The shock troops sent to terrorise Putin's enemies as Crimea prepares to vote on joining Russia

Dail Mail ^ | 15 Mar 14 | Ian Birrell

[elhombrelibre]

Stepping out of my hotel yesterday morning, I found a sinister new force patrolling the streets of Simferopol.

These men wore black balaclavas, blue military combat clothing and carried large assault rifles - yet despite the Russian invasion of Crimea, they wore the badges of Ukraine.

Baffled, I wandered up and nervously asked who they were. ‘Berkut,’ came the gruff reply - and, as we walked rapidly away, my Crimean companion shivered.

[elhombrelibre]

Putinims in action. It's 21st Century fascism.

[sjmjax]

‘Large Assault Rifles’ are always more sinister that the small assualt rifles.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

He didn’t specify if they were black. Black rifles are twice as scary.

[ansel12]

[montag813]

Sadly, she is right. Not just because the Russian flag already flies over the parliament of this autonomous Ukrainian region, but because the new administration in Kiev and its Western allies have been outwitted by the Russian president and his new puppet government in Crimea, installed at gunpoint and led by a former gangster nicknamed ‘The Goblin’

Uh, ok...but wasn't the current Ukrainian government "installed" by a street mob, despite an election? This is why I have a hard time sympathizing with ANY side in this conflict. The logical outcomes would seem to be a division along ethnic lines of Crimea and East Ukraine, with the Western part joining the EU if it so desires.

[Travis McGee]

The Russians must be terrified of us by now.