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Unhappy438
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Yeah rofl, they did have a 101% vote on RT the other day, i cant remember what it was for though.
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Crisis in Ukraine
- Thread starter LazyLion
- Start date
Yeah rofl, they did have a 101% vote on RT the other day, i cant remember what it was for though.
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
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WEST READIES SANCTIONS RIPOSTE AFTER CRIMEA VOTE
The European Union was getting set to unfurl a first wave of sanctions against Russia on Sunday after a referendum on the fate of Crimea went ahead despite bitter Western opposition.
The West's riposte will come early Monday when EU foreign ministers converge in Brussels with visa bans and asset freezes for some of Russia's leading figures likely in the cards.
Similar sanctions by the United States will follow after talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov failed to bridge differences on Friday.
"There will be some sanctions, there will be some response," if the Crimea vote goes through, Kerry warned Friday, adding that President Barack Obama has already "made it clear that there will be consequences".
Like the EU, France "will not recognise this pseudo-consultation," President Francois Hollande said Saturday.
Even Britain, which with Germany has held a more cautious line during the crisis, said the "time had come" for tougher sanctions on Moscow.
"The United Kingdom is strongly of the view that there must be a firm and united response from the European Union at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Friday.
But despite all the warning, Crimeans did go to vote Sunday on breaking away from Ukraine drawing an EU statement that the vote was "illegal and illegitimate and its outcome will not be recognised".
The first exit polls by the separatist authorities of Crimea showed 93 percent voted in favour of joining Russia.
Before the vote, unnamed diplomatic sources in Brussels told AFP the EU sanctions will target "between 25 and 30 names", adding that members of the Russian government would not be included.
"There will likely be members of parliament, members of the security forces ... and a senior defence ministry official but not the minister himself," the source said.
Leading government figures would be exempt because "it would be difficult to impose sanctions" on people you are negotiating a solution with, said the source.
Economic sanctions against Russia, the bloc's third biggest trade partner, are for now being set aside with some EU members in the east, and some of Germany's biggest companies, worried about angering the Kremlin.
"Along with a few other EU members, we are among the least interested in sanctions," said Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Orecharski, adding that his region would be the "biggest loser" if the measures went through.
In Germany, the chief executive for energy giant EON warned against any "thoughtless damage" to Russian ties.
Germans in general are worried as well. A poll on Thursday in newspaper Handelsblatt said two-thirds of Germans were against sanctions on Russia with 57 percent putting the blame for the crisis on the anti-Kremlin Ukrainians.
The key worry for those opposed to the measures are gas imports from Russia.
The share of Russian gas in European imports climbed last year, and its share in total consumption has remained relatively stable over the past decade at just under a quarter.
But the EU's Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said Sunday that should Russia interrupt gas and oil supplies, the move would hurt Russian interests in the long run.
"If we notice that gas is becoming a political instrument, against the European Union or against Ukraine or Moldova or Georgia -- countries that are important to us ... then we would without a doubt rely less on gas in our energy policy," he told Deutschlandfunk public radio.
The EU's 28 leaders will address this thornier issue at a two-day summit Thursday in which they hope to also voice their support for the fragile pro-European government in Kiev.
Ukraine's Interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said last week he hoped to sign a long-awaited political accord with the EU at that summit.
It was the refusal by ousted President Viktor Yanukovych to sign the EU deal, favouring closer ties to Russia and President Vladimir Putin, that sparked the crisis last December.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mm
Date : 16 Mar 2014 20:26
The European Union was getting set to unfurl a first wave of sanctions against Russia on Sunday after a referendum on the fate of Crimea went ahead despite bitter Western opposition.
The West's riposte will come early Monday when EU foreign ministers converge in Brussels with visa bans and asset freezes for some of Russia's leading figures likely in the cards.
Similar sanctions by the United States will follow after talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov failed to bridge differences on Friday.
"There will be some sanctions, there will be some response," if the Crimea vote goes through, Kerry warned Friday, adding that President Barack Obama has already "made it clear that there will be consequences".
Like the EU, France "will not recognise this pseudo-consultation," President Francois Hollande said Saturday.
Even Britain, which with Germany has held a more cautious line during the crisis, said the "time had come" for tougher sanctions on Moscow.
"The United Kingdom is strongly of the view that there must be a firm and united response from the European Union at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Friday.
