Author Archives: RomanInUkraine
The KGB made corrupting the Church a priority by Ion Mihai Pacepa
The Soviet Union and Imaginary Republics #tactic strategy new states
from Euromaidan:
During the first years of Soviet power, a Moscow newspaper published an article telling its readers how easy and potentially profitable it would be for them to form a national republic. According to the paper, they didn’t need a nation or anything like a set of institutions: they needed only paper on which to make a declaration.
The Russian government seems to have dusted off that old guidance and is now promoting the formation of republics not within the Russian Federation – there it is doing its best to destroy them – but rather inside a neighboring country – Ukraine – in the hopes that such republics will help Moscow destroy it.
(I need to research this.)
Putin’s Night Wolves Motorcycle gang
Putin loves to rely on irregular and extra judicial forces. He’s probably balancing all the security forces against each other. He has the FSB, Kaidarov, the Night Wolves, and probably criminal organizations of all shapes and sizes.
Here’s an article about the Night Wolves making an appearance in Eastern Ukraine:
Last month’s standoff between President Poroshenko and now-ex-governor Kolomoisky
Good because it’s probably anti-oligarch.
Bad because Kolomoisky was very anti-Russian and this creates a power vacuum.
Last month, Kolomoisky’s people armed themselves and seized some offices of Ukrnaftogas which owes money to Kolomoisky’s gigantic bank — Privat Bank.
See the Bloomberg article for details.
Poroshenko assumes responsibility for Dnipropetrovsk region after Kolomoiskiy’s resignation
http://www.unian.info/politics/1059734-poroshenko-assumes-responsibility-for-dnipropetrovsk-region-after-kolomoiskiys-resignation.html
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-03-20/ukraine-s-oligarchs-are-at-war-again-
2008 – Putin get angry when asked if Moscow has plans for Ukraine, Crimea. Crimea “not disputed.” “No ethnic conflict.”
As I keep saying, for Russian civilization, words are just sounds to distract enemies. Their leaders are not worth listening to. Nevertheless, here’s more evidence of their hypocrisy:
What a difference a few years makes. Back in 2008, in an interview on German television, Russian President Vladimir Putin upbraided his host for asking whether Moscow had any designs on Ukraine and its Crimean Peninsula.
http://www.rferl.org/content/vladimir-putin-defends-ukraine-borders/26942991.html
Strange explative-filled video of ex-governor Kolomoisky claiming Igor Girkin is his Jewish cousin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmzkaX7qEGg
“What’s up with Ukraininans loving to steal gas?” (East Village explosion)
Sad, but funny.
What’s up with Ukraininans loving to steal gas? First Yulia Tymoshenko, now the Hrynenko family (landlord seemingly responsible for E. Village explosion, fire and collapse of 3 buildings due to illegal gas rig.)
Two more mercenaries surrendered to Ukrainian border guards: Their “army” beat them
As reported by the press center of the State Border Service of Ukraine today, two “DNR” mercenaries surrendered to Ukrainian border guards because their “army” stopped paying their salaries and beat them.
The militants were detained at a checkpoint “Zolota” (Golden). They came from the territory occupied by Russia. One of them had obvious signs of beating.
During questioning, they stated that they “served” in an illegal armed group and produced corresponding IDs. Also, the detainees said that they want to live in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, because they recently have been subjected to physical assaults and have not been paid their salaries.
Russian teacher on trial for poem against annexation of Crimea
The next hearing is due on April 2 into the trial of Alexander Byvshev, a Russian poet and school teacher whose poem “To Ukrainian Patriots” lost him his job, and could result in a prison sentence. The poem has been found ‘extremist’ in Russia and cannot be accessed, and none of the ‘witnesses’ can name even one line from it, but they know it’s “anti-Russian”, “not patriotic”.
The poem, written in March 2014, is very clearly strongly against Russia’s invasion of Crimea and suggests Ukrainians should ensure that not one inch of Crimea is handed “to Putin’s chekists”.
The poem is undoubtedly full of bitter criticism of Moscow. It remains a poem, and more in any case is needed to fall under Article 282 § 1 of the Criminal Code, that is, “Stirring up hatred or enmity, as well as denigrating human dignity”. That article refers to incitement to enmity on the grounds of sex, race, religious beliefs, etc. No clarification would be provided even if, as other reports suggest, he is charged under Article 281.1 (“Organizing an extremist group”). The poem itself has been classified as ‘extremist’, and in fact an Internet website with Byvshev’s poems has removed quite a number of them.
Russian Schoolchildren Invited to Spend Holidays in North Korean Camps
You can’t make this up.
A high-ranking North Korean diplomat in far eastern Russia has proposed that local schoolchildren spend their holidays in North Korean youth camps in a bid to further strengthen relations between the countries, according to a statement released Tuesday.
Im Cheon Il, North Korea’s general consul in the Russian city of Nakhodka, made the proposal at a meeting with the Russian republic of Yakutia’s head of foreign affairs, Vladimir Vasilyev, the republic’s government said on its website.
The officials also discussed promoting tourism in general and trade, particularly in agriculture, the statement said.
“Russia and Korea have traditionally had friendly relations, but now the political relationship between our countries is developing more productively than ever before,” Im was quoted as saying in the statement.
Russia’s relations with North Korea’s reclusive government have flourished over the past year as Russia pivots eastward for diplomatic and economic support amid floundering ties with the West due to the Ukraine crisis.
Arseniy Pavlov, better known as “Motorola”, talks about killing Ukrainian POWs
A Russian fighter’s confession that he killed 15 Ukrainian prisoners of war may be considered evidence of war crimes in court if the authenticity of the recording is confirmed, human rights and legal experts say.
But these alleged crimes are unlikely to be considered crimes against humanity, and it would also be difficult to send them to the International Criminal Court.
The statement was made by Arseniy Pavlov, better known by his nom-de-guerre Motorola, in a telephone conversation with the Kyiv Post on April 3. Motorola, head of the Kremlin-backed Sparta Battalion, said that he would not comment on presumed eyewitnesses’ testimony that he had murdered Ukrainian prisoner of war Ihor Branovytsky on Jan. 21.
How #Debaltseve fell to the #Russians. Hell of a Feb. video by a #Ukrainian spotter. #Ukraine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FubMVxAcdlw
How #Debaltseve fell to the #Russians. Hell of a Feb. video by a #Ukrainian spotter. #Ukraine
Flying Drones with the Dnipro Battalion: Russian Roulette (VICE)
Pint-sized Putin tells women to ‘squat down’ so he doesn’t look too short in photo
To celebrate the global event a selection of short women were invited to the Kremlin in Moscow to meet with Vladimir for a photo opportunity.
However the President’s cronies forgot to tell the women not to wear heels and as a result Putin’s tiny stature was highlighted for all to see.
Standing only at about 5ft 6inches the pint-sized President was left red-faced as he was dwarfed by the women – many of whom were wearing heels.
Officials had forgotten to tell those attending that they could only be photographed with the President if they were wearing flat shoes.
An insider said: “The President of Russia Vladimir Putin traditionally invites a selection of Russian women to congratulate them on International Women’s Day.
“Fourteen women were selected and invited to the Kremlin to take part in the official meeting with president. And in line with Kremlin rules, no one can be taller than he is to avoid causing embarrassment in pictures and video.
“That’s why his bodyguards are always shorter then he is, to give the impression Putin is a tall person.”
Putin is believed to be somewhere between 165-170cm but hides the fact well by making sure he is only photographed with people smaller than he is.
The insider added: “They were told to try and squat down a little bit during the official photo session.”
Remembering “Kozak” of the Azov Regiment (he was from Odesa)
Why China Will Reclaim Siberia
The 1.35 billion Chinese people south of the border outnumber Russia’s 144 million almost 10 to 1. The discrepancy is even starker for Siberia on its own, home to barely 38 million people, and especially the border area, where only 6 million Russians face over 90 million Chinese. With intermarriage, trade and investment across that border, Siberians have realized that, for better or for worse, Beijing is a lot closer than Moscow.
