News from the Ukraine

Ukraine's Military Mobilizes, Prepares For Combat: Trucks, APCs, SAMs, Tanks Rolling Out

Zero Hedge,

Did somebody say de-escalation?

Earlier today, photos were distributed showing the latest military convoy reinforcements heading into the Crimea, accompanies by a Police car demonstrating Moscow license plate numbers, most likely providing further support to the pro-Russian forces in the peninsula.










Supposedly the trucks are carrying troops to reinforces the members of the new Crimean army, pictured below:


While at the same time along the makeshift border between Crimea and the mainland, the Pro-Russian forces are putting down minefields.



However, the Ukrainians, having already been mobilized for over a week, finally appear set to seize back the offensive:

The first clip below captured the 80th Airborne Regiment out of Lviv moving out, direction mainland, preparing to repel foreign attack.

The next video shows what are allegedly Buk SAM batteries deployed in the Donetsk region, a city in Eastern Ukraine which in the past week has swayed between Ukraine and Russian authority.



The clip below shows the 95th Airborne brigade also moving out of their barracks in Zhytomyr in western Ukraine, heading East, with an impressive deployment of trucks and APCs

152mm Automatic installations on the move to Crimea

Finally, 20 T-64 tanks preparing to depart in Bila Tserkva, a city in central Ukraine:

Ukraine Fascists Seize Russian Embassy In Kiev

Maidan activists take Russian Embassy in Kiev under control

Pan African News,

7 March, 2014

pravda.ru

Representatives of the "self-defense of Maidan" took the building of the Russian embassy in Kiev under control, Ukrainian media say. The activists reportedly stand against the invasion of the Russian army in the Crimea.

Hundreds of Kiev residents picketed the Russian Embassy last week demanding to stop aggression on the territory of Ukraine.

Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held an operational meeting with members of the Russian Security Council. As president's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, the meeting discussed the situation in Ukraine, including the decision of the Supreme Council of the Crimea to join the Russian Federation.

On March 1, Crimea's new prime minister asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to ensure peace in the country. The same day, the Federation Council approved the address from the Russian president to deploy a limited contingent of Russian troops in the Crimea in order to protect the population of the peninsula.

A little later, press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the president had not made the decision to deploy Russian troops in the Crimea. It was purely a prerogative of the president, Peskov said.

Putin later said that he was not planning to deploy troops to Ukraine. In addition, he denied reports saying that Russian troops blocked a range of strategic facilities on the peninsula.

Federation Council and State Duma support Crimea's decision to join Russia

07.03.2014 13:36

pravda.ru

Russia's Federation Council will support Crimea's decision to join Russia, if the people of the Crimea vote for this in a referendum, speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament, Valentina Matvienko, said on March 7th at a meeting with a delegation of the Supreme Council of the Crimea, Vesti reports.

"The right of nations to self-determination has not been canceled," - she said. Matvienko emphasized that this is an international practice, referring to the referendum in Scotland.

She also expressed her belief that would never be war between Russia and Ukraine. "It is complete nonsense that they say that the people of Ukraine will go to war with Russia. There will never be any war between our nations," said Matvienko.

Earlier, representatives of the Supreme Council of Crimea held a meeting with members of the lower house of the Russian parliament. The State Duma promised to promptly take all necessary decisions to provide citizens of the Crimea with all rights of Russian citizens, if citizens of the republic vote to become a part of the Russian Federation in a referendum.

"To support the Crimea is a priority for State Duma deputies," said House Speaker Sergei Naryshkin. "Russia will support the "free and democratic choice of the people of the Crimea," he said.

"The Crimea is historically, culturally and spiritually has been and remains an inseparable part of our great Russian civilization," vice-speaker of the State Duma, deputy secretary of the General Council of United Russia, Sergei Zheleznjak said. "I can already say that the vast majority of Russian citizens are enthusiastic and proud to accept the decisions that the Supreme Council of the Crimea takes," said the parliamentarian.

On March 6, the Supreme Council of the Crimea decided to join Russia as a subject of the Russian Federation. This question will be put to a referendum on the status of the Crimea. The vote will be held on March 16.

The same day, residents of the city of Sevastopol will hold a referendum about a possible move for the city to join the Russian Federation.

Gregor Peter ‏@L0gg0l  5h

Kerry to Lavrov: Any further escalation along with Crimea annexetion would close channel to diplomacy, urges utmost restraint