Tango01 | 05 Mar 2015 9:55 p.m. PST |
…redeployed to Ukraine. "The planned US-Ukrainian military drills in the western Ukrainian Lviv region threaten Russia's security, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Thursday. A tender posted Wednesday on the US government website says US troops plan to hold joint exercises with Ukraine's military personnel between March 5 and October 31 at the International peacekeeping and security centre (IPSC) in Yavorov, in western Ukraine's Lviv region. Up to 300 troops of the US 173rd Airborne Brigade, which is based in Italy, are being sent to the Yavorov firing range in the western Ukraine's Lviv region, the diplomat said. These servicemen will train Ukraine's troops "on how to use the overseas military equipment," he said. "Therefore the US military are already in Ukraine. It is evident that they are not trying to bring peace to the country," Lukashevich said…" Full article here tass.ru/en/world/781208 Interesting "what if" (smile) Amicalement Armand |
John the OFM | 05 Mar 2015 10:23 p.m. PST |
The Ukrainians never should have given up their nukes. |
Mako11 | 06 Mar 2015 12:15 a.m. PST |
Perhaps we should loan them some, since afterall, we did agree to help protect them. Gotta love the spin from Russia these days. Makes me think that perhaps Baghdad Bob survived afterall, and has set up a consulting business there, since the rhetoric is top notch for ridiculousness. The only way American trainers in Ukraine are threatening Russia is if Ukraine is now a part of the old Soviet Union again, per Putin's latest decree. Yesterday, I read that NATO has sent a few vessels into the Black Sea, and a few more are slated to arrive soon, for joint exercises with other nations in the region, e.g. Turkey, Bulgaria, etc. Apparently too, Russian Su-24s and Su-35s were conducting practice attack runs on them, so, as I said awhile back, the Cold War is back on, and seems to be getting cooler by the day. |
Bunkermeister | 06 Mar 2015 12:41 a.m. PST |
Maybe Ukraine can buy nuclear weapons from North Korea and solve two problems at once. Mike Bunkermeister Creek Bunker Talk blog |
Zargon | 06 Mar 2015 5:10 a.m. PST |
So the sabre rattlers all happy? Guess a lot of US armament contractors and their workforce are safe too. Crack one egg if its off don't use it crack another and if its off start thinking the whole tray is off. Keep wondering how people don't see the Kiev government(s) isn't as rotten as any old other of its ilk. Pretending to change doesn't mean your changing it just means the Western governments are happy to deal with you instead of the bogeyman. Remember call wolf often enough and it comes true. Finally does The 'west' really need to be drawn into this. |
GeoffQRF | 06 Mar 2015 5:16 a.m. PST |
link A tender posted Wednesday on the US government website says US troops plan to hold joint exercises with Ukraine's military personnel between March 5 and October 31 at the International peacekeeping and security centre (IPSC) in Yavorov, in western Ukraine's Lviv region. What Mr Lukashevich seems to have conveniently forgotten is that Yavoriv is the training location for Rapid Trident, and the numbers and date would coincide with the normal schedule that has taken place for the last 15 years or so… Rapid Trident was pushed back to September last year due to the ongoing situation from Jan-April 2014, but also included elements from the 173rd. Lukashevich is either blindly unaware (seems unlikely for the Foreign Ministry spokesman) or playing propaganda games. The only way American trainers in Ukraine are threatening Russia is if Ukraine is now a part of the old Soviet Union again, per Putin's latest decree. Or if Russian troops are inside Ukrainian territory? Oops. |
tuscaloosa | 06 Mar 2015 6:19 a.m. PST |
"Keep wondering how people don't see the Kiev government(s) isn't as rotten as any old other of its ilk." The very clear lessons of the last decade in the Mideast are that people want their own government, good or bad, instead of one forced upon them. So, while the current Ukrainian government is far from perfect, at least Poroshenko isn't Putin's lackey. |
Barin1 | 06 Mar 2015 6:31 a.m. PST |
