Off Topic: Russian military drill may be lead-in to Crimea occupation and Ukraine split
Russian military drill may be lead-in to Crimea occupation and Ukraine split.
DEBKAfile Special Report February 26, 2014, 6:09 PM (IST)
The Russian Combat Army in a drill
There is no way that President Vladimir Putin will relinquish Russian control of the Crimean peninsula and its military bases there – or more particularly the big Black Sea naval base at Sevastopol. This military stronghold is the key to Russia’s Middle East policy. If it is imperiled, so too are Russia’s military posture in Syria and its strategic understandings with Iran.
This peril raised its head Wednesday, Feb. 26, when pro-Russian and pro-European protesters clashed violently in the Crimean town of Simferopol, the Peninsula’s financial and highway hub.
Most of the protesters against Moscow were members of the minority Tatar community, who had gathered from around the region to demand that Crimea accept Kiev rule.
The majority population is Russian speaking and fought the Tatar demonstrators. However, rival historic claims to this strategic peninsula were in full flight, sparking red lights in Moscow to danger.
The Tatars ruled Crimea in the 18th century. If they manage to expel Russian influence from Simferopol and then the rest of the region, it would be the signal for dozens of the small peoples who make up the Russian Federation to go into separatist mode and raise the flags of mutiny. The Kremlin is therefore bound to nip the Tatar outbreak in the bud to save Russia.
And so, Putin ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to stage an urgent four-day drill to test the combat readiness of Russian military forces in central and western Russia, starting with a high alert for the military and the deployment of some units to shooting ranges.
The exercise will involve Russia’s Baltic and Northern Fleets and its air force.
In a televised statement after a meeting of top military officials in Moscow, defense minister Gen. Shoigu said the forces “must be ready to bomb unfamiliar testing grounds” and be “ready for action in crisis situations that threaten the nation’s military security.”
A senior Russian lawmaker on Tuesday told pro-Russia activists in Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula that Moscow will protect them if their lives are in danger.
The Russian president’s military move Wednesday signaled his readiness to send his army into Ukraine and divide the country, if Moscow’s national interests and the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine are at stake. Having broadcast that message, Putin will now wait to see if it picked up by Washington and Brussels for action to restrain the new authorities in Kiev.
But it is no longer certain how much control Western powers have over the former protesters of Kiev, who appear to have taken the bit between their teeth.
WarSclerotic 
February 26, 2014 at 8:05 PM
Justice, come out come out wherever you are….
February 26, 2014 at 9:12 PM
Jinx!!
February 26, 2014 at 10:08 PM
you not got any cakes to bake or washing to do ira
February 26, 2014 at 9:47 PM
i told you this would happen i have been running a commentary on it for six months,were really in uncharted waters and all this stuff is interconnected,ask jw my facebook is a running analysis on it at the moment its very close it could lead to a major confrontation in europe,with a direct clash between the UK and Russia,or russia nato its unlikely but putin is mentally unstable so god only knows
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/ukrain-crisis-william-hague-to-hold-talks-with-us-secretary-of-state-imf_913807.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/26/us-ukraine-idUSBREA1G0OU20140226
February 26, 2014 at 9:52 PM
keep us posted on developments. Wgen do you see them going in?
February 26, 2014 at 10:13 PM
i will i hope you get what i was saying now,
February 26, 2014 at 10:25 PM
“The exercise will involve Russia’s Baltic and Northern Fleets and its air force.”not through the english channel flash point russia is playing with real fire here they will be annihilated expect an iran attack within hours of any russian advance on ukraine,and remembera good russian is a dead one
February 26, 2014 at 8:57 PM
The moment, watching the news, I heard President Obama warning the Russians not to cross the “line” I turned to my wife and told her that the President’s statement just guaranteed an incursion by Russian forces. Putin would not miss any opportunity to bitch slap our President.
February 26, 2014 at 9:00 PM
‘Cross the line” is an Obama code word for ‘You can do what the hell you want, just leave my political ass out of it’.
February 26, 2014 at 9:57 PM
not on this this is real big the very least it will lead to a new cold war http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/461770/Expert-likens-possible-Putin-action-on-Ukraine-to-Hitler-s-1938-move-on-Czechoslovakia
February 26, 2014 at 8:58 PM
You can bet Russia will go after the highly industrialize areas.
February 26, 2014 at 10:02 PM
i have been telling you this form weeks you must gert what i have been saying now at last ist all interlinked ,including the airstrike that was a warning to the Russians that they have no air defense
February 26, 2014 at 10:35 PM
And you say Iran will attack Israel when Russia moves against the Ukraine?
February 26, 2014 at 10:42 PM
the other way round maybe who knows
February 26, 2014 at 10:51 PM
Ooooh….. Justice…..
What a COOL F@CKING thought!
February 26, 2014 at 11:18 PM
i you know jw i dont hate iran anymore,i pity them,and i hope they change there ways,it was something you said to me ” they used to be our friends” i thought maybe one day they will remember,its why i have not really commented on iran whilst the nuclear negotiations are going on,I want them to succeed,I love israel and i dont want to see the pain and suffering it will bring to both iran and israel,I also think that at this point we need to privately find out who Renbe exactly is,we may be lucky he might be a back channel,you need to write to him and ask
February 26, 2014 at 11:24 PM
Justice, it sounds like you’re turning into an old softy like me. I agree totally.
February 26, 2014 at 9:41 PM
A large percentage of Russian military equipment is manufactured in the Ukraine.
