Today's headlines......
http://rt.com/news/kiev-clashes-rioters-police-571/
Sunday, March 9
08:59 GMT:
Around 10,000 people have taken part in a rally in support of Ukraine in Maikop, in the Russian Republic of Adygea, local police report, as cited by Interfax.
08:54 GMT:
Ukraine’s self-imposed authorities have blocked the electronic system of Crimea’s treasury and frozen the autonomy’s accounts, said Crimean Deputy PM Rustam Temirgaliyev. However, he says this will not affect state payments like pensions, Interfax reports.
“We are now quickly opening accounts in Russian banks, including ruble accounts. People won’t have to go without pensions; the situation is under control,” he said, adding that local authorities will prevent any “catastrophic consequences” of Kiev’s recent move.
08:52 GMT:
Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s commissioner for human rights in his twitter uged western politicians not to let the leader of the Ukrainian ultra nationalist group “Right Sector”, Dmitry Yarosh, come to power.
“De-facto authorities in Kiev and their western patrons must block the access to power for neo nazi Yarosh and his backers,” Dolgov wrote.
“De-facto authorities in Kiev and their western patrons must block the access to power for neo nazi Yarosh and his backers,” Dolgov wrote.
08:45 GMT:
Five regional heads of police have been dismissed by Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, who announced the decision on his Facebook page. Those fired include Igor Avrutsky, the head of the Crimean police.
08:34 GMT:
According to estimates by Crimean authorities, two thirds of the region’s residents could vote in favor of joining Russia. RT’s Paula Slier went to Crimea’s capital, Simferopol, to collect opinions on the issue from people in the streets.
06:55 GMT:
Rallies in support of Ukraine and Russians living there will be held in a number of Russian cities on March 9 and 10. According to organizers, cited by Itar-Tass, around 30,000 people will take part. Rallies are expected to take place in Astrakhan, Pskov, Arkhangelsk, Chelyabinsk, Vologda, Perm and Chita.
06:52 GMT:
The Ukrainian coup-imposed government has announced its officials are subject to austerity cuts. The measure is “aimed at stabilizing the economic situation in the country as well as for saving and rational use of government funds,” the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers’ online statement reads. Austerity cuts are announced for government bodies and many kinds of state-sponsored enterprises and organizations. They have been ordered to stop buying cars (except ambulance, fire-fighting and rescue vehicles), furniture, mobile phones, laptops, etc. Charter flights and phone calls will no longer be reimbursed from the budget. Government officials will see their allowances cut.
Saturday, March 8
23:12 GMT:
The anti-fascist march activists were shot minutes after their protest finished in Kharkov, Ukraine, LifeNews and Glagol reported. A bus with ten people inside stopped and began shooting at the activists. The men then came closer and reportedly began beating the activists. Three people were injured, one of whom sustained a gunshot wound in his back.
22:31 GMT:
US President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande agreed in a phone conversation on Saturday to establish a contact group to help settle the Ukrainian crisis, which will require Russian consent. In case this does not work out, the West will be forced to introduce new measures that will "have a substantial impact on relations between the international community and Russia,” ITAR-TASS quoted the the Elysee Palace as saying.
“In the current serious circumstances, they stressed the importance for Russia to accept the formation of a contact group for initiating dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, in order to promote a peaceful way out of the crisis promptly and fully restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Elysee Palace added.
22:11 GMT:
Around 3,000 people attended a rally on Kharkov's central square to voice support for ethnic Russians living in Crimea, on Saturday, Ruptly news agency reports. A heavy police presence was seen on the square, where they guarded the city hall and regional administration buildings.
Protesters chanted slogans such as "Russia-Russia", "Kharkiv-Kharkiv", and "Fascism will not pass".
Organizers of the rally voiced their willingness to protect Kharkiv from Kiev's new interim authorities. Organizers also stated they want to stop 'Bandera fascists from Kiev', and reinstate relations with 'brotherly Russia'.
Protesters chanted slogans such as "Russia-Russia", "Kharkiv-Kharkiv", and "Fascism will not pass".
Organizers of the rally voiced their willingness to protect Kharkiv from Kiev's new interim authorities. Organizers also stated they want to stop 'Bandera fascists from Kiev', and reinstate relations with 'brotherly Russia'.
Crimea has fast-tracked preparations for the republic's referendum and for its possible joining with Russia, statements from the autonomy’s leaders reveal. Though no decision has been made by Moscow, they say Crimea may be part of Russia by late March.
Amid the ongoing media hysteria on the alleged Russian “invasion” of Crimea, the region’s pro-Russian leaders are staying calm, if not jubilant. Following claims that the Ukrainian hryvna may soon be swapped for the Russian ruble, and that the result of the March 16 referendum on the future of the Autonomous Republic is “easily predictable” by the mood of the majority of Crimea’s population, they are now saying that joining Russia could take place this month.
“The transition from one jurisdiction to the other is a complicated process, but I think in the case of favorable outcome of the referendum, the Crimeans will be able to feel as citizens of another country within one month – within March,” the speaker of the region’s Supreme Council, Vladimir Konstantinov, said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
Konstantinov then announced that if Crimea becomes Russian, the autonomy’s budget will become larger than under the Ukrainian standards. According to the speaker, the Crimean authorities “did not count on that” but the Russian side gave “guarantees” of budget enlargement.
There was no immediate reaction from Moscow on statements coming from Simferopol, but earlier the State Duma – Russia's parliament – said it would debate the issue of Crimea joining Russia only after the referendum takes place.
Earlier on Friday, Grigory Ioffe, first deputy chair of the region’s parliament, said that Crimea is not looking for any “privileges” from Russia if it joins the country, and that the Crimean authorities are certain the regional economy will prosper after getting rid of Ukrainian corruption.
Ioffe stressed that the “historic” referendum will be “very democratic and open” and will be held “in full compliance” with both the Ukrainian constitution and the international treaties that Ukraine had adopted. International observers, including those from the OSCE, as well as media and NGO representatives are “most welcome” to observe the referendum, he told journalists.
Crimea’s Central Election Committee is indeed expecting that some international observers will come to inspect the March 16 referendum, the committee’s head, Mikhail Malyshev, told Interfax on Saturday. About 1,250 voting stations will be set up for the event and over 2.2 million ballot papers printed. The autonomy’s population was just under two million people as of 2013, with Russians making up 58.5 percent of it, Ukrainians comprising 24.3 percent, and Crimean Tatars constituting an important minority of 12.1 percent.
While the Russian-speaking majority has for years been in favor of separating from Ukraine – at least by obtaining a broader autonomy and returning to the 1992 constitution – the Tatars have been divided on the issue. Many Tatars strongly reject the idea of Crimea joining Russia, as they have themselves been pushing for the creation of a national autonomy within the Ukrainian state.
Self-defense squads swear in
Thousands of pro-Russian demonstrators rallied in Sevastopol on Saturday, calling on everyone to cast their votes at the March 16 All-Crimean referendum. The city has a special status, and is officially not part of Crimean Autonomous Republic, but will nevertheless join the referendum and vote whether they want to become part of the Russian Federation.
Organizers of the event displayed a huge banner with the words of famous Russian Admiral Pavel Nakhimov, who was killed in the Crimean War:
“Protect Sevastopol to the last!” Speaking at the rally, city administration officials promised that new, larger social security benefits are being readied for the residents of Sevastopol.
Pro-Russian activists have also announced a flashmob in support of the peninsular region joining Russia. They plan to gather at least 5,000 people to form a “living flag” of Russia on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the first batch of the so-called self-defense squads swore allegiance to Crimean authorities in Simferopol on Saturday.
Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov called the swearing-in ceremony a “historic event,” stating that Crimea’s own Armed Forces are being formed.
Speaking to journalists, Aksyonov said the forces will ensure that the referendum is held in a peaceful manner. He stressed that “the Armed Forces of the Republic of Crimea have been created for defense, not for offense.”
So far, the self-defense squads keeping peace and order across the peninsula have been mostly quiet when asked about their origins and command, but many maintained that they are Crimean citizens who joined the improvised militia as vigilantes to prevent the violent events of Kiev’s Maidan from engulfing Crimea. Others said they are from Russia, sparking media speculations that all these forces are in fact Russian military in disguise – something Russian President Vladimir Putin has categorically denied.
In eastern Ukraine, the weekend also started with mass pro-Russian demonstrations. A crowd of anti-Maidan demonstrators gathered to rally in the city of Donetsk, where the “People’s Governor” Pavel Gubarev was arrested along with dozens of pro-Russian protesters earlier on Thursday. Thick police presence was reported from the scene of the rally, which took place in front of the regional administration building, with at least 500 law enforcers, some unidentified armed men, and police vehicles maintaining order, according to Interfax.
In Kharkov, about 6,000 people rallied in protest of the coup-imposed Kiev authorities on the central Freedom Square. Some of the demonstrators later formed an anti-fascist march, in which some 1,500 people with Russian flags marched to the city’s Constitution Square.
The Kharkov, protesters demanded that coup-imposed regional heads show up and speak with them, but none of the authorities came out. The police did not attempt to block the rally. The demonstrators gave officers white tulips and tied St. George’s ribbons on riot shields.
Russia Adds Troops, Ukraine Insists They Won’t Give Up Crimea
Ukraine: Referendum an 'Inexcusable Provocation'
by Jason Ditz, March 08, 2014
New Russian ships have added reinforcements to their positions in the Crimea,unloading some 200 military vehicles and bringing the estimated number of troops there around the limit under treaty of 25,000.
The deployments come just a week before the planned Crimean referendum on secession from the Ukraine. Russia is backing the referendum, and Russian parliament has expressed support for annexing Crimea should the voters demand it.
The Ukraine interim government, itself only installed a couple of weeks ago, has condemned the referendum as an “inexcusable provocation,” and insists that they will never give up control of the Crimea, no matter what the Crimeans themselves say.
Ultimately, they may not have a choice. Rhetoric of invasion aside, the Russian deployment has effectively precluded Ukraine’s much smaller military, deeply divided by recent regime change, trying to reconquer the Crimea militarily. Many have already defected to Crimea’s own fledgling military, and once the referendum passes, which is all but assured by the ethnic Russian majority in the peninsula, it will be a fait accompli.
Strange times we live in when Israel's envoy in Kiev has a hotline with neo nazis leadership in Ukraine.....
Israeli envoy opens 'hotline' with Ukrainian ultra-nationalist
Agreement aims to 'prevent provocation' and denounce the anti-Semitic tendencies of Ukraine's nationalist camp.
Israel’s ambassador in Kiev, Reuven Din El, opened a hotline with a Ukrainian ultra-nationalist movement to “prevent provocations,” according to an agreement reached last week.
The agreement came at the end of a meeting between Din El and Dmitry Yarosh, the leader of the Right Sector paramilitary group, which participated in the overthrow of the government of President Viktor Yanukovych.
In the meeting, “Dmitry Yarosh stressed that Right Sector will oppose all [racist] phenomena, especially anti-Semitism, with all legitimate means,” the embassy wrote on its website.
“The parties agreed to establish a ‘hotline’ to prevent provocations and coordinate on issues as they arise,” it said.
Yarosh’s troops had a decisive role in the revolution that forced Yanukovych to flee to Russia.
Last month he told the Ukrainian Pravda newspaper that his outfit shares many beliefs with the xenophobic Svoboda party and cooperates with it, but rejects the xenophobia displayed by Svoboda members and leaders.
“We have a lot of common positions on ideological issues, but there are big differences. For example, I do not understand racist elements and I do not adopt them,” he said.
Yarosh said that “non-Ukrainians” should be treated according to principles set forth by Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera.
A one-time ally of Nazi Germany who later turned against the Nazis, Bandera said non-Ukrainian allies should be treated as brothers and neutral parties should be respected.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center and other Jewish organizations have condemned the glorification in Ukraine of Bandera, whose troops are believed to have killed thousands of Jews
when they were allies of the Nazis in 1941.
Svoboda lawmakers have regularly used the pejorative “zhyd,” which is equivalent to “kike,” to describe Jews.
In response to protests from Jewish leaders, Svoboda argued “zhyd” was a correct and neutral, albeit archaic term. Svoboda’s leader, Oleh Tyahnybok, has in the past referred to a “Moscow-Jewish mafia” which he said ruled Ukraine.
Din El and Tyahnybok spoke in March 2013 in a meeting which the Israeli foreign ministry said was not coordinated with Jerusalem.
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