to work for Hr 6,000, very difficult to ask people to work for Hr 4,000-5,000. This is the average salary in the ministry. It can’t just be based off of volunteers,” the minister said during the press briefing.
His two deputy ministers, Volodymyr Shulmeister and Volodymyr Omelyan, will also resign,
An average salary in the ministry is less then 200 euros a month. It’s impossible to keep the highly professional staff with salaries that low, only incompetent to find new job and corrupt will stay in state institutions. [source]
Novorossia
1. A commander of the “sixth separate motorized rifle Cossack regiment of People’s Militia,” Pavel Dryomov, has been assassinated, the LPR media report with reference to the so-called “prosecutor general of the LPR.”
The online resources claim that he was allegedly killed near the town of Stakhanov.
“On December 11, Dremov married a St. Petersburg resident, and today (December 12) he was killed after wedding celebrations at Nika restaurant… On the way out of the city of Pervomaisk to Stakhanov his car got blown up near the gas station, his driver was seriously wounded and died without regaining consciousness,” the report reads.
All the killed ones (Bednov, Mozgovoy, Dremov) were:
1) high-profile LPR commanders;
2) first-wave self-defender Novorossia idealists;
3) in conflict with the head of the LPR Plotnitsky at some point .
2. The only military hospital of the Donetsk People’s Republic is closed [source]
The only military hospital in Donetsk with 150 doctors who for free for a year treated 11000 wounded defenders of Donetsk, now closed. The doctors with the unique experience in treatment of war wounds are being let go. The hospital itself is being transferred to the ownership of the Ukraine citizens with the connection to Kiev junta.
3. Kiev’s military open fire on Donetsk north-western suburbs – media
World
December 12, 13:22 UTC+3
Once again under fire were the Spartak settlement near the Donetsk airport and Staromikhailovka in the west
Valery Sharifulin/TASS
MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. Over the past night, the Ukrainian military shelled the northern and western suburbs of Donetsk from an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), a source at the military authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said on Saturday.
In conclusion:
Here is an interesting pro-Ukrainian rant that summarizes the major misconceptions and lies that the Western society construed about Ukraine and Russia relations.
If this following is what you think about Russia and Ukraine, this message is for you.
For the true history of Ukraine as a part of Russia, read the Essential Saker book that you can buy here on Amazon
Saker tells the history of Ukraine and Russia in simple, concise, fact driven way that you cannot find anywhere else in the Western press.
The Western nations make up lies about Russian, and then act upon those lies with heavy weaponry, armies, and sanctions. Do yourself a huge favor; don’t exist in a blissful ignorance, educate yourself and read the Saker’s book. If we all die in the Western war on Russia, at the very least we will die knowing the true meaning behind this war.
Originally posted by Sephirote
“The biggest problem with Ukraine since their independence was that they had no history of their own, they have basically been a weak vassal state with nothing to talk about for hundreds of years, so to create an Ukrainian national identity Ukraine had to create fairy tale myths about the ”Glorious and pure Ukrainian nation and people” and that the evil Russians are the eternal enemy of Ukraine. Russia was simply used for a long time to create an Ukrainian identity, the sad truth for Ukraine and Ukrainians is that their country is an artificial state whose sole historic reason for existing has been to be a buffer for the Russian empire. Conflict is the only thing that can sustain Ukraine as an entity. Basically the sole reason for Ukraine to exist has been to be a worthless vassal, there is no glorious history of Ukraine and Ukrainians. It was not Ukraine who built one of the biggest empires in world history, it was not Ukraine which defeated the golden horde, nor defeated Napoleon, nor defeated Hitler. Ukraine is the artificial buffer state, Russia is the state with the glorious history. But the Russians have also told some lies, Ukraine is not and has never been a ”Fraternal country”. Russians have never cared at all about Ukraine, their only purpose has been to be a worthless vassal, nothing more, nothing less. The Ukrainians have always hated Russia out of a great jealously of their lack of achievements compared to Russia. Independent Ukraine has achieved nothing positive on any front. Instead of blaming themselves they took the easy way out and blamed their much superior neighbor for all their problems…
Think about it, even the borders of Ukraine was artificially created by Russia to best match the geopolitical goals of Russia. Ukraine was never meant to become an independent state, it was created to be a vassal and buffer and to serve Russian interests and this policy worked for a very long time. The case of Ukraine pretty much shows how resentment and jealousy are naturally created when a country is totally dominant over the other. Ukraine tired to be in Russia’s shadows and knew very well that if they went over to the US side they would be showered with love and affection by the Washington elite who loves a geopolitical gift such as Ukraine. That is one thing Americans are much better at than Russians, Americans know how to sweet talk you even if they have no respect at all for you as a country while Russia can’t bring themselves to sweet talk someone they have no respect for, Putin and the rest of the Russian elite has no respect for Ukraine, they see Ukraine as pretty much a weak vassal state. The US elite see Ukraine as a joke as well but gaining control over Ukraine and placing US bases all over the place is too good an opportunity for them to miss. In the end i have a hard time seeing a place such as Ukraine ever becoming a success story, specially not with the radical ethnic nationalism that is taught in every school in Ukraine. The main problem for Ukraine is that hatred against Russia has always been the sole driver for an Ukrainian identity, their raison d ́etre, thus Ukraine always needs to be in conflict with Russia to achieve internal legitimacy and stability. Without the hatred of everything Russian there is nothing to bind anyone in Ukraine together. Ukraine is pretty much Poland except even crazier in their total hatred of Russia, and yes this was a reality long before the current conflict started.
