Breaking News: Russian Troops Intervening in Ukraine Elections

Private Email from Election Observer in Ukraine | 11/23/2004 | Bob Schaffer

[ModelBreaker]

From: Bob Schaffer

Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 12:10 PM

Friends: some of you know I am in Ukraine as an election monitor. The presidential election was Sunday. There was rampant cheating and falsification reported throughout the country. I can't go into all details of election. I'm using a blackberry to communicate with lots of USA people, news agencies and Ukrainians. Please check news sources on the Ukrainian election background if you're not familiar. Also, I'll be regularly updating the Denver Post. They're setting their web site to post my updates.

Here's the latest:

Russian special forces dressed in Ukrainian Special forces uniforms are in Kyiv. Ukrainian militia have been instructed by the mayor to protect the people from the Russian troops. Ukrainian militia have established a hotline for Ukrainians to report any incidents with the Russians and pledged to protect Ukrainians. These Russians flew into Ukraine this morning. They're now surrounding the administration buildings they say "to protect Kuchma (the outgoing president and his PM Yanukovich). Following is a chain of email messages I've been sending by blackberry. Please pass along to others. Bob Schaffer

-------

PETER: PLEASE SEE UPDATES BELOW. GETTING QUITE SERIOUS NOW. OUR EMBASSY'S PHONES ARE DOWN AND WE'RE NOT SURE THEY'RE AWARE OF THE NEWS OF RUSSIANS (SEE BELOW). YES, PLEASE SEND INFO TO ANYONE YOU CAN, ESPECIALLY PRESS. BOB

---------- Dan: is there anything you can do to alert someone in the Denver media to look at news coming out of Ukraine? I know this isn't our normal "beat," but this seems quite serious here. I'll paste below a message I just sent to a ukrainian group. I've been updating several people by blackerrying them events from the street and from the local news. Bob

---------- Yes. I'm safe for now. Demonstrators are reassembling in Kyiv. They're coming back stronger than yesterday coming in from the rest of the country. The authorities are trying to stop them. Cars and busses are being stopped by police at the outskirts of the city. The authorities have scattered road spikes on inbound lanes to stop traffic/protesters. People are walking down the highways to protest. Trains into the city have been stopped.

The parliament is meeting now but without the president's supporters or the Communists. After several speeches, they called Yushchenko to the podium to swear him in as the new president (escorted to the podium with guards). The Rada Speaker Litvin walked out. Then the TV station (only one station covers anything about the election and it only covers 30% of the country) went off then cut to news and footage from earlier in the day. This is similar to the revolution in Georgia.

It seems the opposition has now claimed control of the parliament and most likely named Yushchenko as the president. He walked to the podium with a Bible and a copy of the oath in his hand. 300,000 pro-Yushchenko supporters are in the city square and watched what I described above on a jumbo TV. They're celebrating what they believe is their new president. Provocateurs are infiltrating the crowd. Special forces are said to be moving in to disband the crowd. This is now a clearly declared revolutionary effort. A confrontation seems unavoidable now.

It's very tense here. School has been cancled (again) for tomorrow. I'll report more as I learn it.

Now we hear Yushchenko is headed to the city center to address the masses. His lieutenants will be giving instructions to the people outside the Rada building on "what to do."

Telephones in the outlying towns have been shut off.

Now we hear there are Russians in Ukrainian special forces uniforms.

I'll report more as I learn it. May God bless and protect Ukraine and her people.

A representative of the Greek Catholic Church (a man who appeared to be a priest -- dressed as one) announced at the demonstration that he was speaking on behalf of the Greek Catholic Churchn the Kyiv Patriarchiat and several Protestant denominations (Lutheran was the only specific one I heard but there were several others). He said this coalition of churches recognizes Yushchenko as president.

Yuschenko is now leading 1 million people from the square and surrounding streets to the administration headquarters of the Ukrainian government. He is in front of the column and many fear he is vulnerable to getting shot. They should be at the steps in 15 mins. Keep in mind, this is where the Russian special forces are stationed, dresses in Ukrainian garb.

If violence comes to define this revolution it will likely be within minutes.

The Georgian President (surrounded by Orthodox priests) just appeared on Ukrainian TV congratulating and encouraging the opposition supporters and "President" Victor Yushchenko. He spoke in Ukrainian which is very significant.

The Russian special forces just stopped the crowd approaching the administration headquarters.

