Posts Tagged ‘Ukraine’
Friday, February 21st, 2014
Early reports indicates that Yanukovych may finally have gotten a clue:
Viktor Yanukovych conceded to the major demands made by protesters, he announced Friday on his website. He had been holding out against their raging street demonstrations for months.
Yanukovych said he has initiated new presidential elections and a return to the old constitution that would cut presidential power, and also form a national unity Cabinet.
Now word is comning down that Euromaidan leadership has signed off on the agreement.
Great news, if it holds.
There are also unconfirmed reports of police either leaving or coming over to Euromaidan. Presumably these are the regular police and not the Berkut riot police.
Now the question becomes: What will Yanukovych’s puppet-master Vladamir Putin do? He met with his security council, and the discussion sounds more than a little ominous:
“Putin emphasized that it is imperative to immediately stop the bloodshed and take urgent measures to stabilize the situation and suppress any extremist and terrorist sorties.”
Is Putin willing to go to war to keep Ukraine is Moscow’s orbit?
Stay tuned…
Tweets
Tags:Communism, EuroMaidan, Foreign Policy, Russia, Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, Vladimir Putin
Posted in Communism, Foreign Policy | No Comments »
Thursday, February 20th, 2014
A super-brief update on Ukraine:
Current conformed death toll for recent fighting at 67, unconfirmed at 100 dead.
Euromaidan captures 67 policemen.
EU agrees to impose sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans. It’s a start. Refusing to pay for any Russian oil or gas until democracy is restored in Ukraine would have a lot bigger effect…
Map of Russian gas pipelines in Ukraine. I differ with Zero Hedge in that I don’t think this is an all-encompassing explanation for the conflict…
Forget Sochi; Ukraine shows that it’s the same old Russia: “At the heart of the battle lies a fundamental question: Is Ukraine a free nation or is it a piece of Moscow — a piece on Putin’s chessboard?”
Obama’s White House: months late and several dollars short on Ukraine.
Video
Battle footage with CNN talking heads:
More random fight footage:
Military base torched:
More Tweets
And holy fark is Gary Kasperov pissed:
Tags:EuroMaidan, Foreign Policy, Gary Kasparov, Russia, Twitter, Ukraine, video, Vladimir Putin
Posted in Foreign Policy, video | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
A truce has been declared between Euromaiden and Yanukovych’s forces. This is good news, as it means there’s fierce probably internal resistance in the armed forces to carry out the traditional “slaughter everyone with reach of a machine gun” method of putting down dissent. It may also mean that Putin isn’t quite willing to cross the Rubicon by intervening militarily to prop up his puppet.
Also, Obama finally condemns the violence in Ukraine and threatens vague “consequences” if it gets worse. It’s a start.
I’ve done so much Ukraine reporting today that I think I’ll just put up this short blurb for tonight, unless all hell breaks lose again…
Tags:Communism, EuroMaidan, Foreign Policy, Obama, Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, Vladimir Putin
Posted in Communism, Foreign Policy | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
Events in Ukraine are galloping at a furious rate:
Death toll currently at 26.
Yanukovych moves toward declaring martial law, though in the thinly disguised form of “anti-terror operations.”
He also just fired his army chief, presumably because he wasn’t keen on gunning down fellow Ukrainians. They’re also reporting that pro-democracy forces have seized the Kiev post office.
Lviv, on the Polish border, has declared independence from Yanukovych’s rule.
And soldiers there have “surrendered” to the Euromaidan opposition.
The Lviv defection is just one of many acts of defiance across the western Ukraine.
What we’re seeing in Ukraine mirrors Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968: the brutal crushing of freedom at the direction of Moscow.
The ten most important events of the last two days.
UK PM David Cameron issues meaningless hen-clucks of disapproval, without a hint of actual action by his government.
At least this cadre of European politicians and intellectuals is asking for real sanctions.
The European Investment Bank has frozen its activities in Ukraine.
Canada closes its embassy.
A live blog of the situation on the Conflict Journal.
Dramatic pictures from Independence Square, including considerable bloodshed.
Not including this one:
More tweets and pics:
More scenes from the Battle of Independence Square:
Tags:David Cameron, EuroMaidan, Foreign Policy, Kiev, Lviv, Ukraine, video, Viktor Yanukovych
Posted in Foreign Policy, video | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
Current Ukraine status:
26 dead so far, including 10 riot police and journalist Vyacheslav Veremei.
Putin’s government gave Yanukovich’s another $2 billion payout.
Yanukovich demands people live the Maidan before any concessions. Protestors tell him to get stuffed.
On the diplomatic front:
Victor Davis Hanson via SooperMexican: Obama’s feckless foreign policy has emboldened Putin in the Ukraine.
