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jakeXT

(10,575 posts)
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 07:10 AM Jun 2014

Ukraine troops flee post in Luhansk after running out of ammunition

Source: Guardian

Ukrainian forces have abandoned a military outpost in the eastern city of Luhansk after running out of ammunition during a 10-hour battle with pro-Russia militants, its national guard has said.

Officials said six militants had been killed and three Ukrainian servicemen injured in fighting overnight.

Violence in eastern Ukraine has escalated following the 25 May presidential election won by billionaire confectionery magnate Petro Poroshenko, with rebels launching an attack on an airport and shooting down a government helicopter elsewhere.

Ukrainian troops on Tuesday launched an offensive against pro-Russia insurgents in Slavyansk.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/04/ukraine-troops-flee-luhansk-pro-russia-forces



Not enough ammunition for two civil wars ?


There’s something about Schmitz

About a year ago, according to the Journal’s story, a former US defense department official named Joseph Schmitz approached the leader of the rebel Free Syrian Army. He offered to give them 70,000 assault rifles from Ukraine and 21 million rounds of ammunition, for which an unnamed Saudi prince would foot the bill. Given that the fighting force of the Syrian rebels is estimated at perhaps 100,000 strong, it would have been a substantial injection of firepower—though it would not solve the air superiority problem. At the time, the US government was dithering over whether to provide much in the way of weapons at all, given the risks that they might reach anti-American groups or fail to change the dynamics of the conflict.
+

Schmitz, who had worked as the independent auditor for the US Defense Department, left that job in 2005 after coming under Congressional criticism for close relationships to contractors he supervised; no wrong-doing was ever identified. He became the the general counsel for Blackwater, the notorious US mercenary firm, before going into private practice as an attorney. Last year, the Journal reports, he somehow arose as the middleman between the unnamed Saudi benefactor, two unnamed US weapons brokers, and whoever owned those weapons and the capacity to transport them to Syria.
+

This all came to a halt, according to the Journal, when a US spy in Jordan apparently told one of Schmitz’s partners that the US government didn’t want any freelance arms dealing in Syria. This was before Schmitz had applied to the State Department for an official license to broker such weapons sales overseas, which he said he intended to do all along, though both arms trafficking experts and members of the Syrian opposition were skeptical of his approach. Soon, evidence that Syria had used chemical weapons against civilians in rebel-held areas loosened US restrictions. Now, the US is directly supplying training and an unknown amount of small arms and anti-tank weapons to select Syrian rebels across the border from Jordan—but still no anti-aircraft missiles.

