The Next Flashpoint: Transnistria

Transnistria is a semi-autonomous region of ethnic Russians in Moldova. It is governed de facto by the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic. but lacks international recognition.  In 2006, the region held a referendum on independence and joining Russia, which was unrecognized by the international community and Moldova. While the international community may shy away from this region, the PMR has its own institutions and paramilitary forces. According to the BBC, “It has its own currency, constitution, parliament, flag and anthem.” The region is dominated by industrial manufacturing and Russian speaking elites. Most of the media is dominated by these elites and the PMR. Furthermore, Russian troops have dabbled in the area since the dismantling of the U.S.S.R.

BBC. “Trans-Dniester Profile.” October 17, 2013. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18284837

Boonstra, Jos. “Moldova, Transnistria, and European Democracy.” FRIDE. February  1, 2007. http://www.fride.org/publication/130/moldova,-transnistria-and-european-democracy-policies

Daskalovski, Zhidas. “Moldova vs. Trans-Dniester.” American University in Bulgaria. http://ewwg.vlamynck.eu/cst/cst-mold/trans.html

Dnienster Post. “2.09.2010. Military Parade in Pridnestrovie.” Youtube. September 2, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S9taXfPkMA

The Economist. The Black Hole That Ate Moldova.” A Glimpse inside Transdniestria.” May 3, 2007. http://www.economist.com/node/9116439

Maksymiuk, Jan. “Moldova: Transdniester Conflict Was Long in the Making.” RFE. September 15, 2006. http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1071378.html

Reeve, Simon. “Places That Don’t Exist: Trans-Dniester.” Youtube. Four Parts. March 11, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmrLbTHBV3s

RT. “Transdniester celebrates 20th anniversary of de facto independence.” Youtube. September 2, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJro6NoGGeE

Wikimedia Commons. “Atlas of Pridnestrovie.” http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Atlas_of_Transnistria

Private Military Companies around the World and in Ukraine

 

Agenda NWO. “UKRAINE CRISIS – USA Military BLACKWATER Mercenaries Reported in Eastern UKRAINE.” Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnF-Wz_tahE

Cain, Phil. “Eastern Europe’s Private Armies.” Global Post August 21, 2010. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/europe/100722/europe-private-security-companies

The Economist. “Private Military Companies: Who Dares Profits.” May 18, 2006. http://www.economist.com/node/6950372

Gayle, Damien. “Has Blackwater Been Deployed to Ukraine?” U.K. Daily Mail. March 8, 2014. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2576490/Are-Blackwater-active-Ukraine-Videos-spark-talk-U-S-mercenary-outfit-deployed-Donetsk.html

Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform. “Topic Guide: Private Military Companies.” http://www.ssrnetwork.net/topic_guides/pmcs.php

McKenna, Luke and Robert Johnson. “A Look at the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Armies.” Business Insider. February 26, 2012. http://www.businessinsider.com/bi-mercenary-armies-2012-2?op=1

Rogin, Josh. “Exclusive: Russian ‘Blackwater’ Takes over Ukrainian Airport.” The Daily Beast. February 28, 2014. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/28/exclusive-russian-blackwater-takes-over-ukraine-airport.html

ETNIKA documentary film: Multinational Ukraine – The Voices of Homeland

A good video on the different ethnic minorities in Ukraine.

Voices of Ukraine

A film that tells the tales of the Crimean Karaites, the Crimean Tatars, and the Ukrainian Gypsys.

Der Film wurde auch auf Deutsch veröffentlicht: siehe hier.

These days, the whole world is looking at Ukraine – a country little known and often misunderstood and, unfortunately, also subjected to slander by a certain neighbouring country’s propaganda apparatus.

ETNIKA is a creative film studio from Kyiv, Ukraine. Since 2004, they have produced a veritable number of documentaries on topics from Ukrainian history, culture, architecture, ethnos, sciences, and more. Etnika wants to make their contribution to show you Ukraine as it is, as we know it and love it: as a united nation with a turbulent history, rich cultural traditions and home to a variety of ethnic groups, who have been living together in peace and tolerance throughout all of Ukraine’s history as an independent state.

This is why they have decided to…

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Three days in the life of Ukrainian marines in Feodosia (photo story)

Great photo op from the front!

Voices of Ukraine

Crimean Conflict

By Konstantin Sova
14.03.2014  16:15  gordonua.com
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine
Source: http://gordonua.com/news/crimea/Tri-dnya-iz-zhizni-ukrainskih-morpehov-v-Feodossii-Fotoreportazh-13932.html

Photographer Konstantin Sova spent March 10 through 12 in a blocked military unit in Feodosia, Ukraine. For several weeks, Ukrainian marines have stood their guard and refused to cross over to the Russian side.

Today 16:15 Photos: Battle of the Ukraine / Facebook

Russian Command of Southern Military District  has repeatedly issued ultimatums to the Ukrainian marines in Feodosia, but the marines have never broken their oath to the people of Ukraine.