A BBC report via Instapundit, in which various EU diplomatic grandees make meaningless noises of “concern.”
Though they’re at least considering sanctions.
And Secretary of State John Kerry? While Kiev burns, he’s lecturing the world on…global warming.
Some videos:
PC carrier tries unsuccessfully to breach Euromaidan lines in a hail of molotov cocktails:
Another view:
Scenes from the fighting:
An overview of the fighting:
More clashes:
Livestream again, though it looks like mostly video clips right now:
Tags:EuroMaidan, Foreign Policy, John Kerry, Livestream, Ukraine, video, Vladimir Putin, Vyacheslav Veremei
Posted in Communism, Foreign Policy, video | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 18th, 2014
Lots of reports coming out of Ukraine right now, little of them good. Current reports have 22 dead in clashes between riot police and Euromaidan protestors. More from the Kiev Post. And a border crossing station between Poland and Ukraine has been blocked by a barricade of burning tires.
Yanukovych is demanding the protestors disperse before any reforms. The protestors told him to get stuffed, and are still there despite the crackdown.
Here’s a livestream:
Here’s a video explaining the issue via Instapundit:
Here’s Euromaidan’s English-language blog.
Tags:Communism, EuroMaidan, Foreign Policy, Poland, Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych
Posted in Communism, Foreign Policy | No Comments »
Friday, February 14th, 2014
Well, this is interesting.
Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton have built a sprawling network of powerful friends around the globe, one that could aid Mrs. Clinton’s chances were she to seek the presidency. But those relationships often come with intersecting interests and political complications; few people illustrate that more vividly than the Ukrainian oligarch Victor Pinchuk.
A steel magnate and major contributor to the former president’s foundation, Mr. Pinchuk was in frequent contact with Mrs. Clinton’s State Department, at meetings arranged by a Clinton political operative turned lobbyist, Douglas E. Schoen.
Is Mr. Pinchuk politically collected in Ukriane? And how.
Mr. Pinchuk’s image is not without blemish: His father-in-law is Leonid Kuchma, who was president of Ukraine from 1994 to 2005 and led a government criticized for corruption, nepotism and the murder of dissident journalists. As president, Mr. Kuchma privatized a huge state steel factory and sold it to Mr. Pinchuk’s consortium for about $800 million, which competitors said was a laughably low price.
And who did Mr. Pinchuk’s father-in-law appoint Prime Minister?
That’s right: Viktor Yanukovych, current President of Ukraine and Putin toady.
Do Pinchuk and Yanukovych know each other?
I think that’s a safe assumption.
Pinchuk backed Yanukovych in the 2004 election, but since then he appears to have broken away from Yanukovych and is a EuroMaidan backer. Maybe Pinchuk is on the side of the angels (even if only for business reasons). That Tablet piece also notes his Jewish roots and says he’s the second richest man in Ukraine.
But I thought it was a connection worth noting. Mr. Pinchuk is an interesting figure, and it’s interesting that he’s in Hillary’s circles of associates. And I’m not sure it’s a good thing for potential presidential candidates to pal around with foreign oligarchs…
Tags:Democrats, EuroMaidan, Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine, Victor Pinchuk, Viktor Yanukovych
Posted in Democrats, Foreign Policy | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 10th, 2014
These LinkSwarms tend to get pushed back to days when there’s not a big story jumping up and requiring my attention. It seems like the Olympics have created a bit of a news lull
Democratic congressmen abandoning ObamaCare in droves.
Obama’s fake recovery sucks in comparison to Reagan’s real recovery. Why? ObamaCare.
People who overestimate their income, thus getting a subsidy rather than thrown into Medicaid, might be in for a nasty surprise come tax time.
Today’s Democratic representative retiring after getting caught with his hand in the till comes to you from Rep. Ron Andrews of New Jersey.
Today’s example of a Democratic member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns being convicted of a felony (in this case bribery) also comes to you from New Jersey, in the form of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack. But as you observe all this Democratic malfeasance in New Jersey, never lose sight of the truly important thing: Chris Christie might have closed a bridge!
Here’s a fascinating piece from Ace of Spades HQ on class identification among the gentry left.
And this piece on “Love in the Time of Obama” is well worth reading on its own.
Massachusetts state Democrat Rep. Carlos Henriquez’s schedule: 1. Smack my bitch up, 2. Mark my bills up. Yes, assaulting a woman is evidently no reason to keep him from working as a legislator…
More black Chicago residents question what the Democratic Party has done for the black community.
