Russian Elections 2012: Trouble in Paradise?

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Based on the global economy keeping on track, stocks can be at 125% market capitalization to US GNP.... Based on the global economy..

Ukraine leader asks for UN peacekeepers in restive east of country

In a telephone conversation with Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, Turchynov suggested that an "anti-terrorist operation" could be conducted jointly by Ukrainian security forces and UN peacekeepers, according to the presidential website.

Peacekeepers would have to be authorized by the UN Security Council, in which Russia holds a veto.

Russia: Civil war risk if Ukraine uses force

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Well, since the pro Russian separatists continued taking towns across Eastern Ukraine, even when they were offered a referendum on federation, Ukraine had no choice but to deploy troops. Since we know that Putin has already been given the authority to mobilize troops to protect Russian speaking people by his parliament, it should come as no surprise that Russian forces spotted on ground in eastern Ukraine. Stay .

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

This "situation" isn't out of control, at all.

Ukraine crisis: combat vehicles with pro-Russian troops enter town Kyiv has struggled to reign in rebels as some security forces switch over to the insurgents

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Apr 15, 2014 11:07:26 GMT -5 Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger said:

Since we know that Putin has already been given the authority to mobilize troops to protect Russian speaking people by his parliament..... Stay .

Ukraine Crisis Deepens as Putin Invokes 'Right' to Invade

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

This rubbing of the elbows between Putin and Obama today sonds interesting..Putin hopes diplomacy would resolve Ukraine conflict, doesn’t rule out sending in troops. It sure sounds like something to me... Ah yes, here it is...

Appeasement

Appeasement in a political context is a diplomatic policy of making political or material concessions to an enemy power in order to avoid conflict.[1]

The term is most often applied to the foreign policy of the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain towards Nazi Germany between 1937 and 1939. His policies of avoiding war with Germany have been the subject of intense debate for seventy years among academics, politicians and diplomats.

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Ah, and why is Putin eyeing that far right map? The one that shows rising anti-EU sentiment? But of course, Putin is also anti-EU!

Europe's Far Right Is Embracing Putin

Vladimir Putin's propaganda machine may relentlessly denounce Ukraine's authorities as fascists and xenophobes, but elsewhere in Europe the Russian leader is energetically courting far-right politicians as allies in his confrontation with Western governments.

"You can see that the National Front is viewed very favorably in Russia,” says Ludovic de Danne, foreign affairs spokesman for radical-right French party. “We are more than tolerated, we are seen as a friend."

He reels off a list of top Russian officials — headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, now under US sanctions for his role in the annexation of Crimea — who lined up to receive National Front leader Marine Le Pen when she visited Moscow last year........

.......The National Front is just one of several radical right parties across Europe providing vocal support for Putin's position in Ukraine, even as Western governments accuse the Russian leader of dragging the continent into its worst crisis since the fall of the Iron Curtain.

"Viva the referendum in Crimea! Viva the free choice of the people!" Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy's Northern League told a conference last month as the vote in Ukraine's southern province sealed Russia's annexation. "They resisted the international dictates and didn't let [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel or [US President Barack] Obama or [European Commission President Jose Manuel] Barroso choose for them."

Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders has echoed the Kremlin's line, saying Ukraine's pro-Western government is run by "National-Socialists, Jew-haters and other anti-democrats." In a speech last month to parliament, he blamed "shameless Europhiles with their dreams of empire" for prompting the crisis.

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

A quick map cross reference in regards to the last post...

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Some interesting developments that are going on while the focus is on Ukraine.

-Moldova Awaits Russian Reaction To Transdniester's Appeal
-Latvia’s Russians express dissatisfaction
-Russia talks tough with Estonia as ‘protecting Russian speakers’ excuse wheeled out again after justifying Crimean takeover

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

At home... Russian Facebook VK Under 'Complete Control' of Putin's Allies

This is telling of what Putin's intentions are, and how ill conceived his understand of his place in the world is...

Russia's military spending spree

Russia's military funding has jumped a whopping 92 percent since 2010.

Here we go again!

Ukraine orders offensive as Biden presses Russia

[dothedd]

'Biden said Russia needs to act "without delay," because "we will not allow this to become an open-ended process." 

ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING-OUT-LOUD "ENOUGH" SO THAT PUTIN can hear me in Russia!!

Now the world can blame Biden and give the Pres a break!  

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Apr 22, 2014 19:18:07 GMT -5 dothedd said:

'Biden said Russia needs to act "without delay," because "we will not allow this to become an open-ended process." 

ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING-OUT-LOUD "ENOUGH" SO THAT PUTIN can hear me in Russia!!