But despite all the warning, Crimeans did go to vote Sunday on breaking away from Ukraine drawing an EU statement that the vote was "illegal and illegitimate and its outcome will not be recognised".
The first exit polls by the separatist authorities of Crimea showed 93 percent voted in favour of joining Russia.
Before the vote, unnamed diplomatic sources in Brussels told AFP the EU sanctions will target "between 25 and 30 names", adding that members of the Russian government would not be included.
"There will likely be members of parliament, members of the security forces ... and a senior defence ministry official but not the minister himself," the source said.
Leading government figures would be exempt because "it would be difficult to impose sanctions" on people you are negotiating a solution with, said the source.
Economic sanctions against Russia, the bloc's third biggest trade partner, are for now being set aside with some EU members in the east, and some of Germany's biggest companies, worried about angering the Kremlin.
"Along with a few other EU members, we are among the least interested in sanctions," said Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Orecharski, adding that his region would be the "biggest loser" if the measures went through.
In Germany, the chief executive for energy giant EON warned against any "thoughtless damage" to Russian ties.
Germans in general are worried as well. A poll on Thursday in newspaper Handelsblatt said two-thirds of Germans were against sanctions on Russia with 57 percent putting the blame for the crisis on the anti-Kremlin Ukrainians.
The key worry for those opposed to the measures are gas imports from Russia.
The share of Russian gas in European imports climbed last year, and its share in total consumption has remained relatively stable over the past decade at just under a quarter.
But the EU's Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said Sunday that should Russia interrupt gas and oil supplies, the move would hurt Russian interests in the long run.
"If we notice that gas is becoming a political instrument, against the European Union or against Ukraine or Moldova or Georgia -- countries that are important to us ... then we would without a doubt rely less on gas in our energy policy," he told Deutschlandfunk public radio.
The EU's 28 leaders will address this thornier issue at a two-day summit Thursday in which they hope to also voice their support for the fragile pro-European government in Kiev.
Ukraine's Interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said last week he hoped to sign a long-awaited political accord with the EU at that summit.
It was the refusal by ousted President Viktor Yanukovych to sign the EU deal, favouring closer ties to Russia and President Vladimir Putin, that sparked the crisis last December.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mm
Date : 16 Mar 2014 20:26
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
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CRIMEA VOTES TO JOIN RUSSIA AMID WESTERN OUTRAGE
by Dario Thuburn
(=(GRAPHIC+PICTURE+VIDEO+VIDEOGRAPHICS)=)
Crimeans voted overwhelmingly Sunday in favour of joining former political master Russia as tensions soared in the east of the splintered ex-Soviet nation amid the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War.
Exit polls cited by local officials showed 93 percent of the voters in favour of leaving Ukraine and joining Russia in the most serious redrawing of the map of Europe since Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia.
"I am happy. Honestly, I'm 60 and I never thought I would live to see this happy day," said Alexander Sorokin as he strolled the waterfront of Sevastopol -- home of tsarist and Kremlin navies since the 18th century and a city that like most of the peninsula is heavily Russified.
Ukraine's new pro-European leaders and the West have branded the vote as "illegal" because the strategic Black Sea peninsula has been under de facto control of Russian forces since the start of the month.
The options facing voters were either to join Russia or go back to a 1992 constitution that effectively made Crimea into an independent state within Ukraine. Retaining good relations with Kiev was not an alternative.
International condemnation of the referendum began pouring in from world capitals even before the polls had closed.
US Secretary of State John Kerry demanded that Moscow pull back its forces to their bases in Crimea in return for constitutional reforms in Ukraine to protect minority rights.
A US State Department official said Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a phone call that "as Ukrainians take the necessary political measures going forward, Russia must reciprocate by pulling forces back to base."
The European Union said it would be deciding on sanctions against Russia on Monday that include the possible seizure of the foreign assets of top Kremlin officials and travel bans for senior ministers.
"We reiterate the strong condemnation of the unprovoked violation of Ukraine's sovereignty... and call on Russia to withdraw its armed forces to their pre-crisis numbers," the EU said in a statement.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin -- accused of orchestrating the vote as a way of seizing Ukranian land and punishing its leaders for spurning closer relations with Moscow -- said he would "respect" its outcome.
The Russian tri-colour was flown all over Crimea amid a festive atmosphere that reflected a profound mistrust of the new Kiev leaders through the largely Russified southeast of the nation of 46 million people.
