Did world war 3 just start?

[ArcadiaGP]

Obama calls Putin to discuss Russian actions in Ukraine

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

Obama calls Putin to discuss Russian actions in Ukraine

There. Problem solved!

 

[ArcadiaGP]

BBC News - Vladimir Putin announces ceasefire for eastern Ukraine to start on 15 February

Ukraine: 50 Russian tanks and 40 missile systems rolled into the country while Putin talked peace

 

[T.Lex]

Going back to the Maidan protests....
BBC News - The untold story of the Maidan massacre

"I was shooting downwards at their feet," says a man we will call Sergei, who tells me he took up position in the Kiev Conservatory, a music academy on the south-west corner of the square.
"Of course, I could have hit them in the arm or anywhere. But I didn't shoot to kill."
...
The 19th, a Wednesday, had been quieter, but in the evening, Sergei says, he was put in contact with a man who offered him two guns: one a 12-gauge shotgun, the other a hunting rifle, a Saiga that fired high-velocity rounds.

They suggest that this was the rifle (and shotgun):

And then there's:

Meanwhile, conspiracy theories flourish.
"I'm certain that the shootings of the 20th were carried out by snipers who arrived from Russia and who were controlled by Russia," says Andriy Parubiy, the former Commandant of the Maidan.
"The shooters were aiming to orchestrate a bloodbath on Maidan."
This is a widely-held belief in Ukraine. In Russia, many believe the opposite - that the revolt on Maidan was a Western conspiracy, a CIA-inspired coup designed to pull Ukraine out of Moscow's orbit. Neither side offers convincing evidence for its assertion.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Vladimir Putin arrives at an airport, gets in line at customs desk.
Customs officer: Occupation?
Putin: No, just visiting.

 

[T.Lex]

Vladimir Putin arrives at an airport, gets in line at customs desk.
Customs officer: Occupation?
Putin: No, just visiting.

Totally going to use that.

 

[T.Lex]

In other news, it looks like "cease fire" doesn't actually mean... well... you know....
BBC News - Ukraine crisis: Fierce fighting after Minsk peace deal

Intense fighting has been reported in eastern Ukraine, a day after a peace deal was reached in Minsk.
The fiercest battles were over control of the town of Debaltseve, a strategic town in between rebel-held areas.
Shelling was reported in Donetsk and Luhansk - rebel bastions near the front line where the pro-Russian rebels face government forces.
...

Russia has reaffirmed it is playing no direct role in the conflict, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisting it is only a "guarantor":
"It is not a party that has to take action in this matter. We simply cannot do that physically, because Russia is not a participant in this conflict," he said.

Gotta give the Putin administration credit for staying "on message."

 

[mrjarrell]

In other news, it looks like "cease fire" doesn't actually mean... well... you know....
BBC News - Ukraine crisis: Fierce fighting after Minsk peace deal


Gotta give the Putin administration credit for staying "on message."

To be fair, the "cease fire" doesn't come into effect till midnight Saturday. Both sides are likely to hit it hard to gain or keep ground up to that point. That's how it normally goes in a real cease fire.

 

[mrjarrell]

Looks like the ceasefire doesn't mean too much to the Russians. There's still some fierce fighting going on.

https://news.vice.com/article/ukrai...ierce-battle-for-debaltseve-continues-to-rage

 

[smokingman]

Does not look like the Kiev ultra nationalist militia are honoring the cease fire either.
Dmytry Yarosh, the leader of the ultranationalist Right Sector, insists they have no intention of stopping the war against ethnic Russians in the east, and that they intend to continue according to their own plans even if their allies in the government stop.

Yarosh insisted that the Right Sector considers easterners to be “terrorists,” and that therefore the ceasefire with them is unconstitutional, and will be ignored. Ukraine has been using far-right militias as front-line fighters in the civil war.

Just FYI,the Yarosh militia has been leading the attack against Donbass,and flies a nazi banner.
Sorry if that does not fit into your reality.
Yarosh does have quite a bit of support with sites like Stormfront calling him the chosen leader,and pledging volunteers.Not going to justify stormfront with a link though.