http://qz.com/211603/how-ukrainian-arms-dealing-connects-to-syrias-bloody-civil-war/
34 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Ukraine troops flee post in Luhansk after running out of ammunition (Original Post) jakeXT Jun 2014 OP
Ukraine leader says to unveil peace plan soon dipsydoodle Jun 2014 #1
Well, his war plan doesn't seem to be working very well. Comrade Grumpy Jun 2014 #11
I'm pretty sure the new guy is not in charge yet. bemildred Jun 2014 #14
They went back to the 2004 constitution with a weaker president jakeXT Jun 2014 #21
Please see post #18. He makes an interesting comment. bemildred Jun 2014 #22
Thanks for this... JackRiddler Jun 2014 #27
I know it's CNN, lol jakeXT Jun 2014 #30
The neoliberal + fascist government is still in charge. JackRiddler Jun 2014 #26
Poroshenko is going to sign economic deal with EU immediately after inauguration jakeXT Jun 2014 #28
Well, there you go. JackRiddler Jun 2014 #29
Conflicting accounts in heightened eastern Ukraine fighting bemildred Jun 2014 #2
Russia not to propose no-fly zone over eastern Ukraine bemildred Jun 2014 #3
Putin Offers to Meet Obama as East Ukraine Battles Rage bemildred Jun 2014 #4
Ukraine Plans Martial Law in East bemildred Jun 2014 #5
Oh, this is the peace plan. Good luck with that Comrade Grumpy Jun 2014 #12
We will see. It seems remarkably unrealistic to me, but the noise level is high. bemildred Jun 2014 #13
'A European War': The Fight for Ukraine's East Gets Bloodier bemildred Jun 2014 #6
Gazprom delays Ukraine gas deadline to June 10 bemildred Jun 2014 #7
Pro-Russian Rebels Seize Ukrainian Military Compound bemildred Jun 2014 #8
More journalists abducted in eastern Ukraine and Crimea bemildred Jun 2014 #9
Fighting rages in eastern Ukraine town, residents flee bemildred Jun 2014 #10
Ukrainian president: it's possible I'll meet Putin this week bemildred Jun 2014 #15
Merkel wants talks with Russia to continue to resolve Ukraine crisis bemildred Jun 2014 #16
Putin says ready to meet new Ukrainian President in France bemildred Jun 2014 #17
Rebels Seize Three Government Bases in Eastern Ukraine bemildred Jun 2014 #18
This would be a more sensible approach. Comrade Grumpy Jun 2014 #24
Yeah. Might not be too late. I hope he has good bodyguards. nt bemildred Jun 2014 #25
Bloomberg: Ukraine Crisis Forces Shell to Halt Shale Wells in Restive East bemildred Jun 2014 #19
Pro-Russia Rebels in Ukraine Say Putin Gave Us 'False Hope' bemildred Jun 2014 #20
G-7 to Keep Next Russia Sanctions on Hold, Urge Dialogue bemildred Jun 2014 #23
what a trail. DOD-70k Ukraine weapons to Syria-DOD to Blackwater to middleman for 'US weapons broker Sunlei Jun 2014 #31
Congress had a classified legislation on Syria weapons. Corruption is cited as a reason for jakeXT Jun 2014 #32
wow what a mess. Corruption may be an issue by Ukraine's past Gov.- the officials that left for Sunlei Jun 2014 #33
Both, the current interim president and the new one had some allegations thrown at them in wikileaks jakeXT Jun 2014 #34

dipsydoodle

(42,239 posts)
1. Ukraine leader says to unveil peace plan soon
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 08:17 AM
Jun 2014

(Reuters) - Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday he would announce a plan for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in the east of the country soon after his inauguration on Saturday.

"Very quickly after the presidential inauguration we are ready to present our plan for the peaceful solution of the situation in the east," he told reporters after meeting U.S. President Barack Obama in the Polish capital.

He gave no details of what that solution might involve. Previously Ukrainian officials have said they are willing to seek talks with pro-Russian separatist rebels in the east, but could not find suitable negotiating partners.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/04/uk-ukraine-crisis-poroshenko-resolution-idUKKBN0EF0UY20140604

 

Comrade Grumpy

(13,184 posts)
11. Well, his war plan doesn't seem to be working very well.
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 12:50 PM
Jun 2014

Or maybe he's not in charge yet. Who is in charge?

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
14. I'm pretty sure the new guy is not in charge yet.
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 02:13 PM
Jun 2014

And I don't know how much power he will have once he is installed in office either.

He sends ambiguous messages, but I sense frustration too. Just don't know what sort of frustration yet.

jakeXT

(10,575 posts)
21. They went back to the 2004 constitution with a weaker president
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 02:53 PM
Jun 2014
In Ukraine they have 2004 constitution, which doesn’t give much power to the president. He cannot dissolve the government, he cannot dissolve the parliament. I am not sure he will be able to order anything to the paramilitary formations that exist in Ukraine and unfortunately what we have in the East is a war of militias.

When will he be able to take control over military?

This is the problem, this is the reason why Yanukovich was so much against the return to the constitution of 2004. According to that constitution the president can’t do anything without approval of the Parliament and the prime minister is a much more important figure. The president may ask the parliament to remove the prime minister but Poroshenko already said he would keep Arseny Yatsenyuk as the prime minister. First, Poroshenko doesn’t have the power to stop the war. Second, I am afraid he is going the wrong way instead of speaking about a dialogue with the protesting movements in the East, he keeps saying the same thing that I heard from Georgians and from Moldovans 20 years ago: first we win, and then we negotiate with Russia that nothing like that would happen again.
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_05_26/US-and-EU-wanted-Poroshenko-to-become-Ukrainian-president-political-analyst-8402/
 

JackRiddler

(24,979 posts)
27. Thanks for this...
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 03:26 PM
Jun 2014

I'd like to see more substantiation. (Not that I doubt, but a link to VoR will produce the usual yang-yanging even if it's just a weather report.)

