Zero Hedge.....

"We Are Essentially At War" Ukraine Admits, After Dozens Killed

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/03/2014 10:23 -0400

Bond

European Union

Germany

International Monetary Fund

While there may be some confusion about why massive bond buying greeted yesterday's "better than expected" loss of 209 jobs in the 25-54 age group, dragging stocks down, the answer is actually very simple: there is a war in the Ukraine.

A war which just took a turn for the worst after at least 42 people were killedaccording to Reuters in street battles between supporters and opponents of Russia in southern Ukraine that ended with dozens of pro-Russian protesters incinerated in a burning building. The riot in the Black Sea port of Odessa, ending in a deadly blaze in a besieged trade union building, was by far the worst incident in Ukraine since a February uprising that ended with a pro-Russian president fleeing the country.

The clip below, not for the faint of heart, shows anti-government protesters jumping from the burning Odessa trade unions house: it appears when Yanukovich was "killing" protesters in February, the west couldn't get up in arms fast enough screaming for the former president's overthrow. But now that the acting post-CIA funded coup government is doing the same thing to its own protesters, the radio silence is stunning.

But while yesterday's tragic events in Odessa were the first time the Ukraine conflict manifested itself in pro and anti-Russian clashes in the Black Sea town, it will hardly be the last: not only does the port city have economic and military significance, it also sits between Crimea and pro-Russian areas in eastern Ukraine and the breakaway Transnistria region of neighboring Moldova.

The admission of the true state of affairsfinally came from Kiev itself which said that Ukrainian forces pressed their assault on separatists today, freeing up a regional airport as the head of the country’s anti-terrorist center warned eastern regions are “essentially” at war.

The campaign in the Donetsk region left five dead from the Ukrainian anti-terrorist operation and 12 wounded, said the center’s chief, Vasyl Krutov, at a Kiev briefing, even as military observers were freed by anti-Kiev militants. Government forces have secured the town of Slovyansk as operations in Kramatorsk continue.

“What is happening in the east is not a short-term action, this is essentially a war,” Krutov said today.

War it is:

Open clashes are sweeping Ukraine’s east, from Donetsk near the Russian border to Odessa, about 100 miles from the European Union’s southeastern frontier in Romania, amid signs the industrial and coastal regions are slipping out of the Kiev government’s control. The U.S. and the European Union accuse Russia of being behind the unrest, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is “extremely concerned” and is studying the situation, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said today.

There was some good news: military observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe who were taken hostage a week ago were freed and will be delivered to the Council of Europe in Slovyansk near Donetsk, the council said today in a statement.

Bloomberg reports further that the U.S. and EU accuse Russia of stirring unrest to undermine Ukraine’s May 25 presidential election. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a briefing today in Jezioro, Poland, that officials are “losing hope” about a diplomatic solution to end the crisis.

“This is a war of maybe a different kind, it is a war that’s undeclared,” Tusk was quoted as saying by PAP newswire at a media briefing. “But what we’re really dealing with is de-facto a war. You can clearly see that actions taken by the international community haven’t brought results.”

To be sure, Ukraine and NATO is putting all the blame on Russia - not only for instigating the conflict but arming the separatists, seemingly oblivious of factual evidence that it was the US that was doing precisely the same just over three months ago when it was orchestarting the overthrow of the then government.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said the use of advanced weapons showed the separatists were “professional saboteur groups” rather than peaceful protesters. In a statement, it called their tactics “characteristic of foreign military or mercenaries.”

Turmoil erupted yesterday in Odessa, where more than 130 people had been detained by police, with 10 criminal cases already started, according to Petro Lutsyuk, the head of the Interior Ministry’s directorate in the city, said on the agency’s website. The Interior Ministry later said on its website that Lutsyuk was fired.

The nearby city of Nikolaev hosts much of the country’s defense and shipbuilding industry, as well as Zorya-Mashproekt, a state enterprise that manufactures gas turbines for OAO Gazprom (GAZP), the Russian natural gas producer and exporter.