Ukrainian schools basically teach small children that they should hate Russians because Russians are ”Asiatic hordes, mongol barbarians” and the list just goes on and on. The Ukrainian mentality is not fit for modern day Europe, their thinking is mostly based on old ethno-nationalism ideology that was popular in the 1930s. Ukrainian identity is founded upon the old ideology of blood and soil and the idea of a pure bloodline. In the same vein they are thought that the Asiatic Russians have always been their eternal enemy. This is an ideology that needs conflict to thrive. They have no ability to achieve any sort of success in any field, their only ability will be to create hatred and be in an eternal struggle against their enemies. To even compare Ukraine to a civilized European state is ridiculous, this is a country whose official ideology actually talks about Ukrainians being superior to Russians solely because Russians are supposedly wicked mongols and other racist crap. The only future Ukraine as a state has is a paranoid ultra racist state serving as an US launch pad at the Russian border, they will never achieve a single economic objective or success.”
Thank you for your time,
Scott
Thank you Scott for this wonderful summary.
In other words, Ukraine has been on life support from Russia until roughly 2014. It has now been promoted to be on life support from the USA. Quite an improvement…
Good luck to Ukraine, they will need it.
The only future left with regard Novorossia will be to form a separate country and/or unite with Russia. The next few months will be important because the USA is pushing Russia into a corner. Something is bound to happen…
“It has now been promoted to be on life support from the USA. Quite an improvement…”
Not for the Ukrainians, though.
Hi Scott,
I really missed your sharp-minded wonderful reports and analyzes with your typical humor on top.
What – you than your readers for their time? You know yourself that your readers hardly can thank _you_ enough!
The developments are sad.
On if the things that shook me most was/is:
“2. The only military hospital of the Donetsk People’s Republic is closed [source]
The only military hospital in Donetsk with 150 doctors who for free for a year treated 11000 wounded defenders of Donetsk, now closed. The doctors with the unique experience in treatment of war wounds are being let go. The hospital itself is being transferred to the ownership of the Ukraine citizens with the connection to Kiev junta.”
How damn frozen hell is this possible???
All the Best to you,
%martin
I realize you do a ton of work on these reports and stuff happens, so please don’t take this wrong, but—
You use this phrase:
7. NATO Ukrainian armed forces started advancing
What do you mean by NATO Ukrainian? That is quite a piece of hyperbole if you meant to be sarcastic or something. Ukraine is never going to be in NATO. So to use that phrase if it is not an error is quite farfetched.
and there is this numbering error:
Two 7s
7. NATO Ukrainian armed forces started advancing and taking over the villages and towns inside the Minsk outlined neutral zone. In following ethnic cleansing, 10% of population is being arrested. [source]
СБУ зачистила донбасскую Красногоровку: арестовано 10 % населения
7. Dec 10th, Rada ratified the New EU dictated law for the Ukraine’s government making the Ukrainian language the only state language, the Russian language status is not even mentioned by this law.
Dec 10
I don’t want to carp, but those two things jumped out at me.
Again, I appreciate the mountains of work you do for the Vineyard.
Thank you Scott for the sitrep.
I was rather shocked to read that the only hospital in the DPR is closed and being transferred to people with contacts in the Kiev Junta. How could this happen?
I have also been wondering why the OSCE/EU etc.have said nothing about the Junta army entering the buffer zone and just taking over villages plus the shelling – what is going on here? They just had a meeting about Ukraine in the UNSC……
I didn’t know about the deportation of about 1.3 million migrant workers back to Ukraine – that is going to hurt!
