My feeling, based on the pro-Russian provocations in Donetsk and Lugansk, is that Russia is about to invade these regions of Ukraine, and possibly the whole of Southern and Southeastern Ukraine. Much as Edward Luttwak hypothesized in the TNR and the Nikkei Asian Review, followed by Julia Ioffe also in the TNR.
The only preventive measure that would definitely work in NATO troops immediately dispatched to guard Ukraine’s border with Russia, or at least a small number of NATO soldiers joining regular Ukrainian units at critical points along the border.
In the meantime, the Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh is talking about blowing up Russian oil and gas pipeline passing through Ukraine as the ultimate self-defense measure. Not sure if Yarosh is for real and if he’s not a Russian plant.
On the other hand, the Russian TV boss Dmitry Kiselev talked about turning the US to nuclear powder – no kidding – just tonight on his Goebbels tribute show.
“On the other hand, the Russian TV boss Dmitry Kiselev talked about turning the US to nuclear powder – no kidding”
Hey, a North Korean-style vote followed by North Korean-style nuclear rhetoric. If I was Putin’s uncle, I’d be starting to worry.
North Korean but not Soviet. I don’t remember anything like that on Soviet TV in the 1980s. The usual rhetoric was “we want peace; Americans want war.” A nuclear conflict was possible, according to late Soviet propaganda, because Americans wouldn’t accept disarmament. When the US deployed medium-distance missiles in Europe, the Soviet response was “they are going to pulverize us,” not “we are going to pulverize them.”
Suggesting that Yarosh is a russian plant is hilarious and somewhat on point. Not beacause its true but because that what will be happeing now – leaders of the Revolution will be blaming each other being russian plants, counter-revolutionaries, jews etc, etc. Ukraine is bankrupt, police is demoralized, army is all but non-existent. I think its not long till they (Maidan leaders) start physically killing each other.
The Kremlin needs provocateurs these days since provocation seems to be their preferred tactic in Ukraine. So yes, Yarosh might very well be used by the FSB, whether he imagines himself a Ukrainian patriot or not. No, I don’t see Ukrainian leaders killing each other.
Sashko Bily (Muzychko) – first.
It started sooner that I expected.
He was a provincial bandit, not a major figure in the revolution. Few revolutions happen without people like him getting involved.
He was not of the top level, true. But he was not complete nobody either. He was killed by the direct order of Arsen Avakov, Minister of Internal Affairs. And now the Right Sector vows to revenge. Mark my words, ousting of Yanukovich was their “February of 1917” and now they are moving to their “Great October” with the full speed.