Bob

Sent via BlackBerry

[monkeywrench]

So, who's the good guy in this election?

[ModelBreaker]

Please circulate to your ping lists, if you think it appropriate. Bob Schaffer has requested that these events be publicized as widely as possible while he still has a means of communicating from the Ukraine. Apparently, the Russians have cut some phone lines out of the embassy there already.

[Lion in Winter]

Both crooks as far as I can make out. Anyway... this should NOT be the business of George Soros/MOVEON to decide who is ANY Country's president.... So, I would chose the lesser of two evils... the non-soros candidate.

[Truth666]

US senators calling - in the MEDIA - Kuschma to cancel the election. Kuschma has two alternatives : follow in the footsteps of Yeltsin of October 1999 or follow these calls.

Place your bets. After all it's the end game.
Both ways the nuclear clock advances, the question is only the difference in advance between both alternatives

[ModelBreaker]

I know about the Russians(where they come from) - but what about this guy - who backs him (what power or "money")- if you know.

I don't know. If I get further data out of the Ukraine I will post. I will enquire about your question. But it's not clear that communications are not being cut (see the article) so I don't know how much longer my source will be able to communicate.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Hope they can take care of this themselves. I tire of being the world cop.

[ModelBreaker]

B...B...But, I thought the Russians were our friends? Just ask MarMema; she'll (She?) tell 'ya!

And, they didn't even ask the UN. I thought preemptive intervention was only supposed to come with UN approval.

[monkeywrench]

Thanks. That's pretty much my opinion, too. Sounds like the Ukraine people get screwed, either way.

As many countries as Soros has peed off, I'm surprised he's still around.

[Pastnowfuturealpha]

I just read another article - guess he is taking over the country - Hope the people don't live to regret it -


Are we seeing the destruction of nations - just as what is happening in the U.S. - A guy thought to be good - gets elected(Clinton) - then does nothing but work to destroy - along with the old major media -

Who to trust these days - really hard to tell -

[Aarchaeus]

Yeah, it's supposed to pass a global test, isn't it?

[PatrickHenry]

Please circulate to your ping lists, if you think it appropriate.

Probably not appropriate. People join my ping list only for info on specific kinds of threads. I think you should rely on posting this in "breaking news" and then hoping for the best.

[johnb838]

Sounds like the Russkies are watching the administration to make sure they leave office on schedule. This is interesting. If the Russians send a couple of tank divisions into Ukraine it will be quite a bit more interesting.

[SlowBoat407]

I was working the switchboard at the AP the night the Soviets sent tanks into Poland during the Solidarity protests. Very exciting time in the newsroom, and we couldn't get a single phone call through, just bits and pieces from any calls that people could get out.

Now it's coming through on a blackberry. Cool.

[Just mythoughts]

Seen this?

[BurbankKarl]

Now that is a crowd!

Supporters of Ukraine's opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko take part in a rally in Kiev's main Independence Square, November 23, 2004. Ukrainian opposition chief Yushchenko told tens of thousands of protesters to march to parliament, where an emergency session on a disputed presidential election was to begin shortly. (Mykola Lazarenko/Reuters)

Ukraine's opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko takes an oath with his hand on a bible at the parliament hall in Kiev, November 23, 2004. Ukraine plunged deeper into turmoil with the losing candidate in presidential elections reading the oath of office in parliament while some 200,000 supporters outside demanded that the government admit it had cheated.

[ModelBreaker]

Hope they can take care of this themselves. I tire of being the world cop.

I doubt the US goes anywhere with this except to issue stern warnings. I think the folks there are going to have to make their own liberty.

[jb6]

Soros backs him, amongst others, very actively. And he has promised to pull the 1,700 Ukrainian troops out of Iraq.

By the way, just curious, considering that the majority of soldiers and officers in Ukraine's army are against the opposition (1 1-star admiral has come for the opposition) and Ukraine has a large army, why would they need Russians to protect them when they can do it themselves? Ukrainians even make up 20% of the Russian contract military.

[RightWhale]

at 4:15 a.m. on November 4, 1956, Soviet forces launched a major attack on Hungary aimed at crushing, once and for all, the spontaneous national uprising that had begun 12 days earlier.

[jb6]

The exit polls were only in Kiev and western Ukraine, the majority of the population lives in south and eastern ukraine.

[jb6]

Except that the majority of the population is against the nationalist western Ukrainians.