Pro Russians Storm Ukraine Cities of Donetsk & Luhansk

[depotoo]

By Lina KushchDONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Around 100 pro-Russian protesters stormed the regional government building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Sunday and hung up a Russian flag in defiance of Kiev's pro-European government.Dozens of protesters also stormed the offices of the state security service in nearby Luhansk and three people were injured, two protesters and a police officer, a Ukrainian television channel reported. Police declined to comment.
Ukraine says Putin behind protesters' seizure of state buildings | Reuters

 

[Katzndogz]

The Ukranians are Russians, nothing is going to change that. The best the EU can hope for is a Syrian type civil war.

 

[depotoo]

Add the city of Kharkiv now.
BBC News - Ukraine: Pro-Russians storm offices in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv

 

[depotoo]

Ukraine says Putin behind protesters' seizure of state buildings
Ukraine says Putin behind protesters' seizure of state buildings

 

[Coyote]

Moved from Politics to Europe.

 

[B. Kidd]

The Ukranians are Russians, nothing is going to change that. The best the EU can hope for is a Syrian type civil war.

If a civil war breaks out, Putin moves into the eastern section.

 

[tinydancer]

This will be most interesting.

 

[HenryBHough]

White House in frantic search for heavy duty knee pads.

Film at 11.

 

[waltky]

Yanukovich's corruption is what set this fiasco off to begin with...

Ridding Ukraine of corruption is vital, says presidential candidate
Sun Apr 6, 2014 - Ridding Ukraine of corruption is key for any new leadership, says presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko, who warns that failure will anger a "reborn" people with high expectations for real change after months of turmoil.

Poroshenko, a confectionery billionaire who is one of two leading candidates in a May 25 election, said Ukrainians had earned the right to a path to membership in the EU after the revolt that threw off president Viktor Yanukovich. But in an interview with Reuters he also said he would not seek to join the NATO Western military alliance, a move he said would risk dividing the country while Russian troops are massed on its frontier.

After the ousting of Yanukovich, the killings of more than 100 protesters and Russia's seizure of Crimea, people will demand a radical shift by future leaders away from the sleaze and malpractice of the past, said Poroshenko, 48. "A new country was born and a new people was born," Poroshenko, a strong-built man with a shock of greying hair, told Reuters in Kiev, striking the table for emphasis. "If the president, the government and the parliament do not demonstrate a different style and show that we live in different conditions, people after half a year, nine months, will say 'OK' and withdraw their support," he said. "They (the future leaders) should know why 104 people gave their lives."

The May 25 election will be a first step by the interim leadership to get Ukraine back on its feet after four months of turbulence and confrontation with Russia that has traumatized the country and highlighted old east-west divisions. Poroshenko, known as the "Chocolate King" for the chain of confectionery shops that earned his fortune, is an experienced politician who held a variety of portfolios, including economy minister and foreign minister, under both pro-Western and Moscow-backed administrations. He will be up against flamboyant former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has a strong core following but is a divisive figure whose many foes could rally around Poroshenko.

Poroshenko's chances improved with the endorsement of heavyweight boxer Vitaly Klitschko, a leader of the anti-Yanukovich movement who bowed out of the presidential race in his favor. But his wealth could help Tymoshenko campaign against him as an "oligarch". Seated in the Kiev offices of his foundation in front of the national flag and the blue and gold-starred European Union banner, Poroshenko spoke of the need to modernize Ukraine to take advantage of a "unique situation" in which there was real support for integration with the European mainstream. A vital part of this modernization, he said, was getting rid of systemic corruption which blights all spheres of life including the economy, and deters foreign investment.

After a values-driven people's revolution against sleaze and state theft under Yanukovich, people will be tough on the new elected leaders and will have little tolerance if they slip back into old corrupt habits, he said. Corruption mainly takes the form of bribe-taking to ensure public services and penetrates all levels of life including the police, the health service and the education system. Running any business in Ukraine requires paying to ensure operating licenses are delivered by local and national authorities.

"ZERO-TOLERANCE" FOR CORRUPTION

 

[Katzndogz]

The Ukranians are Russians, nothing is going to change that. The best the EU can hope for is a Syrian type civil war.

If a civil war breaks out, Putin moves into the eastern section.

They want him there. These are Russians not europeans and they won't tolerate the EU moving their own puppets in.

 

[depotoo]

Kiev says Russia provokes trouble in eastern Ukraine, just as in Crimea - The Washington Post

according to the news the so-called protesters have their own riot gear, such as helmets, sticks and shields. Amazing.

 

[Moonglow]

The Ukranians are Russians, nothing is going to change that. The best the EU can hope for is a Syrian type civil war.

If a civil war breaks out, Putin moves into the eastern section.

They want him there. These are Russians not europeans and they won't tolerate the EU moving their own puppets in.

Russians in that area are still considered Europeans because of the location of the continent.
or Russians could be called Eurasians..