So could this be why the government of neoliberals + fascists called a presidential and not a parliamentary election?

jakeXT

(10,575 posts)
30. I know it's CNN, lol
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 03:32 PM
Jun 2014
If and when Poroshenko emerges as president, winning the election is going to seem like the easy part compared to an in-tray of daunting and near impossible challenges.

The first will be to put together a parliamentary majority capable of supporting his reform vision. This has become essential with parliament's powers once again increased under the restored 2004 constitution.

Poroshenko's preference would be to keep Arseny Yatsenyuk as prime minister, not least because of the credibility he has established with the IMF and Western governments, while broadening the government to include former Party of the Regions people from the east.

But, as leader of Yatsenyuk's Batkivshchyna party, Tymoshenko may have other ideas if she calculates that opposition would suit her personal interests better. It may take a painful split within the democratic bloc followed by a major realignment and new parliamentary elections in the autumn before Poroshenko gets the government he wants.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/23/business/ukraine-presidential-elections/
 

JackRiddler

(24,979 posts)
26. The neoliberal + fascist government is still in charge.
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 03:24 PM
Jun 2014

Poroshenko is not yet inaugurated. That doesn't necessarily mean the government changes. It would be up to him to call for a new prime minister, and apparently this isn't guaranteed (as I'm now learning due to the terms of the newly reinstutituted 2004 constitution).

Hard to say what he'd do, but as for the most democratically legitimated figure for the mement, let us hope he will dismiss the coup crew and offer peace, an end to the politics of ethnic division, a federalist solution, and immediate parliamentary elections for a new government that includes the East. (Maybe the billionaire chocolate oligarch will even open a serious debate about the trade agreements and the IMF-EU austerity plan. Why not dream, inaugurations are always about false hopes?)

jakeXT

(10,575 posts)
28. Poroshenko is going to sign economic deal with EU immediately after inauguration
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 03:27 PM
Jun 2014

Ukrainian President-Elect Petro Poroshenko has said that he is ready to sign the economic part of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union as soon as he is officially sworn in as president of Ukraine.

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/poroshenko-is-going-to-sign-economic-deal-with-eu-immediately-after-inauguration-350651.html

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
2. Conflicting accounts in heightened eastern Ukraine fighting
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 09:26 AM
Jun 2014

Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) -- Conflicting accounts emerged Wednesday from heightened fighting in eastern Ukraine, with a Ukrainian government official claiming forces loyal to Kiev had inflicted heavy losses on separatists and a pro-Russia official boasting that militants had downed government jets and helicopters.

A Ukrainian government spokesman claimed that more than 300 pro-Russia militants had been killed and at least 500 wounded during an ongoing Ukrainian military operation in the towns of Chervoniy Liman and Slovyansk.

The self-declared separatist mayor of Slovyansk, however, said only 10 separatist fighters had died and 12 were injured in the fighting.

CNN could not immediately confirm either report.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/04/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
3. Russia not to propose no-fly zone over eastern Ukraine
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 09:31 AM
Jun 2014

MOSCOW, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Russia said Wednesday it was not mulling a proposal to have the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) impose a no-fly zone in eastern Ukraine.

"At the current stage, we are not considering such an initiative," deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov told reporters, adding western countries would not back the proposal.

Russia submitted a draft resolution on Ukraine to the UNSC Monday, proposing talks to end the violence and create humanitarian corridors in that country.

"Unfortunately, our western partners did not support the Russian initiative, as they consider that there are no humanitarian problems in eastern Ukraine," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Gatilov as saying.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-06/04/c_133383677.htm

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
4. Putin Offers to Meet Obama as East Ukraine Battles Rage
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 09:33 AM
Jun 2014

President Vladimir Putin offered the first face-to-face talks with Barack Obama since pro-Russian separatists unleashed an insurgency that’s claimed almost 200 lives in Ukraine.

The Russian leader, who rejected accusations his military is present in Ukraine, said he’s ready to meet Obama this week in France during 70th-anniversary commemorations of the allied landings in the north of the country in World War II. Meanwhile, Obama met Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko in Warsaw, where he pledged to step up non-lethal military aid.

