Murder in Mariupol: Putin's forces reject cease fire, bomb Ukrainian city. Warning Graphic

[uhnope]

A deadly rocket attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been met with widespread international condemnation. This has led to renewed calls for Moscow to stop supporting the pro-Russia separatists.
...
The Kyiv government and the pro-Russia rebels have blamed the shelling on each other, but investigators from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), who rushed to the scene shortly afterwards, concluded that the attack had been launched from the east and northeast of the city - territory controlled by the separatists.
...
(Russian-separatist leader) Zakharchenko had earlier rejected the ceasefire agreement which was signed in Minsk last September but has been repeatedly violated.

http://www.dw.de/international-condemnation-over-shelling-of-ukraines-mariupol/a-18213310

[Duckhunter935]

1. all I can say is fucked up

[freshwest]

2. Ruthless expansion by well-armed forces. Who would have thought they'd end up this way.

[newthinking]

3. What do you expect when Kiev has been openly declaring that they are readying for new offensives?

Typical neocon thinking (neocons think only threats and violence work) that threatening offensives will lead to peace.

If they were bluffing (which is doubtful) only neocons think that this kind of rhetoric would work.

All the facts line up that Ukraine was indeed readying for major offensives and really only intended to hold off as long as they were still not ready. The actions of the rebels are completely logical.

So, instead of talking about who is the better combatant, how about talking about how we deescelate? Or do you think that it is better that people there die in mass if it means that Ukraine eventually "wins". I tend to think that most people ultimately give a shit less whether it ends up as Ukraine, Donbass, or Russia, as long as they live. I would prefer to live and save my energy for making change afterwards and hopefully not sacrafice my friends and family (and freinds and family on both sides).

War begets war.

Fuck, what happened to the peace movement anyway. Is it now partisan?

[uhnope]

5. this has got to be the most deluded post of 2015 so far

[Duckhunter935]

6. yes, they did not attack

so we must. Ukraine is having a hell of an offensive by losing lots of ground. Debaltseve is next to fall in the big Ukrainian offensive.

[newthinking]

7. Oleksandr Turchynov (Fundamentalist minister and head of defense) - 3 waves of mobilization

Oleksandr Turchynov
December 17th

"Ukraine needs a strong army, so with the New Year the authorities to carry out three waves of mobilization", announced Secretary of the National Security and Defense of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov. "In 2015, all those who would not be willing to sign a contract for continued services will gradually retire from the Armed Forces and the National Guard, at the
same time, because we can not leave the army without the soldiers, it is planned in 2015 to hold three waves of mobilization "- he said The first wave will begin January 20, the second will be held in April, the third - in July. The term of military service will increase to one and a half years (until then recruits served in the army a year). Earlier, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at a meeting of the National Security Council, said on Saturday of a need of new partial mobilization in the coming year, and Turchynov promised that through conscription for military service in the army will be held rotation and created an efficient provision of no less than 100 thousand people.

[newthinking]

8. 1-18-2015 Ukrainian Leadership Decides in Favor of War

Not exactly a secret: Just not generally covered by our press.

Ukrainian Leadership Decides in Favor of War

http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2015/01/18/ukrainian-leadership-decides-in-favor-of-war.html


back print

WORLD
Ukrainian Leadership Decides in Favor of War
Pavel DMITRIEV | 18.01.2015 | 00:21

Has the countdown to the second Ukrainian War been launched? Or, perhaps, the second Ukrainian War has already been started? Anyway the cease-fire is broken. The Ukraine’s government frustrated the plans to hold another meeting of the Minsk contact group on January 16. Ukraine keeps on provoking the further aggravation of the situation – the Donetsk airport fighting has become more intense recently. The Kiev-based regime is launching a large-scale offensive against the Donetsk and Luhansk republics along the entire front line.

Direct talks between Kiev and the Donbass republics could have reduced tensions but Ukraine flatly rejects such an idea. The economic situation is getting worse to make stronger the temptation to play the winner takes it all game and try to force the insurgents into submission. The Ukraine rulers realize that a political settlement will take power away from them. Ukraine is hard set for money, the International Monetary Fund has suspended granting loans, and no credits are to come from other international organizations. The growing taxes are becoming a heavy burden for common people. The approved budget will inevitably disbalance the economy to expand strong but limited in scope local actions into mass protests. Under the circumstances a war is viewed by the Ukraine’s ruling circles as the lesser evil. The people’s mobilization against the outside threat will quell the protest movement for some time. The Ukrainian Neo-Nazi are ready to lead the protests. They have armed formations with seasoned fighters in the ranks, they exert influence on security agencies and they have prepared plans to take the power. The Neo-Nazi strongly support the continuation of war. Dmitriy Yarosh, the leader of Far-Right Ukrainian Militant Group called Pravy Sector, has emphasized that «the patriots will not stand in the way of people as they overthrow the government» but it’s not a priority as long as the war is on. That’s exactly what the ruling circles need at the moment. They have armed the radicals now viewed as a threat to their rule. The war is the better choice. No matter great hardships, the new political entities in the east are gradually improving. They set an example for other regions to make them want more power as the Kiev-initiated partial decentralization process is making progress. All these factors will benefit the Ukrainian government unless its forces suffer defeat again like they did in August, 2014. It looks more and more probable that the Ukrainian rulers want the West to take the renewed fighting as fait accompli hoping it will offer substantial military aid. Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili advocates such policy. He has strong influence on the Ukrainian government. Some members of his team are offered to join the Ukrainian cabinet setting an example of outside governance. The Georgian-US lobby in Kiev is inspired by the US Ukraine Freedom Support Act signed into law by President Obama in December. Actually the new law is nothing else but the declaration of war on Russia.

Some say that there are two parties in Kiev. One is the party of war to include Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Oleksandr Turchynov, the Secretary of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Sergei Pashinsky, the head of parliamentary committee for defense and national security, other members of parliament and commanders of punishers’ battalions. This party is opposed by the party of peace. Not exactly so - today it’s impossible to belong to the political elite being a member of the party of peace. These two things are incompatible. The party of peace (journalists believe that President Petro Poroshenko belongs to this group) actually stands for a military solution. The differences are purely tactical - the parties have different views on how to quell the popular uprising in the east.

[PatrynXX]

4. ended up watching a frontline thing on this from last year

up to now I thought Right Sector was a Neo Nazi group. Technically it isn't. They owe their history to a man who supported hitler who betrayed him. So he became anti Russian and anti Nazi. I'm not sure if I agree with them but common history basically states that it took two evils to make things level. So in a weird way via Star Wars. The emperor (Hitler) was taken out by Darth Vader (Stalin) and Stalin didn't last long after that. The only places I've figured where actual neo nazi's are .... is in the east.... The former President did not do shit about Nazi's in the east possibly setting this up. Neo Nazi's can't be found much in the west.