Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Russian soldiers take over Crimean airports: minister
Marketwatch ^ | Feb. 28, 2014, 3:59 a.m. EST | Lukas I. Alpert

Posted on 02/28/2014 4:19:10 AM PST by Zhang Fei

Russian soldiers have occupied two key airports in Ukraine’s restive pro-Russia region of Crimea, Ukraine’s acting interior minister said Friday.

Soldiers wearing camouflage and bearing automatic weapons have taken up positions at Belbek Airport in Sevastopol, home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and at the airport in Simferopol, the region’s capital, Arsen Avakov said.

He said the soldiers’ uniforms bore no identifying marks “but they do not hide their affiliation with the Russian armed forces.”

(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: crimea; moreflexibleafter; myreelection; obama; putin; russia; ukraine; ukrainecrisis; war
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-106 next last
To: FreeReign
Bubba was impeached on two charges. He was still president. There was no coup.

The Ukrainian Constitution requirements are similar.

41 posted on 02/28/2014 8:36:31 AM PST by Sacajaweau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: FreeReign

There are 449 members in parliament.


42 posted on 02/28/2014 8:41:54 AM PST by Sacajaweau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Sacajaweau
They finally elected a president...and ONE FACTION says "we don't like him" because he went to Russia for help that the EU will never provide.

You described Yanukovich's opposition as "one faction". That's NOT a correct description. Faction means a small group within a larger group. As I pointed out to you 328 of the deputies voted to remove Yunukovich which is just under 75% of the deputies in the Rada. Your description is not correct.

43 posted on 02/28/2014 9:04:09 AM PST by FreeReign
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: RetiredArmy
Our military is beat up, used up, torn up, worn out. They simply do not need another war right now. These folks need a break.

No need for US troops. Ukrainians have plenty of manpower. What they need is money and equipment. The Afghans got a few billion dollars' worth spread out over a decade. After 13K KiA, they persuaded the Russians that staying was more trouble than it was worth.

44 posted on 02/28/2014 11:19:28 AM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: cunning_fish
It is so good that Russians aren’t that America-hating. A few billions in Russian aid to Iraq and Afghanistan could do wonders to US casualty figures in these respective nations. It could have been surpassed Vietnam losses easily. I’m still wondering why Russians are so restraint, considering a mood of many Americans who wants to see them bleeding.

Because Russians have already killed 100K Americans via Korea and Vietnam, not to mention poisoned much of the world's minds against the US via extremely effective propaganda? Given the number of restive (and violent) minorities in Russia proper, there are a lot of things the US could do to make trouble. Ultimately, unlike Russia's efforts in Afghanistan and Ukraine, the US was never going to annex either Iraq or Afghanistan, so there was never a prospect of a long term war in either of those two locations. And the Iraqi and Afghan insurgents got all the supplies they needed via their porous borders. Not to mention that their insurgents included a lot of Russian Muslim minorities who would have made life interesting for Russia if they had returned alive. Ultimately, we helped cleanse Russia of its troublesome zealots. It would be stupid for Russia to get in our way, and even Putin understood that.

45 posted on 02/28/2014 11:29:33 AM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: sergeantdave
If you’e buying on the spot market and taking delivery via tankers, you’re likely paying a premium price. The UK is discovering how expensive that strategy is, as energy prices skyrocket and people are forced to choose between heat and food.

Buying oil via supertankers is what developing countries do. The UK has 10x the per capita income of the average developing country. Besides, the Russians have to sell their oil somewhere at the spot price, so UK purchases won't affect that price, except for added transportation costs.

46 posted on 02/28/2014 11:35:05 AM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: donozark
Agree 100% with your statement. We need to rebuild and refit our military, not deploy them on further wars. And besides, when Obi gets done with his proposed cuts? We’ll be lucky to have enough troops left to fill sand bags along the Mississippi River...

No US troops necessary. The Afghans outlasted the Russians without a single GI going into combat. We sent food and equipment and the Afghans did the rest.

47 posted on 02/28/2014 11:38:10 AM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

Afghanistan does not equal Ukraine.
We had heavy CIA involvement in Afghanistan in the 80s. And other “interested” Americans.
Putin may not have that much interest in Ukraine proper, but he will never relinquish Crimea.
And if we’ve learned anything, in many instances, US involvement at any level leads to US boots on the ground...


48 posted on 02/28/2014 12:32:05 PM PST by donozark (The voices inside my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: donozark
And if we’ve learned anything, in many instances, US involvement at any level leads to US boots on the ground...

Actually, the majority of US involvement during the Cold War involved material aid. Most of Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines) and Latin America received substantial sums of American aid to fight off their Communist insurgencies. Among the failed efforts that nonetheless stretched our adversaries' resources, we financed Angolan rebels against the ruling Soviet-aligned Angolan government, Tibetan insurgents against the Chinese, the contras against the Soviet-aligned Nicaraguan government.