“That’s his choice -- I’m ready for dialogue,” Putin said, according to an excerpt of an interview with French radio Europe 1 and the TF1 television channel posted today on Europe 1’s website. “I hope this isn’t a new phase of the Cold War.”

The U.S. and the European Union are at odds with Russia over Ukraine, where the government is reinforcing the nation’s borders to stem an influx of fighters into its easternmost regions. Poroshenko, who’ll be inaugurated on June 7, has said he’ll bolster a military operation to counter the separatist groups that control swathes of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-04/putin-offers-to-meet-obama-as-east-ukraine-battles-rage.html

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
5. Ukraine Plans Martial Law in East
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 09:35 AM
Jun 2014

The Ukrainian government said Wednesday it is developing a plan to impose martial law in eastern Ukraine, signaling its resolve to continue pushing with the fight against a pro-Russian separatist rebellion that has raged for weeks.

The move would allow the government to evacuate civilians from militant-controlled areas, freeing up Ukraine's armed forces to begin a full-scale military operation to regain control.

Ukraine has accused rebel forces of hiding behind civilians, which has slowed the government's advance. As the government has stepped up its fight in the past week, there have been increasing incidents of civilians being hurt.

"This is a real war, and what we are doing is upgrading the legal status to match the reality," said Victoria Siumar, deputy secretary of the council. "There is a decision to call things by their proper name."

http://www.nasdaq.com/article/ukraine-plans-martial-law-in-east-20140604-00331

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
13. We will see. It seems remarkably unrealistic to me, but the noise level is high.
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 02:09 PM
Jun 2014

You would think they would look at Syria or Libya and think better of it.

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
6. 'A European War': The Fight for Ukraine's East Gets Bloodier
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 09:38 AM
Jun 2014

Fighters from Russia's Caucasus region have joined the separatists in eastern Ukraine, while Kiev has intensified its efforts to win back control of the region. Just 10 days after the presidential election there, the conflict is quickly turning into a war.

The man with the full, black beard looks satisfied, sitting on his wooden chair. He is wearing a white-striped baseball cap and his Kalashnikov sits on the table beside him. Fighters refer to him respectfully as "Komandir." His casual hand signals determine who is allowed into the headquarters of the regional administration of Donetsk and who is not. In response to questions, the Komandir answers in Russian, with a strong Caucasian accent.

Is he the boss here? "Yes, apparently." But he's not from here? "As you can see." Then, his mobile phone rings and he speaks in a Caucasian language. Is it Chechen? "Why do you want to know, my friend?"

After months of obfuscation, Russia's direct involvement in eastern Ukraine is becoming visible. And last week, it became clearer than ever that Russian and Chechen mercenaries are supporting the separatists in Donetsk, fighting side-by-side with Ukrainians against troops sent by Kiev. At first, the presence of Russian fighters was but a rumor, but then, last Thursday, a column of vehicles carrying 34 coffins draped with red cloth left Donetsk heading for the border. Two-thirds of the some 50 rebels who died in heavy fighting 10 days ago were Russian citizens.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/fighting-intensifies-in-eastern-ukraine-as-kiev-advances-a-973304.html

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
7. Gazprom delays Ukraine gas deadline to June 10
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 11:03 AM
Jun 2014

Moscow (AFP) - Russia's gas giant Gazprom said Wednesday it was giving Ukraine an extra day to start paying for gas ahead of time or risk a cut in its supply.

"On the request of Ukrainian side, the deadline for regulating the problems on payments has been postponed to June 10 because June 9 is a public holiday in Ukraine," Gazprom said in a statement.

The announcement came after chief executive Alexei Miller held talks with the head of Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz, Andriy Kobolev, in Berlin.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/world/a/24151439/

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
8. Pro-Russian Rebels Seize Ukrainian Military Compound
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 11:42 AM
Jun 2014

A pro-Russian group takes control of a Ukrainian post in Luhansk, Ukraine. The rebels collected large amounts of weapons and ammunition left behind by the Ukrainian troops.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/pro-russian-rebels-seize-ukrainian-military-compound-n122391

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
9. More journalists abducted in eastern Ukraine and Crimea
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 11:44 AM
Jun 2014

Reporters Without Borders is alarmed by the continuing abduction of journalists in eastern Ukraine and Crimea and urges the Russian and Ukrainian authorities and all militias active in the region to respect and protect journalists regardless of the editorial policies of the media they work for.

