Kiev Burning

Cerebus · June 11, 2015

Moscow Times: Report Names Birthplaces of Russian Soldiers 'Killed in Ukraine'

Activist website Open Russia has published a map detailing the birthplaces of all Russian soldiers believed to have died fighting in Ukraine in 2014, with the largest group reported to have come from Moscow.
The report is based on a list of names released in November by the Gruz-200 group, a pro-Ukrainian grassroots organization that used publicly available information to determine the number and identities of 227 men believed to have died fighting in Ukraine in 2014.
---
The soldiers' grave markers were removed after journalists began asking questions, and an attack on several journalists who went to Pskov to research the soldiers' deaths fueled further speculation of a cover-up.

Cerebus · June 17, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zssIFN2mso

FirefightnRick · June 17, 2015

Wow. That reporter has some nads. I suspect the soldier won't be around to comment for very much longer either once RF officials get wind of this?

Rick

All About UNT · June 18, 2015

Wow. That reporter has some nads. I suspect the soldier won't be around to comment for very much longer either once RF officials get wind of this?

Rick

I give him one week before he dies in a training exercise

All About UNT · June 18, 2015

Also I found that a new addition to the DPR Propaganda Team is actually from Austin and goes by the codename "Texas".

Good God this guy gives Texas a bad name.

Cerebus · June 18, 2015

Also I found that a new addition to the DPR Propaganda Team is actually from Austin and goes by the codename "Texas".

Soviet Era Romanticist from Texas? Has anyone noticed Screaming Eagle 66 doesn't post much anymore?

Cerebus · June 18, 2015

Sweden's The Local: Russia warns of 'risks' should Sweden join Nato

Nearly one in three Swedes think the country should join Nato, a major poll suggested last month, up from 29 percent of Swedes in 2013 and 17 percent in 2012.
The shift in public opinion is largely credited to a rising fear in the Nordic country of a potentially aggressive Russia. Sweden’s security service Säpo recently stated that the biggest intelligence threat against the Nordic country in 2014 came from its eastern neighbour.
---
However, he underlined that if Sweden were to abandon its alliance neutrality and join the Western military organization, Russia would adopt “counter measures”.
“I don't think it will become relevant in the near future, even though there has been a certain swing in public opinion. But if it happens there will be counter measures. Putin pointed out that there will be consequences, that Russia will have to resort to a response of the military kind and re-orientate our troops and missiles. The country that joins Nato needs to be aware of the risks it is exposing itself to,” he told DN.
---
In September 2014 two SU-24 fighter-bombers allegedly entered Swedish airspace in what the former Foreign Minister Carl Bildt called "the most serious aerial incursion by the Russians" in almost a decade.
The following month a foreign submarine was spotted in Swedish waters, although the Swedish military was unable to determine where it came from.
“I think that there is a new security situation in the Baltic area and in the Baltic Sea,” Sweden’s Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told The Local on the day the sighting was confirmed.

Cerebus · June 18, 2015

AP: US, EU ready tough Russia sanctions, in case they're needed

Determined to prevent another Moscow-led rebel advance, the United States and European governments have prepared a new round of penalties targeting Russia's energy and financial sectors as part of a sanctions-in-waiting strategy that officials hope will help the West respond immediately if insurgents push deeper into Ukraine.
The penalties could start with banning more Russian government officials and businessmen from traveling and doing business in the West, U.S. and European officials said. But they can climb dramatically to include new measures to crimp the country's all-important fuel exports, cut Russian banks off from international financial transactions and severely limit the capacity of Russian businesses to engage in lucrative business deals overseas.

This is big. O&G exports make up 50% of the Russian governments total revenue.

The guiding principles of any future sanctions, officials said, are that they hurt Russia more than the U.S. or any individual European economy; be relatively easy to establish; and prove sustainable and enforceable.
---
The energy measures could include restrictions on business related to natural gas exploration or equipment for drilling and transporting so-called "tight oil," which Russia wants to tap into to expand business in Asia at a time when European countries have reduced their purchases of Russian energy by 30 percent.
At the higher end of the spectrum for more serious violations, officials said, are more severe financial sanctions that include cutting some Russian banks off from the SWIFT system used by much of the world for international money transfers — a weapon previously deployed against Iran because of its disputed nuclear program.

Cerebus · June 19, 2015

Cerebus · June 19, 2015

Cerebus · June 19, 2015

Cerebus · June 19, 2015

Cerebus · June 19, 2015

Interesting note. In the second video you can see a Russian in the crowd wearing the Stars and Bars:

Why? The "New Russia Movement" has started using it, sometimes with and sometimes without the 13 stars as their banner:

In case you think it's just a flag that happens to look like the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, they also call it "Ukrainian Dixie flag".

Here it is on a separatist tank in Eastern Ukraine:

Here it is in Ukraine with other separatists flags:

You can even buy it as a pin, crossed with the Ukrainian flag:

Edited June 19, 2015 by Cerebus
Forgot to attach one of the photos.

Cerebus · June 20, 2015

One more from the second video:

Edited June 20, 2015 by Cerebus

Cerebus · August 7, 2015

Ok, not a lot to post lately, since the who situation has devolved into "The Same Fucking Awful It Was Yesterday" for several months. However somethign happened yesterday that is actually highly noteworthy.

Guardian: France looking for warship buyers after cancelling Mistral deal with Russia

France is looking for a buyer for two Mistral helicopter carriers after cancelling a controversial €1.2bn (£840m) deal with Russia.
---
The 180-metre, 22,000-tonne Mistral-class vessels are capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing craft, 60 armoured vehicles, 13 battle tanks and as many as to 700 soldiers for up to six months. It is also fitted out with a command and control centre and a military hospital. Russia had taken out an option on two more Mistral craft.

All About UNT · August 7, 2015

Ok, not a lot to post lately, since the who situation has devolved into "The Same Fucking Awful It Was Yesterday" for several months. However somethign happened yesterday that is actually highly noteworthy.
Guardian: France looking for warship buyers after cancelling Mistral deal with Russia

That order was custom made for a Russian Navy not capable of producing modern Amphibious Assault Ships through their own depleted shipyard capabilities. I can only see France taking a major wash on the deal and these wind up collecting a ton of dust before a serious discount is placed on them and sold to Japan or possibly China.

Cerebus · August 8, 2015

That order was custom made for a Russian Navy not capable of producing modern Amphibious Assault Ships through their own depleted shipyard capabilities. I can only see France taking a major wash on the deal and these wind up collecting a ton of dust before a serious discount is placed on them and sold to Japan or possibly China.

I think the US will broker a sweetheart deal for Japan to get these ships. Japan wants to grow in force projection in relation to China, the US also really wants that. If it's a matter of budget, the US will figure out how to make it work in the wash.

Quoner · August 8, 2015

Definitely would jive well with the V-22 sale the US just brokered for Japan

All About UNT · August 8, 2015

I think the US will broker a sweetheart deal for Japan to get these ships. Japan wants to grow in force projection in relation to China, the US also really wants that. If it's a matter of budget, the US will figure out how to make it work in the wash.

My thoughts as well. It has been strange to see Japan's defensive minded only doctrine change in recent years.

BeanCounterGrad'03 · October 10, 2015

Just watched "Winter On Fire" documentary on Netflix...amazing! A must watch for anyone even remotely interested in what went on in Kiev in the first 93 days that started this conflict.

Cerebus · January 6, 2016

RIGZONE: Cheniere Starts Producing at Shale Gas Export Terminal

Quote

Cheniere Energy Inc. began production at what will become the first terminal to export natural gas from America’s shale formations, according to ING Capital LLC, which helped finance the project.

---

The start at Sabine Pass paves the way for other planned liquefied natural gas terminals that are projected to turn the U.S. into one of the world’s largest suppliers. The country may be capable of exporting 7.76 billion cubic feet of gas a day by 2019, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis shows.

---

With gas demand in parts of Asia weakening, U.S. suppliers are turning their attention to Europe as their primary market.

Very important development as Ukraine is dependent on Russian gas imports for 60% of their needs. Other allies are also heavily dependent , including the Czech Republic (81%), Poland (54%), Turkey (53%), Austria (52%),and Germany (40%). Western Eurpope already has significant LNG gas ports ready to receive American fuel because Norway and Algeria already import gas into the region. Royal Dutch Shell has already set aside billions to expand LNG import facilities.

Like we have talked about before, Putin rules by paying people off. Most of the money to do that comes from GAZPROM. Russia exports 80% of its gas to Western Europe, 20% to Central Europe, they literally have no other infrastructure setup to deliver NG. In 2014 that came to 28.7B m³to Central Europe and 117.9B m³to Western Europe. Not only is this a huge source of income, but being able to turn off the taps gives them huge sociopolitical leverage.

If by 2019 the US can deliver 80B m³ to Euope then Putin suddenly finds himself very short of cash and unable to bully Europe into compliance.

On 8/8/2015 at 10:49 AM, Cerebus said:

I think the US will broker a sweetheart deal for Japan to get these ships. Japan wants to grow in force projection in relation to China, the US also really wants that. If it's a matter of budget, the US will figure out how to make it work in the wash.

Turns out those ships are heading to Egypt. The reaction in security circles can pretty much be summed up as "What the hell is Egypt going to do with those ships?" I guess if the check clears, the check clears.

Cerebus · January 22, 2016

BBC: President Putin 'probably' approved Litvinenko murder

Quote

The long-awaited report into Mr Litvinenko's death found that two Russian men - Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun - deliberately poisoned the 43-year-old in London in 2006 by putting the radioactive substance polonium-210 into his drink at a hotel.

Sir Robert Owen, the public inquiry chairman, said he was "sure" Mr Litvinenko's murder had been carried out by the two men and that they were probably acting under the direction of Moscow's FSB intelligence service, and approved by the organisation's chief, Nikolai Patrushev, as well as the Russian president.

He said Mr Litvinenko's work for British intelligence agencies, his criticism of the FSB and Mr Putin, and his association with other Russian dissidents were possible motives for his killing.

---

The use of polonium-210 was "at the very least a strong indicator of state involvement" as it had to be made in a nuclear reactor, the report said.

I put this in this thread because I think it is a display of how much Western/Russian relations have broken down. The fact is that as soon as polonium-210 was discovered to be the reason of death it has been well know that only Russia could have been behind it. However, the US and other western government had downplayed it as much as possible because they didn't want to damage relations. Things have now changed.

PS: Is anyone reading this still?

FirefightnRick · January 22, 2016

I am. And thanks for continuing the reports.

Rick

THOR · January 22, 2016

2 hours ago, Cerebus said:

BBC: President Putin 'probably' approved Litvinenko murder

I put this in this thread because I think it is a display of how much Western/Russian relations have broken down. The fact is that as soon as polonium-210 was discovered to be the reason of death it has been well know that only Russia could have been behind it. However, the US and other western government had downplayed it as much as possible because they didn't want to damage relations. Things have now changed.

PS: Is anyone reading this still?

have you read "once upon a time in russia"? it deals with putin's coming to power and a whole bunch of other crazy russian junk...i want to say something about this was in that book...or maybe i'm making things up. even if this isn't in the book, read it...it's bueno...thanks for the continued updates