[radon1]

This is my first thread on this forum. I am starting this thread because of none of the existing threads fits the desired format.

The purpose of this thread is to collect a variety of news and opinions on the topic and present them to the readers for their review and discussion, while maintaining informative and spam-free board space, thus protecting the high-quality users' contribution from being removed from the public view by way of using abusive practices (spam, trolling, hijacking, off-topic). To these ends:

1. I respectfully request that this thread be kept public. The contributors often find sources that are not easily identifiable. These sources are often non-English language sources. Their search, review, assessment, translation and editing requires efforts that, in my view, should be rewarded by the availability of the results of these efforts to the wider audience.

2. I respectfully request that, whenever necessary, a specific post be removed from the public view, where such removal is required by CoC or other applicable regulation; however, the remainder of the thread should be left intact. Also, I kindly request that no post be removed from the public view in absence of a formal grounds to this effect; i.e. nothing should be removed just because somebody wants it to be removed but has no formal reference basis for the claim.

3. The posters are strongly encouraged NOT to post quotes from the readily available mass media sources unless these quotes contribute to the quality of the discussion; in the latter case, the contribution is more than welcome.

4. I respectfully request that user Sixstrings does not post/is not allowed to post in this thread. This is connected with numerous occasions in the past where the said user's posts have had an effect contrary to the purposes of this thread as outlined above, thus making a devastating impact on the quality of the discussion in relation to the topic of this thread. Any attempt by the said user to post in this thread will lead to a request for removal of his post.

5. I reserve the right to request that posts be removed or other users be disallowed from the thread where such a request, in my opinion, serves the purposes of this thread; or otherwise where the quality of the discussion is dramatically damaged by the said posts or users, eg. by instigating emotional phobias or hatred.

6. I have no objections for this thread to be merged with other public threads on the topic, provided that points 1-5 above are followed, but would much prefer to keep this thread separate.

Thank you for reading.

[radon1]

[eng subs] Debaltsevo evacuation sabotaged by the Ukrainian party

http://youtu.be/lTCVwdYmAb8

[radon1]

http://www.businessinsider.com/putin-ba ... lic-2015-2

Putin-backed rebels just made a huge move right under Europe's nose

On the eve of Angela Merkel and François Hollande's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) made a concrete push for Putin's vision of eastern Ukraine.

The self-proclaimed, largely unrecognized DPR moved closer to unifying with the other region that has forcefully broken away by declaring itself the legal successor of a 1918 self-proclaimed Soviet republic.

"We, the deputies of the Donetsk People's Republic, aware of our responsibility before the past and paving the road for the future, proclaim the continuation of the tradition of the Donetsk-Krivoy-Rog Republic and announce that the state of Donetsk People's Republic is her successor," the memorandum stated, according to Gazeta.ru.

The Donetsk-Krivoy-Rog Republic declared independence from Ukraine on Feb. 12, 1918. And then, 36 days later, it was incorporated into the Ukraine Soviet Republic — that is, one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union.

On Friday, the DPR's memorandum was sent over to another self-proclaimed state, Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), according to a report from Interfax. One of the leaders of the DPR, Andrei Purgin, noted that the leadership of the LPR is in talks with Luhansk to synchronize the legislative activity.

"Memorandum on state-building and continuity of the Donetsk-Krivoy Rog republic will be adopted also in LPR," he said.

[radon1]

http://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-passes- ... ers-304911

Ukraine Passes Law to Shoot Deserters

The Ukrainian parliament has approved a motion to allow commanders in the armed forces to fire at army deserters and use force against servicemen for “negligence” or “drinking alcohol” while on duty.

The motion was discussed in a session yesterday afternoon, with 260 MPs passing it out of a total 320, according to Ukrainian news agency Unian - surpassing the necessary 226 votes needed to pass the bill. It will now be added as an amendment to the current Ukrainian legislation on the regulations imposed on commanders' actions toward their charges.

The act will allow commanders to “utilise drastic measures” - defined by the UN as the use of force and firearms - towards officers caught acting “negligently” or in violation to the code of conduct during combat duty or while they are on border patrol. The new act adds “drinking alcoholic or low-alcoholic beverages” while on duty as an offence punishable by force.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international watchdog documenting violations of human rights, has spoken out against the move. “Using force to harm or kill when someone is ‘negligent, deserts or drinks alcohol while on duty’ is unlawful under international law,” Yulia Gorbunova, a HRW researcher in Ukraine says.

“It is a disproportionate response which could constitute punishment in violation of international standards,” she adds. “Force in the army can only be used in self defense or where the person is posing an imminent threat to others. Shoot to kill would be an extrajudicial execution and is unlawful,” Gorbunova concludes.