Well I suppose that is what you get when u join the EU and let the US/Nuland/McCain run your country……..
I have a feeling something is going to blow up shortly – always does after Biden visits.
I doubt the deportations will happen. I think that is more that their “legal” right to be there will be canceled. And while some will go back. Quite a few others will stay illegally.
Scott,
Your Ukraine SITREP is a bitter work of art. It is true, and angry.
The Truth is often a difficult item to digest.
The Ukraine is mostly Russian. Russia was born in Kiev.
The VISION is indispensible if we hope to unite peoples and construct a better world.
The Democratic Republics with their active, feisty, and free citizens will show the way forward!
Samuel Becket once wrote: “Perhaps my best years are gone,..but I wouldn’t want them back. Not with the fire in me now.”
The future will be bright; heavens will be stormed!
Thank you, guys, for your comments and questions.
1. I will be more careful with my numbers next time.
2. RE: “NATO Ukrainian” forces. Ukraine is being ruled by the Washington. NATO is the US occupational forces in Europe that have two main mandates: keep the European countries under the US control, and threaten Russia. You hardly ever see NATO fighting terrorists, or helping the victims of floods.
3. NATO troops in Ukraine training the Ukrainian military, including on the East of the country against Donbass. It means that NATO is directly participating in the Ukrainian Civil War.
4. NATO troops in Ukraine inspecting Ukrainian military forces and have drills with them to bring the Ukrainian forces up to NATO standards.
5. NATO is building military bases in Ukraine
6. NATO is building NAVY base in Odessa for its fleet.
I could continue, but I don’t want to bore you to death, and afraid to run out of the right numbers.
The bottom line, Ukraine might not be a member of NATO as of yet, but NATO is in Ukraine and its controls the Ukrainian military
In regard to the heroic Donetsk military hospital, I’m still researching this, but it’s appears that what the Donetsk blogger is writing is true. Apparently, the idea is that Donetsk doesn’t need a military hospital in peaceful times, or even that wounded soldiers should be transferred and treated in Russia. On the face of it, it’s madness.
But again, I don’t want to start catapulting dung at anyone yet, before we have more information. But taken with the fact that they just assassinated the last hero commander of the self-defense forces, Cossack Pavel Dryomov,
http://rusvesna.su/news/1449974572
and considering that 1000s of “true” Ukrainians have been returning to Donetsk and Lugansk, after they fled in 2014 to Ukraine, considering that 1000s of inhabitants of the local villages that are being arrested and executed every day by the NATO Ukraine military and ultranationalists militants, we have a situation of genocide of the Russian people in Ukraine, which threatens 2 million people currently living in Donestk and Lugansk people’s republics. Cutting funds to the military hospital, and closing it and giving away even its building is the way to ensure that when NATO Ukrainian militants start their attack, there will be no one to treat wounded soldiers and civilians.
Scott
I would like to see documentation on these two, please:
5. NATO is building military bases in Ukraine
6. NATO is building NAVY base in Odessa for its fleet.
Whenever you get time.
Scott,
Thanks much for your work. It is painful to read.
A couple of things. One, it is easy to make the case that the 2008 financial scam was not really the reason for what went down in Kiev. The Anglo-American forces who thought they could see their NWO in sight were at risk of losing it due to Russia and China resisting too much. And Russia was modernizing her military so well that this would be a big obstacle to things like rearranging the Middle East. Not denying that money is important, but the bigger issue is that Russia wasn’t playing ball.
Another issue is why Russia behaves in what seems to many of us to be a passive way regarding the Ukraine and the Galician problem. A gun was put to Russia’s head regarding the Crimean bases, so the Kremlin reacted forcefully, but it seems like Moscow has been totally against doing anything more than the minimum possible in the Ukraine. Right after the coup, Russia had all kinds of options and many groups and people were confused and undoubtedly for sale. Yet Russia has chosen to aim for a Transdenistrian approach, which may well lead to the US consolidating the military, police, and various power branches of Ukrainian society into a super-Poland. Expensive, perhaps, but they can just print another hundred billion dollars, and the Russian central bank will dutifully buy some more. So perhaps you could shed some light on why Moscow has been so passive for the last 30 years, if not 100, when it comes to letting the West gain control of the Ukraine. And why want Galicia in the Ukraine? This seems suicidal.