PHOTO GALLERY (1 of 32):

RELATED INFORMATION:

Former Marine Supports His Battalion Blocked by Russian Troops, Feodosia, Crimea (March 8, 2014):

Ukrainian marines protect themselves from provocateurs avoiding bloodshed in Feodosia, Ukraine:

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INVASION OF CRIMEA – March 14, 2014 – SUMMARY

“It looks like we’re once again turning into a bargaining chip in a big game between Uncle Barack [Omaba] and Uncle Vova [Vladimir Putin].”

Voices of Ukraine

Source: Dmitry Tymchuk, Information Resistance

Information Resistance

14.03.2014
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

Brothers and sisters, here is the summary for March 14, 2014 (for summary from the previous day, see Summary of March 13).

The bad news:

1. Russia is clearly playing the “South-Eastern card.” Before, we had hope that they were only testing the waters – “if we pull it off, great; if we don’t, we won’t cry about it.” Now, we can be sure that inhabitants of the Kremlin won’t stop at Crimea.

Today, the reaction of the SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] and the MIA [Ministry of Internal Affairs] to recent events in Donetsk is of paramount importance. If they can act quickly and manage to hold a proverbial “public flogging” as a response to the clashes, as early as tomorrow, then the situation can still be reigned in. Seeing the organizers…

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Dmitry Tymchuk: Russian invasion of the southeastern part of Ukraine

The real question is how far Putin will go – just the Crimea or all Russian ethno-nationalist areas in Ukraine.

Voices of Ukraine

Information Resistance

Dmitry Tymchuk, Information Resistance
March 14, 2014
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine
Source: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152261745025801&id=635416686497814

After today’s statement from Moscow about their “readiness to protect Donetsk” from some “radical Right groups” the puzzle pieces came together in one picture. The geopolitical sociopath Putin has practically announced that after Crimea, [he] will lay his hands on all of the southeast of Ukraine.

I naively believed earlier that Ukraine has three choices: lose Crimea, lose the Southeast, as well as to lose independence and sovereignty. I was wrong. There are only two options according to the Kremlin: either give [us] half of Ukraine, or Putin will take Ukraine in its entirety.

At the same time, we have repeatedly pointed out that Kherson oblast [region] is the key to Crimea. Water, electricity, and gas are all transported through it [Kherson] into the Autonomous Republic of Crimea [ARC]. Without Kherson in…

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Who is Responsible for the State of the Ukrainian Army?

From Soviet juggernaut to non-aligned skeleton force…

Voices of Ukraine

Information Resistance

Dmitry Tymchuk, Information Resistance
March 14, 2014
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine
Source: Facebook 

On the question of – who is to blame?

Admiral Tenyuh, head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, made a statement that the Ukrainian ground forces only have 6,000 combat-ready servicemen. That information came as a shock. Next, came a question – who is responsible for the fact that a state whose army was almost 800,000 strong in 1991, turned out to be one of the most helpless states in the world in 2014 (in terms of the ratio of combat-ready servicemen to total population)?

Let’s try to analyze this. In October of 1991, the Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian Parliament] set the prospective size of the army and the Navy at 450,000 people. This amounted to 1% of the population – according to international standards, this is the upper threshold, after…

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The Budapest Memorandum: Brother, Can You Spare a Security Assurance?

This article has further legal information on the Budapest Memorandum.

Euromaidan PR

By Mariana Budjeryn, Central European University

US President Clinton, Russian President Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Kravchuk after signing the Trilateral Statement in Moscow in January 1994 that became the basis for the Budapest Memorandum

As Russia invades Crimea and looks poised for more, politicians have dusted off the 1994 Budapest Memorandum and called on Russia to respect the security assurances it gave Ukraine in exchange for the latter’s denuclearization.  Yet what exactly are these security assurances worth and what mechanisms are available for their enactment?

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Once we do this … Putin is doomed

This article has the story of the two Russias: the security conscious hegemon and the humanist egalitarian.

Voices of Ukraine

Graffiti on wall in Kyiv. The graffiti on the right says: Ukraine above all! And on the left, Putin and Yanukovich’s mutual support actions throughout infinity are self-explanatory. Photo by Giles Clarke / Getty Images.

By Olex Ch
03.12.2014
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine
Source: https://www.facebook.com/olex.ches/posts/743398345670697?stream_ref=10

The things that I write probably would be worth writing in two languages [Russian and Ukrainian], but I will write only in Ukrainian. Because, first of all, we need to understand it ourselves. Only then can it be understood by someone else.

1. Putin and Maidan [Independence Square at the center of Kyiv, and the center of the Ukrainian revolution] are incompatible in one and the same time and space, because Maidan knocks all the ground out from under the feet of followers of the “Russian world.” There have always been two Russias: the Russia which is about the “brotherhood of nations” and…

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