Now the world can blame Biden and give the Pres a break!  

The two of us make a chorus dtdd..

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Talk about a perfect summary of the current situation!

Russia's Actions In Ukraine Threaten Dangerous Instability And Indicate U.S. Retreating from its Leadership Role

THE ECONOMIST put it this way: "First Vladimir Putin mauled Georgia, but the world forgave him---because Russia was too important to be cut adrift. Then he gobbled up Crimea, but the world accepted it---because Crimea should have been Russian all along. Now he has infiltrated eastern Ukraine but the world is hesitating---because infiltration is not quite invasion. But if the West does not face up to Mr. Putin now, it may find him at its door."

In 1994, the U.S. signed the Budapest Memorandum, declaring that if Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons, we would come to its aid if its sovereignty were threatened. Now, we say that this was really not a legal commitment. This is a dangerous precedent. We are now negotiating with Iran, urging it to abandon a nuclear program. We are calling upon North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons. Why should these countries trust any security guarantees, if such guarantees mean nothing in Ukraine?

Developments in Ukraine matter, argues Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, "because for the first time since the Second World War, one European country has annexed a province from another European country. And that matters because it is a rejection of our entire legal system and international norms and treaties that we have regarded as the foundation of peace. Remember, there is not a country in Europe that does not have national minorities. If we went back to protecting them through changing borders, we would be back in the hell of the 20th century and before. This is why what President Putin has done in Crimea and is now doing in eastern Ukraine is so threatening to all of us.".....

James Russell, an instructor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, says that, "There really aren't any military options. The truth of the matter---the Russian army is there and ours isn't, and the Europeans have mostly disarmed, so you can forget about them."

......

We live in a changed world and NATO countries which have slashed their defense spending, and the Obama administration, which is in process of doing the same thing...

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Crazy times indeed... Stay .

-Pentagon says Russian jets violated airspace
-Russia's Gazprom issues May 7 ultimatum over gas supplies Energy giant sets payment deadline and warns Europe it risks "severe problems" in winter unless it helps Ukraine pay $8.5bn gas bill this summer

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Just look at the maps...

Latvia says Russia trying to use 'provocateurs' in Baltic state

Latvia's defense minister said on Friday Russia was trying to stir unrest in the Baltic state by using "specially-trained, professional provocateurs" in the wake of its intervention in Ukraine.

The Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, now NATO and EU member states, were once part of the Soviet Union and have substantial Russian-speaking minorities, like Ukraine.

"There are risks that Russia might try to destabilize the situation in the region," Raimonds Vejonis, Latvia's defense minister, told Reuters in an interview.

"We see it very clearly in Ukraine's case, where they have acted and are still trying to escalate the situation in different ways," the minister added.

"They are trying to increase negative sentiment in society through certain specially-trained, professional provocateurs."

As an example, he mentioned comments by Aleksandr Gaponenko, an activist for non-citizens' rights in Latvia, to Norwegian television that Latvia's government intended "to suppress protests with the power of army".

Around 26 percent of Latvia's 2 million people are ethnic Russians. Many do not have Latvian citizenship and so cannot vote or apply for certain public-sector jobs. Moscow has long complained about the rights of ethnic Russians in the Baltics.

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

At this point Russia already has Transnistria, a territory on Ukraine's western boarder all tied up. And as the last post pointed out, while everyone is focused on the Ukraine, Russia is fermenting unrest locally in Latvia. However, I wonder how many know the story of, Kaliningrad? Stay .

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

So why is Putin laughing at this round of sanctions? Well, they still aren't targeting oil and gas! And as they were announced, Iran, Russia Hold Electricity Talks. Which is more like a spit in the face while laughing. He also responded to the sanctions with a vow of a 'painful' response.

This "painful response" probably has something to do with the 2 billion he has demanded from the Ukraine for their natural gas usage. Since the Ukraine has Lost at Least $80 Billion Since Russia Took Crimea, the international community will have to foot that bill.

In other words, Putin has gained billions in revenue from Crimea, lost nothing on oil and gas revenue from the EU, and is on the way to breaking all the sanctions that the UN has on Iran..

Hmm, lets see. Yep, <--------- Putin

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

It is safe to say that the government in Keiv is helpless to stop what is going on in Eastern Ukraine. How much further west will Putin push in the Ukraine, I wonder? Stay

Protesters seize new building in eastern Ukraine

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

On the 29th.....

Apr 29, 2014 12:11:00 GMT -5 Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger said:

It is safe to say that the government in Keiv is helpless to stop what is going on in Eastern Ukraine. How much further west will Putin push in the Ukraine, I wonder? Stay

On the 30th....