Meanwhile, the theater by western leaders hit a new peak yesterday when Obama and Merkel did all they could: threaten more sanctions. At their news conference in Washington, Obama and Merkel said Russia must pull back support for the separatists so Ukraine’s May 25 presidential election can go ahead unimpeded. If the vote can’t be held, “we will not have a choice but to move forward” with more sanctions, Obama said. Merkel called the election “crucial” and said she’s ready to support economic sanctions if needed.

Ironically, it is German commercial interests which as we said back in March, are doing all they can to prevent sanctions of Russia as they know well they would be the biggest losers. Germany is Europe’s largest economy and had $127 billion in trade with Russia in 2013, according to the International Monetary Fund, making Germany is Russia’s second-biggest trading partner. Putin has threatened to escalate economic warfare if further sanctions are imposed.

“When we will reach a particular tipping point is very hard to say in advance,” Merkel said. “But all I can say is that the elections on May 25 are a decisive juncture for me and if there is further destabilization, things will get more and more difficult.”

Expect more furious bluster out of Germany and Obama, hoping that verbal escalation will finally cause Putin to pull back. It won't. Meanwhile Putin is keeping quiet. Which is the second good news because as we showed yesterday, all Putin has to do is give the command.

Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/156644-mariupol-konstantinovka-special-operation/

Ukrainian army attacks eastern towns of Mariupol, Konstantinovka

Published time: May 03, 2014 20:15
Edited time: May 03, 2014 21:46

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The Ukrainian military has started an operation against pro-autonomy activists in the city of Mariupol, southeastern Ukraine, as well as the town of Konstantinovka, according to local self-defense activists.

The troops have moved into Mariupol and have surrounded an administrative building held by anti-government protesters.

There are a few hundred activists inside the building. They told RT that the army is warning them that if they do not leave the building in the coming minutes, they will be fired at and the building will be seized.

“Special forces units are in the city center. Mainly, they are deployed in yards and make warning shots from there,” Mikhail Krutko from the self-defense headquarters told Interfax news agency. “Residents are unarmed, they blocked roads in the city center, built up barricades from tires and other things not to let hardware pass. They set tires on fire,” Krutko said.

People on the ground told RT’s Paula Slier that there are 300-500 anti-Kiev protesters there and they are unarmed. There have so far been no reports of injuries.

Мариуполь сейчас, я на баррикадах 

4:00 PM - 3 May 2014

At the same time, a convoy of Ukrainian APCs has forced its way through self-defense checkpoints near the Donetsk Region town of Konstantinovka. Shots and alarm can be heard inside the city.

There are reports that at least two people have been killed, Paula Slier says. The TV building has reportedly been seized by the army and all transmissions are currently off-air, she adds.

Self-defense units earlier seized the security services headquarters in the town.

Ukraine's acting interior minister, Arsen Avakov, has confirmed that a special operation is underway in the town of Konstantinovka, adding that several soldiers have been injured.

Image from maps.google.com

Menawhile National Security Council secretary Andrey Parubiy has said that Kiev is planning to begin special military operations in other regions of Ukraine after it completes its current operations in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

Over the past few days, Ukraine has stepped up its military operations in southeastern Ukraine against pro-autonomy activists. The main opposition strongholds include Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Lugansk, and others.

In Lugansk, self-defense forces have declared a state of emergency and full mobilization amid Kiev’s punitive military operation in the region on Saturday.

At the same time, outraged residents of Kramatorsk have lashed out at troops entering the city's streets. The Ukrainian military is currently occupying the city of Kramatorsk following an assault early on Saturday, a local self-defense unit said. Activists said that 10 people died in fighting overnight and two others were “killed by snipers.”

Meanwhile, clashes between pro-nationalist radicals and anti-Kiev activists have intensified. On Friday, more than 45 anti-Kiev protesters were killed in Odessa; some died in clashes, while others died from burns or suffocation after being trapped inside the House of Trade Unions building by the ultra-nationalist Right Sector group.

10 killed, around 30 injured in Kramatorsk overnight fighting – self-defense leader

Published time: May 03, 2014 05:59
Edited time: May 03, 2014 09:38

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Ukrainian soldiers stand guard near the Kramatorsk airport in eastern Ukraine (Reuters/Baz Ratner)

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Ukraine turmoil

Ukraine forces move on rebels in Kramatorsk

Interior minister says the government will not stop its campaign, a day after deadly riots and battles killed 40 people.

Last updated: 03 May 2014 08:38

Ukraine continued to press military operations against pro-Russian separatists, a day after at least 40 people died in clashes and battles in the bloodiest day so far of the crisis.

Ukrainian troops moved towards the rebel-held town of Kramatorsk on Saturday, with the government vowing it would not stop its operations to dislodge separatists. Russian media cited hospital sources as saying fighting overnight had killed one person wounded nine others.
The interior minister, Arsen Avakov, said troops had seized control of rebel-held areas in Kramatorsk but gave no information on possible casualties.
"The active phase of the operation continued at dawn," Avakov wrote on his Facebook page. "We are not stopping."
"Overnight, forces participating in the anti-terrorist operation in Kramatorsk took control of the TV tower that was previously held by the terrorists," added the minister.
Kramatorsk is near the rebel stronghold of Sloyansk, where rebels shot down two Ukrainian attack helicopters on Friday, killing two airmen and capturing a third.
That toll, however, was eclipsed by the deaths of dozens of people in a fire and street-fighting between pro and anti-Russian groups in Odessa, on Ukraine's Black Sea coast.
Regional police in Odessa put the death toll at 37, most of whom were killed when the trade union building in the city was set on fire. It said 200 people had been wounded. Local authorities had previously said 43 people had died.
The violence broke out on Friday afternoon, when the two sides confronted each other, to outnumbered police who were unable to control crowds throwing stones, bottles and stun grenades.
Later on Friday, a fire was started by unidentified men in the government building where separatists were sheltering.
Up to 130 people were arrested on Saturday for their part in the violence, police said.

In Slovyansk, pro-Russian separatists released European military observers who were captured a week ago, Russia's RIA news agency quoted a Russian envoy as saying.
"They have freed all ... who were on my list," Vladimir Lukin was quoted as saying.
The seven observers, including five of their Ukrainian assistants, were held for more than a week in the town.

Vyacheslav Ponomarev, leader of the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, confirmed the release of the observers.
Meanwhile the US president Barack Obama and German chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russia it would face additional sanctions if Moscow disrupted Ukraine's plan to hold elections on May 25.
Russia has an estimated 40,000 troops on the Ukrainian border and Kiev has reintroduced conscription and put its armed force on full combat alert, fearing an imminent invasion.

MOSCOW, May 3./ITAR-TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin extremely concerned over developments in Ukraine and how they are interpreted by world community, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

“The Russian president is extremely concerned over the developments in Ukraine and the way it is interpreted in the international community, some countries of the international community,” Peskov said.

He also noted that the Russian president was receiving in a round-the-clock regime information about the developments in the southeast of Ukraine. “Intelligence and related agencies report to him,” Peskov added.

Putin expressed deep condolences to families of people who died in Odessa. Kiev authorities bear responsibility for crime in Odessa and are factually it's accomplices, he added. Kremlin regrets approval of punitive operation is southeast of Ukraine, believes Catherine Ashton's words about Kiev authorities' monopoly on use of violence are unacceptable for human understanding.

Those who describe 'Kiev's junta as legitimate' are also accomplices of crimes that took place in Odessa, Dmitry Peskov said.

Russia will continue the search for ways to start a dialogue on the situation in Ukraine, but it cannot take these efforts alone, he added.

“Russia remains and will remain a country, seeking a dialogue and choosing only the dialogue path on the way towards the Ukrainian conflict settlement,” Peskov said. “We realise that without a dialogue with our European partners it is impossible to succeed.” He stressed, however, that “we cannot seek the dialogue alone” .

The Kremlin has called absurd the plans to hold presidential elections in Ukraine amid bloodshed, Dmitry Peskov said.

“It is obvious that under the current Constitution, in the conditions of combat actions, a punitive operation and mass killing it is at least absurd to speak about elections,” he stated.