That was a great Sitrep Scott ,thank you. I also liked the side section by Sephirote. But if I can make a couple of comments there. Ukraine is (as I understand it) exactly as he says. But there are reasons for that. Saying that Ukraine never did those things is like saying ,North Carolina,Bavaria,Brittany, or Hampshire never did them. Ukraine was a part of Russia. She shared in all the achievements of Russia. They were one nation.Many prominent Russians were born in Ukraine,or their families came from there. And the same was true (and is even true today) in Ukraine. Many of the prominent people were born in other areas of a “united” Russia (or USSR). As for the borders “?”. There was no “Ukraine” so there was no “actual” border. How do you place “borders” among the same people. By dialect,either to Kiev on one side,or Rostov on the other were just variations of the same peasant speech. While even today standard Russian is the main used language in all Southeastern (and parts of Central) “Ukraine”. While until 2014 (may still be so.I’m not sure) 54% of Kiev itself used standard Russian as the main spoken language. Its only after you get past Kiev going towards the EU that the dialects start to become somewhat different. And more people speak a “Ukrainian language”. But he is totally correct in saying that “Ukrainian nationalism” only survives on “hatred of Russia”. Without that “Ukraine” is purely a region of “West Russia”,which is what it really is. That fact is instinctively recognized by most Russians and “Ukrainians”. Which is why the reluctance among so many Russians to militarily intervene there. Its a “brother’s war”. And mentally Russians have a hard time with it. Even the many Russian volunteers that go there. Don’t go to fight “Ukrainians”,they go to fight “fascism” in Ukraine.
Galicians might beg to differ. One of the many ways of looking at this mess is a Galician conquest of Kiev, with Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkov in sight. And most people go along with the winner, particularly if there is a dominant propaganda and cultural milieu. And the Galicians have been on the march for a long time. And there has never been a counter force of any kind. Just scumbag oligarchs like Yanukovich who are happy to promote the fascist threat to scare the others into supporting him. It is hard to imagine the incredible amount of money Russia put into the Ukraine with so little influence on the people. For every Pavel Gubarev, there are a hundred on the Western payroll. For every pro-Russian magazine or newspaper, there were probably dozens on the other side.
Another issue is that the borders of the Ukraine have changed so much over the years that it is a bit of an artificial entity as one country. Thus the strong need for a radical nationalism to hold it together. It doesn’t simply include part of the Russian Empire or USSR, it includes places that are not really that Russian, and they might understandably not appreciate the argument that “we have always been brothers”.
Historically, there was only one political entity in and around Kiev – i.e. Kievan Rus (the initiation of Russian socio-political and cultural space) more than 1000 years back. Thereafter NEVER again an independent political entity flourished in the land what we call now as ‘Ukraine’. Rise of Muscovy Rus, Invasion of Mongol war-lords, creation of Russian empire, confrontation between Polish-Russian empires etc. etc. a lot of significant historical incidents took place none of which had anything called “Ukraine” as anything other than a region which at times could be termed only as ‘vassal state’, ‘dependency’ but most of the times just as ‘boundary of Russian empire’.
The most unfortunate and negative thing happened to this land is addition of the Galician land in current west Ukraine which has completely opposite “social ethos” compared to the Orthodox Christian society of rest of the land as we call Ukraine.
Good point by UB.
When I had my gf there in Western Ukraine we visited a museum.
And I wondered about the text inside of it: “Here was born the famous Russian scientist xyz” (in 1870 or so).
This may since then have been re-written.
Also in case of the good Soviet Union: While today’s Halychyna aka Galicia written “Ukrainie is a nation” propaganda is always russophobic and pro-West, including pro-Hitler, and will always blame the Soviet Union for allegedly having occupied Ukraine against its will, the fact is that lots of lots of Soviet leaders were in fact Ukrainians themselves. So who has controlled whom?
My suggestion: CUT OFF those brownshirt areas which were under Austro-Hungarian and Polish mad-rule for too long and give it to the dogs (or to the EU), take the rest and make it part of Russia again
http://www.wisent.ch/Graphik/Galizien/galizien.jpg
(ironically in the 19th century there was a pro-Moscow movement in that same area and they wanted to get freed by Russia to escape Polish and Austrian occupation, well – those folks never know what they actually want)
The local Russians in Galicia always thought of themselves as Russian, with no controversy (“people of Rus living in the Borderlands”), until the Austrian Empire’s political design and support of the new “Ukrainian” mindset / movement starting about 1848. Until then it was like calling the southern USA Dixie, as a nickname. I suppose if the American Civil War had gone the other way there would be a nation of Dixieans whose leaders deny ever having been associated with the USA. (Weak analogy, but what can you do.)