"This is a historic moment," Crimea's self-declared premier Sergiy Aksyonov told reporters after casting his ballot in the regional capital Simferopol.
Cossacks and pro-Moscow militias were patrolling outside polling stations and Russian troops guarded the unofficial border between Crimea and the rest of Ukraine.
Pro-Russian groups in favour of holding a similar referendum in the flashpoint eastern industrial city of Donetsk stormed the local security and legal headquarters demanding the release of their self-appointed "governor".
Ukraine's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov -- in power since last month's ouster and flight to Russia of Kremlin-backed Viktor Yanukovych -- also accused Russia of fanning tensions in eastern Ukraine as a way of justifying an invasion.
"The result has been pre-planned by the Kremlin as a formal justification to send in its troops and start a war that will destroy people's lives and the economic prospects for Crimea," he said.
There were signs however of a possible easing in Crimea as Ukraine said its forces on the peninsula had reached a temporary truce with Russia to lift the blockade around Ukrainian bases.
But AFP reporters saw no sign of the agreement being implemented at the Perevalnoye base outside Simferopol as Russian forces stood rooted in place.
Three people have died in clashes between nationalists and Russian supporters in Ukraine's southeast since Thursday -- the first fatalities since nearly died in a week of carnage in Kiev last month -- and the region remained fraught with tensions as Crimeans voted to join Kremlin rule.
Around 4,000 pro-Moscow activists rallied in Donetsk to support Crimea's referendum and 6,000 turned out in Kharkiv with a large Russian flag and a sign reading "Our Homeland is the USSR".
Not everyone in Crimea was happy to return to Russia for the first time since peninsula was symbolically gifted to Ukraine by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1954.
Some Crimeans said they would spoil their ballots in protest and there was a call on social media for people to cook vareniki -- Ukrainian dumplings -- instead of going out to vote.
Crimean authorities denied irregularities but accredited journalists including AFP were prevented from entering some polling stations in the port city of Sevastopol and in Simferopol. Several people were seen voting before polls opened.
Foreign observers were present although the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said it would not monitor because it was not officially invited by Ukraine's national government.
Crimea's indigenous Muslim Tatar community -- deported to Central Asia en masse in Soviet times -- largely boycotted the referendum.
"Of course we are not going to vote," said community leader Dilyara Seitvelieva in the historic Tatar town of Bakhchysaray.
"The situation is very dangerous."
But the sentiment was vastly different among ethnic Russians.
"We have waited years for this moment," said 71-year-old Ivan Konstantinovich.
Preparations to become part of Russia -- a process that could take months -- are to begin this week.
Russian lawmakers are also expected on Friday to debate legislation that would simplify the process under which the Kremlin can annex a part of another state.
There has been no armed confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian forces but there have been several incidents involving journalists and pro-unity activists condemned by Amnesty International as "extremely worrying".
The authorities are calling the vote a "Crimean Spring" but many locals are concerned about a possible legal vacuum and economic turmoil.
One immediate worry is about the availability of cash and there have been long queues outside banks with Crimeans rushing to withdraw their money.
Ukraine's government has said Crimea cannot survive since it depends on electricity as well as energy and water supplies from the mainland.
Bakhchysaray native Anna Ivanovna, 70, said she had voted to join Moscow, but was apprehensive.
"Yes, we will be Russians. It's good but at the same time, at my age, it's hard to change countries."
Source : Sapa-AFP /mm
Date : 16 Mar 2014 20:30
by Dario Thuburn
(=(GRAPHIC+PICTURE+VIDEO+VIDEOGRAPHICS)=)
Crimeans voted overwhelmingly Sunday in favour of joining former political master Russia as tensions soared in the east of the splintered ex-Soviet nation amid the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War.
Exit polls cited by local officials showed 93 percent of the voters in favour of leaving Ukraine and joining Russia in the most serious redrawing of the map of Europe since Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia.
"I am happy. Honestly, I'm 60 and I never thought I would live to see this happy day," said Alexander Sorokin as he strolled the waterfront of Sevastopol -- home of tsarist and Kremlin navies since the 18th century and a city that like most of the peninsula is heavily Russified.
Ukraine's new pro-European leaders and the West have branded the vote as "illegal" because the strategic Black Sea peninsula has been under de facto control of Russian forces since the start of the month.
