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interesting analyses of Ukraine situation, Putin, etc
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117387/putin-accidentally-helping-unite-eastern-and-western-ukraineExcerpts (bold emphasis = mine)
. . .This time, a nastier conflict is emerging in Donbass, an agglomeration of mining cities and towns including Artemivsk, known in times of peace for its sparkling-wine factory but also home to one of the country's largest weapons and ammunition stores. In recent days, groups of heavily armed men in modern combat fatigues with no insignia have been emerging, as if out of nowhere, in each of these towns and taking over local government buildings. They became known as "the little green men," a childish idiom which normally refers to aliens from space. The men are definitely not little, but they are certainly aliens in Donbass. They are unable to find their bearings in these miners' towns, speak Russian with a wrong accent (using words normal for St. Petersburg but not Ukraine), and they carry ultra-modern weapons that are unavailable in Ukraine. Journalists and politicians in Kiev are adamant they are Russian special troops, mixed with Crimean and local policemen who switched sides after losing to pro-democracy protesters in Kiev last winter. People also suspect local "Cossacks," paramilitaries who spent years training in "patriotic" summer camps run by Moscow-friendly organizations.
. . .The pro-Russian movement has become known as "anti-Maidan," as opposed to the Euromaidan protests that rocked Kiev and other Ukrainian cities last winter. But although the anti-maidaners largely model themselves on their enemy. . .there is a stark contrast between the two movements. At the height of the peaceful protest last December, hundreds of thousands rallied in Kiev. The population of Donetsk, Donbass's main city, is three times smaller than Kiev's, but the anti-Maidan rallies have drawn a maximum of 7,000 people—a disproportionately low turnout. . . The anti-maidaners appear marginal, their claims to represent the local majority entirely bogus.
But who does the majority support? Local residents' apparent neutrality is the biggest problem for both sides. Pollsters often talk about a Soviet, "industrial" mentality in Donbass and other southeastern regions. While unsympathetic commentators call locals apathetic, sympathetic ones say their love for factory-style order and discipline make them naturally opposed to the very idea of a protest or a political upheaval. That kind of mentality makes them vote for non-ideological candidates who are seen as efficient managers, however bogus the image, like the ousted President Viktor Yanukovych. It also explains why many people in the region opposed the Kiev protests. Both Yanukovych and Russian President Vladimir Putin have encouraged this mentality for years, but now they are falling into a trap they themselves created. Southeast Ukraine may be the world's most difficult and unwelcoming environment for fomenting a genuine protest—stability tops the list of local values and priorities. Many local residents admire Putin for bringing that to Russia, but what he is now peddling in Ukraine is instability, and that's a very tough sell.
Russia's efforts are getting increasingly counterproductive. In fact, Putin has become the single biggest force helping to patch up the split between Ukraine's nationalist west and Russophone east. While the West and many Ukrainian politicians continue to alienate Ukrainian Russophones by treating them as if they are an unfortunate historical error, Putin did more than all of them combined to awake many in Ukraine's east to the fact that their country, however imperfect, is a better place for a Russian speaker than Russia proper is. A recent poll show that a majority of people in Ukraine's Russophone regions don't support separation. . .
.
. . .The pro-Russian movement has become known as "anti-Maidan," as opposed to the Euromaidan protests that rocked Kiev and other Ukrainian cities last winter. But although the anti-maidaners largely model themselves on their enemy. . .there is a stark contrast between the two movements. At the height of the peaceful protest last December, hundreds of thousands rallied in Kiev. The population of Donetsk, Donbass's main city, is three times smaller than Kiev's, but the anti-Maidan rallies have drawn a maximum of 7,000 people—a disproportionately low turnout. . . The anti-maidaners appear marginal, their claims to represent the local majority entirely bogus.
But who does the majority support? Local residents' apparent neutrality is the biggest problem for both sides. Pollsters often talk about a Soviet, "industrial" mentality in Donbass and other southeastern regions. While unsympathetic commentators call locals apathetic, sympathetic ones say their love for factory-style order and discipline make them naturally opposed to the very idea of a protest or a political upheaval. That kind of mentality makes them vote for non-ideological candidates who are seen as efficient managers, however bogus the image, like the ousted President Viktor Yanukovych. It also explains why many people in the region opposed the Kiev protests. Both Yanukovych and Russian President Vladimir Putin have encouraged this mentality for years, but now they are falling into a trap they themselves created. Southeast Ukraine may be the world's most difficult and unwelcoming environment for fomenting a genuine protest—stability tops the list of local values and priorities. Many local residents admire Putin for bringing that to Russia, but what he is now peddling in Ukraine is instability, and that's a very tough sell.
Russia's efforts are getting increasingly counterproductive. In fact, Putin has become the single biggest force helping to patch up the split between Ukraine's nationalist west and Russophone east. While the West and many Ukrainian politicians continue to alienate Ukrainian Russophones by treating them as if they are an unfortunate historical error, Putin did more than all of them combined to awake many in Ukraine's east to the fact that their country, however imperfect, is a better place for a Russian speaker than Russia proper is. A recent poll show that a majority of people in Ukraine's Russophone regions don't support separation. . .
Also, see video (short excerpt with subtitles) by a Russian professor, Valery Saveliev, at a Moscow institute for International Relations, on media manipulation. His message certainly applies to more than the Russian TV media!
For Russian speakers, there's also a link at this url to the full lecture (no subtitles), on youtube
http://www.rferl.org/content/unspun-russian-professor-media-manipulation/25351952.html
6 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Response to KoKo (Reply #3)
Gordon Duff is a bigoted POS, so it isn't a surprise he claims this alleged "hoax" was actually the work of Jews. 
