Quote:Many argue that Obama's climb-down from his threatened missile strikes against Syria last August emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin to annex Crimea. But it is more likely that Putin acted for domestic reasons to distract Russians' attention from their country's failing economy and to salve the humiliation of watching pro-European demonstrators oust the Ukrainian government he backed.

Magda Hassan Wrote:Yeah, the whole nationalistic thing sucks anywhere. But that is the language of the Ukrainian fascists. They are the ones who implemented the language restrictions on other Ukrainians and that is why the Ukrainians who still wish to speak Russian or Moldavian or Polish or any other language look to Russia to protect their interests. Russia did not start this. Lavrov is pushing for Ukrainian federalisation where each region can decide for themselves. I see this as the only rational thing to go for. The US is a long way from home, not a disinterested player and part of the problem. They really should do the right thing and just fuck off completely and take NATO with them.

Quote:Wow! Now things look very serious indeed. RT reports that Russia is starting military maneuvers involving not one, but TWO military districts plus the Air Force:

Russia has begun extensive military exercises in Ukrainian border area following the escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine.

"The order to use force against civilians has already been given, and if this military machine is not stopped, the amount of casualties will only grow," Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said during an official meeting in Moscow.

"War games by NATO in Poland and the Baltic states are not helping the normalization of the situation. We are forced to react to the situation."

Shoigu said that the drills involve march and deployment exercises by forces in the southern and western military districts, and separate Air Force maneuvers.

Shoigu said that 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers, 160 tanks, 230 armored carriers and at least 150 artillery pieces are involved in the operation against anti-Kiev activists.

"National guard units and Right Sector extremists are fighting against the peaceful population, as well as a volunteer Donbass anti-terrorist' unit. Also security and internal forces transferred to Lugansk and Donetsk from other areas of the country are suppressing dissent," the minister said.

He added that Ukrainian sabotage units have been deployed near the Russian border.

In contrast, Shoigu said that the pro-Russian self-defense units number about 2,000 and have about 100 guns between them, which have mostly been taken from local police stations.

I did not expect such a dramatic and rapid escalation and if I was on the side of the forces currently attacking Slaviansk I would get really frightened. The size of the force Shoigu has just mobilized is huge, potentially enough to fight a major war on a full continental front. It also includes the best and most powerful and battle-hardened Russian units from the southern military district.

Now, this does not at all mean that the FULL forces of the military districts have been mobilized or are moving. But that the Russian high command can draw whatever units it deems necessary from these two districts (a misnomer, by the way, they are now called "strategic directions"). One thing is certain, not even during the Chechen wars or 08.08.08 did Russia assemble such a powerful military force. I am frankly astounded that they would make such a decision and announce it publicly even though the Ukrainian attack so far has been, frankly, minimal and lame.

Also, notice that unlike Putin, Shoigu is not talking about "consequences" for "individuals" but about stopping the Ukrainian military machine! He also presents this not a a choice for Russia, but as something Russia is forced to do. He clearly knows something we don't. Maybe a NATO move in western Ukraine? It seems totally crazy to me that NATO would do that, but how can I otherwise explain the huge size of the force Russia has just put on alert?! You don't need the resources of two of you most powerful strategic directions to deal with 5'000+ SBU/RS thugs? For that a single ODON division would be plenty.

I am getting very worried by this and I hope that this is a mistranslation or some kind of misunderstanding on RT's part (stuff happens). But if not, then this is very, very serious.

I will try my best to figure out what is going on.

Stay tuned (and say prayer for peace), and let's hope that things calm down.

The Saker

UPDATE @ 1522Z: 5 people reported killed in Slaviansk. Ukies have entered Slaviansk, there are combats inside the city. The cellular network has been disconnected.

Quote:April 23, 2014 "ICH" - "VOR" - It is often speculated that some members of the US establishment are pushing Ukraine towards a military conflict with Russia. But why do it in such a hurry? A Russian economist claims that he know s the answer, alluding to the link between the latest international crisis and the fate of the US currency.

Russian diplomats have repeatedly criticized the US for not trying to restrain their Ukrainian underlings in order to make them respect the agreement reached during the recent Geneva meeting. US-sponsored Ukrainian junta is trying to provoke Russia to intervene in Ukraine in order to protect ethnic Russians and supporters of federalization. There can be only two results for such policy. Ukraine will either become the battleground for a long and bloody civil war or will become the target for a Russian military intervention. From the American point of view it is a win-win situation. If there is a civil war, the delivery of natural gas to Europe will be disrupted hurting both the European and the Russian economy. If Moscow decides that it has to intervene in Ukraine, Washington will ignore the ethic Russians killed by the US-sponsored junta and will claim that Russia is an aggressor. Such a strategy will give Washington a chance to force the EU to institute hard economic sanctions against Russia, but such sanctions will hurt the EU even more than Russia . According to Sergey Glazyev, economic advisor to President Putin, European Union stands to lose 1 trillion euro, if hard economic sanctions against Russia are enacted .

Mikhail Khazin, the president of Neokon economic advisory company, believes that the US is trying to preemptively hurt the regional currencies and their associated economies before the US dollar loses its status as the main global currency:

" The US doesn't have that much time in order to prepare for a serious weakening of the US dollar on the global stage and, conversely, for a serious strengthening of regional currencies' role. The maximum amount of time they can count on is 18 months. During this period they must prepare for a situation in which their main instrument of global control, i.e. the control of the circulation of the main global reserve and trade currency, will become seriously weakened," he wrote in a recent blogpost cited by the Russian media outlets.

During Obama's second term, the relations between the US and most global players including China, Russia, India and, to a certain extent, the EU have reached new low points. This situation is somewhat similar to the situation before WWII and WWI when America benefited from global conflicts that destroyed the economies of America's competitors. It is said that third time is charm, but the rest of the world would be better off if Washington can't pull the same trick for a third time in a row. The era in which Washington was the main beneficiary of global instability and regional conflicts must come to an end.

Paul Rigby Wrote:Battlefield Eastern Europe: The Anglo-American Alliance VS. The Eurasian Project

Paul Plane interviews Joaquin Flores recorded March 30th 2014

Mr. Flores also discusses meta-politics, Putin's thinking, Eurasianism, and related areas: Alexander Dugin and Schmittian Geostrategy