There was a locally-founded Society of Father Kachkovsky in Galicia in the late 1800s, with mass support from the inhabitants, to support the centuries-old Russian identity of Galicia.
There were treason trials in Austrian-controlled Galicia in 1882 against people who had converted to Russian Orthodoxy (returning from the enforced Greek-Rite Roman Catholic Church imposed by force from 1596).
There were on the order of 60,000 local Galician Russians executed in Galicia during World War I for daring to claim they were of Russian heritage when rounded up by Austrian troops. These are talked about in the book “War Crimes of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy”. The most famous example is the martyred St. Father Maksim Sandovich. Those who hated the Russian idea even executed clergy!
There were the first concentration camps in Europe (Talerhof, Terezin, many others) starting in 1914 (i.e. 25 years before Hitler’s) to hold tens of thousands of local Galician Russians. Any locals who went along with the new Ukrainian identity were set free, those who tenaciously held to Russian suffered.
So in fact Galicia, thought of now as a hotbed of Ukrainian nationalism, is merely proof that evil sometimes conquers temporarily. The day will come when these distorting processes can be withstood. Not everyone in Galicia is as is, generally unknowingly, described.
Hi Carpatho-Russian,
that’s simply a sad story which enrages me.
I always knew your FOLK music and during the times when I still dared to enter “Ukraine” enjoyed travelling to your wonderful mountains and borderland towards Romania.
But I didn’t know about the crimes committed to you.
Only 25 years later similar crimes were btw also committed against the catholic Poles, committed by the now again celebrated heroes of Nazi-Ukraine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacres_of_Poles_in_Volhynia_and_Eastern_Galicia
That’s why I as Stalinist must ask again: What is religion for?????
For killing, murdering and slaughtering millions?????
What is religion actually???
The REAL Truth About Religion And Its Origins – MUST WATCH!! [High Quality]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88GTUXvp-50
Back to the main topic, the Rusyns in Galicia.
The Rusyn people Carphato Russian Ruthenes Русины
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubDeuVRya1Q&index=3&list=PLR3stWh4yqbpAR7vHhm3yvYOflKj5Zdro
My question is: Does it only affaect an ethnic minirity or the general population (of back then? and /or of now?).
I mean, is it that all were like that but only few still remember? Or was it only a limited sub-population from beginning on?
Temna niczka – Lemko song ( Carpatho-Rusyn NOT Ukrainian! )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnNvnb0YbYU
Ne pyj Waniu – Lemko version of the popular Carpathian folk song ( łemkowska piosenka )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5zRHc9lBJc
Chotar – Lemko ( Carpatho-Rusyn) folk song (łemkowska piosenka)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxrLw7C5_Pw&list=PLR3stWh4yqbpAR7vHhm3yvYOflKj5Zdro
And your wonderful dear Horses:
POWEDU KONYKA – ŁEMKOWIE – BESKID NISKI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-B5dG0zWgY
Ukrainian Folk Song “Young Halya” Ой ти, Галю Kuban Cossacks-slideshow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caf32C6Vg5w
I really love the Carpathian mountains (and not only the mountains):)
And yes – the Ukrainian Nazis are totally right: It doesn’t remind anyone of Russian heritage.
Noooooo, not at allllll (what is it then? French? or Namibia-style?)
Ahh, let’s spot one of the comments in the most recent song:
“””””
jonny unkiss 5 months ago
Russians have never been “brother” of Ukrainians. Its a long hard history of Russians constantly trying to take advantage, de-ukrainize(take our culture and language), starve, murder and all around oppress my Ukrainian countrymen.”””””
Well, big big luck is with Ukraine!
Now they no longer have this evil Russia taking advantage of them – and look how they are now prospering!
Saker,
thank you for the report. I sense how angry you are…I am too and scared. But I do not believe President Putin has left Donbass, he has not betrayed them. UN Russian ambassador pointed out that ukros have to leave the villages they took according to Minsk agreement, it was a sound piece of advice, because that is UNSC resolution. I think that ukros are encouraged to go ahead and then they will be decimated. I cannot wait!!!!
re: nuclear power plant accident/incident. One can hope that there is a joint Russian-German commando team trained to intervene into problems accidental or other that might occur around these power plants in the Ukraine. German is NATO and is upwind. Now this is a common front that intelligent, technically minded people in each country might well insist be joined. One can hope.
use of nukes and use of power: Unfortunately I know my tribe only too well and Russia will not be respected unless it makes some definitive display ( of course to be misrepresented and vilified) of rather nasty power. sigh. In other words, Putin has laid down a red line and, of course, it will be crossed probably within the next week or so. Stay tuned.