“President Putin and Russia will continue to pursue the policy aimed at de-escalation. We will do everything possible and wherever possible in order to follow the de-escalation path step by step,” Peskov said.

UNITED NATIONS, May 3 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian delegation was shocked at the placidity of Western countries over the illegitimate Kiev leadership's actions with the use of force against residents in southeastern Ukraine, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said.

Such an attitude of the West made Kiev sure of impunity for its actions, he noted.

UNITED NATIONS, May 02. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia is calling an extraordinary meeting of the United Nations Security Council over the punitive operation staged by the Kiev authorities in Ukraine’s southeastern regions, a spokesman for Russia’s permanent mission at the United Nations told ITAR-TASS on Friday.

“Russia is calling an open meeting of the United Nations Security Council over Kiev’s punitive operation,” the spokesman said, adding that the meeting would begin after a closed-doors meeting of the United Nations Security Council dedicated to the Council’s schedule for 2-3 May.

Ukrainian special forces have started a punitive operation in the city of Sloviansk early on Friday morning. “A full sweep operation was launched” with armoured vehicles and warplanes involved in it, a representative of the city militia told ITAR-TASS. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry stated that two Ukrainian Air Force’s helicopter gunships Mil Mi-24 had been downed and a military transport helicopter Mi-8 had been damaged in clashes.

Three people, including two servicemen and a militiaman were reported killed.

Earlier, Ukrainian Security Service’s anti-terrorism centre reported about “the gunfire at a third helicopter gunship” which participated in a special operation in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, the country’s security service stated at its website on Friday.

“A person was wounded” in the gunfire. The country’s Security Service also claimed that “nine checkpoints were taken under control on the outskirts of Sloviansk.

Ukrainian army helicopter gunships delivered strikes at massive gatherings of civilians in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, a city resident said on Friday.

“Helicopter gunships have made several attack runs and delivered strikes,” the eyewitness said.

Sloviansk people’s mayor Vyacheslav Ponomarev has made a video address to local residents earlier in the day asking children, women and pensioners not to leave their homes and asked men to “give all their aid” to policemen.

“Our city was attacked, our city is being stormed, we suffer some losses,” Ponomarev said, adding that “We will protect our city, we will win.”

Ponomarev’s address to Sloviansk residents was delivered shortly after local residents started making a live shield on the roads leading to the city and near checkpoints to prevent Ukrainian law enforcement columns from entering the city.

Ponomarev also noted that one person was killed and another one was wounded in the military strikes on the city.

Anti - War.....

Violence Spreads Beyond Ukraine’s East, 46 Killed in Odessa

Nationalists Set Fire to Union Hall, Killing Dozens Within

by Jason Ditz, May 02, 2014

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At least 46 people were killed and an estimated 200 others were wounded today when the southwestern Ukrainian port city of Odessa erupted in protests and violence between factions.

It began, as so much violence in eastern Europe does, with a soccer rally. A rally for the local Ultras Odessa football team, a team favored by many in the Right Sector, was held today.

Other protests broke out among locals expressing sympathy for eastern demonstrators after the Ukrainian military attacked the protester-held cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. The two rallies, with two very distinct viewpoints, quickly ran afoul of one another, and clashes resulted.

The direct fighting only left a handful of people killed, but a lot of injuries. The Right Sector marchers then moved against a small protest camp set up in a park, killing several more there.

The big death toll came when the far-right demonstrators moved against the Trade Union Hall, which the pro-eastern protesters were organizing out of. They set the building on fire, trapping scores within. At least 38 were confirmed killed in this incident.

While violence has been the order of the day in eastern cities, especially those under military attack, this is the first major violence to break out in the western half of the country, suggesting the anger at the interim government is spreading.

USAID Announces New Subsidies for Ukraine Media

Funds Will Push for 'Ukrainian Unity' and EU Integration

by Jason Ditz, May 02, 2014

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The US Agency for International Development (USAID), most recently in the headlines for its covert creation of “Cuban Twitter,” a social media enterprise aimed at regime change, is set to throw more money at sympathetic media in the Ukraine.

Already on the hook for millions of dollars at this point, USAID announced another $1.25 million for promoting “universal values” in the Ukraine, much of it related to the upcoming elections.

In addition to direct support for media, the USAID money is also aiming to organize “town hall events” in Ukraine focusing on the importances of “Ukrainian unity and the implications of EU integration.”

The program was initially unveiled during the Yanukovych government, and at the time focused on “independent media.” Now, USAID openly declares its supports for the interim Ukrainian government, and is focused instead on pushing to establish the legitimacy of that new ruling faction.

‘Many Dead’ As Ukraine Invades Eastern Protest Cities of Slovyansk, Kramatorsk

Attacks Destroyed Several Checkpoints on Cities' Outskirts

by Jason Ditz, May 02, 2014

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After claiming their military was “helpless” in the region, Ukrainian troops today attacked the protester-held cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, in the northern part of the Donetsk Oblast.

The two cities, just 10 miles apart, were hit at about the same time, with reports of several militia checkpoints on the outskirts of the two hit in the beginning, as the military tried to move in from multiple directions.

Medics confirmed one protester killed and nine wounded in Kramatorsk. Ukraine’s interim president bragged that “many” were killed in Slovyansk, though so far the confirmed toll is only three there, including one militia member and two military pilots.

The pilots were killed when militia members shot down two military helicopters. About 20 helicopters were involved in the raid initially, though they withdraw after the shootdowns, one of which reportedly was hit by a missile. A third pilot was captured by protesters.

Neither city was actually captured today, and as of the end of the day the troops never actually got into Kramatorsk, and had basically withdrawn to the outskirts of Slovyansk as well. It is expected that more offensives will happen in the days to come.

http://rt.com/news/156604-ukraine-southeast-crisis-diary/

‘Why do they hate us so much?’ Southeast Ukraine seeks to understand new regime

Published time: May 03, 2014 12:31
Edited time: May 03, 2014 16:10

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‘Anger’, ‘disenchantment’ and ‘pride’ are three words that perfectly sum up the mood in southeastern Ukraine at the moment. However, there is one thing the majority of citizens in this region crave more than anything – a referendum on their future.

RT’s documentary channel shows footage never seen on television looking at the reaction of residents living in eastern Ukraine, to see how they have been affected since the coup-appointed government took power in Kiev.

Watch RT's documentary South-East Ukraine: Crisis diary

“We are not separatists, we are not radicals. I live in Kharkov and I am 61 and want to understand what country I live in,” said one local resident.

“When are they going to stop calling us separatists? We get up each morning and start greeting each other, ‘hello I’m a separatist’, ‘hello, I’m a terrorist,’” said a women living in Lugansk.

Residents in the east of the country are ready for the long haul. They have local support and have begun to fortify positions around cities and towns, in preparation for expected attacks from forces loyal to Kiev. However, many hope it won’t come to this.

“We are all Slavs. We have to live in peace. We are brothers and we should not fight each other. Our home is Russia,” said a group of men aged around 50. “How is it possible to listen to that so-called government from Kiev who gave orders today to kill their own people in Slavyansk,” they continued.

Local people stand outside a regional administration building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk on April 27, 2014. (AFP Photo/Vasily Maximov)

Slavyansk has been the stronghold of the anti-Kiev uprising. Just a few months ago, it was just another town in the Donetsk region, which is the industrial heartland of the country. However, since the coup-installed government came to power and ousted President Viktor Yanokovich, who was born just over 100 kilometers away in Enakievo, things have been very different in the city, with anti-government sentiment growing by the day.

“Both my grandfathers were killed in World War II. I will never sing ‘Glory to Ukraine’ or ‘Glory to Bandera’. I hope they get the message,” said a middle-aged man in Slavyansk.

The vast majority of anti-Kiev protestors are unarmed. They carry baseball bats and wear military fatigues, but few have weapons and guns like the forces loyal to the coup-installed government.

