Crimeans vote on union with Russia as troops build up rapidly

Reuters live coverage of events around the world. ^ | 16 March 2014 | Brian Tracey

[Errant]

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine/KIEV (Reuters) - Crimeans voted in a referendum on Sunday on whether to break away from Ukraine and join Russia, with Kiev accusing Moscow of rapidly building up its armed forces on...

[Errant]

Too bad we can’t get a voter turn out like that. IMO, if we could have, we wouldn’t have to put up with O now.

[Revolting cat!]

John McCain said today, and for once he was right: “Russia is a gas station pretending to be a country.” Russia’s economy, folks, is about the size of Italy’s economy. Best of luck to any place voting to join this big happy slum.

[Marguerite]

Vladi­mir Putin was elected in 2000 and at the beginning he followed a pro-Western politics. When terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, he was the first foreign leader to call and offer support. He cooperated with the United States when it invaded Afghanistan, and he voluntarily removed the Russian bases from Cuba and Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam.

What did he get in return? The further expansion of NATO in the Baltics and the Balkans, and now reaching Ukraine. At this point he says: Stop; that’s MY turf. Try to stop me.

[gaslucas1]

if you think taht America bombing a foreign country half a world away, in the name of another foreign country where no Americans lived, is comparable to Russia asking for a popular vote, in a Russian-majority province, adjacent to Russia herself, then I have nothing else to argue

Count how many bombs Russia used in the last 90 days and what happened to Belgrade alone in 1999.

Last but not the least, thank God the Democrats won in 2008 and 2012. A warmonger like Romney, or worse still, a deranged warmonger like McCain, would have the world in flames right now.

[Marguerite]

From the start, when Crimea has been detached from SSR of Russia and attached to the Soviet Socialist Republic of Ukraine , integrated part of the Soviet !union, by N.Krustchev in 1954, Crimea has had a SPECIAL statute: of an autonomous republic with its own Constiution, parliment, laws, government and independent budget. As such, the republic, according with the UN Charter has the right to declare its independence and sovereignity, if the people wish it.

[Marguerite]

" Russia’s economy, folks, is about the size of Italy’s economy."

Oh, really? Where do you het this data from?

July 12, 2013

Russia Overtakes Germany To Become Europe’s Largest Economy

Gross domestic product 2012: Russia - $3,373,16 million; Italy - $2,018,43 million

[wonkowasright]

You got that right.

We backed a militant rabble in the Ukraine that toppled a sitting government but could not rule. The leader primarily sits around posting things on facebook.

Now when a peaceful vote is taken we claim its not valid. The only valid form of democracy we accept is the one thats torching buses and carrying on like a bunch of anarchists. Which if course isn’t democracy.

We don’t want democracy we are just anglin for control of Russias ports and related in the Crimea.

[1rudeboy]

Oh, really? Where do you get this data from?

I was going to ask you the same question. The CIA World Factbook has Germany's GDP at least a half trillion dollars larger than Russia's.

[Bluestocking]

The Soviet Union collapsed during the 1980s because its leaders and its corrupt, socialist economy were weak, which led to a strong American president, Ronald Reagan, taking advantage of those weaknesses to win the Cold War.

Today, the United States is similarly plagued by a weak leader whose corrupt, socialist economy has seriously weakened its economy, which has led to a strong Russian president, Vladimir Putin, beginning to take advantage of those weaknesses to win back the satellite territories relinquished when Soviet Russia lost the Cold War.

Why would Vladimir Putin stop his planned reconquest of Eastern Europe and other bordering areas in the face of the West’s abject weakness, which promises to continue if not become worse during the three years remaining in Barack Obama’s term?

Believing that Mr. Putin’s Russian bear will be satisfied with a mere morsel like the Crimea when a major part of the world lies open to him is to believe in fantasy. Today is the beginning of the rest of the Western world’s life — downhill until the American people can find it in themselves to elect a strong Conservative president in the manner of Ronald Reagan.

[Marguerite]

http://darussophile.com/2013/07/russias-economy-overtakes-germany/

http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP_PPP.pdf

[1rudeboy]

Ah, 2012. Before Russia’s economy went in the tank.

[Revolting cat!]

You have been a hard working representative of Russia’s imperial power and this we can appreciate. Thank you for illustrating that Russia’s economy is about the size of Italy’s, if a bit larger. Now show us what Russia produces and exports except for Vodka and its natural resources.

[brydic1]

As I look at the map. Russia has no land connection to Crimea. They have only air and sea connections. I believe they will establish such a connection. The southeast of Ukraine will be occupied by Russia within a short time to establish this connection. Also most of that area needed to establish that connection is Russian both ethnically and linguistically. Europe and the US can be expected to put up a lot of protests and perhaps some meaningless sanctions. Not much else. Americans would soundly reject any use of our military to counter the Russians. Any US politicians voting for such measures would be handed their heads by the electorate this November. And as for Europe, they are almost as terrified about any use of force against Russia as they would be losing the oil and gas furnished by Russia to Europe.

[b4its2late]

Obama’s playing golf?

[Marguerite]

I am not here to do your homework.
If you are interested, do it yourself.

[Marguerite]

“Russia has no land connection to Crimea. They have only air and sea connections. I believe they will establish such a connection.”

What land connections have the US with Alaska, Puerto Rico and Hawaii?

[Marguerite]

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed an order to construct a bridge linking Russia to Crimean peninsula.

The bridge would span the 4.5-kilometer Strait of Kerch, which separates Crimea and Russia, an estimated $3 billion project that has been under discussion for a decade. The Strait of Kerch has long been used as a ferry route.

[gaslucas1]

go a step further, what about the land connections between the US mainland and Key West and Manhattan? But that was not my point, I never wrother about land connections between Crimea and Russia. I wrote that they are adjacent. Which is the case with both Key West and Manhattan, and quite different from the US mainland and Kosovo. to give an example of how Americans think, an overwhelming concern for the Brazilian government duringthe entire XIXth century was the US effort to declare the Amazon river basin "international waters" based on the dubious assumption that Rio de Janeiro was not much closer to it than Atlanta or New York. hen fast forward to the XXth century, Mexican Immigrants call the US Southwest "Aztlan" and Americans scram "invasion"!!! payback is a b****

[tcrlaf]

“As I look at the map. Russia has no land connection to Crimea. They have only air and sea connections. I believe they will establish such a connection.”

That problem is about to be solved, big-time.
And it will be a HUGE economic boost for Crimea.

RIA 3/3/14 http://themoscownews.com/russia/20140303/192276145/Russia-revitalizes-project-to-build-bridge-to-Crimea.html
“Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed an order Monday to construct a bridge linking Russia to Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

The bridge would span the 4.5-kilometer Strait of Kerch, which separates Ukraine and Russia, an estimated $3-billion project that has been under discussion for a decade.”

[annalex]

There was actual inter-ethnic violence in Kosovo for a long time till the West called for independence and eventually acted militarily. Kosovo is a poor excuse for Putin to insert his troops in Crimea:

• No large scale violence against Russians;
• No international support for the invasion;
• No national insignia on the occupants indicates the occupants themselves do not view themselves as being there legally