Free Republic

Russian dictator and shameless propagandist Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of escalating warfare in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. "I hope there won't be full-scale direct clashes," Putin said while visiting the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. Putin delivered his accusation in what I call his "Vlad, Ace of Spies and KGB Colonel" mode. This patterned shtick is Cold War tough guy by design, theatrical photo-op Viagra for aging Communists. Along with his accusation, Reuters published a photo of Putin riding in a bathyscaphe (deep-sea ocean research submersible). As the bathyscaphe's bubble capsule submerges, Vlad (wearing a relaxed open-collar shirt, circa James Bond...

Aug. 14, 2014, 2:54 PM A column of Russian armored personnel carriers (APCs) has reportedly crossed Russia's border with Ukraine. The APCs had earlier been seen traveling alongside a supposed Russian humanitarian convoy headed towards Ukraine's conflict-torn east... The APCs had been traveling with a humanitarian aid convoy of unmarked white trucks that Vladimir Putin's government was sending to Ukraine. Military vehicles, including anti-aircraft weapons and helicopters, started driving alongside the convoy earlier on Thursday. Most of the fleet of more than 262 vehicles within the humanitarian convoy, including about 200 trucks carrying aid, stopped 15 miles from the border...

The farce is complete... "Burisma Holdings, Ukraine’s largest private gas producer, has expanded its Board of Directors by bringing on Mr. R Hunter Biden as a new director. R. Hunter Biden will be in charge of the Holdings’ legal unit and will provide support for the Company among international organizations. On his new appointment, he commented: “Burisma’s track record of innovations and industry leadership in the field of natural gas means that it can be a strong driver of a strong economy in Ukraine. As a new member of the Board, I believe that my assistance in consulting the Company...

With a day left until the critical, if widely expected, results from the Crimean referendum are revealed, it is worth recalling the main footnote in last night's State Department travel alert for Russia: "all U.S. citizens located in or considering travel to the border region, specifically the regions bordering Ukraine in Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, and Rostov Oblasts and Krasnodar Krai, should be aware of the potential for escalation of tensions, military clashes (either accidental or intentional)." See, for the purpose of a military provocation, "accidental" will do. It is therefore not surprising to see that moments ago all...