That is when Russia will go in along with China under a UN mandate. EU will have no choice but to go along as their existence is threatened. Russia can isn’t on this as they are the only one’s with the material and expertise to deal with it. Another PR victory for Russia and the world asking why wasn’t the same thing done In Fukishima as radiation levels increase along US pacific coast.
RR
For those interested in the DPR/LPR economy the following article may be interesting:
http://www.theblacksea.eu/donbass/
The article is EU funded (http://journalismfund.eu/) and has a pro-Kiev outlook, but the level of detail still makes it an interesting read.
wim, why did you mention that BS!!! article from the blacksea.eu, it’s full of BS and even has this from someone I consider a dangerous moron writing against the Donbass: “By and large this is a useless rust belt,” anders aslund – linked to PNAC – at the Atlantic Council. He’s the same SH** [for mod/Saker: I cannot write any less venomously against people like this who had Iraq invaded and who consider Donbass people as not worthy of life) who worked with sachs & lipton as a senior advisor to the Russian reform government under Yeltsin, now you know why Putin has internal problems.
Hold your horses – by “useless rust belt” they ment old and ineffective industry, which is economic burden to Ukraina and/or Russia. Someone has to subsidize it or otherwise hundreds of thousands of people will lose their jobs and things will get even worse there.
A good positive piece in RI by Zakhar Prilepin:
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/donbass-diary-kiev-gearing-new-offensive/ri11835
Says Donbass is ready……
That last bit, by Sephirote was difficult. I kept a tight lid on thoughts like those, and I certainly would never write them down, but now that they are coming back at me in spades, it really stings, like diving into a nettles patch, buck naked. The optimist thinks, surely there is some unexpressed and redeeming virtue here, but more and more, and under the tyranny of their corrupted thought and politicians, the EU sees Ukraine as the turd in the punchbowl, and there’s nothing redeeming about that. The process of forming a nation and a national identity takes time, it must come from the people but it cannot be faked, nor can it be imposed from outside like a $99 Earl Scheib paint job.
http://www.voltairenet.org/article189241.html
“””””The Russian system for scambling NATO communications and commands is currently being tested in a war situation in Syria, where it covers a radius of 300 kilometres around Lattakia – a zone which is now invisible for the Atlantic Alliance’s surveillance technology. The Russian system is also deployed over a part of the Black Sea and at Kaliningrad.”””””
“the superhuman efforts and losses the Russian people endured to push the murderous European hordes back to Europe.” Do you mean all of the innocent millions of women the communist raped and killed? America should have helped our Germany liberate Russia from Jewish Bolshevism. The world would be a much better place if National Socialist Germany had won World War 2. Russia and Germany would be leading a great Christian Planetary Federation if the Russian people had been strong enough to understand that Sovietism was anti-Russian and anti-Human.
Damn you rant and rave and talk about Russia.. Which was a vassal state of the USSR.. Run by a crazy genocidal maniac from Georgia.. Same place that other nut case came from who attack Russia a few years back.. After which another nutcase from ukistan ran the place.. After 50 years of total insane people, the first Russian that came to power decided to break it all down before another nut case maybe from Lithuania or Poland got into power..
And you belittle the 30 million soviet citizens that died.. 20 million of them civilians.. And to you starving the millions in Leningrad was to actually save them..
Ever thought of working for the state department? With that imbecile they have now even psaki looks like a learned scholar..
It seems you know little if anything about either Russia or the Soviet Union!
Joseph Stalin – here and now (Andrei Fursov (Андрей Фурсов) – Russian historian, sociologist, writer, organizer of science.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkA5u9u3TB0
Now it also became clear: You are a clue-less Westerner.
And since you lived there, you know a lot right? And google is a great tool.. makes you Einstein as well..
But common sense is something that you don’t really learn.. and cognitive function is to see a reference to which something is applied.. Being able to use those 2 things are the most important things of being a modern human. At least we know a few Russians who have plenty of both for all our sakes, thank god for the little things huh…
I see you posting many good url’s.
But #0.) You need to learn how to deal with new POV
#1.) Would you follow your own rules instead of bashing me, maybe you could some day mature enough to reach the point where you understand my views.
(p.s. it took me 25 years of 1 to 2 hours of political research per day until I arrived here, plus, probably it was only possible in that short time because I lived through the desruction of DDR in East-Berlin)
So keep your “smart modern-day human-being” views and move on.