Two journalists kidnapped and beaten in Crimea

Two journalists with the Centre for Investigative Reporting in the Crimean capital of Simferopol, reporter Sergei Mokrushin and producer Vladlen Melnikov, were arrested at around 8 p.m. on 2 June by members of a “self-defence militia,” who took them to their headquarters, beat them, and examined the contents of their mobile phones and social network accounts.

Mokrushin received repeated blows to the abdomen and lower back while Melnikov’s head was smashed against a pane of glass. The journalists said two local politicians were present while they were being beaten. The mistreatment only stopped when policemen arrived and took them away to a police station.

http://en.rsf.org/ukraine-more-journalists-abducted-in-04-06-2014,46399.html

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
10. Fighting rages in eastern Ukraine town, residents flee
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 12:07 PM
Jun 2014

NEAR SLAVIANSK, Ukraine, June 4 (Reuters) - Ukrainian government forces battled separatists with artillery and automatic weapons on Wednesday as fighting raged for a second straight day in and around the eastern town of Slaviansk, forcing many frightened residents to flee.

The Kiev government, trying to break rebellions by pro-Russia militias which it fears could lead to dismemberment of the country, said more than 300 rebels had been killed in the past 24 hours in the "anti-terrorist operation" centred on the town, a strategically located separatist stronghold.

Rebels denied this and said losses by the Ukrainian side during a government offensive which began on Tuesday exceeded theirs.

At an army checkpoint on the edge of the town, the crash of heavy artillery shelling could be heard and a plume of black smoke rose above the outskirts. Sustained bursts of automatic gunfire rattled out from leafy areas in nearby fields.

http://www.trust.org/item/20140604140941-7i6jt/

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
15. Ukrainian president: it's possible I'll meet Putin this week
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 02:44 PM
Jun 2014

WARSAW (Reuters) - Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday he would try to secure support at meetings with world leaders in France this week for a plan to end violence in eastern Ukraine, and may discuss the question with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Unveiling the first details of his plan after discussing it with U.S. President Barack Obama on a visit to Poland, Poroshenko said it would involve de-centralisation of power to the region, local elections, and an amnesty offer.

Ukrainian leaders have mooted similar proposals in the past but they have been quickly discarded, and failed to stem clashes between pro-Russian separatists and government forces, which have been mounting this week.

---

"As things stand now, a meeting between me and Putin is not envisaged, but I do not rule out that it could take place in one format or another," Poroshenko told a news conference in Warsaw, where he earlier had talks with Obama.

https://in.news.yahoo.com/ukrainian-president-possible-ill-meet-putin-week-182432483.html

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
16. Merkel wants talks with Russia to continue to resolve Ukraine crisis
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 02:45 PM
Jun 2014

BRUSSELS, June 4 (KUNA) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel Wednesday said in Brussels that "we are starting the G7 Summit this evening. The G7 has stuck together well in the past weeks regarding the issue which will be discussed today - Ukraine and Russia." Speaking to reporters ahead of the G7 dinner meeting, she said" we will discuss this topic and other foreign affairs issues today, and we will see, firstly, how we can now support Ukraine after its presidential election; secondly, how to continue the talks with Russia about the necessary actions to take; and thirdly, if all of this does not work out, to signal the possibility of further actions." Tomorrow the G7 will discuss the topics of world economy, climate and energy, she added.

http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2380935&Language=en

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
17. Putin says ready to meet new Ukrainian President in France
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 02:46 PM
Jun 2014

PARIS: President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet Ukraine's president elect on the sidelines of the D-Day commemorations in France, the Russian leader said in an interview broadcast here on Wednesday.

Asked if he would meet and shake hands with Petro Poroshenko in Normandy on Friday if that could be organised by French President Francois Hollande, Putin replied: "I don't plan to avoid anyone."

Speaking to France's TF1 station at his dacha in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Putin added: "There will be other guests, and I'm not going to avoid any of them. I will talk with all of them."

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2014/Jun-04/258901-putin-says-ready-to-meet-new-ukraine-president-in-france.ashx

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
18. Rebels Seize Three Government Bases in Eastern Ukraine
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 02:47 PM
Jun 2014

Luhansk, Ukraine: Pro-Russian insurgents dislodged government troops from three bases in eastern Ukraine, a new blow to beleaguered armed forces as its president-elect vowed new initiatives to help end the regional mutiny.

Billionaire candy magnate Petro Poroshenko, speaking in Warsaw, rejected the interim authorities' proposal to introduce a martial law in Ukraine's restive east. He said he would seek to pacify the regions with an offer of amnesty and a promise of early regional elections.

The move follows nearly two months of fighting in the region, where pro-Russia rebels have seized government buildings, declared two sprawling provinces independent and fought government forces.

Poroshenko's offer, expected to be detailed in his inaugural address on Saturday, came as the Ukrainian troops suffered a series of humiliating setbacks on Wednesday.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/rebels-seize-three-government-bases-in-eastern-ukraine-536156?curl=1401907268

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
19. Bloomberg: Ukraine Crisis Forces Shell to Halt Shale Wells in Restive East
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 02:49 PM
Jun 2014

Royal Dutch Shell Plc has halted drilling for shale gas in eastern Ukraine to protect its personnel from clashes between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian army.

Shell is taking a “time-out” on exploration work after drilling two wells since the Hague-based explorer signed a production-sharing agreement last year, Chief Financial Officer Simon Henry said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in London.

Europe’s largest oil company has an exploration license for the 8,000-square-kilometer (3,100-square-mile) Yuzivska field in the eastern provinces where hundreds of people have died as armed separatists try to split from Ukraine and join Russia. The company’s operations are more exposed that those of Chevron Corp, which is exploring the Oleska field in western Ukraine.

http://www.naturalgaseurope.com/shell-ukraine-shale-wells

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
20. Pro-Russia Rebels in Ukraine Say Putin Gave Us 'False Hope'
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 02:50 PM
Jun 2014

Amid rising death tolls in eastern Ukraine, the head of a pro-Russian rebel group expressed disappointment Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin hadn't sent in more troops.

"The only possible help for us would be if the Russian forces came," said Dmitry Boitsov of the Russian Orthodox Army from Slaviansk, Ukraine — where fighting has been raging for two straight days.

"If he doesn't bring in forces, there will be people here who would want to destroy him, because he gave us false hope."

The Russian Orthodox Army is a newly formed militia group that is one of several armed rebel groups fighting in Ukraine's chaotic east. They are in dire need of help, Boitsov said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/pro-russia-rebels-ukraine-say-putin-gave-us-false-hope-n122456

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
23. G-7 to Keep Next Russia Sanctions on Hold, Urge Dialogue
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 03:00 PM
Jun 2014

Group of Seven leaders are poised to spare Russia further sanctions for now, giving the Kremlin another chance to cut off support to the pro-Moscow separatists seeking to break up Ukraine.

The world’s leading industrial democracies will urge Russia to “accelerate” the withdrawal of its troops from Ukraine’s border and warn that “we stand ready to intensify targeted sanctions” in the absence of a peaceful settlement, according to a draft text obtained by Bloomberg News before a two-day G-7 meeting in Brussels.

Russia’s seizure of Crimea and menace to eastern Ukraine led the U.S. and European Union to impose asset freezes and travel bans on 98 people and 20 companies, while stopping short of broader curbs on investment and trade that might damage western economies as well.

Debate over further penalties is seething in the 28-nation EU, which relies on Russia for 30 percent of its natural gas supply. Germany has faced down business leaders over sanctions and gas customers such as Slovakia have opposed a tougher line, while France has gone ahead with the sale of two Mistral helicopter carriers to the Russian navy.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-04/g-7-to-keep-next-russia-sanctions-on-hold-urge-dialogue.html

Sunlei

(22,651 posts)
31. what a trail. DOD-70k Ukraine weapons to Syria-DOD to Blackwater to middleman for 'US weapons broker
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 04:10 PM
Jun 2014

US weapons brokers and ability to transport the weapons to Syria.