[radon1]

http://vk.com/strelkov_info?w=wall-57424472_45029

(google translated/edited)

Report of the Donetsk Republic's Army

Yesterday at 20:25

2.6.15. Posted by Donetsk Republic's Intelligence.

"Intelligence Agency of the Donetsk Republic's Army reports that the Ukrainian forces evicted elders from nursing homes in Avdeyevka and transported them to the village Bielecki. The nursing home building is on the Mira street, 46 is prepared to accommodate the Ukrainian military units. This is done in secret, to ensure that the Donetsk Army further considers that this is still a nursing home. If the defenders of the Donbass learn the truth and destroy the Ukrainian units in the building, then they will bring the Ukrainian media and would argue that the Donetsk troops fired on the social facilities. This is a common practice. Ukrainian punitive forces organize warehouses, barracks and gun emplacements in hospitals, schools, children's gardens and homes. So, in Dzerzhinsk, the Ukrainian troops expel people from the apartment and equip firing points there. [Ultra-Nationalist] Right Sector units were transported into the city for street fighting. "

[radon1]

Protests against army mobilization/draft in the town of Velikaya Znamenka, Zaporozhie, South-Central Ukraine, video:

http://youtu.be/PQjmwVC_Dts

Velikaya Znamenka, Zaporozhie, Ukraine on the map:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Velyk ... 58d8?hl=en

[radon1]

http://tass.ru/en/world/775949

Ukraine disrupts evacuation of Debaltsevo civilians — DPR Defense Ministry spokesman

MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/. Evacuation of Debaltsevo civilians to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has been disrupted through the fault of Ukraine, DPR Defense Ministry spokesman Eduard Basurin told the Donetsk news agency on Friday.

Basurin said the residents had not been told of an opportunity to go to Donetsk.

"Forty people arrived at the place of evacuation. People failed to come as the Ukrainian side had not issued a notification of the opportunity to be evacuated to the DPR. People don’t know anything," he said. "When we entered Debaltsevo, there was a provocation, fire was being delivered from the city."

[SeaGypsy]

To the OP, yep. 100%
Without getting directly to anything specific, there is ample evidence that Russian MSM has shown far more readiness to question what the rest of the world's MSM has not. Comparing say the supposed spectrum of L/R MSM with even Al Jazeera & RT, I usually find more gusto in the latter end of this list.

Personally I have had an issue building over the years of social media creep. Firstly I find western MSM utterly corrupt & rife supporters of the same agenda. On the flip side, I find that again without specifics, the absolute stink of certain major conspiracies over the same period, has led to a whole spectrum of conspiracy based media & followers ready to believe just about any crap spewed at them by anyone taking the side of reality against the MSM mass brainwashing exercise. Result, two lots of lunatics being fed different sets of lies & believing basically all of them.

I'm no expert on where Russia or the rest of mainland Asia MSM is really at, how deeply there is a real difference in commitment to real journalism. But I welcome the thread Radon & look forward to being better informed.

[radon1]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/ ... N720150206

(Reuters) - Convoys of buses carrying many local residents to safety left the besieged town of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine on Friday as government forces kept up artillery fire to defend their positions against pro-Russian separatists.
...
But even as the evacuation progressed, Ukrainian defenders kept up regular howitzer and mortar fire at separatists beyond the town's perimeter from a position about 200 meters (yards) from the town center.

[radon1]

A Lithuanian thinker on the EU-Lithuanian-Russian relations

http://youtu.be/480qpJRi1oE

[radon1]

http://www.itv.com/news/story/2015-02-0 ... ary-means/

13 minutes ago

Merkel: We want to establish security in Europe with Russia

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said European leaders "want to establish security in Europe with Russia, not against Russia."

She was speaking at a security conference in the German city of Munich where events in Ukraine are expected to dominate the agenda.

[americandream]

There is a huge gulf in Western and the recently Soviet way of thinking. One still sees this at play in Russians but of course, the deep misunderstanding of the sort of person the USSR was seeking to create and thus the way they think that was cultivated in the West will forever leave the Russians in a vacuum. In addition, the absurdity of this conflict is missed by many as they fail to see the Quixotic nature of the Ukrainian leaderships behaviour in this era of a Yeltsenised Russia. They truly are tilting at windmills.

[radon1]

http://fortruss.blogspot.se/2015/02/htt ... chten.html

Merkel apparently fears devastating defeat of the Ukrainian army

[German Chancellor] Angela Merkel seems to anticipate the economic and military collapse of Ukraine. Berlin’s civil service is naturally working hard on a peace plan. To avert fiasco, Merkel must now discuss a truce with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin. This war could end well for the rebels.

