US/NATO War on Russia

[Keith Millea]

Published on Friday, May 2, 2014 by Common Dreams

Diplomatic 'Hope' Destroyed? Helicopters Down as Kiev Attacks East

Putin says clashes have 'crushed hope' that diplomatic agreement can survive in Ukraine

- Jon Queally, staff writer

Ukrainian soldiers guard a checkpoint they seized in Andreevka, seven kilometres from the centre of Slaviansk, on Friday. (Photo: AFP)

As the Ukrainian military launched an offensive assault on the eastern city of Slavyansk on Friday, pro-Russian militias in the area have reportedly shot down two helicopters, killing at least some of the soldiers on board while others were wounded and captured.

A pro-Russian separatist guards a checkpoint as tires burn behind him near the town of Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine May 2, 2014. (Credit: Reuters/Baz Ratner)

News of the assault in Moscow resulted in a statement from President Putin that said "all hope" for the survival of a diplomatic settlement reached in Geneva two weeks ago is likely destroyed and criticized the western-backed Kiev government for ordering the use of "air power" against its own people in the east.

Kiev says the aircraft were "on patrol" while separatists claim the helicopters were part of an offensive against the city and fired missiles.
Reports from Slavyansk indicate that local separatists have retained control of the city by repelling the soldiers sent from Kiev and fortifying barricades on key roads in the area.
[URL="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/02/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA400LI20140502"]
According[/URL] to Reuters:

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry said in a statement that two Mi-24 helicopter gunships were shot down by shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles while on patrol overnight around Slaviansk, a city that rebels have turned into a heavily-fortified stronghold. Two airmen were killed and others wounded. The attack helicopter normally has two crew but can carry more.
Other Ukrainian officials and the separatist leader in Slaviansk had said earlier that one airman was taken prisoner.

The New York Times reports:

Vyachislav Ponomaryov, the self-appointed mayor of Slovyansk, was quoted as telling Interfax on Friday that his forces had shot down two helicopters. One of the pilots was killed and another was captured, he said. Mr. Ponomaryov said the helicopters had fired missiles into the city, but there were no immediate reports to confirm his account.
According to various Russian media outlets, Ukrainian forces were "storming" the separatist stronghold, including making assaults on checkpoints ringing Slovyansk patrolled by pro-Russian militias.
The fighting described in the reports would be a potentially perilous escalation in a tinderbox region, where Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops just across the border on what it has called training maneuvers. But there has been little direct corroboration of the scale and targets of the offensive.

And Agence France-Presse adds:

As the crisis rapidly spirals into the worst East-West confrontation since the end of the Cold War, US President Barack Obama was due to discuss the tensions with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House later on Friday.
In what they called an "anti-terrorist" operation, the Ukrainian forces had for days encircled Slaviansk to prevent the insurgents receiving reinforcements.
Russia's foreign ministry warned on Thursday that any effort by Kiev to intensify its military operation "against its own people" in the east could have "catastrophic consequences".
And Russian news agencies quoted Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that while Moscow was "making efforts to de-escalate and settle the conflict", Kiev had launched a "reprisal raid."

[Paul Rigby]

[video=youtube_share;pNpYYJTirOY]http://youtu.be/pNpYYJTirOY[/video]

[Paul Rigby]

[video=youtube_share;BfqoWVwmP2Q]http://youtu.be/BfqoWVwmP2Q[/video]

[Magda Hassan]

Friday, May 2, 2014

Ukraine SITREP update - May 2nd, 20:14 UTC/Zulu: massacre in Odessa

It appears that a massacre did take place today, but not in Slaviansk, but in Odessa were 38 people died when a building in which they had sought refuge was set ablaze. Here is what RT reports:

At least 38 anti-government activists died in fire at Odessa's Trade Unions House after suffocating with smoke or jumping out of windows of the burning building, Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported. The building was set ablaze by the pro-Kiev radicals. Some 50 people, including 10 police officers, were also injured in the incident, the official statement said. It was not immediately clear whether those injured in Friday street clashes in Odessa were included in those numbers. According to the ministry, the Friday standoff on Odessa included "anti-Maidan" activists on one side and "football fans" from Odessa and Kharkov, as well as "euro-Maidan" activists, on the other. A criminal case on the charges of mass unrest has been opened. The Trade Unions House was set on fire by pro-Kiev radicals after they surrounded and destroyed the tent camp of anti-government activists that stood in front of the building on Odessa's Kulikovo Field Square. It was torched in a storming attempt after some of the anti-Maidan activists rallying in the square barricaded themselves inside the building. Thirty of the victims were found on the floors of the building having apparently suffocated to death with smoke. Eight more died after jumping out of the burning Trade Union House's windows, according to police. Earlier reports of the clashes in Odessa said that both sides used Molotov cocktails and, allegedly, gunfire.