Is it true that Russia (Soviet Union) invaded 1,500,000 square kilometers of China’s territory and is never going to return it?
It’s true that Russian Empire (not the USSR) invaded and annexed a load of territory but I have no clue how many square km it is. Did not bother to count.
Most significant losses are the Outer Manchurian homeland of the Qing Dynasty, including Sakhalin Island, whose very name is derived from Manchurian. The major settlement was Haishenwei (海參威), now called Vladivostok. The Chinese that lived in those lands were expelled brutally. One story claimed that a village of 5000 people near present day Khabarovsk was driven to the raging freezing cold Amur River (黑龍江) at gun point, and told to cross it or be shot. In other words, they were fucked…
All the grey areas are lost territories of China between 1840 and 1911.
Note that some of the land is now in former Soviet republics like Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, and Taijikistan — which themselves were former possessions of the Russian Empire.
What is not shown here is that Tuva (Tannu Uriankhai 唐努烏梁海) and Outer Mongolia were also eventually invaded and occupied by the Russians, resulting in the present day map of China, PRC.
A second more clear picture of China’s losses since 1840.
I am very familiar with these lost territories because I have a souvenir map of China from a Taiwanese friend, whose government formally claims all the land that China inherited in 1911.
Xinjiang (Sinkiang 新疆) was also going to be lost to Russia, which supported the East Turkistan independence movement, but Mao and Stalin made a deal and it remained in Chinese hands.
Now you know why is China not supporting Russia over the Russia-Ukraine Crimea conflict.
And as for “never going to return”, well that also is complicated. On one hand, China had reversed its unequal treaties with everyone, except Russia. On the other hand, Mao and the CCP owe their VERY EXISTENCE to the USSR, first for saving their asses after the Long March and then airlifting them to Manchuria immediately after WWII in violation to the agreement with the ROC. So when the PRC was founded, Soviet puppet Mongolia was recognized and the rest of the lost territories were not mentioned again, because Stalin and Mao were BFFs.
Then Stalin died. And his successor Khrushchev had a fall out with Mao, cumulating to the Sino Soviet Split of the 1960s. NOW, Mao raises the Russian imperialism issues, and obviously Khrushchev was like LOL … no go away. Grievances eventually exploded into the Sino Soviet border clashes. Miraculously, two nuclear powers ready to punch each other’s lights out did not go nuclear, to the somewhat disappointment of Kissinger.
Geopolitics have made Russia and China dependent on each other and neither can afford another potential issue in the future. In 2002(?), Russia and China settled their borders, resulting in Russia giving away some islands (i forget which ones). This pissed off the Russian people, especially those who lived on or near the islands. This pissed off the Chinese people, who genuinely believed that those lands were Chinese and the issue should be left open for future discussion. My reaction to the news was “c’mon Russia, you already took a shit load of land already, just give us back a few damn islands and stop bitching.” But you know it’s a good deal when no one is happy with the results :P
THIS is probably where the “never going to return” part comes from. And barring a total collapse of the Russian Federation and with the blessing of the United States, China is never getting these lands back.
This is also why Russia is very wary of Chinese people even just simply living in the Russian Far East. A friend from Russia also says her school curriculum never mentioned Russia’s Far East history at all… as if Vladivostok just landed out of nowhere on Russian land.
Dear Russian friends: I assure you that China has no intention of taking back these lands, as it is much better for China to trade with Russia, who has already invested in the infrastructures for extracting and transporting resources. War is bad for business, and China is all about business :)
And what did China learn from all this?
Might is right: it doesn’t matter what you say, if you don’t have the force to back it up, any claim is empty.
Use it or lose it: the Russians quite literally walked into Manchuria and stayed there. If China had more population in Outer Manchuria, it would have been a lot more difficult for Russia to annex it.
So is there any surprise why China is now is so “assertive” in military and economic developments regarding its legitimate historical claims in the South and East China Seas?
Siberia will become Chinese again
The Chinese are patient. They have millennial-long outlooks. But the trends are obvious and dramatic.
***
http://thediplomat.com/2011/06/china-looms-over-russia-far-east/
Spring time