Let me see…they've voted for turn-coat communists for years, then voted for Yushenko who was under heavy US influence, then voted for Yanukovich, who was under heavy Russian influence, and now they have voted for Poroshenko who can not make a single real step without consulting a dozen of his friends in the West…if he is doing something wrong there's his prime minister mr.Yatsenyuk who is ready to take his place…may be it is just a coincidence, but he received Canadian citizenship recently – even that it is not allowed in Ukraine… We've come to the same "my SOB is better than yours SOB " stuff we had in Cold War times. |
Gwydion | 06 Mar 2015 6:32 a.m. PST |
So, while the current Ukrainian government is far from perfect, at least Poroshenko isn't Putin's lackey. No, he belongs to the government that helped overthrow the elected government of Yanukovych. Our puppet's better than yours so nyeh!!! Finally does The 'west' really need to be drawn into this Too late – we helped start it. |
Barin1 | 06 Mar 2015 6:33 a.m. PST |
hehe…we're thinking very similar… |
Jemima Fawr | 06 Mar 2015 7:30 a.m. PST |
God forbid that the Ukrainians could ever exercise self-determination… The poor, feeble-minded sub-humans, eh |
GeoffQRF | 06 Mar 2015 7:42 a.m. PST |
No, he belongs to the government that helped overthrow the elected government of Yanukovych The government is still in place. It's only the leader who went missing… along with $20 USDbn of the gold reserves, $37 USDbn of loans, $70 USDbn moved to offshore accounts… …and you wonder why (a) the country is near bankrupt and (b) the people were disatisfied? "The money in Yanukovych's personal accounts and in the accounts of his family would be enough to cover many current needs of Ukraine" …he received Canadian citizenship recently Who did? Can't see that either Poroshenko or Yatsenuk were granted Canadian citizenship. You thinking of Jaresko? "Despite her Ukrainian citizenship, Natalie Jaresko remains a citizen of the USA. Although the USA does not prohibit dual citizenship, according to Ukrainian law dual citizenship is not allowed and she must renounce her non-Ukrainian citizenship(s) within two years." So nothing illegal there so far. Why was an American granted Ukrainian citizenship? Well she has lived and worked there for over 10 years (and 8 before that), dealing with financial matters between Ukraine and other countries, to the extend that in 2003 she was awarded the Ukrainian Order of Princess Olha for her contributions to the Ukrainian economy. Given the degree of embedded corruption an external in charge of the money seems to make perfect sense (if not actually prudent). Especially one with such a track record. |
15mm and 28mm Fanatik | 06 Mar 2015 8:49 a.m. PST |
Planned military exercises will always be used for propaganda to paint the other side as the "aggressor" when it serves a country's political purposes. This is no different than Kim Jong Un throwing a tamper tantrum every time we hold joint exercises with the ROK army. Yawn. Maybe Putin can fire a few missiles into the sea to express his "displeasure." |
Lion in the Stars | 06 Mar 2015 11:38 a.m. PST |
I like Bunkermeister's suggestion of the Ukraine buying North Korea's nukes. All of them. |
GeoffQRF | 06 Mar 2015 11:46 a.m. PST |
Poroshenko did state back in December that Ukraine has no intention of purchasing nukes, although it wouldn't be the first u turn we have ever seen by a politician… |
Barin1 | 06 Mar 2015 1:20 p.m. PST |
Several Ukrainian media agencies report today, that Yatsenyuk was recently granted Canadian citizenship – based on their "sources in Rada". If some Rada members will initiate an invetigation, there might be more info. Klitschko was repeatedly accused (and repeatedly denied) that he has German citizenship, and Mr.Kolomoyskyi, who is financing a large chunk of pro-government volunteers has three passports(at least he has the courage not to lie about it). |
GeoffQRF | 06 Mar 2015 2:05 p.m. PST |
Several Ukrainian media agencies report today… Yes, I can see them now (although from the wording it all appears to be from the same unsubstantiated (so far) source). Kolomoysky has a triple Ukrainian-Israeli-Cyprus citizenship because dual citizenship is not recognized by Ukraine. Kolomoyskyi explained that: "The constitution prohibits double citizenship but triple citizenship is not forbidden." Semantics, perhaps, but if the rule of law it like the UK it would seem to permit anything not exclusively prohibited by law. ;-) Not really that surprising though. My wife has British citizenship but has never surrendered her Ukrainian citizenship or passport. |
Lion in the Stars | 06 Mar 2015 3:30 p.m. PST |
Oh, yeah. forgot my other usual comment, from back in the day: "Is no pravda in Izvestia, and is no izvestia in Pravda." |