Ukraine says it's 'helpless' to restore order in east

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

I have been holding onto this article for while. The predictions the lady makes in her letter are now spot on, especially now that things have escalated. However, she's missing the big picture on what Putin's actions are really going to mean for the East and the global economy over the short term.

Russian Regular Forces To Invade 'NewRussia' Between May 4 And 9?

This “Open Letter to the Friends of Ukraine,” by a guest columnist who writes under the pen name of Irina Gokieli, dated April 19, offers the author’s pessimistic scenario of forthcoming events in what Vladimir Putin now calls “NewRussia.” “NewRussia” encompasses southeastern Ukraine and parts of Moldova. She predicts an invasion by regular Russian troops near the end of the first week of May under the pretext of restoring order.....Notably the author makes a persuasive case that the long-term consequences of an invasion of “NewRussia” by regular troops will spell the end of Putin’s Russia as we know it!....

Next week (21-26 April): No invasion can take place while Vice President Biden is in Kiev, but major destabilization in the East and South will continue with more insertion and activation of saboteurs, Green Men, and “Putin tourists.”

Following week (28 April – May 3): Several major provocations will occur within “Novorossiya” (or over all Ukraine, where possible) with many dead, and the staged illusion of civil war. Russia will blame the chaos and mayhem on pro-Ukrainian extremists and the weak Ukrainian Government – arguing it has violated the Geneva Statement and is not able to control the situation.

The third week (4-9 May) – a broad military invasion of “Novorossiya” under the pretext of helping a “brotherly nation” and stopping the “civil war”.

Like I said, she is SPOT ON!!! But she's missing what is going on in Central Asia and how it ties into the Mid East. Stay

Ukraine suffers losses in Slavyansk offensive as Odessa clashes leave man dead

One man was fatally in clashes between pro-Russian protesters and supporters of Ukrainian unity in the largely Russian-speaking port city of Odessa, local police said on Friday.

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Following the timeline from the last post to a tee. Stay .

-Russia sympathisers vent anger at Ukraine Odessa deaths
-Ukraine crisis: 'thousands' pleading for our help says Russia, as more clashes take place

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Again, following Irina Gokieli's timeline to a tee.. Stay

-Moldova’s government places borders on alert over unrest in neighbouring Ukraine
-Reuters: Ukraine says groups from Moldova's Transdniestria stir unrest in Odessa
-Pro-Russia Splinter State Issues Call to Arms in Eastern Ukraine
-Russian bombers, fighter jets 'seen over Crimea'

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Been a long day, just wanted to post a quick thought.

Since NATO is saying that Russia hasn't pulled its troops back, and Pro-Russian separatists have taken more buildings in Eastern Ukraine, I highly doubt that Putin is being sincere when he is calling for a delay in the referendum. But hey, his stocks went up today and he's going to get 3.2 billion from Visa and MasterCard. He's also going to get money from the Ukraine for natural gas. He has also seen how the current sanctions are hurting Europe as much as Russia... Plus people in Odessa are pretty sure there will be some kind of rally on Friday....

Officials Ban Russian March in Latvia Capital

Authorities in Latvia's capital city have banned a "Russian March" planned for Friday evening by Rodina (Motherland), a local Russian organization, on the advice of the Latvian Security Police.

Aleksandrs Zguns, a representative of Rodina, said his organization would hold a protest against the ban at the march's intended assembly point—a Soviet-era monument to the Latvian Riflemen who fought in the civil war that followed the 1917 Russian revolution.

The march was to join a day-long celebration of the end of World War II, which has traditionally been marked on May 9 by the Russian population of Riga, who make up some 40% of the city's inhabitants.

Juris Radzevics, the executive director of Riga, said similar marches from a square in the Old Town across a bridge to the Soviet-era Victory Monument had been peaceful in past years, but the ban this year "has to be seen in the international context."

In a five-page letter explaining his decision to ban the event and quoting extensively from a Security Police assessment of the planned march and its organizers,He said videos on Rodina's home page confirmed the Security Police's position that "Rodina's activities are aimed at dividing society, promoting ethnic tension and intolerance in Latvian society, because it is based on the categorical demonstration of the superiority of the Russian nation and the indirect denigration of the Latvian people and language."

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Well, the separatists referendum will go a head as planned on Sunday apparently, and Russia is now accusing the Ukraine of amassing troops on the border.

In other words, nothing but double speak.

Putin Tests Combat Readiness as Ukraine Separatists Press On

President Vladimir Putin said Russia is testing its army’s combat readiness, ramping up tensions after pledging a pullback from Ukraine’s border. Pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine vowed to press ahead with autonomy votes.

NATO said there’s no sign of any Russian withdrawal from the frontier. The Russian leader’s latest statement came less than 24 hours after a shift of tone on Ukraine, in which he urged the separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to postpone balloting scheduled for May 11.

“Today’s planned exercises will involve all of the armed forces across Russia, including our nuclear deterrent,” Putin said at the Defense Ministry in Moscow, where he watched the drills by video link.

Russia has massed about 40,000 troops along the Ukrainian border, according to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The government in Kiev and its U.S. and European allies accuse Russia of fomenting separatist unrest in eastern Ukraine and warn that Putin may follow his annexation of Crimea with another land grab against his neighbor.

Yesterday’s pronouncements by Putin sparked a rally on Russian and Ukrainian financial markets. Today, Russia’s Micex equity index was 0.6 percent higher at 5:55 p.m. in Moscow.

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Don't worry, "I had this planned since Nov"...

Russia tests missiles as Ukraine militants defy call for vote delay

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Quite a day...

-Donetsk Flag Flies in Latvia as Russians Mark Victory Day
-Russia Deputy PM Vows Support on Visit to Breakaway Transdniestr

I like how some media outlets where reporting todays events though... "But Putin didn't mention what was going on in Eastern Ukraine while holding his biggest V-day parade ever, or when he went into Crimea.. So this must mean he is distancing himself from the situation... Because he said that they should postpone in.. He SAID so!!"



Notice the pins he, and his comrades are wearing??

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Well it appears that pro-Russia separatists set for victory in eastern region referendum. There were also apparently protests in Odessa today demanding a referendum, while National guardsmen fire into crowd in Krasnoarmeisk after forcefully stopping a ballot there.

However, the biggest news of the day is that a Russian official delivers petition from Moldova region to join Russia

Now things get real interesting. Stay .

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

May 11, 2014 16:10:20 GMT -5 Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger said:

Now things get real interesting. Stay .

-Ukraine's Donetsk region asking to join Russia, separatist leader says
-Russians plan to deploy Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad
-Russian PM Warns Moldova After Border Incident

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

I'm sure most heard, but just for the record, the Donetsk People’s Republic and neighboring Luhansk agreed to unite and gave a 48 hour ultimatum to Ukrainian forces. But 48h they did not give as Fighting claims lives of six soldiers in restive eastern Ukraine

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Amazing, looks like he's going to pull this off without troop and... Well the pro Russian separatists are using weapons supplied by Russia. Oh ya double speak, that's right.

Putin's 'New Russia' takes shape in eastern Ukraine Read more: Putin's 'New Russia' takes shape in eastern Ukraine

Fielding questions during a live phone-in last month, President Vladimir Putin described regions of eastern and southern Ukraine as a “New Russia” that could one day return to Moscow’s control.

Now that vision is taking shape.

Russia’s widely condemned annexation of Crimea in March and Putin’s increasing rhetoric about protecting Russian-speakers abroad had raised fears the Kremlin was gearing up to seize new territory.

Those worries were allayed when Russian troops failed to pour over the border after separatists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk said weekend referendums had overwhelmingly backed breaking away from Ukraine.

Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Wednesday that Moscow had “no intention” of sending in troops to eastern Ukraine.

While denying Russian troops were in the restive regions, Putin recalled that after its conquest in tsarist times the territory from Donetsk to Odessa was known as Novorossiya — New Russia.

Won by Russia in famous battles led by Catherine the Great and her favourite Grigory Potemkin, eastern and southern Ukraine only ended up as part of the country after the territory was transferred by the Bolsheviks in the 1920s, Putin said.

“Why they did this, God only knows,” he lamented.

After the weekend votes in the east, the rebels moved quickly to stake their claim to joining Russia, with Donetsk separatist chief Denis Pushilin declaring they were seeking to “restore historic justice” — echoing a term Putin used to describe Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March.

The separatists have promised to hold referendums on joining Russia.
“It is for all the population of the ’People’s Republic of Lugansk’ to make their voices heard on questions of such importance,” news agency RIA Novosti quoted the head of local rebel forces, Vasily Nikitin, as saying.

......

The “New Russia” idea has taken hold in the regions however, with the self-styled governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Gubarev, using the term this week.
He told the Russia-24 news channel the newly declared “People’s Republic of Donetsk” was “only the first step towards the great New Russia in the ’ex-east of Ukraine’.”

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

....

-Overnight Fighting Reported In Eastern Ukraine
-Ukrainian Pro-Russian Separatist Mayor Asks for Russian Troops