It does look like Right sector has finally run into some disapproval from the Kiev government.
"Right Sector will concentrate fully on war, will not take part in the parliamentary elections and promises to get rid of the traitors in the military and political leadership of the country after its return to Kyiv. Not so long ago, when Right Sector’s members were detained, beaten and disarmed after their return from East Ukraine, Dmytro Yarosh was ready to leave the zone of ATO and turn against the corrupt officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, especially Volodymyr Evdokimov, but MIA Avakov and the Cabinet of Ministers promised to fire him, so Yarosh cancelled his threat. However, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko hasn’t recognized Volunteer Ukrainian Corps “Right Sector” yet as an official governmental structure, so further clashes with the key figures of his regime are possible, especially after the treacherous destruction of the volunteer battalions near Ilovaysk."

[/IMG]

a shipment of 28 tons of medical supplies has arrived to Donets from Germany. The supplies were bought using donations collected in Germany by initiative of a group of German MPs and the shipment became the very first humanitarian aid delivered to Donbass from the EU. The delivery was made through the Russian territory because Kiev failed to provide Berlin with transit authorization. Four trucks from Germany delivered medical supplies to Donetsk, Lugansk and Gorlovka.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/02/15/france-germany-kiev-and-rebels-agree-truce-holding/
Ukraine’s Right Sector leader Dmitry Yarosh, who said his radical movement rejects the Minsk peace deal and that their paramilitary units in eastern Ukraine will continue “active fighting” according to their “own plans.”
After the truce came into force at 2:00 GMT, Yarosh made a statement of National Guards official website, saying:
“Two of mine finely armed and equipped battalions continue offensive near Debaltsevo and have serious achievements militarily.” Several hours later the statement was deleted from the website.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

5 Ukrainian security forces killed after ceasefire, army official says - CNN.com

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Video of frozen corpses with hands tied at Donetsk airport could be evidence of war crimes - watch on - uatoday.tv


Kiev demands 'tough' response against Russia over broken truce

 

[smokingman]

Putin seeks orderly retreat for encircled Ukrainian troops | Reuters

 

[T.Lex]

I wonder which direction Putin wants them to "retreat."

 

[smokingman]

I wonder which direction Putin wants them to "retreat."

Per the treaty signed,back toward Kiev.The government in Kiev agreed and signed the treaty.
Most of the troops have left peacefully as of today,they even took most of their weapons with them.
The rebels are reporting most of the city they left behind is full of the dead,with what appears to be ethnic cleansing haven taken place.

The OSCE are now in the city.I am sure we will have an official report on civilian casualties in the next few months.

For now,it appears as if the cease fire is improving and holding in most areas.

 

[T.Lex]

On a related note, Putin is a good example of how having a coherent, comprehensive foreign policy works.
How Vladimir Putin is building alliances around the world - Telegraph

Russia has also cultivated ties with a number of Right-wing or “insurgent” parties across Europe, including Independent Greeks in Greece, Jobbik in Hungary, Vlaams Belang in Belgium, Northern League in Italy, Ataka in Bulgaria and NPD in Germany.

 

[smokingman]

On a related note, Putin is a good example of how having a coherent, comprehensive foreign policy works.
How Vladimir Putin is building alliances around the world - Telegraph

I wonder why they did not mention China,India,Vietnam(with a new Russian base in 2013,and cooperative defense deal),or Turkey.

 

[T.Lex]

I wonder why they did not mention China,India,Vietnam(with a new Russian base in 2013,and cooperative defense deal),or Turkey.

Not enough column space for all of Putin's foreign policy "wins."

 

[smokingman]

Not enough column space for all of Putin's foreign policy "wins."

My guess is when writing propaganda you want the most impact.Mention how many of your enemies they are friends with.Throw in political parties that are causing you trouble,and casually mention ultra conservatives like UKIP.All of them are evil right?
How could you not hate Russia,they are building alliances with our enemies.
You do not want to mention deals they have with countries like China,India and certainly do not want to mention Turkey as it is a NATO member with closer ties to Russia than the EU currently(look for the current government of Turkey to be overthrown in the next year or two).

I understand what comes out of Russia is propaganda ,but realize our media is basically controlled by 6 corporations and most of our news is really just propaganda as well.

It is not easy to get any real accurate unbiased information in this age of mass information.

 

[T.Lex]

Interesting, other than India (which most USians probably couldn't find on a map) I think the omission of better relations with China and Vietnam was to avoid making him look worse.

Granted, the Telegraph is UK based, so that's why the UKIP reference makes sense. Which, by the way, UKIP doesn't need help in becoming popular.

But, really, Putin is doing a VERY good job in foreign policy. I don't see that article as particularly propaganda-ish. Certainly not as bad as what comes out of Russia.