 

[Camp]

The Ukranians are Russians, nothing is going to change that. The best the EU can hope for is a Syrian type civil war.

You should visit the place. It's real fucking easy to tell the difference between the Ukraine folks and the Russian folks.

 

[depotoo]

Russian marine kills Ukraine navy officer in Crimea, says ministry

 

[depotoo]

Pro-Moscow protesters seize arms, declare republic; Kiev fears invasion | Reuters.com

 

[RoadVirus]

By Lina KushchDONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Around 100 pro-Russian protesters stormed the regional government building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Sunday and hung up a Russian flag in defiance of Kiev's pro-European government.Dozens of protesters also stormed the offices of the state security service in nearby Luhansk and three people were injured, two protesters and a police officer, a Ukrainian television channel reported. Police declined to comment.
Ukraine says Putin behind protesters' seizure of state buildings | Reuters

I can tell you how this story will play out:

Ukrainian defense teams will move in to take the buildings back. Taken out dead or alive, it won't matter, because then Putin will say something to the effect of "the government of Ukraine is harassing Russian nationals" and will use this "harassment" as an excuse to "oversee the protection of Russian Nationals in Eastern Ukraine" with Russian troops, thereby justifiying a Russian military "presence" in Eastern Ukraine.

 

[HenryBHough]

I wonder how fast the state department can rush through the purchase of about a dozen gross of extra-thick knee pads!

 

[Vikrant]

It seems like Russian population in Ukraine is either in the favor of merging with Russia or going independent. They are not impressed with what we have in Kiev right now.

---

Pro-Russian separatists who seized a provincial administration building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Monday proclaimed the region an independent republic in a move echoing the run-up to Russia's annexation of Crimea.

The Interfax news agency said the activists demanded that a referendum be held no later than May 11 on the breaking away of the Donetsk region, which borders Russia.

In footage uploaded to the Internet, an unidentified pro-Russia activist in the provincial government headquarters in Donetsk asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to send peacekeeping troops to the region.

"Without your support, without the support of Russia, it will be hard for us to resist the Kiev junta on our own," he said, referring to the interim authorities that took power after the overthrow of Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovych in February.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk earlier in the day accused Russia of being behind the unrest that broke out in the country's eastern provinces Sunday and of seeking to sow instability as a pretext for dispatching troops across the border.

"The plan is to destabilize the situation, the plan is for foreign troops to cross the border and seize the country's territory, which we will not allow," he said, adding that people engaged in the unrest have distinct Russian accents.

Yatsenyuk said Russian troops remain stationed within 30 kilometers (19 miles) of the frontier.

Eastern Ukraine was the heartland of support for Yanukovych, who fled to Russia in February after months of protests. About half of the region's residents are ethnic Russians, many of whom believe Ukraine's acting authorities are Ukrainian nationalists who will oppress Russians. Ukraine's interim authorities deny they are infringing the rights of the ethnic Russian population.

Pro-Russians say east Ukraine region independent : World, News - India Today

 

[Politico]

The Ukranians are Russians, nothing is going to change that. The best the EU can hope for is a Syrian type civil war.

You should visit the place. It's real fucking easy to tell the difference between the Ukraine folks and the Russian folks.

That would mean actually having facts before they talk. Can't do that.

 

[Vikrant]

Here is another act of dissension from Russians.

---

MOSCOW: Russia has pulled the US-funded Voice of America radio station from the air, a senior state media official said today, calling it "spam on our airwaves."

Dmitry Kiselyov, the head of the Rossiya Segodnya state media conglomerate, said a contract to broadcast Voice of America on AM radio would not be renewed.

"Rossiya Segodnya will not work with Voice of America," Kiselyov said, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The United States has targeted Kiselyov for sanctions over his role in promoting Russia's annexation of Crimea. He presents a highly opinionated weekly news show on state television.

"It's as if they broadcast from the underworld. Or at least a world that no longer exists," Kiselyov said of VOA and US-funded Radio Liberty, which still broadcasts in Russia through a partner station.

"I view these stations as spam on our airwaves," he said. "It has nothing to do with freedom of speech" because there is "nothing original" on the stations, he said.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees US media, said last week that Kiselyov had suspended all cooperation with Voice of America.

It said Kiselyov sent VOA a letter with the single sentence, "we are not going to cooperate" and said the contract would not be renewed.

In 2006 Russian regulators forced national stations to stop broadcasting Voice of America shows, a move seen as politically motivated.

But the station continued to be broadcast in Moscow on a local AM radio frequency under an agreement with Voice of Russia, a state-owned station now controlled by Kiselyov's conglomerate.

Radio Liberty, which is funded by US Congress, continues to exist in Russia for the time being in form of Radio Svoboda, which broadcasts through a partner station on FM and a popular website.

Russia takes Voice of America radio off air - The Times of India