I must be missing something. Where’s the thuggery in that vid? That these guys look scary?
Huh? What Russian language restrictions? 
Are you referring to the vetoed bill that would have removed a previous minority official language law?
Yup, who would know the facts better than a visiting Estonian minister, who clearly got the straight goods from … someone he talked to.
I wonder how this doctor came to know it. But then, doctors know a lot of things.
You know, that point was addressed upthread. It was apparently a move to rescind regional “official languages” - the move passed by the barest of margins and then was vetoed by the interim President. So clearly the fascist nationalists aren’t having a free hand.
Doctors definitely know stuff that is hidden from others. Did you check out the video? I mean, if you weren’t convinced before by the unimpeachable leaked phone call where Estonia’s foreign affairs minister talked to a doctor and got the skinny, that video will definitely put this whole thing over the top! Was a great catch by Red.
I’m smelling conspiracy! Er, no…sorry, that was something I stepped in. Still, very convincing.
Hilarious. The doctor in question:
[Emphasis added]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10677370/Ukraine-Russia-crisis-live.html
So, Redfury, does this change your mind?
How embarrasing for Mr. Urmas Paet, caught out spreading a bald-faced lie to support the Russians … and how ironic that it was apparently Russian bugging of diplomatic phones that exposed his lie for the whole world to see.
I know it was vetoed, but I was pointing out their immediate priorities. Instead of trying to heal the country and mend fences, perhaps work towards solving the dire economical situation, they quickly started inflaming the situation.
Well, I’ll admit that I don’t understand what exactly is being said, so I could be completely mistaken in my interpretation. But from partial translations I’ve read, the Right Sector guys are interfering in the city council meeting, wielding sledgehammers and clubs. Some woman mentioning that the people voted for the officials, not for the people interfering. And talk about having forced some Party of Regions members to resign. I would be happy to get a more complete translation from somebody understanding Ukrainian.
You can find other videos of them attending city council meetings or prosecutor offices and making threats. For example, google Sashko Biliy.
Just to show how stupid it is to even attempt to believe Putin et al when they say that the military forces with no identification on their uniforms are not Russian army:
http://www.newtimes.ru/articles/detail/79932
Photographs of the trucks being used by the “self-defense” troops - those trucks are new, are only used by the Russian military and have Russian military license plates identifying the military area (North Caucusus) from where they came.
In another picture the same type of truck (Tigr) is shown with an emblem of a Russian guards division on the door. They forgot to paint it over I guess.
The guns that these supposed “self-defense” troops are using have sniper scopes (again, in pictures) that are not sold to anyone and are only used by Russian special forces.
Other “self-defense” soldiers are photographed carrying AK 101-105 - up until very recently produced only for the Russian military. Recently licenses were sold to Venezuela, India and Indonesia - I am sure those who swallowed Russian propaganda whole will think that that’s where those guns came from.
If the Russian Federation can have 25,000 troops on the Crimean Peninsula are they allowed to have ‘trucks’? Can they loan those trucks to Crimean Independence militia members?
Yes of course. Russian interior accents, uniforms, weapons, equipment and training all thrown together overnight by local militia’s no one’s ever seen or heard of before. Totally believable.
What do you figure? You think that anyone in the planet would sign a treaty that said you were allowed to supply separartist mlitias?
Are you saying that Putin ‘manufactured’ this crisis in Kiev? When our government (USA) learns how to ‘invade’ a country without killing people and destroying things, I might get be persuaded that Putin is dangerous because of other things he is doing but not what I’ve seen in Crimea thus far. His support of Assad is dangerous to millions and deadly and sickening.
However the fact is, that Putin acted less dangerously on Syria last Fall to pressure Assad to get rid of CW from that war zone. Lest we all forget, Putin reversed his dangerous position on the CW threat in response to not wanting his puppet regime there to be bombed, even a limited bombing for a couple of days. Putin did not recently, suddenly and dangerously make a land ‘grab’ in Syria. That situation goes back to the Soviet era.
Putin is no saint or great small D democrat by any means, but Putin has contributed to resolving the Iran Nuclear issue peacefully. Does it make him a Jimmy Carter type leader overall. No not at all.
But the facts are, there has been no ‘threat’ of ‘regime change’ in Kiev coming from Putin’s orders to move troops beyond the bases in Crimea. Having observed the ‘restraint’ shown from both sides in Crimea, to me calling Putin dangerous for this incursion appears to me much more based upon bias and knee-jerk reaction than a serious desire to understand what is going on.
Perhaps you have a firm way of knowing that, Putin “is manufacturing crises to justify war and territorial expansion” but I am near considering that you do. To specifically ‘justify war’. That tells a lot that you threw that phrase in there.
When signing a deal to save $100 million a year in debt forgiveness that allows 25,000 heavily armed foreign troops on your soil of the world’s second military superpower … I doubt you’d be thinking about the ‘technicality’ if that is what it is… about loaning trucks to separatists… following a constitutional crisis when the President and commander of the armed forces has just been removed from office by rioters throwing Molotov cocktails at government forces…
I’d say a good number of the para military types operating in Crimea off of bases are Ukrainian and are pro-Russia and pro-Separatists. I’ll accept there some Russian Special Forces mixed in. The point is that going around saying the Russian Troops are occupying Crimea’s legislature and government buildings is not substituted as fact or that it is against the will of the people of Crimea.
I have heard the only fatalities thus far in Crimea were Russian Speaking shot at the legislature building’s during some confrontation with Tatars. That was early on before the secretive buildup of Russian Troops made their presence known.
Another aspect would be from Putin’s point of view believing that taking control of missile batteries and anti aircraft installations fits into protecting Russian assets such as their ships at the base. There are a lot of extraordinary circumstances and realities surrounding this whole ‘invasion’.
I never expected that the Russian’s could so efficiently and methodically take control or assist pro-Russian locals to take control of that entire peninsula without some real serious resistance. But I don’t feel so bad, because our CIA also thought they couldn’t do that.
It reminds me of the jokes in Soviet Union from the late 60s during the Russian-Chinese conflict parodying some pathetically bad Russian propaganda. IIRC, it went something like this:
“Yesterday, cowardly Chinese traitors opened machine gun fire on a peaceful Soviet tractor, peacefully working in the field next to the Russian-Chinese border. In response, the Soviet tractor turned its turret 180 degrees and with one precision shell wiped out the machine gun nest and and all its crew. There were no Russian casualties”.
You’d say? YOU’D SAY??? Based on what, exactly?
We’re not interested in what you would guess about a region that you know next to nothing about.
BREAKING:
Crimean Parliament votes overwhelmingly to join Russia
BREAKING
Crimea to hold national referendum on whether to join Russia in 10 days time says Crimean Parliament
Quelle Surprise, said absolutely no-one…
Crimea referendum asking people if they want to join Russian Federation will be March 16th