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As for the EU, pathetic. Children trying to pretend they are playing with the big boys. Index of Frank's Diaries
But I agree. Talk of war over Eastern Ukraine, never mind Crimea is very far fetched. Index of Frank's Diaries
Of course, to get from there to nuclear war would require something like Poland joining the war on Ukraine's side (which is insane even by the standards of the lunatics running the show in Warsaw) and the French or Americans deciding to back Poland. Which would be out of the question unless Russia were to actually cross the border and not withdraw. Which would have been unusually stupid of Putin.
- Jake Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.
Ukrainian serviceman killed in Crimea - Europe - Al Jazeera English
A Ukrainian serviceman has been killed in an attack at a military facility in the Crimean capital Simferopol, the defence ministry has said. Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan, reporting from Kiev, said news of the soldier's death had been received with "shock" and that Tuesday's attack had escalated the situation, which he said was "hugely tense". Our correspondent said Ukrainian authorities described the dead soldier as a warrant officer, but a Crimean news agency, which cited a source in Ukraine's interior ministry, called the victim a self-defence fighter. It said self-defence fighters were shot by a sniper from an uncompleted building opposite a Ukrainian military base, which is flying a Russian flag. The defence ministry described those behind the attack in the peninsula as "armed masked men".
So it is not so much if Kiev - as in the cabinet - had acted differently, but if Ukrainian military had acted differently. Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se
I do however agree that one of the key points that gets too little play in the discussion of Russian and NATO options is the stance of the Ukrainian military. Or lack thereof as it were. Would they shoot western paratroopers? Presumably that's what the upper officers were trained to do. Would they follow orders? Disintegrate without a shot being fired? Split?
Bekannt wurde unterdessen, dass Kommandanten ukrainischer Kriegsschiffe auf der Krim sich dem Befehl der Übergangsregierung in Kiew widersetzten, ihre Waffen zur Verteidigung einzusetzen. Der ukrainische Verteidigungsminister Igor Tenjuch sagte am Sonntag in Kiew, Russland sei es ,,trotz des Befehls an alle Kommandanten, Waffen einzusetzen", gelungen, die Schiffe zu übernehmen. ,,Bedauerlicherweise" hätten die Kommandanten selbst über ihr Vorgehen entschieden, sagte er.
I read that as a refusal to obey orders, but I could be wrong. In general, the position of the Ukrainian military is crucial and very little is known so the few datapoints can be interpreted in different ways. Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se
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