Heartening, but I can’t help but notice that some of the same people appear in this video as the one from that town hall meeting in December. Makes it hard to gauge just how widespread black America’s dissatisfaction with Obama is…
The Turncoat Diaries: “The conversions of Charlie Crist, from Republican to independent to Democrat, make up one of the least inspiring tales in modern politics. To take it seriously is to admit you’re the sort of person who takes Scientology stress tests and supplies credit card info to anyone who claims to need help from Nigeria.”
People move from high tax, high regulation states bleeding jobs to low-tax, low-regulation states gaining jobs. Gee, who knew?
How Russia is trying to keep control of Ukraine.
NBC calls the end of the Soviet Union “bittersweet”. Much like Hitler’s suicide…
Tweets from Sochi: Missing floors, open manholes, yellow tap water, and “cakes in ass.”
More: “Three of the nine mountain hotels have not been completed.”
Title company executive dead in nailgun “suicide.” Patrick Bateman wanted for questioning.
Inside the Red Light Camera Bribe Machine. Redflex has done business with several cities, including “Austin, El Paso, Plano, Corpus Christi, Grand Prairie, North Richland Hills, Hurst, Port Lavaca, League City, Carrollton, Killeen, Mesquite, and Longview.” (Hat tip: Dwight.)
Even Howard YEAGGGGHHH Dean thinks the Iran deal sucks.
When principled lefty Alan Derschowitz says the Dinesh D’Souza case is “selective prosecution,” perhaps we should listen.
New York City schools Harrison Bergeron a gifted students course because of their unacceptable albedo index. (Hat tip: Indapundit.)
Michael Totten visits some of the least-crappy parts of Cuba.
When I think “high tech giants,” certainly the first name that comes to mind is Chelsea Clinton. Nepotism much, SXSW? (Hat tip: Jim Geraghty in NRO.
Slashdot users in open revolt over a redesign. Take one look at the Beta site and you know why: It is indeed a big, festering mound of suck.
Adobe to release new DRM scheme that’s annoying, useless, and screws older customers.
Ten scenes from Blazing Saddles too politically incorrect to be made today.
Did Bill Clinton add Elizabeth Hurley to his list of in-White House conquests?
Round Rock ISD committee chairman tries to bypass laws to make changes to sex ed.
On tour with the Sex Pistols in Texas.
Tags:Alan Dershowitz, Austin, Crime, Cuba, Democrats, Dinesh D'Souza, fraud, Guns, Holly Hansen, Howard Dean, LinkSwarm, Massachusetts, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Media Watch, Michael Totten, New Jersey, ObamaCare, Ron Andrews, Round Rock ISD, Russia, Sochi Olympics, Ukraine, video
Posted in Austin, Communism, Crime, Democrats, Foreign Policy, Guns, Media Watch, ObamaCare, Texas, video, Waste and Fraud | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 28th, 2014
The good news from Ukraine: most of the totalitarian laws suppressing free speech have been repealed and prime minister Mykola Azarov has resigned.
The bad news: brutal thug and Putin toady Viktor Yanukovych is still President, and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko is still imprisoned.
Says one writer in the Moscow Times:
The Yanukovych administration is marked by two main features. First, Yanukovych is essentially a small-time criminal, and such people have a unique profile. They are typically rather dull, always looking for an opportunity to steal and incapable of anticipating the long-term consequences of their actions.
Second, Ukraine is actually ruled by Yanukovych’s eldest son and his friends — all filthy rich. Since coming to power, Yanukovych has fired all of his original associates and alienated his initial sponsors, such as oligarchs Rinat Akhmetov and Dmytro Firtash.
Current map of the situation:
Other Ukraine/Euromaidan news
A look inside the brutal Berkut riot police. “While other security and law enforcement agencies have undergone reform in the years since the Orange revolution, Ukraine’s police remain largely unchanged.”
EU actually getting pissed off over Russian meddling in Ukraine.
Putin responds by threatening to withdraw his offer of $15 billion in bailout funds if Yanukovych is deposed.
Tymoshenko’s most recent statement.
An open letter from Ukrainian writer Yuri Andrukhovych:
During the less than four years of its rule, Viktor Yanukovych’s regime has brought the country and the society to the utter limit of tensions. Even worse, it has boxed itself into a no-exit situation where it must hold on to power forever – by any means necessary. Otherwise it would have to face criminal justice in its full severity. The scale of what has been stolen and usurped exceeds all imagination of what human avarice is capable.
More photos.
On a lighter note, all I could think of when viewing this pic was “Ukraine’s furry contingent has joined the fight for freedom!”
Tags:Crime, EU, EuroMaidan, Foreign Policy, Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, Vladimir Putin, Yulia Tymoshenko
Posted in Communism, Crime, Foreign Policy | No Comments »
