Posted on 03/06/2014 5:40:12 PM PST by tcrlaf
RUSSIA has scuttled a decommisioned vessel in waters off the Crimean town of Myrnyi, effectively blocking access for five Ukrainian Naval ships harboured there.
In the early hours of Thursday Russian naval personnel scuttled the decommissioned ship, Ochakov, blockading access for five Ukrainian Naval vessels now trapped inside the Southern Naval Headquarters. Russian war vessels continue to patrol the coast.
The move by Russia’s navy comes amid reports that Ukrainian military in Crimea appear to be abandoning their bases.
In an extraordinary development to the crisis now politically engulfing most of Europe, the Crimean regional government declared Ukrainian soldiers to be enemy combatants and warned them to surrender and leave the region.
Troops at some barracks across the Crimea were heeding the warning and walking out of barracks through blockades of Russian troops and local “self defence” units.
Crimea Deputy Prime minister Rustam Temirgaliev said the soldiers could switch sides and don Russian military uniforms and take Russian citizenship, or just surrender and leave the “Russian state”. “If they do not agree, we are prepared to offer them safe passage from the territory of Crimea to their Ukrainian homeland,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
In fact, May 25, the date that Ukrainians choose a new president, coincides with roughly the 3rd month of Russian occupation. If Ukrainians elect a war president, his taking office will coincide with the date that the Ukrainian military attains some semblance of war-readiness. During the Korean War, US forces were driven 200-odd miles south by a North Korean military armed with WWII surplus Russian equipment, and corralled inside the Pusan Perimeter. It was almost three months from the start of the war before the US was able to make advances against the North Koreans, starting with the landing at Inchon.
I graduated HS in 83. Seems like 2 lifetimes ago to me. I remember having hope for my/our future. Of course it helped having Reagan in charge...
When I was there in 2000, everyone spoke Russian, even the Ukrainians, so I’m not sure how you’d differentiate between them.
“Lugar and Obama traveled together to Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan in August 2005 to oversee a number of Nunn-Lugar projects. In Ukraine they saw a conventional weapons facility that is typical of the focus of the new legislation.
The Lugar-Obama initiative is modeled after the Nunn-Lugar program that focuses on weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union. Lugar and former Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) authored the program in 1991. It has provided U.S. funding and expertise to help the former Soviet Union safeguard and dismantle its enormous stockpiles of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, related materials, and delivery systems. Among many accomplishments, the program has deactivated 7,000 nuclear warheads and reemployed 58,000 scientists in peaceful research. Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan are nuclear weapons free as a result of cooperative efforts under the Nunn-Lugar program. They otherwise would be the world’s the third, fourth and eighth largest nuclear weapons powers, respectively.”
https://web.archive.org/web/20080617231047/http://obama.senate.gov/press/070111-lugar-obama_non
A lot similar to how throughout hundreds of years of revolts, both Irish guerrillas and British troops spoke English. In fact, during the American Revolution, both Patriots and Tories spoke English. Kuwait, like Iraq, was filled with Arabic speakers when it was invaded. Remarkable, isn't it?
“They’re “enemy combatants” eh? When do Obama’s drones take off?”
They would have to get off the TV, first.
If Ukraine is waiting for foreign assistance in its defense then Ukraine is truly F#CKED.
The EU is not going to fight to keep the Crimea part of Ukraine or Ukraine from being made into a Russian colony to sooth Putin’s/Russia’s pride it is that simple . Doesn’t matter what slip of paper got signed or by who .
True & the Ukrainians were stupid enough to believe the promises of Western politicians . folks need to learn that politicians will promise anything but deliver nothing.
“Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko slammed the plan, saying it would be illegitimate and unconstitutional.”
In 2010 after the presidential election, when she lost(45%) to Yanoukovich (48.5%), she refused to step down and recognize the result (verified by UE observers) of the election.
What is illegitimate and unconstitutional - is the deposition by violence of a leader legitimally and democratically elected.
“everyone spoke Russian, even the Ukrainians”
The Ukrainian adopted the ridiculous habit of changing the vowels in the Russian words, replacing “a” and “o” by “i” and “y”. Kiev becomes Kiyv, Kharkov became Kharkiv, etc. Other than that, there are no differences.
I understand Russian, and lately I was amazed to discover that I understand “Ukrainian” as well.
“If Ukraine is waiting for foreign assistance in its defense then Ukraine is truly F#CKED.”
They should see what EU did to Greece and Portugal, 27% unemployed, pensions non-paid or cut in half, bank accounts heavily taxed, etc.
“Ukranian and Russian are different languages, just as Spanish and Portugese are”
I wouldn’t go so far.
Ukrainian and Russian are much more similar than Spanish and Portugese.
If you use any Russian language translation software, it will work for Ukrainian and vice-versa.
The easy to see the difference: a letter that looks like an English ‘i’, with two dots over it, then it’s Ukrainian; if not , it’s Russian. Another difference: difference, is that in Ukrainian the ‘g’ sounds like an ‘h’.
Any Ukrainian undrstand Russian, as any Russian understand Ukrainian. Only the fierce nationalism in western Ukraine pushed to a differenciation in language.
One in three citizens of Ukraine is a native Russian language speaker.
Good salvage team can refloat water.....
Oh, I know it’s a different language, I was just pointing out that most spoke Russian.
I noticed while there that you either had a BMW, a Mercedes, or a Lada. In other words, you were either connected to the mob or you weren’t.
I noticed that about the russians who moved into my area. Filthy rich and have superior air about them. Their children are snobs with no responsibilities. One feels lower than a worm around them. I avoid them.
Now I understand why. Their connections.
They’re probably leaving thinking they’ll be replaced by US troops. And I hate to think that might be the case.
The American people keep trusting those same politicians....
Well if Ukraine still had nuclear weapons, I doubt Russia would try invading Crimea.
Meanwhile in the United States, Obama in serious discussions with his travel agent.
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