Monday 21 April 2014

Ukrainian update - 04/20/2014

Five Reported Killed In East Ukraine Following Ultra-nationalist Attack


20 April, 2014


And to think it was just two days ago when all the USDJPY momentum ignition algos roared to life on flashing headline news of yet another diplomatic "de-escalation" of tensions in Ukraine. What was clearly ignored is that since John Kerry was involved, it was nothing but the latest sham. And the proof came moments ago when Reuters reported, citing Russian state television on Sunday, that five people were killed when Ukraine gunmen attacked a checkpoint manned by pro-Russian separatists near the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk.







Reuters was not immediately able to verify the report. Ukraine's Interior Ministry in Kiev could not immediately be reached for comment and Interior Minister Arsen Avakov had no word of the reported incident on his Facebook page, where he usually posts updates on any clashes - perhaps because this one was allegedly started by Ukraine ultra-right nationlists of the Right Sector.

Russia's state-run Rossiya 24 news station, citing its correspondent in Slaviansk, said three of the dead were with the pro-Russian separatists who control Slaviansk, and the other two were from the group which attacked their checkpoint.
The self-declared mayor of Slaviansk, who supports the pro-Russian separatists in the city, said there had been a clash overnight and there were casualties, a Reuters Television team in Slaviansk said.



The fatalities came after a night attack on a protester checkpoint on the outskirts of the city, a Rossiya 24 news channel correspondent reported. Four cars drove by the checkpoint and opened fire at the local residents holding it, killing three people and seriously injuring another one.

A group of protesters, who had firearms unlike those holding the checkpoint, was called from their camp in the city. They opened fire at the attackers, killing two of them, the report said.
The protesters in the confrontation reportedly captured the attackers’ two cars. Firearms, explosives and aerial photos of Slavyansk were discovered there. RIA Novosti cites a doctor at the city’s main hospital as saying that four people with gunshots were brought in overnight.

Apparently, something serious happened,” the doctor said.

The protesters believe that they were attacked by paramilitary from the Right Sector.

The full report from LifeNews, in Russian, can be seen below:




En route to hospital here in #Sloviansk to confirm those reports of deaths in the night - 

Five people have been reportedly killed in a shooting in Slavyansk, a city in eastern Ukraine held by anti-government protesters.






Pretty extreme scenes out here, reports of up to 5 killed outside #Sloviansk


Bullets littering the ground as anti-Kiev activists say they were victims of a 'military style attack'. #Sloviansk 



Mood here, some 6km outside #Sloviansk - shock, sadness. Working to find identities of those killed. 


So if this is not merely another attempt at provocation and indeed the attackers' cars were captured and can be provided as evidence, and it can be verified that it was indeed Ukraine elements who were in breach of the now clearly null and void Geneva agreement, this may just be the escalation that Putin, who last week admitted for the first time the massing of Russian forces at the Ukraine border, will be free and clear to finally roll the tanks across the border purely with intentions to "protect" a "separatists" population which is clearly now targeted by its own government.

* * *

Update: completely in line with expectations, the Ukraine government promptly accused Russia of staging the whole thing. Via Reuters:


Ukraine's police and intelligence service accused Russia of staging a fatal shooting incident on Sunday in which pro-Moscow separatists were killed in the east of the country.


"Armed lawbreakers and saboteurs who are terrorising the local population around Slaviansk ... have turned to cynical provocation," the SBU security service said in a statement, describing the incident as a "staged attack".


No group was present "other than the saboteurs and crime figures, supported and armed by officers of Russia's GRU" military intelligence, the SBU added. The Ukrainian nationalist group Right Sector, blamed by separatists for the shooting, denied involvement and also accused Russian special forces.


Russia has accused Ukraine of failing to protect civilians in the Russian-speaking east and has threatened to intervene on their behalf - as it did before annexing Crimea last month.

Original report -




Not Following Orders: Ukrainian troops doubt using force against own people

One of the reasons Kiev's putting its faith in the loyalty of its new National Guard, is arguably because morale within army units is wavering - with some soldiers already switching sides. Paula Slier talked to some of the those who, just days ago, didn't expect they would be ordered to use force against their own people.




