[Cid_Yama]

Ukraine on Thursday announced passport controls around areas held by pro-Russian separatists in the latest step toward what resembles the breakup of the ex-Soviet republic.

Ukraine’s border guards service said anyone crossing in or out of rebel areas will have to present a passport. Foreigners will “be sent to filtration points to determine the purpose of their visit” and will have “to show a passport or the required visa,” a statement said.

However, the passport regime will create a de facto internal border, underscoring the Russian-backed guerrillas’ success in carving out two self-declared statelets centerd on Donetsk and Lugansk. Already, Ukraine has lost control of its real border with Russia, which is in the hands of separatist guerrillas and Russian troops.

In another sign that Ukraine’s government has given up regaining control of the east anytime soon, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Wednesday that subsidies and social payments, including pensions, would be halted to rebel-controled areas.

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A move by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to revoke the special status of the rebel-held areas will scuttle the truce struck in Minsk, the breakaway regions said in a joint statement today.

Poroshenko said yesterday he’ll ask parliament to annul a law granting more autonomy to the eastern regions that was at the center of the cease-fire negotiated by Ukraine, the rebels, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

“The law on the special status and the law on amnesty agreed with the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic were an obligation for Kiev,” they said. Canceling the laws will “in fact cancel the Minsk Protocol.”

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Talk about mixed signals.

In the meantime, Ukraine launches a new assault against Donetsk and Luhansk after Russia recognizes independent elections in the republics on November 2nd.

Russian troops are mobilizing on the border. Western journalists claim to have witnessed Russian forces crossing the border.

Guess there is time for one more go round before hard winter, but the snow must already be falling.

Mikhail Markelov, an influential Russian lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party, repeated that position Sunday, telling the state-run TASS news agency that "Kyiv is obliged to recognise these elections."

The "legitimisation of the (separatist) authorities... will lead to a different relationship with Russia, including on economic cooperation and help which Novorossiya needs," he said, using the name, meaning New Russia, that the Kremlin has given to the separatist region.

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Seems pretty clear Russia is recognizing the independence of the region. And offering assistance.

[Sixstrings]

Well Cid.. what can they do.. they cannot fight the Russian Empire with blankets.

And now there is CNN breaking news from Homeland Security about a Russian gov computer virus -- planted all over the US in 2011 YEARS before the Ukraine thing -- that will mean "economic catastrophe" for all of us in the US, if Russia pushes the button and activates the virus.

If we're going to arm Ukraine, perhaps we should do it now while our computers and communciations still work.

As for the border controls..

It's logical, they probably want to hold a line somewhere -- Russia is absorbing Ukraine by osmosis. You need border controls to stop that or else "New Russia" will just keep growing. Kind of like how we need some border controls with Mexico, sorry, another thread.

[Keith_McClary]

Ukraine’s border guards service said anyone crossing in or out of rebel areas will have to present a passport. Foreigners will “be sent to filtration points to determine the purpose of their visit” and will have “to show a passport or the required visa,” a statement said.

However, the passport regime will create a de facto internal border, underscoring the Russian-backed guerrillas’ success in carving out two self-declared statelets centerd on Donetsk and Lugansk. Already, Ukraine has lost control of its real border with Russia, which is in the hands of separatist guerrillas and Russian troops.

In another sign that Ukraine’s government has given up regaining control of the east anytime soon, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Wednesday that subsidies and social payments, including pensions, would be halted to rebel-controled areas.

So pensioners will have to move west to get their pensions and benefits (state subsidised housing, medical, ...?). Or will these "filtration points" filter them for Ukrainian ethnic purity (like they do in the State of the Jewish People)?