Posted on 02/20/2014 5:29:58 PM PST by mac_truck
Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending an envoy to Ukraine to try to mediate talks between the government and the opposition, the Kremlin said Thursday.
Russia’s outgoing ombudsman Vladimir Lukin will travel to Kiev after Putin suggested the initiative in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Lukin’s second and final term as presidential ombudsman expired Tuesday.
“Vladimir Petrovich [Lukin] is known for his diplomatic savvy and enjoys recognition with human rights activists. He also used to head a major opposition party,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
(Excerpt) Read more at themoscownews.com ...
Any support and empathy I may have had for Russia often dissipates over stuff like this. Honestly, Russia, your decades of Nazi level of brutality, viciousness and tyranny in that country aren’t enough for you? You really feel the need to keep at it?
Sending an envoy, who used to lead an opposition party, to discuss things with both sides, is Nazi? If that’s Nazi, then how is the EU effort somehow ok?
I meant that they showed Nazi levels of brutality in Ukraine in earlier decades and now should have the decency to stay out of Ukraine entirely. I can guarandamntee that nobody in Ukraine wants anything to do with Russians who would try and intervene in any way.
Lol...yeah I’m sure the Russians are all broken up over losing your support and empathy. What time do you and Barry tee-off tomorrow?
Russia did not instigate the bloodshed in Ukraine. The loss of life of course is something that could have been averted. Russia is providing good offices to Ukraine at the request of that country.
The Western Ukrainians showed Nazi levels of brutality and genocide against Jews and Poles in earlier decades and now should have the decency to stay out of Ukraine entirely.
Agree.
If the latest elections (that EU confirmed as democratic) are telling us something, the majority of Ukrainians want to work with Russia. Many Ukrainians are actually *working IN Russia*, and they speak Russian in about half of Ukraine. Have you seen a couple posts on FR earlier today that Crimean legislature wants Crimea to become part of Russia?
The riots are maintained by the other half of Ukraine - the half that lost the elections by just a few percent. This is their chance to get the power - not by peacefully convincing the electorate, but by being stronger and fiercer when it matters. It does not matter at this point if their political beliefs are better, because their actions are not better for Ukraine. The country is about to fall apart. We are observing another Yugoslavia in the making.
By all indications, this process has to continue to its logical end. Ukraine was never a unified country. The Soviet Army had as much trouble between 1944 and 1950 with OUN/UPA in Western Ukraine as they had with Nazis in Berlin. "Winning" there is possible only if you folow Genghiz Khan's instructions: kill every male of fighting age. The flame of nationalism was suppressed, but not healed, during Soviet time. It reignited as soon as the heavy monitoring of USSR was lifted. Now these people are playing an important role in these riots. The government of Yanukovich is too weak to destroy the rioters; as result, the disease is growing.
One must clearly understand that the government of Ukraine is corrupt and unworthy. This, however, is a political issue, and it should be dealt with politically - not by military means, as it is done now. The opposition chose the military way - and now they are facing the inevitable division of Ukraine between two peacekeeping forces: one from EU, and another from Russia. It will be all official, of course, and the UN will rubberstamp the occupation. The worst part is that the EU and Russia don't really have an alternative because they cannot afford to have a failed state on their borders.
If the situation deteriorates to civil war, I’d look for Russia to equip and fund pro-Russian forces in Ukraine’s east. And it can use an appeal from them to send in peace-keeping forces - a ploy Moscow used to good effect in Transnistria. The pretext of course is to protect ethnic Russians and Russian speaking Ukrainians from reprisals at the hands of their countrymen.
The one thing that could lead Russia to intervene on a larger scale is the threat of NATO troops being airlifted to Ukraine. That would be a red line for Russia.
There is a good chance you're right, adding that the UN will do exactly what Russia wants, as Russia and China now hold the Security Council club and will not hesitate to use it.
Russia will also protect the ethnic Russians and their Eastern territory, and effectively or actually divide the Ukraine.
Hope it's not cold next winter, in the West at least.
You read Moscow News propaganda well. Lukin is a Putin political appointee. He isn't Putin opposition.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.