Nothing to see here for you with your “knowledge”
Russians still love Joseph Stalin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwp2nZaFDpk
Today’s communist party in Russia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGZzpR6urns
You claim a number of things that you think I have claimed which I didn’t.
Instead of teching me life’s moral what about dealing with the arguments in the Андрей Фурсов video?
Can you neglect them?
Or: Were or are you actually aware of these other views?
BTW, many crimes he is being blamed for either were completely invented or in other cases did happen, but were in fact committed by his opponents!
What about this always forgotten GENOCIDE?
https://www.google.de/search?q=massaker+wolhynien&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=PIRxVtynLMPgyQPSo76oDA
Also the West produces much more victims and dead bodies on a daily basis, watch Syria, Libya, Serbia etc etc etc etc etc
So something really isn’t in balance concerning Truth vs. Fiction.
What about Hioroshima, Nagasaki, Korea, Vietnam etc?
Was it Stalin?
@Ezra Pound’s Ghost
May I quote you in a response?
1. “Ezra Pound’s Ghost says on October 7, 2015 at 11:10 am
“…other people who might be watching the exchange.” Exactly. What’s that saying? Something like, “Never argue with someone confirmed in their opposition unless there is an audience in front of which to embarrass them” or something like that. Not sure what the actual saying was or who said it, but its apposite.”
http://www.henrydampier.com/2015/10/how-to-persuade-people-in-politics/
and..
.
2. “Ezra Pound’s Ghost says on May 13, 2015 at 4:24 pm
“Psychopathologzing your political opponents? How very Stalinist.”
http://www.zengardner.com/religion-gives-us-worlds-largest-mental-disorder/
You have been doing #1 and #2 in your every comment here. You remind me of a bird that flies in, shits everywhere, and flies away, making people to clean up the mess after itself.
Look, your comments here are misleading at the very least. Your comments on the whitegenocideproject.com and dailystormer.com are very supportive.
I don’t want my SITREPs to be indexed along with the Nazi propaganda via your username. Go away.
I’m an anti-fascist, and I don’t want fascists on my feed!
Scott, the beginning of this Sitrep is one of the most powerful and exact summaries of the whole Ukrainian saga I have ever seen. Brilliant. I am going to send it to some brainwashed western friends who have no idea.
The rest of the Sitrep is extremely informative too, as always.
Thank you so much.
The criminal junta with special diligence obey the instructions of their masters from the USA for the destruction of ordinary Ukrainians. Those who do not fall on the battlefield, shooting peaceful Donbass – the risk of dying from starvation. A gang of American workers are satisfied with the present famine in Ukraine.
On the territory of the former Ukraine only in November, more than 40 thousand people were unemployed. It became known from the report of the State Statistics Service on Wednesday, 16 December.
So, in November, the employment services were registered 433.5 thousand unemployed people against 394,100 in October. The total unemployment rate continued to rise steadily, the common people are just desperate, they do not know what to do and what to feed their hungry children.”
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49509
Ukraine takes another loan, this time it will give Poland. The loan amount allocated Ukraine, will make a total of 1 billion euros. This was reported today the president of Ukraine Poroshenko, at a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Kiev.
“Regarding macroeconomic cooperation, I can say that the negotiations between the head of the National Bank Gontareva and chairman of the Polish bank, and reached an agreement to open a credit line in the amount of 4 billion or 1 billion zlotys. euro
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49451
————————————————-
‘The bloody regime of criminal junta in Ukraine makes his “dogs” to destroy peaceful Donetsk People’s Republic in all possible ways.
On the southern edge of Donetsk direction, from the village of Granite Ukrainian military on 10 and 11 December the “attachments” mining area towards the village Telmanovo and several settlements located to the west of the district center.”
google translate
Ukr forces actually catapulting mines into Donbass………..
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49452
————————————————————–
Defense Minister bloody junta Stepan Poltorak said that funding for Ukrainian Army in the next year should be increased at least twice.
He said this today, December 15, during a visit to the International Center for Peacemaking and Safety in the Lviv region (Yavoriv polygon).
“There is a separate budget line for training troops. Last year it was a little more than 1 billion USD. The following year, this amount should be increased at least twice. In Ukraine, a lot of training centers, but their equipment needs serious improvement. Training centers must be equipped in such a way that the guys who go into a war zone, were fully prepared for this “, – said the head of the Defense Ministry.
