Ukrainian residents are reporting that their nation’s military is massing troops and heavy military equipment along the border with the Crimean Peninsula today, following reports from Russian officials of an attempted infiltration of the peninsula, which the Russians identified as a Ukrainian government incursion, and attempted terrorist plot. A Russian soldier and a member of the FSB security service were reported slain in that weekend incident.
Details of the weekend incident are still emerging, but Russian officials reported gunfire, and having captured several of the plotters, who they suspect of being with Ukrainian intelligence, who were aiming to set up a spy network to attack infrastructure in the peninsula.
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko confirmed the buildup, amid claims of Russian helicopters spotted inside Crimean territory. He added that Ukrainians “should understand that at any minute” a large-scale war with Russia could begin.
Ukrainian officials went on to claim Russian President Vladimir Putin was plotting to invade them because of the weekend cross-border incident, though of course Ukraine’s government has been predicting an imminent Russian invasion for over two years now, with nothing coming of it.
Those predictions of war rarely come with the overt military buildup, however, and Ukrainian officials clearly have more in mind than just the usual week of hysteria that comes and goes without incident, particularly since it coincides so neatly with the reports of an incident at the exact same border.
Crimea was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1783, and the city of Sevastopol became the host of the Russian Black Sea Fleet the same year. The peninsula’s status was shifted twice within the Soviet Union, initially being an independent Soviet Socialist Republic, becoming part of the Russian SSR in 1945, and transferred to Ukraine SSR in 1954. Ukraine retained Crimea as an autonomous region when the Soviet Union split, though Russia retained the base at Sevastopol and it was agreed the city would have a “special status.”
This arrangement fell apart in 2014, with the revolution in Ukraine which ousted a pro-Russian government. Crimea quickly seceded from Ukraine and was granted accession into the Russian Federation. Ukraine does not recognize this transfer, and continues to present Crimea as being under “military occupation.”
The Crimean Peninsula has suffered significant sabotage attacks since its reversion to Russian control, with its electricity supply twice interrupted by saboteur attacks, and Ukrainian nationalists preventing the repairs. Russia aims to supply all of Crimea’s power needs directly, via undersea cable, by 2020, and also plans a land connection, by bridge, in 2018.
Putin will smash the fascist forces of Ukraine if they set even one toe in Crimea. Then we will here Clinton whine about it until the election. Clinton is desperate to keep the growing media scrutiny of the Clinton Foundation silent. See an excellent article by Rick Newman on the shady dealings of the Clinton Foundation that appeared at Yahoo Finance on Tuesday.
In fairness it must be remembered that it was not only Clinton but Sanders too who demanded the return of Crimea to Ukraine. And numerous other US politicians.
What happens is another proof that history is a chain of unintended consequences. It began with the Soviet Union “giving” the Crimea to Ukraine. Another example too that the unintended consequences can happen generations later.
Exactly, Tom. The Kiev Junta’s totally stupid and insane to even propose an invasion of Crimea. The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s stationed right on Crimea’s southern coast, totally prepared for such an encounter. As you said, Putin will smash Ukraine’s fascist forces if they set one toe on Crimean soil.
I bet that Killary Rotten Clinton – with approval of Barry Soetoro aka Obama – told the Ukrainians it was OK to invade Crimea, just to deflect the news on the shady dealings of the Clinton Foundation. You’re right; Killary’s desperate to keep the media scrutiny of the Clinton Foundation silent. The invasion doesn’t really have to take place; just the rumors of it will suffice.
LOL!! Who are they kidding?? Russian forces could encircle Kiev within 72 hours.
Nah, just go as far as the Dnieper River, crossing rivers complicates things unnecessarily. I’m sure there are some old plans for just such an operation in the Russian archives.
However, if the Azov Battalion and other neo-nazi volunteer units form the spearhead of any attack on Crimea, I would suspect that Porochenko was house cleaning.
Kiev is on the Dniepr.
Amazing how you can now hear the neo-con talking points coming from every day Democrats. Once again proof that they never were anti-war and simply just anti-Republican. The sad part is that I KNOW they actually meant to be anti-war when they were protesting. I was there with them and they were very sincere at the time. Now most of them seem to have changed their positions.
They somehow believe that NATO is great and it’s the only thing standing in the way of the evil Ruskies taking over the planet. It just shows how well propaganda works. The truly sad part is that you can’t reason with them and they will not listen to facts. I once thought that Democrats would be the moving force that would lead to a general anti-war consensus. Boy was I wrong, all it took was for their candidate to be pro-war and most of them are now going along with it.
What will be pathetic, will be the expectation by the Ukrainians that NATO will rush to their aid if they have the stupidity to invade Crimea. Ukraine will just get chopped up and no tanks or fighter jets will be coming from NATO – just a lot of , “Isn’t it a crime what Russia is doing?”. The West will not bleed for Ukraine nor will they pull out their wallets. Ukraine needs to realize that they are worthless to the West except as another rationale to bash Putin. To the West, Ukraine is another wore-out rust bucket of a country with no money and with a population looking for a higher standard of living than they are worth. The West doesn’t need another Detroit, or West Virginia. Sooner or later, Ukrainians will realize that they played their part and now they are out of a job (again).
They have been trying to mousetrap Russia into a military response that they can spin and propagandize in order to trigger a NATO mobilization.
They lost the soft power battle with Russia. With most of their NGO type apparatchik dismantled they move to the next phase; armed incursions to disrupt daily life and make government look weak and incompetent.
The Regime Change Express plods right on ahead, whether there’s a train station or even tracks doesn’t really concern it…
If this report is true, it is another Georgia War fiasco in the making. Ukraine has with political means held off serious major Russian intervention. Attacking the main Russian base would be the end of them. Rightly so, if they are lunatic enough to do it. Our neocons are no doubt encouraging that lunacy with promises they can’t keep, just as they did in Georgia.
Fascinating how the news outlets that regularly report the news from various fascist, terrorist and generally CIA sources are promoting this very heavily, while its almost un-reported and not nearly as heavily promoted on the Russian sites.
1) Ukraine masses troops on Crimea border
2) Ukraine no longer has troops
“Massing troops” in 2016 is just another way of losing an army.
to all you ukraines, you will all be dust, thank you , and goodbye
Russia still supplies nearly all of Ukraine’s gas supplies and there is some sort of “easy payment” plan working since the eastern Ukraine fiasco which left Ukraine broke and in the dark. So I don’t think mighty Ukraine is going to start any wars. This is likely some sabre rattling for domestic consumption.
Crimea is historically Russian, no real Ukrainian influence, though Cossack remnants aren’t fond of the Russians there (remembering Stalin post WWII). Meanwhile, things are pretty much back to normal there, despite the propaganda bleats.
I’m sorry, am I the only one here who is getting sick and tired of reading the facetious term ‘revolution in Ukraine’. For the sake of historical record, if nothing else, lets call a spade a spade. It was g*ddamn coup. The ‘Maiden Uprising’ was no more a revolution than the Reichstag Fire was a terrorist attack.
Sad to see Ukraine like this. Ukrainians are good people, but they’ve been exploited by their desire to be ‘Western’ and their historical hatred for Russia. The Obama administration should be ashamed of themselves for their meddling in that country, which has caused thousands of deaths on both sides, and continued destabilization
hatred= ISSUES