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 ...
Coming to America soon.
Probably defecting after putting on a show for the world... They did what Russia want them to do.
Ukraine is in big trouble precisely because they can’t trust vast swaths of their military. Thus, the Ukraine’s only hope is for outside assistance.
The protests stemmed from Ukraine’s massive debt. The deal from the EU included trimming pensions and other social benefits.
per Bruce at Mish’s: part of the IMF repairs for Ukraine will be to cut pensions in half and to make consumers pay market prices for things like natural gas. If Russia does indeed take on Crimea and the citizens get to maintain or even enhance their lifestyle whilst Ukrainians get the Greek treatment
The Russian version of the Ukrainian Anschluss.
Look at who is worried about Constitutionality all of a sudden.
“they can’t trust vast swaths of their military. Thus, the Ukraine’s only hope is for outside assistance.”
So if parts of their military is not upset enough to fight, or worse, wants to switch sides,,,,, we should fight on their behalf? And for what?? To liberate a place where Russians have had a fleet since the fleet consisted of sailing ships?
“The Russians escaped while we weren’t watching them, like Russians will.”
for you young folks Lawyers in Love by Jackson brown….circa 1983
83...God was it so long ago? As if I didn’t feel old enough... ;)
Wow,,, that’s a big one. When this is sorted out, that’s gonna take some effort to get out of there.
a Kara-Class late-60’s-era cruiser, that was already heading for the scrapper’s torch.
Laid up for 27 years, since 1987. Was to be rebuilt in the 90’s, but caught fire in the yard, heavily damaging it. Finally was written off and decommissioned in 2011.
au·ton·o·mous
[aw-ton-uh-muhs]
adjective
1.Government.
a. self-governing; independent; subject to its own laws only.
b.pertaining to an autonomy.
2. having autonomy; not subject to control from outside; independent: a subsidiary that functioned as an autonomous unit.
From the article :
"Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko slammed the plan, saying it would be illegitimate and unconstitutional."
The Ukraine wouldn't have had them as part of their country in the first place if they hadn't agreed to allowing the Crimea to be self-governing.
IMHO, the Ukraine is trying to have their cake and eat it, too by invoking their Constitution after already setting the Crimea up as autonomous.
Folks in those bases *shouldn't* fight; they're a tripwire force provisioned for peacetime. They're completely surrounded, outnumbered and outgunned - they'd be massacred. Ukraine has so few lifers in its military, it can't afford to sacrifice these men. They need to leave the Crimea and begin realistic training for war, using live ammo, as well as do any number of show and tell demonstrations for the draftees showing up en masse.
Only after its military's preparations for armed conflict are complete will the Ukrainians be in a position to eject the Russians, if the government so chooses. Nobody knows what the Ukrainian government has decided, but assuming the general mobilization order isn't just rhetoric, the Ukrainians will take months to get fully ready to fight. Given that Uncle Sam took 6 months to get ready for Desert Storm, I'd expect a couple of months minimum, for Ukraine to get some of its professionals ready to mount hit-and-run raids into the Crimea against Russian patrols and outposts, based on intel gathered from loyal Crimeans, while having prepared defenses to ambush Russian units engaged in cross-border hot pursuit operations.
The moment the first martyrs to the cause appear in the headlines, there's a possibility that the Ukraine will finally be committed. After that, it's only a matter of time before the Russians leave. The earlier they leave, the lower the body count and financial expense on both sides.
Crimea is surrounded by area of 70%-80% Russian speakers I guess the Crimea’s food will all come by ship. I also not sure how well Russian speakers will be accepted in the Ukraine now.
Give up your guns and we’ll protect you...is what our government promised the Ukraine once upon a time.
They’re “enemy combatants” eh? When do Obama’s drones take off?
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