Author Archives: RomanInUkraine

Three considerable Russian army groups are located near the Ukrainian border, fully prepared for an armed conflict . This was stated by the ex-first Deputy Chief of the General staff of the armed forces, Igor Kabanenko. This location of the army groups “North”, “Center” and “South” indicates that they are being prepared for “something”, wrote the Admiral Kabanenko in Facebook.

According to the military, there may be two versions of events in the future:
One scenario assumes continuation of “maneuvers” near Ukrainian borders in order to intimidate, while creating more destabilisation through the use Russian special forces (saboteurs);
Another scenario leads to an invasion under the guise of a “peacekeeping operation” to capture Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Kyiv.

“All this will be accompanied by psychological warfare aimed at our military and the population,” said Kabanenko.
As reported by the news agency “Rakurs», Ukraine has not received clarification from Russia about the purpose of amassing large numbers of troops at the border.

Source – http://racurs.ua/

Easter Season

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Apparently, this happened in Lviv recently

Looming Invasion (?)

Curt: Six people in the past 24 hours have told me that russia will invade and conquer Ukraine shortly – perhaps as early as tomorrow. Fucking barbarians. I love Ukraine. I have nothing from the american side except a few emails from the state department stating that all americans should leave and particularly leave the east. But you know, it’s a little like our invasion of Iraq. Just took a lot of time to get that equipment there.

Karkiv Rally

Klitschko dedicates knock-out to Ukraine’s struggles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z68CCK3fOfI

Undisputed world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has dedicated his fifth-round knock-out of challenger Alex Leapai to his countrymen embroiled in the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine.

http://www.news-republic.com/Web/ArticleWeb.aspx?regionid=4&articleid=22252458

Latvia says Russia trying to use ‘provocateurs’ in Baltic state

Latvia’s defense minister said on Friday Russia was trying to stir unrest in the Baltic state by using “specially-trained, professional provocateurs” in the wake of its intervention in Ukraine.

The Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, now NATO and EU member states, were once part of the Soviet Union and have substantial Russian-speaking minorities, like Ukraine.

“There are risks that Russia might try to destabilize the situation in the region,” Raimonds Vejonis, Latvia’s defense minister, told Reuters in an interview.

“We see it very clearly in Ukraine’s case, where they have acted and are still trying to escalate the situation in different ways,” the minister added.

“They are trying to increase negative sentiment in society through certain specially-trained, professional provocateurs.”

As an example, he mentioned comments by Aleksandr Gaponenko, an activist for non-citizens’ rights in Latvia, to Norwegian television that Latvia’s government intended “to suppress protests with the power of army”.

Around 26 percent of Latvia’s 2 million people are ethnic Russians. Many do not have Latvian citizenship and so cannot vote or apply for certain public-sector jobs. Moscow has long complained about the rights of ethnic Russians in the Baltics.

“There are no direct military threats to Latvia and the Baltic region, but there is increased activity of Russia’s Armed Forces near the border,” Vejonis said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/25/us-latvia-defence-idUSBREA3O1Q420140425

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See also: “Congress of Non-Citizens” banned from holding protest concert in Riga
http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/legislation/?doc=90856

Igor Strelkov

Igor Strelkov, the commander whom officials in Kiev have described as a Russian intelligence officer, gave a picture of the fighters he brought to Slovyansk, who since early April have transformed the city into the epicenter of eastern Ukraine’s pro-Russia unrest. The new government in Kiev has described Slovyansk as the “most dangerous city in Ukraine.”

“The unit that I came to Slovyansk with was put together in Crimea. I’m not going to hide that,” Mr. Strelkov told the Moscow-based Komosomolskaya Pravda tabloid in a video interview released Saturday. “It was formed by volunteers—I would say half or two-thirds of them citizens of Ukraine.”

. . . .

Ukraine’s State Security Agency had earlier described Mr. Strelkov as an active-duty officer of Russia’s elite Main Intelligence Department. Mr. Strelkov didn’t directly address the Russian reporter’s question about possible Russian military-intelligence involvement in his mission. The commander also didn’t speak about himself or his background. Moscow has denied its involvement in the unrest in eastern Ukraine.

Most of the men in the command possess war experience, including former service in the Russian or Ukrainian militaries and tours in Chechnya, Central Asia, the former Yugoslavia and Iraq, according to Mr. Strelkov. He said some “even managed to visit” Syria.

The slim, middle-aged commander with a trimmed mustache has risen to become one of the most important figures in the rebellion in Ukraine’s east, emerging as the de facto military leader of a pro-Russia uprising that has threatened to split the country. His tight operation of highly skilled militants offers a serious challenge to the new pro-Europe authorities in Kiev.

. . . .

“The motivation of those who arrived with me [from Crimea] and joined up is broader,” Mr. Strelkov said. “They say: ‘We don’t want to stop with that accomplishment. We want to go further and free Ukraine from the fascists.'”

. . . .

A man also named Igor Strelkov, working with an elite intelligence regiment of Russian paratroopers, had been involved in a 2001 “kidnapping” of a Chechen man during the Russian war in the breakaway republic, according to Chechnya’s human rights ombudsman’s website, which said the incident occurred near the village of Khattuni. It couldn’t be determined if it was the same Mr. Strelkov.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304788404579526160643349256

In Horlivka, three Ukrainian Security Services (SBU) officers captured.

http://euromaidanpr.com/2014/04/27/three-ukrainian-sbu-officers-captured-and-held-by-terrorists/

Another Russian Propaganda Report of English Speakers Opposing the Separatists

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF8MAFxEX94

5,000 People have fled Crimea. Pro-Ukrainians murdered and tortured.

All told, international organizations report that around 5,000 people, including minority Christians, Jews, and at least 3,000 Tatars, have fled Crimea and sought refuge elsewhere in Ukraine. . . .

On April 15, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report on Crimea documenting what the Russian government has tried to hide by denying international monitors access to Crimea: the imprisonment, torture, and killings of Crimean citizens who opposed Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula prior to the March referendum.

The world is already familiar with some of the more horrific reports that have emerged in recent weeks, such as the discovery on March 18 of the body of Crimean Tatar activist Reshat Ametov two weeks after he had been abducted, bearing clear evidence of abuse. On March 25, Human Rights Watch reported that two Euromaidan activists in Crimea had been kidnapped and brutally tortured by Russian and local forces in secret facilities for 11 days.

After spinning a fictitious tale of protecting members of the ethnic Russian minority in Ukraine, the Russian government and its proxies are subjecting members of ethnic minorities in Crimea to the very abuses they pretend to oppose. On March 31, pro-Russian thugs beat a 14-year-old Tatar boy for speaking Tatar in public. On March 18, Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Temirgaliyev announced that Tatars must give up their land to be used for other purposes. On March 15 and 16, pro-Russia thugs kidnapped Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests, interrogated them, and had local “authorities” charge some of them with “extremism.” Following anonymous death threats, the Chief Reform Rabbi of Crimea has fled. All told, international organizations report that around 5,000 people, including minority Christians, Jews, and at least 3,000 Tatars, have fled Crimea and sought refuge elsewhere in Ukraine.

http://blogs.state.gov/stories/2014/04/25/crimean-residents-face-russian-style-repression#sthash.hYS3Cmkl.dpuf

SBU prison cells are overcrowded with Russian GRU

“If you ask the head of the SBU Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, he will confirm that SBU prison cells are overcrowded with separatists, including many current Russian GRU officers”, – said Interior Minister Arsen Avakov in his interview to the Ukrainian TV channel Inter.

Replying to the question of when the Ukrainian society will receive information from the interrogations of these detainees, Avakov said that such interrogations are conducted regularly, but it is only the competence of SBU Chief to make decisions about disclosing their contents.

http://euromaidanpr.com/2014/04/27/sbu-prison-cells-are-overcrowded-with-russian-gru-military-intelligence-officers/

Ukraine distributes “Surviving Russian Occupation” Leaflets

http://euromaidanpr.com/2014/04/26/instructions-for-surviving-under-russian-terrorist-occupation-distributed-in-sloviansk/

1. Never approach the locations where protests are being held in front of the administrative buildings that have been captured. Your presence is beneficial to terrorists. You will first become a living shield, and then a hostage. For Russian separatists, the more casualties there is, the better – the brighter picture can be shown by the Russian Media.

2. Do not listen to those who promote and advocates in the streets for the federalization of Ukraine and separatism, and to those who call onto people to storm the government buildings. They are being paid 1000 hryvnia per day [around 100$ – ed.].

3. If you see the buildings that have been captured [by separatists], or young people of athletic build approaching them, or people wearing military ammunition, or people of any age and appearance that carry bags with food – let the nearest policeman, Ukrainian Army soldier, or SBU [Ukrainian Security Service] representative know. If you cannot inform them directly, call the numbers listed in the bottom of this pamphlet.

4. Do not under any circumstances join any of the spontaneously appearing squads or brigades – Russian secret services will use this information against you and will blackmail you with intention of forcing you into participation in unlawful actions and into supporting terrorists.

5. Avoid mass gatherings of people – there are combatants of the Russian secret services present among the protestors, who are tasked with physically eliminating anyone who is attempting to criticize Russia’s policy. They will use you as a living shield that is what occupants of the Soviet Union did during years 1941-1945 [German Nazis].

6. Restrain your loved ones, relatives and friends from supporting terrorists and from participating in any anti-Ukrainian actions/protests. By doing so, you will save their lives and health. Terrorists view all the protestors as potential casualties. By the way, the terrorists were ordered to kill the civilians that have any contacts with the local authorities.

Kharkiv professor beaten on Palm Sunday will be treated in Austria

http://maidantranslations.com/2014/04/26/kharkiv-citizen-whose-head-was-beaten-in-on-palm-sunday-will-be-treated-in-austria/

BBC Journalist in Sloviansk threatened with gun

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27173473

8 masked people bearing bats came to the editorial office of the site 62.ua

http://euromaidanpr.com/2014/04/25/freedom-of-press-infringed-by-armed-donetsk-separatists-in-eastern-ukraine/

Toronto Star journalist narrowly escapes detention in Ukraine

““Parlez-vous Francais?” I asked in the calmest voice I could muster. “Je suis un journalist Canadien. Franco-Canadien .” Franco Franco Franco. I couldn’t say it enough. Anything but English.

It was a ruse that probably shouldn’t have worked. But it slowed things down. The woman pulled down the arm of the man with the cellphone, buying us time.

For the next 30 minutes we withstood a withering browbeat. It was The World According to Putin — a fierce, beseeching laundry list of grievances, frustrations and fear, delivered in staccato Russian.

But the more they vented, the less angry they became. And about halfway through, I began to think — hope — vive le Quebec libre . My dismal command of Canada’s other official language was enough to persuade these desperate and panicked monolingual Russians in Ukraine that we weren’t really the enemy.”

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/04/24/toronto_star_journalist_narrowly_escapes_detention_in_ukraine.html