February 26, 2014 at 10:00 PM
yes thats right norm half the russian military industrial complex is in ukraine,and guess what they just got there foreclosure notice there lease is up
February 26, 2014 at 10:53 PM
Totally off topic but to all of you,,,,
In 1887 Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh , had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior –
“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse over loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship.”
“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage.”
The Obituary follows: Born 1776, Died 2014
It doesn’t hurt to read this several times. Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the last Presidential election:
Number of States won by:
Obama: 19 Romney: 29
Square miles of land won by:
Obama: 580,000 Romney: 2,427,000
Population of counties won by:
Obama: 127 million Romney: 143 million
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by:
Obama: 13.2 Romney: 2.1
Professor Olson adds: “In aggregate, the map of the territory Romney won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of the country, while the Obama territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in low income tenements and living off various forms of government welfare…”
Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the “complacency and apathy” phase of Professor Tyler’s definition of democracy, with some forty plus percent of the nation’s population already having reached the “governmental dependency” phase..
If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegal’s – and they vote – then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.
If you are in favor of this, then by all means, delete this message.
If you are not, then pass this along to help everyone realize just how much is at stake, knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our freedom..
February 26, 2014 at 11:31 PM
Justice interesting stuff, but if anything the US is switching its dominance from military to technology. The world has been Googled, Facebooked and Appled. America is a technological colossus and will only grow in this capacity leaving the world behind. The 21st century will be nothing like the 20th , the speed of technological change is growing exponentially while humans think in a linier manner thus do not see this coming.
February 26, 2014 at 11:43 PM
i fully agree with you john i just thought this was interesting,there are many parades in there that would apply to my country too,and really most mature Democritus
February 27, 2014 at 12:37 AM
Until the first EMP strike.
February 26, 2014 at 11:04 PM
I am positive that there are tens of millions of American adults who are not apathetic at all. If the Obama administration keeps pushing forward with this soft dictatorship in violation of our Constitution what you will eventually see will be a peaceful mass uprising. The fascists in the Obama administration are clueless to the anger that I hear around me everyday. People are saying things that I never thought I would ever here in this country.
February 27, 2014 at 12:20 AM
When Obamas term is up Americans will elect a new President.
February 27, 2014 at 12:36 AM
It the Republican Party cannot get behind a true conservative, they will lose yet another election. In other words, get ready for a Hillary presidency with old Bill lurking around in the bedrooms of the White House.
February 27, 2014 at 12:50 AM
You paint a scary picture Steve. :0)
February 26, 2014 at 11:29 PM
You have to consider the fact that a heck of a lot of conservatives did not vote in the last presidential election because they just could not pull the lever for Mr. Romney. I did, but had to cringe while doing so. To me, I would rather vote for a boat anchor than Barack Hussein Barry Sotero Obama.
February 27, 2014 at 8:41 AM
Statement by NATO Defence Ministers on Ukraine
We continue to follow developments in Ukraine very closely. We deplore the tragic loss of life. We welcome the fact that violence has been stopped through negotiations that paved the way for a peaceful outcome. We emphasise the importance of an inclusive political process based on democratic values, respect for human rights, minorities and the rule of law, which fulfils the democratic aspirations of the entire Ukrainian people.
NATO and Ukraine have a distinctive partnership, embodied in the NATO-Ukraine Commission. Through that partnership framework, NATO stands ready to continue to engage with Ukraine and assist with the implementation of reforms. Defence reform and military cooperation remain key priorities. We commend the Ukrainian armed forces for not intervening in the political crisis. In a democracy, it is imperative that the armed forces do not intervene in the political process. We underscore the need to strengthen democratic control over the defence and security sector, with effective parliamentary oversight and the robust involvement of civil society. In the context of recent tragic events, transparent democratic and accountable institutions are essential to the future of Ukraine.
A sovereign, independent and stable Ukraine, firmly committed to democracy and the rule of law, is key to Euro-Atlantic security. Consistent with the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between NATO and Ukraine, NATO Allies will continue to support Ukrainian sovereignty and independence, territorial integrity, democratic development, and the principle of inviolability of frontiers, as key factors of stability and security in Central and Eastern Europe and on the continent as a whole.
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_107429.htm
February 27, 2014 at 4:43 PM
This is more or less atreat of war on russia and they really mean it The Obama administration has issued indirect warnings to Russia not to intervene militarily, the latest signal made by Deputy Secretary of State William Burns during a visit Tuesday to Kiev.
“We strongly support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and its unity,” Mr. Burns told reporters at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev.
Asked about the Russian military activities in the Crimea, and how far the United States is prepared to go to prevent military intervention, Mr. Burns said: “All that I would stress is what I said before, and that is that the United States strongly supports the unity and the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Mr. Burns said speculation over splitting Ukraine into pro-Russian and pro-European regions “is not in Ukraine’s interest.”
“And the United States will continue to reinforce that very firm position,” he said.
February 27, 2014 at 3:38 PM
This is key…
“NATO Allies will continue to support Ukrainian sovereignty and independence, territorial integrity, democratic development, and the principle of inviolability of frontiers, as key factors of stability and security in Central and Eastern Europe and on the continent as a whole.”
Let’s hope to stick to their word and not leave it up to Putin’s interpretation.
February 27, 2014 at 4:16 PM
As we have done the last 69 years or so !!?? !!
February 27, 2014 at 4:27 PM
Hope springs eternal.