While the exact circumstances of this tragedy are unclear, it appears that we are dealing with the massacre of pro-Russian activists by nationalist thugs (aka "football hooligans"). As I mentioned earlier, a Russian intervention in Odessa is far more likely than in the Donbass which seems capable of protecting itself without Russian assistance.

Also, and with some reluctance, I want to inform you about one interesting but unverified source (caveat emptor!): there is a Spanish speaking air traffic controller in Kiev who regularly tweets info about the events in the Ukraine here: https://twitter.com/spainbuca.

Now I personally never use Twitter (or Facebook), but a reader has called my attention to this guys who seems to have some pretty good information. According to him, some "military in Kiev" had requested the help of Russia, after which some Russian cargo plane has flown near Donetsk. According to him, radio intercepts indicate Russian paratroopers. The aircraft then turned around. What that a para drop? Finally, he reports that Ukrainian military aircraft have been challenged by Russian interceptors and have had to withdraw. Now, since all this is based on radio communication it could be fake or just somebody trying to create a panic. But for those of you who understand Spanish I wanted to pass you the info so you call follow this directly on Twitter.

Whether Russia moves troops in now or not, my sense is that this massacre in Odessa will have serious consequences as the Russians will not ignore it.

I will try to keep you posted as best I can,

The Saker
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com.br/201...-2014.html

[David Guyatt]

Someone tell me I'm wrong please, but one of those policemen taken by the mob appears almost to be smiling and/or enjoying his capture during the brief moments either of their faces can be clearly seen.

[Peter Lemkin]

I think there is enough blame on all sides to go around. That said, the events are clearly now spinning out of control [as it seems both sides desire or care not to stop]. This can only end badly....now it is just a matter of how badly. It is a very sad situation with the average person in the Ukraine [not involved in violence on either side - whatever their views] increasingly being marginalized and victimized. Most Ukrainians still want a united country - or at least a federation of semi-autonomous regions. Increasingly, it seems like in the Balkans, the country may be broken up....against the democratic wish - but the wish of both superpowers - each for their own reasons. ::

[David Guyatt]

The below BoilingFrogsPost essay explains why the US turned its attention to the Ukraine.

Imagine Putin trying to decouple Europe from the US. That's a no no. But there must've been considerable German interest in the idea in the first place, I think.

[quote]

NATO's new Cold War runs into trouble in Germany

CHRISTOPH GERMANN | MAY 2, 20144 COMMENTS
Side Effects of PropagandaEdward Bernays once famously promoted the "conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses" through the use of propaganda, which he considered an "important element in democratic society".[1] Today's so-called "liberal democracies" are testament to Bernays' assertion. The "father of public relations" demonstrated early on that propaganda can be used for many different purposes, from selling cars to selling wars. Especially the latter has become the primary task of media in the United States and other NATO countries in recent years. With Iraq still burning, Western media played a decisive role in turning Libya and Syria into failed states as well. The propaganda was never particularly sophisticated. After "Saddam has weapons of mass destruction" came "Gaddafi is killing his own people" and eventually "Assad is like Hitler". But mainstream media reporting got even worse during the Ukraine crisis and this could have unforeseen consequences for those in power.
In Ukraine bloodthirsty neo-Nazis became peaceful protesters, pro-Russian protesters became FSB agents and black became white. Anti-Russian propaganda is all-pervasive and the Western media narrative about events in Ukraine is more often than not diametrically opposed to the facts on the ground. NATO has been doing its best to provoke a new Cold War and the Obama administration, apparently believing its own spin, wants to pursue "an updated version of the Cold War strategy of containment" towards Russia.[2] This begs the question of what this is all about. Why is Washington determined to take on Russia?
As Pepe Escobar recently pointed out, the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin to German business and industry in late 2010 is the key to understanding the new Cold War.[3] In November 2010, Putin presented his vision of an economic community from Lisbon to Vladivostok in an editorial contribution to the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, in which he made the case for closer cooperation between the European Union and Russia culminating in "a unified continental market with a capacity worth trillions of euros". Although the Russian President stressed that his proposal was not aimed at diminishing ties between the EU and its "traditional partners",[4] Putin's plan did not go down well with Washington. The United States has always tried to sabotage this kind of cooperation on the continent in favor of strong transatlantic ties in order to preserve its primacy in Eurasia. Up until now, this has worked to some extent but especially Russia's dominant role in the European energy sector continues to be a thorn in Washington's side. This issue became again the focus of attention during the Ukraine crisis. When U.S. President Barack Obama met with EU leaders in Brussels a few weeks ago to promote the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), he seized the opportunity to call once more for reducing Europe's dependence on Russian gas.[5] But American efforts to impede trade and cooperation between the EU and the Russian Federation stand and fall with one European country, which has a very complex relationship with Russia: Germany.
Russian President Putin addressed German business and industry in November 2010 for a reason. The two countries have close economic ties, not only in the energy sector. About 6000 German companies operate in Russia with investments totaling 20 billion euros.[6] Therefore, representatives of the German economy were quick to oppose any serious sanctions against Russia.[7] This stance is supported by the overwhelming majority of Germans.[8] Nevertheless, even 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany is not a sovereign country and Washington's fifth column wields massive influence, especially over German politics and media.[9] This has created an interesting situation, where an immense amount of propaganda is used to justify the actions of the Merkel-led government and its NATO allies in Ukraine and the new Cold War against Russia.
When the current CEO of Siemens AG, Joe Kaeser, followed through on a long-planned trip to Moscow in late March to discuss Siemens' business in Russia with President Putin, he faced harsh criticism from the German government and media.[10] After his return, Kaeser was interviewed by Claus Kleber, host of a well-known news program and one of the foremost NATO propagandists on German television. Kleber tried desperately to portray the Siemens CEO as a traitor to his country thereby making a complete fool of himself.[11] Shortly thereafter, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble did the same when he compared "Putin's annexation of Crimea" with Hitler's land grab of the Sudetenland.[12] Both the government in Berlin as well as the German media did their best to demonize President Putin and Russia in order to drive a wedge between Germans and Russians.
In case anybody had not gotten the message at this point, Polish American journalist Anne Applebaum spelled it out in Die Welt, the intellectual flagship of the Axel Springer SE: "Germans, you have to relearn deterrence" because "talking with Russia is not enough".[13] The Axel Springer SE is a vital part of Washington's fifth column in Germany and publishes similar anti-Russian propaganda on a daily basis. Applebaum is married to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who was one of the signatories to the short-lived February 21 agreement. Both have worked at the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and are among the strongest NATO advocates in Europe. Since Applebaum had already emphasized the importance of the information war in an earlier Telegraph article, in which she argued for a robust campaign "to counter Moscow's lies",[14] her inflammatory piece in Die Welt is not surprising at all. The anti-Russian propaganda campaign in Germany has now reached a point, where the well-respected Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is publishing articles blaming Russia for the creation of al-Qaeda.[15]
Germans have put up with a lot of blatant lies and propaganda over the years but the reporting during the Ukraine crisis was the last straw. Never before in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany have such large segments of the population refused to buy the official narrative. The mainstream media has become the target of harsh criticism on a scale never seen before and this is very disturbing for the propagandists [emphasis mine]:

"In my 30 years of experience with debates, I have never seen anything like what is now happening in Germany in the dispute over Russia and Crimea. There have been issues that have deeply divided the nation, such as nuclear energy. And there have been those that have prompted millions to take to the streets over the years, such as the military buildup of NATO. Four years ago, there was even a discussion that saw like now a sharp confrontation between published and public opinions: the controversy surrounding Thilo Sarrazin's comments on the impact of Muslim immigrants on German society. But in hindsight, measured against the current debate on Russia, the Sarrazin dustup seems easy to explain and understand.
Unless surveys are misleading, two-thirds of German citizens, voters and readers stand opposed to four-fifths of the political class in other words, to the government, to the overwhelming majority of members of parliament and to most newspapers and broadcasters. But what does "stand" mean? Many are downright up in arms. And from what one can gauge from letters to the editor, the share of critics seems significantly higher now than what was triggered by Sarrazin's inflammatory book back then."[16]

Instead of addressing the valid criticism, editors and journalists blamed spreading anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories for the numerous critical letters and emails they have been receiving.
The German people vent their anger about the political class in various different ways. While some German citizens wrote a letter to Russian President Putin distancing themselves from anti-Russian sentiment in politics and media,[17] over 20.000 people signed a petition asking Russia Today to start broadcasting in German.[18] Furthermore, the famous Monday demonstrations, which came to prominence in East Germany in 1989, were revived in recent weeks and thousands have taken to the streets in several cities to call for peace. The people protest against the mainstream media, NATO aggression, the military industrial complex, the U.S. Federal Reserve, TTIP and many other things.[19] Predictably, Washington's collaborators in Berlin are terrified and the media lost no time in discrediting the grassroots movement. According to German mainstream media, conspiracy theories, anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism are the driving forces behind the movement and therefore nobody should join the protests. So far, this transparent strategy has always worked for the German establishment but with the credibility of the mainstream media at an all-time low due to the catastrophic reporting during the Ukraine crisis, the ruling elite will sooner or later have to pay the price for all the lies and propaganda.
# # # #Christoph Germann- BFP Contributing Author & Analyst
Christoph Germann is an independent analyst and researcher based in Germany, where he is currently studying political science. His work focuses on the New Great Game in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. You can visit his website here
[1] Edward Bernays and Mark Crispin Miller, Propaganda (New York: Ig Publishing, 2005) p. 37.
[2] Peter Baker, "In Cold War Echo, Obama Strategy Writes Off Putin," The New York Times, 19.04.2014: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/world/europe/in-cold-war-echo-obama-strategy-writes-off-putin.html?_r=0.
[3] Pepe Escobar, "Obama's strategy' against pariah' Russia," Asia Times Online, 29.04.2014: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/CEN-01-290414.html.
[4] Vladimir Putin, "Putin: Plädoyer für Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft Von Lissabon bis Wladiwostok," Süddeutsche Zeitung, 25.11.2010: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/putin-plaedoyer-fuer-wirtschaftsgemeinschaft-von-lissabon-bis-wladiwostok-1.1027908.
[5] Robin Emmott and Jan Strupczewski, "Obama tells EU to do more to cut reliance on Russian gas," Reuters, 26.03.2014: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/26/us-usa-eu-summit-idUSBREA2P0W220140326.
[6] Henrike Rossbach, "Das Who's Who der deutschen Russland-Investoren," Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 24.03.2014: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftspolitik/krim-krise-das-who-s-who-der-deutschen-russland-investoren-12861619.html.
[7] Franziska Bossy, "Krim-Krise: Deutsche Wirtschaft warnt vor Sanktionen gegen Russland," Der Spiegel, 12.03.2014: http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/krim-krise-wirtschaft-warnt-vor-sanktionen-gegen-russland-a-958268.html.
[8] Hardy Graupner, "Majority of Germans against anti-Russia economic sanctions," Deutsche Welle, 07.03.2014: http://www.dw.de/majority-of-germans-against-anti-russia-economic-sanctions/a-17480983.
[9] Christoph Germann, "NSA Spying Scandal, TTIP and German Collaborators," Boiling Frogs Post, 26.10.2013: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2013/10/26/nsa-spying-scandal-ttip-and-german-collaborators-2/.
[10] Tony Czuczka, "Siemens CEO Rebuked as German Business Defends Putin Partnership," Bloomberg, 31.03.2014: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-30/siemens-ceo-rebuked-as-german-business-defends-putin-partnership.html.
[11] Frank Schirrmacher, "Echtzeitjournalismus Dr. Seltsam ist heute online," Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 28.03.2014: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/echtzeitjournalismus-dr-seltsam-ist-heute-online-12867571.html.
[12] Christian Reiermann, "Fighting Words: Schäuble Says Putin's Crimea Plans Reminiscent of Hitler," Der Spiegel, 31.03.2014: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/schaeuble-compares-putin-moves-in-crimea-to-policies-of-hitler-a-961696.html.
[13] Anne Applebaum, "Ukraine-Krise: Deutsche, ihr müsst wieder Abschreckung lernen!," Die Welt, 24.04.2014: http://www.welt.de/debatte/kommentare/article127262189/Deutsche-ihr-muesst-wieder-Abschreckung-lernen.html.
[14] Anne Applebaum, "Russia's information warriors are on the march we must respond," The Telegraph, 07.03.2014: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10683298/Russias-information-warriors-are-on-the-march-we-must-respond.html.
[15] Rainer Herman, "Al Quaida: Russische Aggression und saudische Ideologie," Frankfurter Zeitung, 26.04.2014: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/al-quaida-russische-aggression-und-saudische-ideologie-12910511.html.
[16] Bernd Ulrich, "The Germans and Russia: How Putin Divides," Die Zeit, 10.04.2014: http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2014-04/germans-russia-media-putin.
[17] Volker Bräutigam, "Offener Brief an Putin - Zu den russlandfeindlichen Äußerungen unserer Massenmedien und Politiker," Neue Rheinische Zeitung, 28.03.2014: http://www.nrhz.de/flyer/beitrag.php?id=20163.
[18] "Russia Today auf Deutsch Petition," openPetition, 24.03.2014: https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/russia-today-auf-deutsch-petition.
[19] Wulf Rohwedder, "Mahnwachen mit fragwürdigem Hintergrund Für den Frieden, gegen die Fed," tagesschau.de, 16.04.2014: http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/mahnwachen100.html.

- See more at: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2014/05/...XpPyb.dpuf

[//quote]

[Albert Doyle]

Now CNN is advertising the killing of 5 pro-Russian protestors as being the worst threat to Europe since WWII.


Let me get this straight. CIA foments trouble in the Ukraine and causes the overthrow of the Ukrainian government by a mob and when Russia defends itself this is called a threat to Europe? Don't they have that backwards?

[David Guyatt]

Not only backwards, but laughing behind their hands as they say it.

Meanwhile, the following demonstrates clearly that the western globalists are not going to let Russia stop them under any circumstances - up to and including all out war.

My own conclusion is that there is a limited time window when the long held plan to completely globalise the world is possible - probably for economic reasons - and it is now being pushed hard.

Ukraine crisis EXCLUSIVE: West draws up plan to disarm' Russia's energy supply threat










Exclusive: G7 leaders are expected to sign off on an 'emergency response plan' to assist Ukraine this winter if its neighbour restricts gas supplies



OLIVER WRIGHT

WHITEHALL EDITOR

Friday 09 May 2014

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Britain is drawing up plans with the US and other European countries to "disarm" the threat of President Vladimir Putin using Russian gas and oil supplies as "a weapon" against Ukraine and its Eastern European neighbours.

Next month, David Cameron and other G7 leaders are expected to sign off on an "emergency response plan" to assist Ukraine this winter if Russia restricts gas supplies.
At the same time, G7 energy ministers this week agreed a plan to eliminate Europe's reliance on Russian oil and gas over the longer term and prevent energy security being used as political bargaining chip by the Kremlin.
Russia currently supplies around 30 per cent of all gas consumed within Europe and more than 50 per cent of the gas used by Ukraine.
In 2006, when the Russian state-controlled energy producer Gazprom turned off supplies through its Ukrainian pipeline Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Poland reported gas pressure in their pipelines fell by 30 per cent.

While only a small fraction of gas used by the UK comes from Russia, any restriction in supply has a dramatic impact on prices.
Under the G7 proposals, support would be given to build several new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals across Europe, while the US would lift restrictions on the export of shale gas.
At the same time, the EU will invest in new pipelines to move gas from West to East and increase supply routes from North Africa.
Japan is also understood to be prepared to re-start some of its nuclear plants that were mothballed in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Japan is now one of the largest importers of LNG, which has pushed up prices to record levels.
Senior Government sources said the ongoing crisis had "concentrated minds", particularly in Europe, over the energy threat and said there was for the first time a "clear consensus" to take action.
Next month, David Cameron and other G7 leaders are expected to sign off on an "emergency response plan" to assist Ukraine this winter if Russia restricts gas supplies (Getty Images)"The diversification of sources and routes for fossil fuels is essential," the G7 communique stated.
"No country should depend totally on one supplier. Nor should energy be used as a means of political coercion or a threat to security."
Ed Davey, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary who represented Britain at the G7 talks in Rome, told The Independent that unless action was taken now Russia would "undoubtedly continue to use energy as a weapon".
"It is completely unacceptable for President Putin to use Russia's gas and oil supplies as a weapon to exert control and power over Ukraine or any other country," he said.
"But this is not the first time he has done this, so we have to take a stand this time, or he will undoubtedly continue to use energy as a weapon."
Mr Davey said that the G7 had agreed a process that, over the longer term, would "disarm the threat". But he added that in the short term there would be a plan in place within the next few weeks to support Ukraine's energy needs this winter if there is a Russia switch-off of gas.
"We will be drawing up an emergency winter response if Russia threatens its gas supplies, which will be discussed again at the G7 Heads of State meeting next month."
A Downing Street source confirmed that Mr Cameron "fully backed" the strategy, adding that it was possible that the G7 leader summit in Brussels could "go further".
"We will be examining the full range of options available," they added.

[Magda Hassan]

The American's can't go to war with Russia. They are going to be too busy looking for kidnapped school girls in Nigeria. Pretty sure they'll find them near the oil fields in Nigeria.