Author Archives: RomanInUkraine
Poll: Russians do NOT favor Russian troops in Ukraine (February)
February 2015 – Yes: 25% No 53%
http://www.levada.ru/04-03-2015/ukrainskii-krizis-uchastie-rossii-i-ozhidaniya
New Russian textbooks must stress existence of ‘Great Russian Aryan Race,’ Duma deputy says #propaganda
The latest and in some ways the most frightening is the argument advanced by United Russia Duma deputy and Ph.D. in history Vyacheslav Nikonov that Russian children must be taught about “the Great Russian Aryan Race.”
Great inside view of Kremlin propaganda & Noise MC — a Russian anti-Kremlin rapper (VICE)
Listen to the guy at 7:00 — the thing that’s important is power.
@ 14:52 — the important thing about Crimea is that everyone understands Russia is powerful.
Following Georgia model, #Ukraine terminating the entire traffic police department.
Wow! Following Georgia model, #Ukraine terminating the entire traffic police department.
Ukraine’s SBU arrested a controversial pro-Russian blogger, Ruslan Kotsaba, for “obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces and other military formations”
The six-page indictment begins with reference to the video appeal to President Petro Poroshenko entitled “I reject mobilization” which Kotsaba posted on YouTube on Jan 17. On this video he publicly called on “all adequate people” to refuse mobilization, asserting that it had been declared in breach of Ukraine’s legislation. The prosecution alleges that Kotsaba provides false information to back his claim to likely conscripts that mobilization is unlawful and that there is unwarranted fratricide in civil war in Donbas. The indictment asserts that the said video “received a significant number of hits in the Internet and was circulated among compatriots”.
In fact, the video had been watched by an extremely modest number of people until the SBU made its author so famous and led to his views being heard by close on 400 thousand viewers. There is certainly no evidence that it had any impact on the level of mobilization, yet the prosecution is claiming that it falls under Article 14 as being ‘subversive activities obstructing the armed forces”.
An additional issue here is that there are other Ukrainians who are in no doubt that Russia is the real aggressor but who believe the mobilization waves to be legally questionable given that Ukraine has not formally declared a state of war.
The indictment goes on to list occasions where Kotsaba gave interviews to Ukrainian and Russian television channels in which he spoke about his video and expressed the view that the events in eastern Ukraine constitute civil war.
Heh. “Chop anything, except stupidity” – Ukrainian appliance commercial ridicules Night Wolves
When Ukraine made a bid for statehood in 1920, this is the map they used
May 12, 1920.
The Honorable, The Secretary of State,
Department of State, Washington.Sir:
In view of the present status in eastern Europe, and in deference to the unsettled affairs of the territory of the former Russian empire, which are now pressing for a definite solution, I, as the representative of the Government of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, conceive it to be my duty to submit for your consideration this memorandum setting forth the just claims of the Ukrainian people to political and economic independence. As a consequence of the facts herein explained, I respectfully ask the Government of the United States of America to extend recognition to the Ukrainian People’s Republic as a free state.
The national aspirations of Ukraine embrace political liberation for all Ukrainians, consolidation of all free Ukrainians into one state, the erection of a constitutional democratic republic, and economic co-operation with neighboring and other states.
Ukraine’s claim to independence is based upon the following principal grounds:
(1) The existence of the Ukrainians as a well-defined, separate, group-conscious race, with a continuous historic and cultural tradition;
(2) Their occupation, over a period of centuries, of the lands where they now dwell;
(3) Their age-long efforts, increasingly of popular origin, to achieve and maintain political independence;
Video of Sniper Training in Ukraine
Volunteer instructors — both pros and amateurs. Donated equipment. Makeshift operation.
The Letter Officers sent to Proroshenko Condemning the General Staff after Debaltsev
The “Ryazan Miracle”
The “Ryazan Miracle”. Yes, communism really was that stupid. And worse. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryazan_miracle
Alexei Larionov, the first secretary of the Ryazan Obkom (the effective head of the region in the Soviet system), announced a very ambitious goal of tripling the amount of meat produced in the region within the next year. The promise, in spite of being unrealistic, was confirmed at the regional party conference. On October 12, 1958 Larionov delivered the promise to Khrushchev in person, who became excited by the initiative.[2] On January 9, 1959 the promise was published in Pravda, the official party newspaper at the time. The publication was rushed by Khrushchev in spite of objections from the Agricultural Department of the Central Committee. The challenge was met by several other regions including Stavropol and Krasnodar. Even before starting its ambitious programme, the Ryazan region received several awards. In February 1959 the region was awarded with the Order of Lenin.[1]
In order to meet the promise, the region had to slaughter all the bovine herd of 1959, as well as a considerable part of its dairy stock. In addition, all cattle reared by kolkhoz farmers in their private households was appropriated “temporarily”. As the collected amount was still not enough to meet the target, obkom had to buy meat in neighbouring regions by relocating funds from other sources, such as the purchase of agricultural tools and construction. On December 16, 1959, Ryazan obkom was able to announce that the region delivered 150,000 tons of meat to the state, which was three times the amount delivered the previous year. On top of this, the regional authorities promised to deliver 180,000 in the next year.[3]
On December 27, 1959 the success was announced by Khruschev himself at the CPSU Plenum “On further development of agricultural production” (О дальнейшем развитии сельскохозяйственного производства). Also in December, Larionov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labour.[2]
However, in 1960 production of meat in Ryazan oblast plummeted to 30,000 tons, since mass slaughter had reduced the amount of cattle by 65% in comparison to the level of 1958. To make matters worse, kolkhoz farmers whose private cattle were “temporarily” appropriated the year before refused to process kolkhoz land. This halved the amount of grain produced in Ryazan oblast. By the fall of 1960, it became impossible to hide the affair. In September 1960 Larionov was dismissed from his post, stripped of the title of Hero of Labour. On October 10, 1960, he committed suicide.
Happy “Zeleni Sviata” (Green holiday)
(yesterday)
A pagan tradition combined with a Christian celebration of the holy trinity.
SONY DSC
“Run Under the Chestnut Trees”
This morning’s “Run Under the Chestnut Trees” (with V̶l̶a̶d̶i̶m̶i̶r̶ Vitali Klitschko).
Head of Ukraine’s Greek Catholic Church on the EU vs Europe, and the EU’s gender ideology
Head of the UGCC, Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) said that Ukrainians have a quite traditional position on gender issues which is a significant barrier to EU integration.
“Ukraine rejects the false values of gender ideology, though it could be a barrier to accession to the European Union.”
The Patriarch of Ukraine have also emphasized the difference between the EU and the true Europe. “The European Union – this is not Europe – said the Patriarch. – The EU can exist without Ukraine, but Europe will be incomplitable without Ukraine.”
In addition, the Patriarch Sviatoslav expressed hope that the Christian Ukraine “can become an impulse for the awakening of secularized Europe.”
Ukrainian Rada scrapped 5 military agreements with Russia, including RU troop transit to Transnistria
This seems a strong leverage. Transnistria is completely landlocked.
Ukraine’s parliament on Thursday voted to suspend military cooperation with Russia in a long-anticipated move signaling a further break in relations between the once-close partners.
The five cooperation agreements scrapped by the Verkhovna Rada include one giving the Russian military transit rights to reach Moldova, whose territory is partly controlled by a Moscow-supported separatist government.
Relations between Russia and Ukraine plummeted after the overthrow in February 2014 of Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Russia subsequently annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Kiev also accuses Moscow of arming and staffing separatist insurgencies in eastern Ukraine.
In turning away from Russia, Ukraine has increasingly reached out for assistance to NATO, an organization the current government hopes the country will eventually join.
Russia has about 1,500 troops stationed in Trans-Dniester, a landlocked separatist strip of Moldova that borders Ukraine. Rescinding the transit rights for those troops creates a logistical problem for Russia and no solution was immediately apparent.
“As it now stands, we have to think about it, find a way. We shouldn’t toss away Trans-Dniester and Moldova,” said Vladimir Komoedov, chairman of the defense committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament, according to the Interfax news agency.
But he said Russia wouldn’t consider retaliatory measures for the time being.
Music of Mykola Leontovych (composer of the Carol of the Bells)
Anti-Maidan Activist Booed By Moscow Students
Google Map of Lenin Monuments
Classes Russian Hockey Theme leaves ice after defeat
After losing to Canada 6:1 in the finals, the Russian hockey theme broke with convention and left the ice before the Canadian Anthem.
British study find 42k Russian troops being rotated in E. Ukraine
Large-scale intervention in eastern Ukraine by regular Russian troops began last August, reaching a peak of 10,000 in December, and Moscow has been struggling to maintain operations on such a scale and intensity, according to a report.
. . . the Rusi report says that a total of 42,000 Russian troops from 117 combat and combat-support units have been involved, either being rotated in and out of the front lines in Ukraine or pouring artillery fire from inside Russia.