I thought Americans were banned from selling crap to Syria? Why did our DOD look the other way? Who caused the weapon shortage in Ukraine?

jakeXT

(10,575 posts)
32. Congress had a classified legislation on Syria weapons. Corruption is cited as a reason for
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 04:20 PM
Jun 2014

Ukraine's military problems

Congress secretly approves U.S. weapons flow to 'moderate' Syrian rebels

...

Congress approved funding for weapons deliveries to the Syrian rebels in classified sections of defense appropriations legislation, two sources familiar with the matter said. It was not clear when the funding was approved, but unclassified defense funding passed Congress in late December.

Some additional budget tweaks may be necessary to ensure that all the approved funding is fully available for disbursement during the current fiscal year.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/27/us-usa-syria-rebels-idUSBREA0Q1S320140127



Now they want our help? Ukraine military SOLD its best weapons for cash

..

The woeful state of Ukraine’s military can be blamed on corruption, Kiev’s shaky commitment to national defense and a policy of selling the best weapons to gain cold hard cash, analysts say.

The shortfall is surprising given that Ukraine’s large defense industrial complex produces tanks, anti-armor weapons, radars and spare parts.

“They’ve been doing it to themselves,” said Olga Oliker, a national security policy analyst at the Rand Corp. “It’s a corrupt, broken system. And they’re not putting money or resources into it. Things have been getting siphoned off.”

Kiev has raised defense spending from $1.45 billion in 2009 to $1.9 billion last year, according to Jane’s Defense Weekly. Some of the money apparently is being diverted: On the list of military needs are essentials such as blankets and food.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/23/sold-out-ukraines-leadership-swapped-best-military/#

Sunlei

(22,651 posts)
33. wow what a mess. Corruption may be an issue by Ukraine's past Gov.- the officials that left for
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 04:46 PM
Jun 2014

Russia. Reports at that time was the abandoned palace and mansions had huge stockpiles of cash and extremely expensive items left behind.

Isn't Russia the one who always sold major military items to Syria? Perhaps Putin had a few Ukraine buddies with connections and they sold off Ukraine's military supplies too.

It is a mess. I hope Ukraine can move away from the corruption. Their country would have a much better future as a full member of the EU.

jakeXT

(10,575 posts)
34. Both, the current interim president and the new one had some allegations thrown at them in wikileaks
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 05:02 PM
Jun 2014

cables

Turchynov is the current Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament and acting President of Ukraine after Viktor Yanukovych was removed from power by the parliament on 21 February 2014.

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In February 2006 state prosecutors opened a criminal case against Turchynov and his SBU deputy Andriy Kozhemyakin for destroying a file about FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive, organized crime boss Semyon Mogilevich, from the SBU archive. The case was dismissed four months later.[28] WikiLeaks documents mention Turchynov, then head of Ukraine's SBU, as having destroyed documents implicating Yulia Tymoshenko's alleged connections to Mogilevich.[29]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleksandr_Turchynov


The majority of negative commentaries about Poroshenko were made during the period from 2006 to 2009.

During this period he was a deputy of the Our Ukraine political party and chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine. Sheila Guoltni, US deputy Ambassador to Ukraine, told the US Department of State on May 26, 2006 that the image of Poroshenko was discredited by "credible accusations of corruption." Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko accused Poroshenko, an ally of Viktor Yushchenko during the Ukraine's Orange Revolution, of lobbying for his own interests. Thus, Poroshenko was ousted as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine because of a conflict with Timoshenko and the Verkhovna Rada.

In the dispatch of February 16, 2006, John Herbst, US Ambassador to Ukraine, called Poroshenko "an oligarch, who had disgraced himself." On June 21, 2006, the next US Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor characterized him as "unpopular politician, who had been supported by the party members due to his business activity." One month later, Taylor wrote that the Our Ukraine political party had followed the advice of "Poroshenko, who personifies all the weaknesses of the party", instead of nominating a young and perspective deputy for the elections.
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_29/US-diplomats-call-newly-elected-Ukrainian-President-Poroshenko-disgraceful-oligarch-WikiLeaks-0773/


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/05/29/the-not-very-nice-things-u-s-officials-used-to-say-about-ukraines-new-president/
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