49 posted on 02/28/2014 12:41:16 PM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

One of the reasons the US Government has failed to endorse The Cold War Victory Medal is the fact they would need to acknowledge the 500 or so military men who died on various “missions” during the Cold War.


50 posted on 02/28/2014 12:49:27 PM PST by donozark (The voices inside my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: sunmars

This would be one of those times when it is not good to have Obama in the White House.


51 posted on 02/28/2014 1:08:51 PM PST by Williams (No Obama)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: WilliamofCarmichael

No..the “blackest mark” on American jurisprudence was the FDR’s establishment of the “Trading with the Enemy Act” (which is still in effect today), against US citizens to confiscate our gold in 1933, though most are unaware of it.


52 posted on 02/28/2014 1:20:42 PM PST by ResisTyr ("Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God " ~Thomas Jefferson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Sacajaweau
They're nuts.

I wouldn't be so quick to condemn the Ukrainian people. Fit me a for tinfoil hat if you must, but I suspect this is all being ginned up by Western intelligence services and others with an ax to grind with Putin.

53 posted on 02/28/2014 1:48:06 PM PST by Forgotten Amendments (I remember when a President having an "enemies list" was a scandal. Now, they have a kill list.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Forgotten Amendments

Oh I agree with you. Obama wants so bad to stick it to Putin.


54 posted on 02/28/2014 1:52:28 PM PST by Sacajaweau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

Don’t worry! Barack Al-Obama will draw a red line in the sand to stop the Russkies!


55 posted on 02/28/2014 2:27:02 PM PST by 2harddrive
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sacajaweau
Oh I agree with you. Obama wants so bad to stick it to Putin.

Actually, Obama doesn't much care what anyone does outside of the US - his view is that the US is a negative influence on world affairs and needs to be cut down to size. In that respect, many Russophiles and Putin fans on Free Republic agree with him.

56 posted on 02/28/2014 2:28:42 PM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: 2harddrive
Don’t worry! Barack Al-Obama will draw a red line in the sand to stop the Russkies!

There's no need for US troops to get involved, and it would be dangerous to jump in directly. It's not clear yet whether Ukrainians will fight for their territorial integrity. If they do, we should send them money and weapons. The Afghans outlasted the Russians on a measly few billion dollars of foreign aid.

57 posted on 02/28/2014 2:35:05 PM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

“Buying oil via supertankers is what developing countries do.”

The UK ran out of fuel last winter and had no choice but to buy in the spot market. So buying energy on the international market is not something that only developing countries do. The energy companies didn’t buy enough for the storage tanks to meet the demand for a record-cold winter. And it’s not the government that pays for the fuel, it’s the energy companies, so it doesn’t mater that the UK has 10x more per capita income as compared to Bumf*ck, Egypt. That increased cost must ultimately be paid by the consumer. That’s the reason that the fuel poverty index exists.


58 posted on 02/28/2014 2:39:25 PM PST by sergeantdave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: sergeantdave
And it’s not the government that pays for the fuel, it’s the energy companies, so it doesn’t mater that the UK has 10x more per capita income as compared to Bumf*ck, Egypt. That increased cost must ultimately be paid by the consumer. That’s the reason that the fuel poverty index exists.

My point is that as a citizen of a wealthy industrialized country, the British consumer and/or taxpayer isn't going to sweat the 10%-20% price difference.

59 posted on 02/28/2014 2:52:58 PM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

>>Because Russians have already killed 100K Americans via Korea and Vietnam, not to mention poisoned much of the world’s minds against the US via extremely effective propaganda?<<

Wasn’t it too long time ago?

>>Ultimately, unlike Russia’s efforts in Afghanistan and Ukraine, the US was never going to annex either Iraq or Afghanistan, so there was never a prospect of a long term war in either of those two locations.<<

Yep, sure. Russia was never going to annex either Cuba and Venezuela and there was never a prospect of a long term war in either of two locations. For the very same reason.

>>And the Iraqi and Afghan insurgents got all the supplies they needed via their porous borders.<<

Not from Russia for sure. In fact, at least in case of Afghanistan, US forces are largely dependant on Russian intelligence? Not to mention supplies via Russia territory, because it is more reliable than via ‘allied’ Pakistan.

>>Given the number of restive (and violent) minorities in Russia proper, there are a lot of things the US could do to make trouble.<<

Yep, sure. McCain and a number of people in State Dept and other bodies does. I don’t think that an American-Chechen peace group was ever disbanded after Beslan massacre. And McCain voiced support for a communist crowd, trying to overthrow Putin’s government in 2012 in Moscow. A US ambassador to Moscow spends more time chatting with communists, anarchists and other -ists than he does with Russian authorities. Yet, you are awaiting any pro-American stance from Russia.


60 posted on 02/28/2014 3:01:35 PM PST by cunning_fish
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-106 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson