Posted on 07/12/2014 6:25:32 PM PDT by wetphoenix
Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) - Donetsk, one of the last bastions of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, has become a ghost town as residents clog the roads and railway stations in a desperate scramble to escape advancing government troops.
The self-proclaimed prime minister of the Donetsk People's Republic, Oleksandr Borodai, claims more than 70,000 of the city's 900,000 inhabitants have already fled as Kiev's forces move within 20 kilometres (12 miles) of the city.
Every train was full on Friday as residents calmly joined long queues to buy tickets.
"I have lived here more than 40 years and it is very difficult for me to leave this town. But there is no other solution," says Natalia, who was catching a train to Dnipropetrovsk, 250 kilometres west, from where she plans to cross the border into Russia.
She is fleeing after months of daily "bombardments" by Ukrainian government planes, which have laid seige to the separatist stronghold.
"The planes fly near my house permanently and fire on the town," she says.
Watching over a pile of bags, a man in his fifties prepared to join his parents in Russia with his daughters and grandchildren.
"Everything is shutting down," says the man, who did not give his name. "There is nothing to do here. No work -- and it is getting too dangerous."
Stall-keepers and shoppers at a small market outside the station jump at the sound of artillery fire that breaks out sporadically a few kilometres away at the airport, where the separatists and government forces are vying for control.
"It is very scary," says Yaroslava, who runs a stall selling sunglasses. "But we do not want to leave. We just want to survive and to no longer be bombarded."
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Ethnic cleansing in action, for all to see.
Bullcrap. They rebelled against their lawful government aided and abetted by a bunch of Russian thugs.
Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing.
No ethnic cleansing. These are Russians going to Russia. They are CHOOSING TO DO IT on their own.
Trying to rewrite history won’t work.
The lawful ELECTED government fell in a violent coup, while the new government immediately tried to pass legislation to, and made very public statements about, wiping out Russian culture in Ukraine.
What did they think was going to happen?
“They are CHOOSING TO DO IT on their own.”
With the “added incentive” of being blown into separate parts by Kiev’s artillery, or tortured and killed by one of the Right Sector/Kolomoisky militias, of course.
That is called “Ethnic Cleansing”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_cleansing
Given what we already know has happened in Ukraine, from the Odessa Massacre and on, can you just imagine how wild the on-the-street rumor mill is, on what is happening to ethnic Russians?
“What did they think was going to happen?”
I doubt that Russia illegally annexing a huge portion of their country was first on the list. Hitler did the same thing using “ethnic Germans” in the Sudetenland back in the 30s. We all know how that ended.
If Ukraine does nothing then they lose Donbass, by attacking they stand only to gain. On the other hand the Russky terrorists have nothing to gain by fighting, because what they are fighting for will be obliterated during the fight.
Nonsense.
Pro Ukrainians have been compelled to leave Donetsk for the past couple of months, but not a word from you about "ethnic cleansing" by the separatists of Ukrainians.
Ukrainian speakers leave Donetsk amid pro-Russia surge
13 May 2014
(excerpt)
The only thing the Ukrainian government did was to require government business be conducted in Ukrainian.
My, what a major screw up that must have been.
Imagine how devilish it would be if we required government business to be only conducted in English.
/s
I can’t blame the Ukrainian government. I think it’s preposterous for us to have to print voting materials in many languages.
Learn the language folks.
In the Ukraine, they should learn the language or move the their favorite place on earth, Russia.
~In the Ukraine, they should learn the language or move the their favorite place on earth, Russia.~
They’ve been in place before 1620.
If Russia really wanted to annex the Donbas, they would have done it already.
IMO, they see an independent Donbas as a buffer state between themselves and NATO’s expansion.
Russia has nothing to fear from any expansion of NATO. Unless of course they plan on doing any more “annexing”. So here’s a thought. Russia stays in Russia and lets their neighbors run their affairs the way they see fit.
Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing.
~Russia has nothing to fear from any expansion of NATO. Unless of course they plan on doing any more “annexing”. So here’s a thought. Russia stays in Russia and lets their neighbors run their affairs the way they see fit.~
Good point. But what about Russians sitting off Key West in Cuba, Venezuela and probably Mexico in a near future?
Is it a Russian expansion USA has nothing to fear about or is it just US neighbors running their affairs (and alliances) the way they see it?
Isn’t State Dept narrative considering Eastern Europe and Stans what ‘zones of influence is so 19th century’ also means that a Monroe Doctrine is dead as well?
What do you think about it?
So what would you suggest, Ukraine throw up it’s hands and reject sovereignty? LOL
Get with the program.
I’m thinking the Ukrainians have been there for a while too. And the ones I’m talking to, aren’t real thrilled with Pupin and his tour de farce.
Well, you have a good point as well.
On the other hand why is it bad for Assad to shell his own cities to get rid of jihadis in Syria but it is perfectly justified as far as Kiev regime is bombing Ukrainian cities.
As a sidenote, imagine if some US state lost faith in a federal government and declared independence. And here comes a million dollar question. Would you advocate using US military to ‘restore sovereignity’?
They’re pretty much already there.
“With the “added incentive” of being blown into separate parts by Kiev’s artillery, or tortured and killed by one of the Right Sector/Kolomoisky militias, of course.”
As if that’s what’s happening. Except it isn’t.
“They rebelled against their lawful government....”
You and Obama say that coup was lawful, so it must be so.
It is not about Obama. Yanukovich abolished the constitution that 90% of representatives had voted for using corrupt courts on a pretense of a technicality. His clan stole $70 billion - a third of Ukraine’s GDP. His son - a dentist by trade - became the most successful businessman of Ukraine and won more than 50% of the state contracts. He was set on becoming a president for life as every other leader in Putin’s Eurasian Union is, but was stopped by Ukrainian people.
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