The options facing voters were either to join Russia or go back to a 1992 constitution that effectively made Crimea into an independent state within Ukraine. Retaining good relations with Kiev was not an alternative.
International condemnation of the referendum began pouring in from world capitals even before the polls had closed.
US Secretary of State John Kerry demanded that Moscow pull back its forces to their bases in Crimea in return for constitutional reforms in Ukraine to protect minority rights.
A US State Department official said Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a phone call that "as Ukrainians take the necessary political measures going forward, Russia must reciprocate by pulling forces back to base."
The European Union said it would be deciding on sanctions against Russia on Monday that include the possible seizure of the foreign assets of top Kremlin officials and travel bans for senior ministers.
"We reiterate the strong condemnation of the unprovoked violation of Ukraine's sovereignty... and call on Russia to withdraw its armed forces to their pre-crisis numbers," the EU said in a statement.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin -- accused of orchestrating the vote as a way of seizing Ukranian land and punishing its leaders for spurning closer relations with Moscow -- said he would "respect" its outcome.
The Russian tri-colour was flown all over Crimea amid a festive atmosphere that reflected a profound mistrust of the new Kiev leaders through the largely Russified southeast of the nation of 46 million people.
"This is a historic moment," Crimea's self-declared premier Sergiy Aksyonov told reporters after casting his ballot in the regional capital Simferopol.
Cossacks and pro-Moscow militias were patrolling outside polling stations and Russian troops guarded the unofficial border between Crimea and the rest of Ukraine.
Pro-Russian groups in favour of holding a similar referendum in the flashpoint eastern industrial city of Donetsk stormed the local security and legal headquarters demanding the release of their self-appointed "governor".
Ukraine's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov -- in power since last month's ouster and flight to Russia of Kremlin-backed Viktor Yanukovych -- also accused Russia of fanning tensions in eastern Ukraine as a way of justifying an invasion.
"The result has been pre-planned by the Kremlin as a formal justification to send in its troops and start a war that will destroy people's lives and the economic prospects for Crimea," he said.
There were signs however of a possible easing in Crimea as Ukraine said its forces on the peninsula had reached a temporary truce with Russia to lift the blockade around Ukrainian bases.
But AFP reporters saw no sign of the agreement being implemented at the Perevalnoye base outside Simferopol as Russian forces stood rooted in place.
Three people have died in clashes between nationalists and Russian supporters in Ukraine's southeast since Thursday -- the first fatalities since nearly died in a week of carnage in Kiev last month -- and the region remained fraught with tensions as Crimeans voted to join Kremlin rule.
Around 4,000 pro-Moscow activists rallied in Donetsk to support Crimea's referendum and 6,000 turned out in Kharkiv with a large Russian flag and a sign reading "Our Homeland is the USSR".
Not everyone in Crimea was happy to return to Russia for the first time since peninsula was symbolically gifted to Ukraine by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1954.
Some Crimeans said they would spoil their ballots in protest and there was a call on social media for people to cook vareniki -- Ukrainian dumplings -- instead of going out to vote.
Crimean authorities denied irregularities but accredited journalists including AFP were prevented from entering some polling stations in the port city of Sevastopol and in Simferopol. Several people were seen voting before polls opened.
Foreign observers were present although the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said it would not monitor because it was not officially invited by Ukraine's national government.
Crimea's indigenous Muslim Tatar community -- deported to Central Asia en masse in Soviet times -- largely boycotted the referendum.
"Of course we are not going to vote," said community leader Dilyara Seitvelieva in the historic Tatar town of Bakhchysaray.
"The situation is very dangerous."
But the sentiment was vastly different among ethnic Russians.
"We have waited years for this moment," said 71-year-old Ivan Konstantinovich.
Preparations to become part of Russia -- a process that could take months -- are to begin this week.
Russian lawmakers are also expected on Friday to debate legislation that would simplify the process under which the Kremlin can annex a part of another state.
There has been no armed confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian forces but there have been several incidents involving journalists and pro-unity activists condemned by Amnesty International as "extremely worrying".
The authorities are calling the vote a "Crimean Spring" but many locals are concerned about a possible legal vacuum and economic turmoil.
One immediate worry is about the availability of cash and there have been long queues outside banks with Crimeans rushing to withdraw their money.
Ukraine's government has said Crimea cannot survive since it depends on electricity as well as energy and water supplies from the mainland.
Bakhchysaray native Anna Ivanovna, 70, said she had voted to join Moscow, but was apprehensive.
"Yes, we will be Russians. It's good but at the same time, at my age, it's hard to change countries."
Source : Sapa-AFP /mm
Date : 16 Mar 2014 20:30
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
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US REJECTS CRIMEA VOTE, SAYS RUSSIAN ACTIONS 'DANGEROUS'
The United States Sunday strongly rejected a vote in Crimea on breaking away from Ukraine, and called Russian actions in the crisis "dangerous and destabilizing."
"This referendum is contrary to Ukraine's constitution, and the international community will not recognize the results of a poll administered under threats of violence and intimidation from a Russian military intervention that violates international law," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
The White House statement came as Crimea's pro-Moscow authorities announced that exit polls showed a 93 percent vote in favor of becoming part of Russia.
"The United States has steadfastly supported the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine since it declared its independence in 1991, and we reject the 'referendum' that took place today in the Crimean region of Ukraine," Carney said.
Carney said Russia had spurned outreach to Ukraine and calls for international monitoring, instead escalating its military intervention into Crimea and initiating military exercises on Ukraine's eastern border.
"Russia's actions are dangerous and destabilizing," the White House spokesman said.
"As the United States and our allies have made clear, military intervention and violation of international law will bring increasing costs for Russia -- not only due to measures imposed by the United States and our allies but also as a direct result of Russia's own destabilizing actions," he said.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mm
Date : 16 Mar 2014 20:37
The United States Sunday strongly rejected a vote in Crimea on breaking away from Ukraine, and called Russian actions in the crisis "dangerous and destabilizing."
"This referendum is contrary to Ukraine's constitution, and the international community will not recognize the results of a poll administered under threats of violence and intimidation from a Russian military intervention that violates international law," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
The White House statement came as Crimea's pro-Moscow authorities announced that exit polls showed a 93 percent vote in favor of becoming part of Russia.
"The United States has steadfastly supported the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine since it declared its independence in 1991, and we reject the 'referendum' that took place today in the Crimean region of Ukraine," Carney said.
Carney said Russia had spurned outreach to Ukraine and calls for international monitoring, instead escalating its military intervention into Crimea and initiating military exercises on Ukraine's eastern border.
"Russia's actions are dangerous and destabilizing," the White House spokesman said.
"As the United States and our allies have made clear, military intervention and violation of international law will bring increasing costs for Russia -- not only due to measures imposed by the United States and our allies but also as a direct result of Russia's own destabilizing actions," he said.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mm
Date : 16 Mar 2014 20:37
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
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RALLIES TURN VIOLENT IN UKRAINE'S TENSE EAST AS CRIMEA VOTES
by David VUJANOVIC, with Sergiy BOBOK in Kharkiv
Pro-Kremlin protesters in Ukraine's Russian-dominated east stormed public buildings on Sunday and defied a demonstration ban as they demanded the right to their own Crimea-style referendum.
In the flashpoint city of Donetsk, the site of renewed violence this week, some 4,000 pro-Moscow protesters gathered to support the breakaway vote in Crimea, chanting "Donetsk, Crimea, Russia".
Protesters marched on Donetsk's main prosecution office, smashing windows and barging through the entrance to briefly occupy the building.
They also attacked the regional headquarters of Ukraine's SBU intelligence service for the second straight day, demanding the release of Donetsk's self-declared "governor", Pavel Gubarev, arrested for separatism 10 days ago.
Further north in Kharkiv, less than 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Russian border, about 6,000 pro-Moscow demonstrators defied a protest ban to hold their own symbolic referendum and rally for more autonomy and "sovereignty" for the Russian language.
Organisers handed out improvised ballots that protesters could "cast" in plastic bags to ask for enhanced autonomy in the majority Russian-speaking region.
"Russia!," "Referendum," and "Crimea, we are with you," they chanted after chasing off and jeering at a justicial official who had come to inform them of the demonstration ban.
They also erected a 100-metre (530-foot) long Russian flag outside the regional administration building, as police in riot gear looked on.
Donetsk and Kharkiv both witnessed bloody violence on Thursday and Friday, with three people killed in clashes, the first deaths since the ousting of Ukraine's pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych last month.
Sunday's demonstrations occurred as Crimeans voted in a referendum on joining Russia that has fomented a Cold War-style security crisis on Europe's eastern frontier.
Exit polls issued immediately after the the end of voting found 93 percent had cast their ballots in favour of becoming part of the Russian Federation.
"If the Crimean people want to have a referendum and live independently, it's not a crime," Larisa, a woman in her 50s, said at the rally in Donetsk, a former bastion of support for Yanukovych.
Another demonstrator in the blue-collar coal-mining city said all people wanted was the right to have their say.
"Twenty-seven million people in Ukraine consider (US President Barack) Obama to be a tyrant because he supports the new government in Kiev and doesn't let us have democracy," said Sergiy Yazhgunovich, a 30-year-old businessman.
"President Vladimir Putin wants democracy, he wants a referendum."
While western Ukraine and the capital Kiev are mostly Ukrainian-speaking and Western-leaning, the country's east and south, including Crimea, have a majority Russian-speaking population and seek closer ties to Moscow.
Oleksandr, 56, admitted that Donetsk might not follow in Crimea's footsteps "but we will need some kind of referendum to find out what people want."
"I wouldn't say that many people here would run towards Russia, but people want more independence, to have more rights," said the IT worker, who did not give his last name.
In a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday, Putin "again expressed concern over tensions in Ukraine's south and southeast being inflamed by radical groups with the connivance of Kiev's authorities," the Kremlin said.
Moscow has repeatedly accused the new authorities in Kiev and the protesters who toppled Yanukovych of being extremists and nationalists, even "Nazis".
For Igor Todorov, professor of international relations at Donetsk National University, any attempt to organise a Crimea-style referendum in the city could prove disastrous.
"The bad scenario in Donetsk is to organise with the help of 'Russian tourists' massive action to impose a regional administration, to have a referendum like Crimea, as we'll then have a further escalation," he told AFP.
"There is a risk of destabilisation, of destruction of the modern, peaceful world," he warned.
But as tensions remained high in the east, the western Ukrainian city of Lviv was subdued as people went about their daily lives.
"The referendum in Crimea is illegal," said 48-year-old businessman Stepan Sayik.
"The results have been written in advance in the Kremlin to legitimise the occupation of the peninsula by Russia. Neither Ukraine nor the world will recognise the referendum."
Source : Sapa-AFP /mm
Date : 16 Mar 2014 20:42
by David VUJANOVIC, with Sergiy BOBOK in Kharkiv
Pro-Kremlin protesters in Ukraine's Russian-dominated east stormed public buildings on Sunday and defied a demonstration ban as they demanded the right to their own Crimea-style referendum.
In the flashpoint city of Donetsk, the site of renewed violence this week, some 4,000 pro-Moscow protesters gathered to support the breakaway vote in Crimea, chanting "Donetsk, Crimea, Russia".
Protesters marched on Donetsk's main prosecution office, smashing windows and barging through the entrance to briefly occupy the building.
They also attacked the regional headquarters of Ukraine's SBU intelligence service for the second straight day, demanding the release of Donetsk's self-declared "governor", Pavel Gubarev, arrested for separatism 10 days ago.
Further north in Kharkiv, less than 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Russian border, about 6,000 pro-Moscow demonstrators defied a protest ban to hold their own symbolic referendum and rally for more autonomy and "sovereignty" for the Russian language.
Organisers handed out improvised ballots that protesters could "cast" in plastic bags to ask for enhanced autonomy in the majority Russian-speaking region.
"Russia!," "Referendum," and "Crimea, we are with you," they chanted after chasing off and jeering at a justicial official who had come to inform them of the demonstration ban.
They also erected a 100-metre (530-foot) long Russian flag outside the regional administration building, as police in riot gear looked on.
Donetsk and Kharkiv both witnessed bloody violence on Thursday and Friday, with three people killed in clashes, the first deaths since the ousting of Ukraine's pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych last month.
Sunday's demonstrations occurred as Crimeans voted in a referendum on joining Russia that has fomented a Cold War-style security crisis on Europe's eastern frontier.
Exit polls issued immediately after the the end of voting found 93 percent had cast their ballots in favour of becoming part of the Russian Federation.