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49448
—————————————————–
Donetsk People’s Republic is preparing a platform for the prosecution of the International Tribunal for war crimes committed by security forces in Kiev during the military operation in the Donbas, he told reporters Thursday the ombudsman DNI Daria Morozova.
Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republic (DNI and LC) previously appealed to the UN Security Council called for the establishment of such an international tribunal.
“All the deaths and injuries of civilians as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian security forces are accumulated. We are preparing the platform to prove that We had a genocide “, – she said.
According to her, currently the Ombudsman sends documents with evidence of crimes in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). “I believe that it is our most important task. We have not that a violation of human rights and genocide,” – said Morozov.
“We filed an application almost every month. It’s time-consuming work, and not for one decade. The more we feed on prisoners of war, as illegal actions against them, the easiest way to prove – there defendants is the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine”, – said the Ombudsman DNI.
“We have virtually all international human rights organizations is very close cooperation. All the statements that I have passed on to them, none of them is left without consideration”, – assured the ombudsman DNI.
“When will the 100 thousand and the ECHR will consider 90 thousand of them, approve, is obviously going to talk about the Hague Tribunal”, – she said.
As you can see, the path to the Hague tribunal is long, but hope that the perpetrators of thousands of dead, the number of which is already close to a hundred thousand, brought to international fair trial, it is still there.
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49445
———————————————————–
Ukrainian Defense Ministry in the past, 2015, has concluded 104 contracts with the country’s state-owned enterprises, making the APU received new and modernized weapons and military equipment. It is reported by the press service of the Defense Ministry.
The total amount of “military” contracts with businesses in Ukraine is about 5 billion hryvnia ($ 200 million).
“This has allowed for the purchase of the Armed Forces of Ukraine more than 400,000 munitions and weapons, including 60 pieces of artillery to armored vehicles; 625 thermal imaging, optical sights and night vision tools; 50 ground-based radar; 640 firearms and silencers 1000; 31 units of armored vehicles, including BTR-4E; 30 anti-tank missiles; 602 units of automotive equipment, including KrAZ trucks and armored vehicles of different modifications for different purposes; 19 upgraded aircraft and helicopters and 28 pieces of electronic equipment for them; 5 unmanned aircraft systems; 142 facilities engineering equipment; 307 funds topogeodetic and navigation support, “- the press service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
In total – 3649 units of arms and military equipment got the APU. With this weapon brutally destroyed residents Donbasssa, destroyed towns and villages. Even now, during the truce, it is a daily weapon continues to kill and destroy.
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49442
google translate
—-
On the Internet there was a short video of the meeting Chairman of the Odessa Regional State Administration Mikhail Saakashvili and Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin.
This mysterious of a meeting of became one of the scandal between the Governor Saakashvili and Interior Minister Avakov at the meeting of the National Council of Ukraine on reform.
etc
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49439
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The Ukrainian Security Service is investigating the actions already the case on the initiative of the Kharkiv region a special economic status. This was stated by the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration Igor Rainin.
http://www.anna-news.info/node/49426
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Ukraine intends to establish control over the border of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic with Russia. An appropriate plan was developed by the state border service of the country. This was stated by the head of the department Viktor Nazarenko in an interview to the Agency “Interfax-Ukraine”.
According to him, Ukrainian border guards, together with Ukrainian armed forces and law enforcement authorities, are preparing to seize 409.4 km of land in South East Ukraine.
“We are preparing to take control of the site, which we have no control over, it’s 409,3 km. We drafted a plan, discussed it at the Board, and we must be ready for it. It is a difficult task we must perform. I noted that in this question we will also operate closely with the Armed forces and other law enforcement agencies,” – said Nazarenko.
Previously, Donetsk media reported that the national guard of Ukraine is preparing the invasion of the DPR and moved its military equipment to the contact line. Scouting of the Republic confirmed the fact of accumulation of armored vehicles from the Donetsk and Horlivka directions, and in the village of Pioneer.
There is a lot of speculation among Novorossiya supporters on Twitter and other platforms about who is responsible for the tragic assassination of the LPR’s Cossack commander Pavel Dremov. One journalist in Lugansk has known Pavel personally, interviewed him in September, and now writes that she doubts Igor Plotnitksy had a hand in the Dremov murder, which many suspect he had. If she is correct, this is good news for the Lugansk People’s Republic, as the idea that Plotnitsky is a serial assassin greatly undermines the idealistic vision one would like to hold of the Republic. For Anna Dolgareva’s analysis see:
https://quemadoinstitute.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/pavel-dremov-assassination-plotnitsky-rumors-likely-false/