Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Ukraine: Critcal Crossroads

Ukraine made progress with Europe.  They signed into law several necessary steps for visa free travel!  Huzzah!  They also signed the deal for $1.37 billion worth of aid. 

Mariupol seems to have been retaken and the Little Green Men driven out.

It appears - and this can change at any moment - the Ukrainians are successfully containing the insurgency to the Donbass.

Unfortunately, things have not gone well or, perhaps wisely, otherwise.

A clash outside of Slavyansk left 7 Ukrainian soldiers dead and six more badly wounded.

Also in Slavyansk, the LGM are seizing apartments.

Debaltsevo, smack between Lugansk and Donetsk on the M03 highway, has been seized.  I'd expect Krasnyi Luch to be next.  The M03, as I have said before, is something to watch.

In Gorlovka, the Russians (and, yes, they are Russians) are running amok and pillaging individual houses.  This is from personal sources in the area.  The home invasions also include murdering the occupants and raping as well.  

Inexplicably, the Ukrainians - rumor has it - have shut off the water to Crimea.  This is provided in large part from the mainland.  I cannot fathom what they hope to accomplish.  A tit for tat for the gas which is about to be shut off?

The Europeans have placed more sanctions on Russia.

On the 'huh' side, Biden's son has joined the board of directors for NAFTOGAZ.  ?!?!

The Russians have retaliated at the Americans: the rocket engines which we have been using in the Atlas V and Antares rockets since the 1990s can no longer be sold to the US.  GPS ground stations will be shut down in Russia unless GLONASS ground stations will be allowed in the US.  The Russians will no longer participate in the international space station after 2020.  The implied threat is they will withdraw sooner and cut the Americans and possibly the rest of world off from the space station.

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