Ukraine.....
Michael Hudson explains the Ukrainian situation....
More at The Real News
Solution in 48 hours - one way or another say Ukraine ?
http://rt.com/news/kiev-forces-eastern-ukraine-512/
Michael Hudson explains the Ukrainian situation....
More at The Real News
Solution in 48 hours - one way or another say Ukraine ?
http://rt.com/news/kiev-forces-eastern-ukraine-512/
Kiev orders ‘state protection’ of protester-held govt HQ in Donetsk
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Ukraine’s self-imposed president Aleksandr Turchinov has ordered the protester-held local govt HQ in Donetsk to be taken under ‘state protection’ as armed personnel and armored vehicles have been reported moving into the eastern region of Ukraine.
According to a decree signed by Turchinov, the local administration building in Donetsk and surrounding territory is an “important government facility, which is a subject to state protection.”
The decree entered into force upon signature and Turchinov has already given Ukraine's state security service appropriate directions, Itar-Tass reports.
Ukraine’s acting interior minister Arsen Avakov stated earlier on Wednesday that a “special police task force” had already arrived in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkov from western regions of Ukraine and was ready to take them under control within 48 – using force, if needed.
The buildings of power structures in the eastern cities of Donetsk and Lugansk remain under control of the protesters. While so far there have been no attempts to recapture the occupied buildings, activist continue building barricades preparing for a possible attack by forces shipped in from other regions of Ukraine.
Activists expect the military operation to take place overnight in Donetsk and Lugansk simultaneously. Local administration in Kharkov was already stormed on Tuesday by armed men without insignia and masked law enforcement officers, after the local police in Kharkov refused to fulfill orders from Kiev.
About a hundred fighters from the newly-formed Ukraine’s National Guard reportedly arrived in the airport of Donetsk, the deputy director of a local group called People’s Militia of Donbas, Sergey Tsyplakov, told Ria Novosti.
“In Donetsk airport about a hundred of people from the National Guard have been housed,”Tsyplakov said. “Around a hundred of Right Sector thugs are also in the city, as well as a hundred employees from a private US military company operating under contract with Kiev junta.”
“Totally around 300 professionals or well-trained and motivated fanatics,” Tsyplakov added. “This is a major force, but we are ready to fight.”
Earlier in the day, pro-federalization activists in Donetsk blocked two busses carrying unbadged armed men in camouflage near the military commissariat. According to Tsyplakov activists believe they were mercenaries but were unable to identify gunmen as they kept silent and refused to answer any questions.
In the meantime, Ukrainian personnel and armored vehicles were spotted moving closer to the city of Donetsk. In an amateur video posted on YouTube shows locals were trying to stop machinery from progressing further.
Activists were also posting photos of special trains reportedly carrying armored vehicles to Donetsk.
Protests against the new government in Kiev have been continuing in eastern Ukraine for weeks now. Avakov warned that the coup-imposed government is ready within the next 48 hours to use force in order to retake control of the local administrative buildings held by protesters.
Pro-Russian Separatists Build Barricades In East Ukraine As Kiev Warns Of Force
LUHANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Russian separatists reinforced barricades around the state security building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk on Wednesday and called on President Vladimir Putin for help after the government warned it could use force to restore order.
But protesters were also engaged in talks to ease the standoff, which Kiev has said could provide a pretext for a Russian invasion, and lawmakers from eastern Ukraine proposed an amnesty for protesters to defuse tension.
The former KGB headquarters is one of three government buildings seized this week in eastern Ukraine by protesters demanding regional referendums on independence from Kiev, like the one in Crimea that led to its annexation by Russia.
Tensions have risen in the mainly Russian-speaking east since the overthrow of Ukraine's Moscow-backed president and the installation of a new pro-European government.
"Of course we must ask Russia to take us in because I don't see an alternative," said a man dressed in camouflage who gave his name as Vasiliy and said he was the commandant of the building. "Putin help us!" he said.
Sandbags and wooden crates were piled near the entrance of the building to defend it against the police. Men with rifles could be seen through broken windows above.
Local police spokeswoman Tatyana Pogukai said protesters had found an arsenal of weapons within the building. Protesters say they have 200-300 Kalashnikov automatic rifles. She denied previous reports that hostages had been taken.
She said negotiations had been carried out overnight but the two sides had not come to an agreement.
"They won't put down their weapons until there is agreement on a referendum," she said.
Protesters in Donetsk, to the south, remain in control of the main regional authority building, but authorities have ended the occupation in the city of Kharkiv.
'FORCEFUL ANSWER'
"A resolution to this crisis will be found within the next 48 hours," Interior Minister Arsen Avakov told reporters in the capital Kiev.
"For those who want dialogue, we propose talks and a political solution. For the minority who want conflict they will get a forceful answer from the Ukrainian authorities," he said.
Ukraine's state security service said that 50 people had left the building in Luhansk overnight. Protesters confirmed that some had left.
Activists, many in balaclavas and masks, continued to build makeshift barricades and prepared petrol bombs.
"Those who left were not ready to stay and fight," said Vasiliy, who said his "soldiers" would fight on until a referendum on independence from Kiev was held.
Ukraine's government says the actions are part of a Russian-led plan to dismember the country, a charge Moscowdenies.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russian agents and special forces on Tuesday of stirring up separatist unrest and said Moscow could be trying to prepare for military action as it had in Crimea.
Russia denied the accusations on Wednesday and dismissed concerns over a troop buildup near the border withUkraine in what has become the worst East-West crisis since the end of the Cold War in 1991.
"The United States and Ukraine have no reason to be worried," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "Russia has stated many times that it is not carrying out any unusual or unplanned activity on its territory near the border withUkraine that would be of military significance."
A lawmaker from the most popular political party in the east, the Party of Regions, on Wednesday said he planned to ask parliament to amnesty the protesters, following the success of a similar move to reduce tension in Kiev two months ago.
"The situation is so tense and complex that one stray word might cause a flare-up," said Oleksandr Yefremov. "To prevent people suffering ... we are proposing a draft law on an amnesty."
Several hundred people remained camped outside the regional administration building in Donetsk manning barricades of tyres and barbed wire as the Soviet anthem played over loudspeakers.
A member of parliament who supports the Donetsk protesters said they would remain at the building until their demands for increased independence from Kiev were met.
Allegations Fly on US and Russian Involvement in East Ukraine Crisis
Russia Claims Blackwater Subsidiary Involved in Kharkiv Takeover
by Jason Ditz, April 08, 2014
The secessionist protests in Eastern Ukraine and the subsequent Ukraine military takeover of the city of Kharkiv have added dramatically to East-West tensions in the area, and also to rumors and allegations of foreign involvement.
It’s not just unsourced claims from anonymous people, either. Secretary of State John Kerry openly accused Russia of sending “provocateurs” to Donetsk and the other cities and bribing ethnic Russians to protest against the pro-West government.
Kerry’s Russian counterpart similarly claimed that the Ukrainian military offensive against Kharkiv involved “US mercenaries” from the Greystone company, a subsidiary of the notorious Blackwater.
Ukrainian government spokesmen insisted that there were “no US special forces” involved in the Kharkiv operation, which likely intended to be a denial of the Blackwater claim, but was worded in a way that leaves the question open, and the rumors swirling.
East Ukraine Separatists Prepare for Long Siege
After Kharkiv, Other Cities Fortify Defenses
by Jason Ditz, April 08, 2014
Ukraine’s military takeover of the city of Kharkiv was quick and bloodless, with only a handful of reports of any shooting, and no reports of any deaths. It served as a wake-up call for the separatists in Luhansk and Donetsk.
Luhansk government buildings are now surrounded with barricades and barbed wire. The protesters have also taken an armory in the city and taken automatic rifles, preparing to fight back if Ukraine’s troops come.
Donetsk, the base of the secessionist movement in the east, is also fortifying in anticipation of an offensive. Though not as large as Kharkiv, Donetsk appears to have a much larger secessionist movement, and is determined to hold out for a referendum.
Both Donetsk and Luhansk are much closer to the Russian border than Kharkiv, and the secessionists have been hoping to convince the Russian government to intervene on their behalf, with an eye toward a Crimea-style accession into the Russian Federation.
Syria......
Syrian Rebels Have US-Made Anti-Tank Missiles
by Jason Ditz, April 08, 2014
US military intervention in the Syrian Civil War has mostly taken the form of small arms and equipment for various rebel factions, but looks to be picking up the pace dramatically, as new videos come out showing US-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles in rebel hands.
Two different rebel factions, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and a faction allied with the Islamic Front are claiming to have the weapons, though the US is still not officially confirming they were the direct suppliers.
Saudi Arabia has been keen to supply the rebels with more and more advanced US-made weapons, including TOW missiles and anti-aircraft missiles, though in the past US concerns about the rebels using them on civilian targets, particularly passenger airliners, have prevented such shipments.
In recent weeks the reports have said the US was less and less concerned about the shipments, preferring to see the civil war escalate at any cost, and apparently willing to deal with the inevitable backlash when the weapons start showing up in al-Qaeda’s hands.
Iraq......
Iraq to Exclude Major Sunni Cities From Vote, Citing al-Qaeda
Voting Impossible Because of Ongoing Military Offensive
by Jason Ditz, April 08, 2014
The last national election in Iraq saw a surprise victory for Iraqiya, a party with strong Sunni support which was eventually cut out of power when Prime Minister Maliki reneged on a power-sharing deal. They dominated in the Anbar Province.
This year isn’t looking nearly so promising. The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has announced that a large portion of the Anbar Province, including the major cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, won’t be voting at all on April 29.
Fallujah remains under the control of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) as does a lot of Anbar, and IHEC insists that there is no way they can organize the vote when there is an ongoing military offensive in the cities.
Exactly how far that spreads remains to be seen, but the city of Abu Ghraib, just outside of Baghdad, fell to AQI earlier this week, and is just a stone’s throw away from Baghdad. If the fighting moves into the capital, it seems impossible that the election can be held at all.
At least people 108 were killed and 95 more were wounded. Many militants were killed not only in Anbar province but also killed near Baghdad and into Diyala province.
The electoral commission said that voting would not occur in areas of Anbar province where clashes are ongoing. Anbar citizens who have found safe shelter elsewhere will be allowed to cast their votes at their new locations, but election employees and equipment will not be put into jeopardy in parts of Anbar. Some fear that Sunnis might take this as further proof of their disenfranchisement.
Anbar:
Artillery fire in Falluja killed five people and wounded 25 more. Security forces attacked two ISIS positions, where they killed 19 militants and 27 wounded more. Six militants were killed in a failed attack on an army base. A militant leader was killed.Six dumped bodies were discovered. Militants were forced to end their attempt at closing the Numaniya Dam in order to flood Falluja and deny water to the southern provinces.
In Ramadi, gunmen killed two soldiers and wounded six more at a checkpoint.Several militants were killed in areas south of the city.
Security forces killed a militant and wounded four others in Felahat.
A policeman was gunned down in Hit.
Elsewhere:
A security operation south of Baghdad in Dweiliba left 25 militants dead.
Four policemen were killed and 13 more were wounded when a suicide bomberattacked a Tuz Khormato checkpoint.
In Tikrit, a bomb targeting the home of the police chief’s driver killed three people and wounded five more in neighboring buildings
A suicide bomber in Meshahda killed four people and wounded seven more where he drove into a police station.
In Mosul, gunmen killed six men, all related, who were gathered on a street. Two policemen were gunned down at a checkpoint.
Gunmen killed a police colonel, his brother and his driver near Baiji. A policeman waskidnapped.
In Kirkuk, five civilians were wounded in a blast. A second bombing wounded three more.
Gunmen attacked a water project in Emsherfa, where they killed five policemen and a waterworks employee.
A sniper killed a soldier in Mahmoudiya.
In Baghdad, a civilian was gunned down.
A civilian was shot and killed in Sadr City.
Seven militants were killed during a security operation near Udhaim.
In Enjana, security forces killed a militant leader, who was originally from Tunisia.
A gunman was killed in Baquba.
Iran......
US Plays Up Iran ‘Breakout Capability’ at Nuclear Talks
Officials Also Paint Iran's Conventional Arms as an Obstacle to Deal
by Jason Ditz, April 08, 2014
A new round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 means a new round of “problems” for the US to present with Iran’s civilian nuclear program, and indeed with Iran in general.
Secretary of State John Kerry laid out the “breakout capability” of Iran’s civilian enrichment program, the assumption that Iran could theoretically whip together a nuclear weapon in short order if it chose to do so.
Kerry presented it as a “public domain” fact that Iran could create enough fissile material for a weapon in two months, though officials have gone anywhere from 3-4 months and a matter of days in different speeches throughout the years.
The figures are based on the idea that Iran could instantaneously and perfectly transition centrifuges from 3.5 percent to weapons grade (95% or higher), even though Iran has never even attempted to go beyond 20%.
US officials are also presenting Iran’s conventional missiles as a “hurdle” to be overcome as well, though it is unclear if the rest of the P5+1 will even consider that, since conventional weapons are totally distinct from Iran’s obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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