Russia on Eastern Ukraine shooting: Kiev must fulfill Geneva de-escalation pledge
An already fragile international accord on Ukraine has been shaken by a deadly gunfight near a city controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

RT,
20 April, 2014


The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed outrage over the deadly gun battle on Saturday night in the protester-held city of Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine. It said Kiev must deliver on its commitment to de-escalate the violence.
Russia, Ukraine, the US and the EU agreed this week in Geneva on a roadmap to calm tension down in protest-gripped eastern Ukraine. The agreement includes disarmaming paramilitary groups on both sides of the conflict.
Yet on Saturday night an apparent raid by a Right Sector radical paramilitary unit ended with up to 6 people killed in Slavyansk, a city in Ukraine’s Donetsk region controlled by anti-Kiev protesters.
Moscow condemned the violence on Sunday and said it indicates Kiev’s unwillingness to implement the Geneva agreement.
The Russian side is outraged with the provocation, which indicates that Kiev is unwilling to put in check and disarm nationalists and extremists,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that Moscow “insists on the strict implementation by the Ukrainian side of its commitments to de-escalate the situation in southeastern Ukraine.”
In turn, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Russia on Sunday to “use necessary influence” on the protesters in Slavyansk “to vacate illegitimately seized government buildings, unblock roads [near the city entrances] and surrender arms to prevent bloodshed.” 

The ministry added in a statement that an investigation into the Saturday night shooting has been launched. 

“Meanwhile, it is surprising that Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rushed to comment [on the situation], bringing charges while having no official data. Such hasty conclusions mean that they are either unfounded, or based on misinterpreted evaluations made by their own agents on the spot,” said the ministry. 


Kiev said the Russian side has to be reminded about "promises made in Geneva." 

In accord with the Geneva document, Ukraine must launch the disarmament of all paramilitary groups. However, there have been no steps taken yet in disarming the Right Sector, which is widely blamed for the violence in the country.
The Geneva document agreed on Thursday after marathon negotiations is aimed at defusing the Ukrainian political crisis. In addition to disarming paramilitary groups, it provides for an amnesty for protesters not involved in violent crimes and preparation of constitutional reform to provide greater autonomy for Ukrainian regions.
Journalist Manuel Ochsenreiter told RT that he thinks the incident in Slavyansk is a provocation made by Kiev, as the coup-imposed government is escalating tensions “to get into a bigger conflict with Russia, to call for the support of the West.” 

“Looks like the Right Sector is playing the role of illegal infantry of the Kiev government,” he said.“The government in Kiev is not acting on behalf of its people anymore.”


Western media coverage

In this part of the world it seems only Radio NZ is covering this. It is just a 'war of words' between Kiev and Moscow and separatists 'claim' the Right Sector is behind the attack

Readers of this must wonder, who Is this Right Sector we are hearing about for the first time.

In the end, Moscow will be held to be to blame.

Gun attack shakes Ukraine accord
An already fragile international accord on Ukraine has been shaken by a deadly gunfight near a city controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
Of course, as this photo suggests, the 'seperatists' are just bands of Commos - lol


21 April, 2014

At least three people were killed in the gunfight near Slaviansk - already a flashpoint for tensions between Ukraine's rival camps. Police in Kiev said three men among the separatists were killed and three wounded.
Separatists said armed men from Ukraine's Right Sector nationalist group had attacked them while the Right Sector denied any role, saying Russian special forces were behind the clash.
The deaths were the first in armed clashes in eastern Ukraine since the Geneva accord was signed on Thursday by the European Union, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. The parties agreed that illegal armed groups would go home in a process to be overseen by Europe's OSCE security watchdog.
However the shooting incident triggered a war of words between Moscow and Ukraine's western-backed government with each questioning the other's compliance with the agreement.
So far, the pro-Russian militants have shown little sign of budging from public buildings in the east, though there was some hope of progress after Kiev said it would not move against the separatists over Easter.
"The Easter truce has been violated," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement after the Slavianks shooting. "This provocation ... testifies to the lack of will on the part of the Kiev authorities to rein in and disarm nationalists and extremists."
Ukraine's SBU security service accused Moscow agents of faking a "cynical provocation" at Slaviansk and the foreign ministry hit back, reproaching Russia for rushing to judgement and failing to meet its part of the deal struck in Geneva.

Slaviansk's self-appointed pro-Russia mayor placed a curfew on the town and appealed directly to Russia's Vladimir Putin to consider sending in peacekeeping troops - an outcome Ukraine tried to avoid by holding back its poorly resourced forces.



Meanwhile "Pravda-on-the Potomac", CNN  decribes the shooting and "mysterious" in its article Mysterious fatal shooting in eastern Ukraine adds to tension, How could it be otherwise if the Right Sector doesn't exist, except as a legitimate part of Ukrainian politics?!

Meanwhile they continue with their lies about an imminent Russian invasion.  Just how long have we been hearing this repeated ad nauseum?


Ukraine troops dig in at border in staredown with Russia

CNN

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