The trigger seems to be the combination of military gains by the separatists, and the U.S. debate on sending lethal weapons to Ukraine.

Poroshenko wants to make it clear that the final chance has come to save Ukraine against a dramatic military defeat and economic collapse. On Thursday, the Ukrainian central bank had its key interest rate rise by five percentage points to 19.5 per cent, and the local currency UAH fell by almost half of its value.

[americandream]

The West would be well advised to jettison the knuckle draggers running the Ukraine. They are a liability to capitalism with their outdated notions.

[radon1]

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2015-02- ... n-ukraine/

Breedlove in the Munich Security Conference

7 February 2015 at 9:01am

Nato: West should not rule out military option in Ukraine

Nato's top military commander General Philip Breedlove has said the West cannot rule out military action in Ukraine, Reuters reports.

General Breedlove said this would mean providing "weapons or capabilities but not boots on the ground."

He added that "President Putin's plans for Eastern Ukraine are completely unacceptable".

It is interesting that the (unelected) generals increasingly appear to be on the loose making far-reaching political statements and publicly evaluating political leadership of other countries (Putin) in the face of political leadership of other countries (Merkel, Holland). Makes you think about whether the things are under control and who is in control. Looks like a Pinochet-like order is descending thereabouts.

[radon1]

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.a ... 35113.html

(edited)

In Ukraine, against the background of the difficulties around Debaltseve, a catastrophic collapse of the hryvnia is happening, easily breaking the pace of the fall of the ruble (against the dollar). 30 UAH/USD on the interbank market and 23 grivnas per dollar at the official exchange rate - it is tough. Under Yanukovich, it was in the area of 8 UAH per dollar. All the same "zdobuli peremogu" (won victory, ukr.). Out of the 30 billion dollars of reserves at the sunset of Yanukovych, now only about 6.5 billion remain. They managed to spend approximately 4/5 of the reserves within a year, but an improvement in the economic situation is not visible. The money promised by the United States will certainly not be able to resolve these systemic problems, it is just one more dose for an addict. Interestingly, the current collapse of the hryvnia immediately the military problems under Debaltseve is very similar to the one that occurred after the military disaster under Ilovaisk in summer 2014. In this respect, it is possible that the current drop is not the end, with further losses upcoming, and we may see new records fall in the hryvnia, amid which the ruble fall might seem a minor fluctuation.

[radon1]

Is Ukraine a Proxy Western-Russia War? U.S. Weighs Arming Kiev as Violence Soars

http://youtu.be/PIxjULs46Kk?t=3m34s

http://youtu.be/EQv1HbrRv0k

[americandream]

Is Ukraine a Proxy Western-Russia War? U.S. Weighs Arming Kiev as Violence Soars

http://youtu.be/PIxjULs46Kk?t=3m34s

http://youtu.be/EQv1HbrRv0k

They are seeking to destroy any last remnants of the Soviet legacy. They might as well fight with history so hopeless is their cause.

[radon1]

http://vk.com/strelkov_info?w=wall-57424472_45270

The bank deposits of the Ukrainians to be "nationalized"

(google translated/edited)

Today at 2:00 am

8.2.15. Posted by journalists.

"The junta is going to nationalize bank deposits of Ukrainians. The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine is going to pass a bill that would "engage the bank deposits of citizens in the state budget". This will be possible in the time of war, and in exchange for money citizens will receive" government securities" - obligations which will be paid only after the end of the "special period".

Thus, the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance prepared the draft law "On the financial system of Ukraine in the special period," stating that "in the event of martial law and imposing a moratorium on the payment of bank deposits, the money from customers held on deposit accounts with banks, non-bank financial institutions and funds that belong to citizens and / or received from citizens on a return basis, can be retained to meet the needs of the state in a particular period by crediting their part, the size of which is determined by the Cabinet, to the state budget. "

Thus attracted funds will be included in the public debt is issued in the form of government securities, which will be transmitted to depositors. Obligations on these securities will be extinguished by the state only after the end of the special period at the expense of the state budget under the conditions specified in these securities.

Interestingly, the accompanying documents state that the bill has already been agreed with the National Bank, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Justice and other ministries and departments.

Thus, the Ukrainians will be forced to lend their money to their own state in exchange for a very dubious prospects of return of the money after the end of the "special period". It is not difficult to guess that such ideas Ukrainian Ministry of Finance will significantly accelerate the process of withdrawals by investors, will strengthen the panic and further complicate the already dire economic situation in the country. "

Welcome to the "civilized world".

[radon1]

http://youtu.be/2v033nO-51I?t=20m24s

An interview by Nikolai Azarov, Ukraine's prime minister in 2010-2014, about the events in Ukraine. Video with English translation