"If the Crimean people want to have a referendum and live independently, it's not a crime," Larisa, a woman in her 50s, said at the rally in Donetsk, a former bastion of support for Yanukovych.
Another demonstrator in the blue-collar coal-mining city said all people wanted was the right to have their say.
"Twenty-seven million people in Ukraine consider (US President Barack) Obama to be a tyrant because he supports the new government in Kiev and doesn't let us have democracy," said Sergiy Yazhgunovich, a 30-year-old businessman.
"President Vladimir Putin wants democracy, he wants a referendum."
While western Ukraine and the capital Kiev are mostly Ukrainian-speaking and Western-leaning, the country's east and south, including Crimea, have a majority Russian-speaking population and seek closer ties to Moscow.
Oleksandr, 56, admitted that Donetsk might not follow in Crimea's footsteps "but we will need some kind of referendum to find out what people want."
"I wouldn't say that many people here would run towards Russia, but people want more independence, to have more rights," said the IT worker, who did not give his last name.
In a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday, Putin "again expressed concern over tensions in Ukraine's south and southeast being inflamed by radical groups with the connivance of Kiev's authorities," the Kremlin said.
Moscow has repeatedly accused the new authorities in Kiev and the protesters who toppled Yanukovych of being extremists and nationalists, even "Nazis".
For Igor Todorov, professor of international relations at Donetsk National University, any attempt to organise a Crimea-style referendum in the city could prove disastrous.
"The bad scenario in Donetsk is to organise with the help of 'Russian tourists' massive action to impose a regional administration, to have a referendum like Crimea, as we'll then have a further escalation," he told AFP.
"There is a risk of destabilisation, of destruction of the modern, peaceful world," he warned.
But as tensions remained high in the east, the western Ukrainian city of Lviv was subdued as people went about their daily lives.
"The referendum in Crimea is illegal," said 48-year-old businessman Stepan Sayik.
"The results have been written in advance in the Kremlin to legitimise the occupation of the peninsula by Russia. Neither Ukraine nor the world will recognise the referendum."
Source : Sapa-AFP /mm
Date : 16 Mar 2014 20:42
Unhappy438
Honorary Master
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I see Russian state media now talking about the ability of Russia to turn the USA into "radioactive dust".
DreamKing
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no. 100%
DreamKing
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it doesn't matter. you won't believe it anyways.
Unhappy438
Honorary Master
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Seeing as though he recanted his statement, you're now making yourself look like a fool, although you've done that multiple times already.
The proof doesnt matter? Lol ... Yup instead of just posting it, rather make excuses for why it doesnt exist, eg me not accepting it.
DreamKing
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http://beforeitsnews.com/protests-d...g-u-s-funded-regime-change-video-2452914.html
http://beforeitsnews.com/alternativ...-protesters-video-video-shocking-2902968.html
Watch as Protestors Take Sniper Fire from Ukrainian Police and Military
WARNING DISTURBING FOOTAGE EXTREMELY HARD TO WATCH!!
http://beforeitsnews.com/alternativ...-protesters-video-video-shocking-2902968.html
Watch as Protestors Take Sniper Fire from Ukrainian Police and Military
WARNING DISTURBING FOOTAGE EXTREMELY HARD TO WATCH!!
DreamKing
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Unhappy438
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posted.
In all honesty i dont really feel like watching gruesome videos, is there a summary? One thing i did notice is that the video captures had RT News headers, that immediately sends warning bells off for me.
DreamKing
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Unhappy438
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I told you.
Told me what, im asking for a text summary? I would rather read about it than have to watch it. Is there or isnt there one? If there isn't one then i will watch it.
DreamKing
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DreamKing
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what's wrong with a summary?
I forgot you won't believe it anyways.
or you want to tell me "no source from your 'reliable' media?" obviously not, you really think they really have freedom of speech?
don't be naive.
Unhappy438
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what's wrong with a summary?
I forgot you won't believe it anyways.
or you want to tell me "no source from your 'reliable' media?" obviously not, you really think they really have freedom of speech?
don't be naive.
I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say now. You put a warning stating,
I then asked if you have a text based summary on the video instead of having to watch a video thats extremely hard to watch.
DreamKing
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it doesn't matter, ignore the warning message. I just copy and paste from the site.
Last edited:
DreamKing
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did you read this?
dailymail is the "reliable source" or not?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...rotesters.html
dailymail is the "reliable source" or not?