Posted on 03/03/2014 8:06:14 AM PST by Fennie
Yes, gas exports through Ukraine are about 25% of the Russian budget.
Crimea was part of Russia for over 200 years, until Nikita Khrushchev literally gifted it to Ukraine in 1954 in order to purchase the support of their party bosses during his accession after the death of Stalin.
Before Russia, it belonged to the Ottoman Empire, now defunct. Before that, it belonged to the city-state of Venice, going back to before Columbus discovered America. But the Crimea was NEVER part of Ukraine, until Khrushchevs unilateral gift."
Imagine if President Eisenhower, as a dictator on his own, gave Long Island and NYC to Connecticut as part of an internal United States political deal to secure CTs critically needed support during a contested election or coup.
In 1954, the political gift of the Crimea was an internal USSR matter, not an international matter. Ukraine was then the Ukraine SSR, within the USSR. In 1991, the USSR broke apart, and Khrushchevs gift suddenly mattered. But despite the gift and the fluke that led Crimea to become part of the modern sovereign nation of Ukraine, Crimea has always been 90%+ ethnic Russian, and it as always, it contains Russias most critical naval bases and sea ports.
In fact, Crimea is far more Russian than Hawaii is American. Its foolish and naïve to believe that the Russians will risk losing the Crimea during a period of chaos in Ukraine.
If you want to see Russia's REAL "red line," threaten their control of the Crimea, and its naval bases and seaports.
BBC News - Russia’s military has given Ukrainian forces in Crimea until dawn on Tuesday to surrender or face an assault, Ukrainian defence sources have said.
The head of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Aleksander Vitko set the deadline and threatened an attack “across Crimea”.
He also reportedly told two warships to surrender or be attacked at 17:00 GMT on Monday.
Moscow says it is protecting civilians from “ultra-nationalist threats”, but its actions have been widely condemned.
Russia is now said to be in de facto control of the Crimea region.
Therein is some of the problem. The Admirals have been wanting a chance to not only move, but to shoot. They instigated this Crimea Affair, and they are impatient.
The air borne troops were brought in, so as to be a barrier between the Admirals and the Ukrainians; but already, the Admirals intend to start something by working around the edges.
They’ve already blown some comm. centers of the Ukrainian forces.
If Putin is able, despite his Admirals, there will be no shooting ... just waiting ... and the Crimea will be Russia’s.
If the Admirals get their way, there will be a [race] war ignition and ripple effect all around the Sea, and probably thence to the Med.
Putin has to go along, in order to maintain some control.
But the problem is, the revolt by the Russian Admirals.
I am guessing.
Putin won’t take eastern Ukraine now because that would pretty much unify what is left of the county. He wants Ukraine unstable while he solidifies control in Crimea. Putin will release his pavement apes in Kharkiv and Donetsk again if Kiev pulls some levers on Crimea.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10672417/Ukraine-live.html
17.15 BREAKING: Our man in Moscow Howard Amos says that the Russian government has denied reports of an ultimatum issued to the Ukraine:
The Russian Defense Ministry has dismissed claims that an ultimatum to surrender has been issued to Ukrainian armed forces in Crimea.
A Defense Ministry spokesperson described the reports of an ultimatum as complete nonsense, according to Russian business daily Vedomosti.
You really want to know ?
The West has been pushing on Westernizing eastern Europe for decades. By “the West”, I mean US/UK financial elites.
The USAID “State Department” program and very influential quasi-government “foundations” like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_Democracy work in concert with various private sector “big business/Wall Street” entities, as well as US intelligence agencies, to “spread democracy and free trade” around the world.
It matters not at all who the US President is, these projects continue anyway.
Here’s a lengthy report on just a few details of the past 20 years of Ukraine, with supporting links.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3126045/posts
Oh boo hoo. As if these people don’t want capitalists investing in their country - these financial elites. Good Lord. You sound like capitalism is the problem.
You should be posting on a pro-socialism or pro-communist site.
“Putin, however, is about to start a war with Ukraine”
The “War” is already over.
All that remains now is for some Ukrainians to die trying to save face.
This, again, is the cost of having a weak non-leader in the White House. Obama is the laughingstock of the world. Yet, if you dare to say that on a US TV Station, you are obviously a racist that hates the idea of a black president.
Is it any wonder Putin would be emboldened to take military action after Ukraine becomes destabilized by the Soros Cabal?
Like the other guy said, that war is over. Done, zip...
Try to keep up.
Vladimir Putin may be a lot of things, but he’s not stupid. He is a very intelligent and strategic leader who knows what he’s doing. The West would be foolish to underestimate him.
Putin knows that Obama is weak and no threat.
Yes, I see it now. Soro, or Goldstein, tricked the Ukrainians into wanting to finally break free from their long-running oppressors who starved tens of millions of Ukrainians in the 1930s. Soros, who has magical skills, duped Ukrainians into thinking they’d like to have what the Poles, Czech, Hungarians, Lithuanians, Latvians, and Slovaks have. Without Goldstein, I mean Soros, the average Ukrainian would love to be stuck under Putin. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Exactly, why not let THEM decide ?
Trouble is, EU/US has been promoting the idea so skillfully for so long in Ukraine that it’s really impossible to say it’s “their mistake”.
Anyone that does some reading knows there has been a tremendous US-backed push for Westernization going on for decades.
Here’s a brief documentation of just some of the actors:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3126045/posts
By what right does Putin stop them ?
By the same right that the US uses when it’s economic concerns are at issue, and it’s military footprint around the globe is at issue - the US simply goes in and starts elbowing around to make room for its critical interests.
Trade between Ukraine and BOTH Russia AND the West has been going on for twenty years, so there is no need to “open up” Urkraine economically; it’s already open to the West for trade.
This is about the EU wanting to bring Ukraine under its regulatory umbrella.
Anyone who has honestly studied the EU would see that it’s a scheme that usurps national sovereignty.
The war is over. It’s only over if the Ukrainians agree.
What the hell are you babbling on about??
Do you deny it was Soros money via Open Society Orgs that financed the Ukrainian events? The Soros Billionaires Cabal are laughing their asses off, all the way to the bank right now.
I think you have it pegged.
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