“Dmitry Yarosh, who is the head of the Right Sector is assembling a hit squad called ‘Donbass’. Once it is assembled, he is going to target us. We are just unarmed people who are trying to protect our legitimate interests,” said another local resident in Slavyansk.

The documentary shows how difficult it has become for some Russian-speaking Ukrainians to live in their own country. People are stopped in the street and beaten or arrested just for wearing a St. George ribbon, to commemorate those who were killed in the Second World War. While groups of ultra nationalist and radical groups roam the streets spreading fueling and stoking tension.

“There is no difference between us, except we don’t speak Ukrainian. Why do they hate their own people so much? Where does all this bitterness and hatred come from?” a women, almost brought to tears, said.

One man in his early 20’s, who was leading a Ukrainian nationalist rally stated, “We want the Europe that the crusaders fought for, the Europe that the European nationalists fought for, the Europe of white people. Muslims humiliate native people now and they take away our lands. We will stand for a white Europe, a traditional Europe!”

A civilian holds a sign in front of Ukrainian troops at a checkpoint near the town of Slaviansk in eastern Ukraine May 2, 2014. The sign reads, "We are peaceful people." (Reuters/Baz Ratner)

It is difficult for local residents of southeastern Ukraine to understand that their own country is trying to attack them, just because they have different viewpoints. Contact with soldiers loyal to Kiev is common and some of the troops understand the pro-Russian Ukrainians’ predicament.

However, it is not just in the south east of the country where displeasure has been voiced over the last few months about what has unfolded in Ukraine. One man speaking in the port city of Odessa said, “Around 80 percent of the people here are against Maidan. The rest are either misled or don’t live here permanently.”

There is a sense of lawlessness in the country, with those in the south east feeling particularly vulnerable. Those living in cities like Dnepropetrovsk and Odessa feel they have no protection from the police against attacks by Ukrainian Right Sector radicals.

A referendum and an exit from control by Kiev seems like the only viable option.

2 comments:

Kev5/03/2014
Good morning,

Wow nice to see Syria winning in Homs, nice.

I'm wondering how long Putin holds off. I guess there is the real chance that the pro Russian forces in place can hold for a while on their own, hopefully they hold through the independence votes. I also wonder how many Ukrainians that were on the fence are starting to become pro Russian, it would make sense to me in their position.

Beautiful day here, much work to be done inside and out. I hope you have a good one. Oh and the edited flt 370 conversations makes me even more suspicious.
Unknown5/03/2014
Morning ! As interest in Syria dies down , Ukraine heats up......

Putin still attempting to demonstrate that he has gone through processes for a peaceful resolution - I think that is exhausted by the end of the weekend , Mon / Tues timeframe ( recall the looming May 11 , 2014 Referendums in various Eastern Ukraine Regions ) .......

Flight 370 continues to be murky , in large part due to the actions and comments from Malaysian Officials .......

Nice here , but a little cool ! Have a great day !

Catharsis Ours

Saturday, May 3, 2014

"We Are Essentially At War" Ukraine Admits, After Dozens Killed

Ukrainian army attacks eastern towns of Mariupol, Konstantinovka

10 killed, around 30 injured in Kramatorsk overnight fighting – self-defense leader

Ukraine forces move on rebels in Kramatorsk

Interior minister says the government will not stop its campaign, a day after deadly riots and battles killed 40 people.

Kremlin regrets approval of punitive operation is southeast of Ukraine - Putin spokesman

RF shocked at West's placidity over actions against SE Ukraine people

Russia to call extraordinary meeting of UN Security Council over operation in Ukraine

Violence Spreads Beyond Ukraine’s East, 46 Killed in Odessa

Nationalists Set Fire to Union Hall, Killing Dozens Within

USAID Announces New Subsidies for Ukraine Media

Funds Will Push for 'Ukrainian Unity' and EU Integration

‘Many Dead’ As Ukraine Invades Eastern Protest Cities of Slovyansk, Kramatorsk

Attacks Destroyed Several Checkpoints on Cities' Outskirts

‘Why do they hate us so much?’ Southeast Ukraine seeks to understand new regime

2 comments: