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As Noam Chomsky has pointed out many times the Powers -that-be, especially the liberals cannot stand grassroots democracy. Never mind that the referendum reflects the will of the people - it is unacceptable. The people simply voted for the 'wrong' thing.
Ukraine's
Donetsk region asking to join Russia, separatist leader says
Request
comes just two hours after referendum results show 90% voted for
independence from Ukraine
RT,
12
May, 2014
The
"People's Republic of Donetsk" declared itself an
independent country on Monday afternoon, and within two hours of
doing so had asked to join Russia. Separatist leader Denis Pushilin
told journalists that the self-proclaimed republic would ask Moscow
to consider absorbing the region, which borders Russia, into its
fold.
But
it remains extremely doubtful whether Moscow will carry out a
Crimea-style annexation of the region, which together with
neighbouring Luhansk held a controversial referendum on independence
on Sunday.
According
to results announced by the de facto authorities in Donetsk and
Luhansk – which also declared independence from Ukraine on Monday –
about 90% and 96% respectively voted for state sovereignty. The
referendums – which Kiev has dismissed as illegitimate – were
hastily organised and marked by numerous violations.
The
results were roundly condemned in the west, but Russia said it
respected the results. However, instead of previous statements saying
it would protect people in the regions with troops if need be, the
Kremlin called for dialogue between the government in Kiev and the
south-east regions of the country, suggesting that a Crimea-style
annexation of the region for Moscow is not on the cards.
"In
Moscow, we respect the will of the people of the Donetsk and Luhansk
regions and are counting on practical implementation of the outcome
of the referendum in a civilised manner, without any repeat of
violence and through dialogue," the Kremlin said in a statement.
In
a press conference in Moscow the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov,
read out the Kremlin statement and added that only Russian television
channels were telling "the truth in real time" about the
crisis, whereas western news outlets were hiding the real causes.
Lavrov
made no mention of the controversy surrounding the referendum, merely
noting the "high voting activity" of the population despite
attempts from Kiev to disrupt the vote. He said no new international
talks were planned on Ukraine.
Ukraine's
acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, told the country's parliament:
"The farce which terrorists call the referendum will have no
legal consequences except the criminal responsibility for its
organisers."
The
Kremlin has called the new government in Kiev "neo-fascist"
and Kiev has accused Russia of organising the separatist movement by
providing weapons and tactical advice. Nevertheless, the Russian
president, Vladimir Putin, last week asked the separatists to delay
their referendum, a call that was ignored but appeared to be an
attempt to distance Russia from the vote.
There
were a number of irregularities with the count and procedure, and it
seems unlikely that the figures announced are an accurate reflection
of views in the region, with most of those who disagreed with the
proposition staying at home.
Nevertheless,
there has been an increasing mood of defiance, especially as a
Ukrainian army operation against the armed separatists resulted in
multiple casualties. It is hard to judge how many people support the
armed takeover of government buildings and attempts to separate from
Ukraine, but feelings are running high.
The
referendum question was worded ambiguously, appearing to offer state
sovereignty for the Donetsk and Luhansk "people's republics".
Roman Lyagin, head of the de facto central election committee in
Donetsk, said before the vote that nothing would change in terms of
state borders as a result of the vote.
He
said that in future the region would be free to decide whether to
stay within Ukraine, become independent or join Russia. In the end,
it apparently took just two hours to make the decision, apparently
making a mockery of what voters had been told in the run-up.
In
Luhansk, separatists announced that over 96% of ballots had been cast
in favour of the independence of the region from Ukraine.
"Congratulations
on the birth of the Luhansk republic," said Vasily Nikitin,
deputy head of the separatist movement in the region. "We are
now preparing an appeal to the UN and international community asking
them to recognise us."
Nikitin
said that the constitution of the new "country" was almost
ready, and added that its residents would not participate in
Ukrainian presidential elections planned for 25 May. Donetsk's de
facto authorities have also said they will not allow voting in the
elections. A key demand of Moscow has been to postpone the elections,
in which businessman Petro Poroshenko is the leading contender.
In
Luhansk, resident Anatoliy Sukharev, 80, approached Nikitin and asked
whether there would be a second referendum on joining Russia.
"What
is next? When are we going to have this referendum?" he asked.
Nikitin said a second referendum would happen, but the republic
needed to "organise as a country" first.
But
for many Ukraine-oriented residents, recent events have been a
tragedy.
"My
father is a businessman, now he is trying to sell all his businesses
here before moving away. Many people I know have already left,"
said Olesia, 20, who refused to give her last name fearing
retribution.
"I
can love Luhansk only if it is a Ukrainian Luhansk," she said.
The
eastern regions are entering an uncertain situation, with tension and
anger running high on both sides. Ukrainian army and affiliated
paramilitary units killed unarmed civilians in Mariupol last week and
in Krasnoarmeisk during the voting on Sunday. For their part, the
rebels in Donetsk have taken hostages among pro-Ukraine activists and
been accused of torture.
It
is unclear whether either side is ready for talks. With a number of
armed gangs in the region, there is every danger not only of conflict
with Kiev forces, but also that it slips into violent chaos.
Kremlin-linked
MP Vyacheslav Nikonov said on Russian television that the Ukrainian
military operation in eastern Ukraine represented "genuine
fascism" and said that "the residents of Luhansk and
Donetsk deserve no less support from us, indeed they deserve much
more support from us, than the residents of Crimea."
However,
he added that Moscow would have to weight the "economic,
political, and military risks" before deciding whether it should
absorb the regions.
Gazprom,
Russia's state energy company, also told Ukraine that it had to pay a
$3.5bn (£2bn) gas debt, as well as pay in advance for deliveries in
June, or supplies would be cut off.
The
EU was due to announce on Monday that two Crimean companies and 13
further Russian officials would be subject to sanctions over Moscow's
actions in Ukraine. The EU has targeted a number of officials but the
sanctions have been far narrower than US sanctions over Ukraine.
Referendum
results in Donetsk and Lugansk Regions show landslide support for
self-rule
Request
comes just two hours after referendum results show 90% voted for
independence from Ukraine
RT,
12
May, 2014
Follow
RT's LIVE
UPDATES on
Eastern Ukraine
Almost
90 percent of voters in Donetsk Region have endorsed political
independence from Kiev, the head of the Central Election Commission
of the self-proclaimed ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’, Roman
Lyagin, announced.
“Counting
the ballots proved to be surprisingly easy – the number of people
who said ‘no’ was relatively small and there appeared to be only
a tiny proportion of spoiled ballots, so we managed to carry out
counting quite fast. The figures are as follows: 89.07 percent voted
‘for’, 10.19 percent voted ‘against’ and 0.74 percent of
ballots were rendered ineligible,”
Lyagin told journalists.
In Lugansk Region 96.2 percent of voters supported the region’s self-rule, according to the final figures announced by the local election commission.
Despite
fears that amid Kiev’s intensified military crackdown – which
killed at least two civilians on referendum day – the turnout will
be low, in both of the region it was unexpectedly high. In Donetsk it
reached 74.87%, while in Lugansk the central election commission says
75% of eligible voters came to the polling stations.
With
such a huge turnout, the referendums have been recognized as valid by
both election commissions.
The
acting president of Ukraine, Aleksandr Turchinov, has condemned as a
“farce” referendums in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
“This
propaganda farce won’t have any legal consequences, except for
criminal charges for its organizers,”
Turchinov said, Interfax reported.
Following
the referendum, officials of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s
Republic have not ruled out that in case the situation in the region
deteriorates, they may have to request peacekeeping forces to be
deployed.
“We
will try to cope with it on our own; we don’t want this
confrontation to increase, especially on our territory,” Denis
Pushilin, co-chairman of the Donetsk People’s Republic, said. "If
the situation deteriorates, we reserve the right to ask for a
peacekeeping contingent,” he
added.
Pushilin
has also said that within hours the Donetsk People’s Republic may
decide if it is going to stay with Ukraine or not. The republic has
also decided not to take part in Ukraine’s presidential elections
on May 25, according to media reports.
The
referendums, according to Turchinov, were inspired by Russia to
“totally
destabilize the situation in Ukraine, disrupt the presidential
election and overthrow the Ukrainian government.”
Calling
the regional voting on self-determination illegal, Kiev sent its
recently formed paramilitary forces to Donetsk and Lugansk regions on
Sunday, in an apparent move to disrupt referendums.
As
armored military vehicles blocked passage to polling stations, voting
in four towns across Lugansk region was disrupted.
In the Donetsk town of Krasnoarmeysk, the National Guard shot at
a crowd and killed two civilians who were protesting their attempt to
seize a polling station.
Despite
fears that amid Kiev’s intensified military crackdown – which
killed at least two civilians on referendum day – the turnout will
be low, in both of the region it was unexpectedly high. In Donetsk it
reached 74.87%, while in Lugansk the central election commission says
75% of eligible voters came to the polling stations.
With
such a huge turnout, the referendums have been recognized as valid by
both election commissions.
The
acting president of Ukraine, Aleksandr Turchinov, has condemned as a
“farce” referendums in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
“This
propaganda farce won’t have any legal consequences, except for
criminal charges for its organizers,”
Turchinov said, Interfax reported.
Following
the referendum, officials of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s
Republic have not ruled out that in case the situation in the region
deteriorates, they may have to request peacekeeping forces to be
deployed.
“We
will try to cope with it on our own; we don’t want this
confrontation to increase, especially on our territory,” Denis
Pushilin, co-chairman of the Donetsk People’s Republic, said. "If
the situation deteriorates, we reserve the right to ask for a
peacekeeping contingent,” he
added.
Pushilin
has also said that within hours the Donetsk People’s Republic may
decide if it is going to stay with Ukraine or not. The republic has
also decided not to take part in Ukraine’s presidential elections
on May 25, according to media reports.
The
referendums, according to Turchinov, were inspired by Russia to
“totally
destabilize the situation in Ukraine, disrupt the presidential
election and overthrow the Ukrainian government.”
Calling
the regional voting on self-determination illegal, Kiev sent its
recently formed paramilitary forces to Donetsk and Lugansk regions on
Sunday, in an apparent move to disrupt referendums.
As
armored military vehicles blocked passage to polling stations, voting
inThe people’s governor of the Donetsk Region, Pavel Gubarev, told
journalists on Sunday that Donetsk and Lugansk will emerge as new
legal entities as a result of the referendum.
“The
referendum for us is about creating a new state paradigm,”
he said.
Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the people’s mayor of
Slavyansk, Donetsk Region, where some of the heaviest fighting
between Ukrainian troops and self-defense activists took place, said
the next step following the referendum would be developing closer
ties with Russia.
"Russia
is our brotherly nation, [we hope for] full interaction with Russia,
including entering the Customs Union,”
Ponomaryov said.
One
of the organizers of the referendum in Lugansk, Vasily Nikitin, told
journalists that the region will appeal to the United Nations to
recognize its independence, RIA Novosti reports. Nikitin also said
Lugansk was not going to take part in the Ukrainian presidential
election on May 25.
Moscow
hopes the results of the referendums in eastern Ukraine will
instigate dialogue between Kiev and the regions that voted in favor
of self-rule, according to the Kremlin’s press-service.
“Moscow
respects the will of the people in Donetsk and Lugansk and hopes that
the practical realization of the outcome of the referendums will be
carried out in a civilized manner, without resorting to violence,
through dialogue between representatives of Kiev, Donetsk and
Lugansk,”
the statement reads.
The
Kremlin says it welcomes all mediation efforts, including those by
the OSCE.
Spokesman
for the president, Dmitry Peskov earlier explained that Putin “did
not urge, but recommended”
that the votes be postponed. However, the spokesman says that “even
considering the authority of the Russian president,”
it was difficult for Donetsk and Lugansk authorities to follow his
recommendation amid Kiev's ongoing military crackdown.
Both
the EU and US have dismissed the ballots in eastern Ukraine as
illegal.
“If
these referenda go forward, they will violate international law and
the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The United States will not
recognize the results of these illegal referenda,”
US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement late
on Saturday.
The
European Union came up with a similar comment, adding that the
referendums ran counter to the Geneva agreement on de-escalation
reached by Ukraine, Russia, the EU and the United States last
month.
"The so-called referenda in ...
parts of Lugansk and Donetsk Regions were illegal and we do not
recognize the outcome. Those who organized the referenda have no
democratic legitimacy,"
Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine
Ashton, said in emailed comments to Reuters.
OSCE
Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss President Didier Burkhalter described
the referendums in eastern Ukraine as “incompatible
with the Ukrainian constitution and therefore illegal.”
“Such
provocative actions must be avoided,”
Burkhalter said at a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels on Monday.
Despite
the rejection of the referendums by Kiev and most Western countries,
it won’t be so easy to ignore the results, international affairs
expert Serdja Trifkovich believes.
“After
the referendum it will no longer be possible for the regime in Kiev
to say that they do not want to negotiate with the so-called
terrorists,”
Trifkovich told RT. “They
will be forced to acknowledge internally that they are facing the
level of agreement among the people in the eastern regions that will
prove it rather difficult to deal with by force.”
The CNN presstitutes are confused because they can't accept that Moscow has had a fairly consistent line throughout - if Moscow was 'orchestrating' the whole thing then it's response is 'puzzling'.
Ukraine's Donetsk region asking to join Russia, separatist leader says
CNN,
9
May, 2014
(CNN)
-- A separatist leader declared Monday that eastern Ukraine's Donetsk
region was not only independent, but also would ask to join Russia --
a day after referendum organizers claim voters in the region chose to
break away from Kiev.
Denis
Pushilin, self-declared leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, told
a crowd that no further referendum was needed to ask Russia to annex
it.
Pro-Russian
separatists held a referendum Sunday asking residents of the Donetsk
region whether it should declare independence from Ukraine. Nearly
90% of voters in the area favored secession, an election official
said Monday.
A
similar question was put to voters in Luhansk. Preliminary results
were expected Monday, officials said.
But
a new poll for CNN suggests that support for alliance with Russia is
much weaker than pro-Russian separatists say, even in the east.
Just
over a third (37%) of Ukrainians in three eastern regions favor an
alliance with Russia, while 14% of the region backs an alliance with
the European Union and about half (49%) say Ukraine would be better
off if it did not ally with either, the poll found.
"Eastern
Ukraine" includes the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv.
Neither
Ukraine's government nor the European Union immediately reacted to
Pushilin's overture to Russia, though both dismissed Sunday's votes.
Ukraine expats vote in
Moscow Some Ukraine voters seen voting twice Controversial vote in
eastern Ukraine
"This
propagandist farce will not have any legal consequences, only
criminal responsibility of its organizers," acting Ukrainian
President Oleksandr Turchynov said in a statement Monday.
"That
farce the terrorists call a referendum is nothing else but a
propagandist cover for killings, kidnapping, violence and other grave
crimes," he said.
He
reiterated that his government will continue fighting against
"terrorists, saboteurs and criminals" but will negotiate
with those in eastern Ukraine "who do not have blood on their
hands and those who are ready to defend their goals and beliefs in a
legal way."
A
vote for autonomy is a vote for the self-destruction of the east,
Turchynov has said.
It
would cut residents off from the national economy and social
programs, he said. "It is a step (to) nowhere for these regions.
It is euphoria that may lead to very complex consequences, and many
people can already feel them."
Polls
close amid allegations of fraud and double-voting
Pushilin's
announcement is reminiscent of separatists' moves in the Black Sea
peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed after Crimeans voted to
secede from Ukraine and join Russia in a March 16 referendum.
Nationwide,
the ComRes poll for CNN poll found that 56% of Ukrainians feel a
stronger sense of loyalty towards Europe, 19% towards Russia, and 22%
towards neither.
The
CNN findings come from a poll by the agency ComRes of 1,000 adult
Ukrainians contacted by telephone in Russian and Ukrainian between
May 7-11. Three percent said they didn't know. The poll's margin of
error is 3.1 percentage points.
Reactions
from Russia, NATO, European Union
Russia
welcomed Sunday's votes.
"Moscow
respects the will of the population of the Donetsk and Luhansk
regions, and hopes that the practical implementation of the outcome
of the referendums will proceed along civilized lines, without repeat
outbreaks of violence," the Kremlin said in a statement.
NATO
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN's Christiane
Amanpour on Monday that "those referendums don't count." He
called the vote "illegal."
The
referendum was "organized in a chaotic manner with dubious and
ambiguous questions," he said, adding that the only "thing
that counts" is Ukraine's planned presidential election on May
25.
"I
urge all actors to make sure that those general elections can be
conducted in an orderly manner," Rasmussen said.
He
said that he feels NATO and its allies have sent a "very clear
message to Moscow" and assured its allies. Recently, U.S. Army
forces have been deployed to Poland and three Baltic states. Amanpour
challenged Rasmussen, asking him whether he thought that was enough
to demonstrate "heft."
Rasmussen
responded that NATO is "considering further steps."
"Those
further steps might include an update of existing defense plans,
development of new defense plans, enhanced exercises and also
appropriate deployment," he said.
It's
too early, he said, to describe anything more specifically, "but
we will not hesitate to take further steps if needed," he said.
U.S.
exercises in Poland: What's the message?
German
Chancellor Angela Merkel also described the referendum as
illegitimate and said the focus should be on the May 25 presidential
election in Ukraine.
Meanwhile,
the European Union imposed sanctions related to the Ukraine crisis on
another 13 people, bringing the total number to 61, an EU diplomat
said Monday.
Details
about the sanctions given to the 13 weren't immediately available,
but previously announced sanctions included asset freezes and visa
bans.
The
diplomat did not name the newly sanctioned people or reveal their
nationalities. Previous targets included Dmitry Kozak, Russia's
deputy prime minister; Valery Gerasimov, Russia's military chief; and
pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, including Pushilin.
The
EU also has imposed sanctions on two entities in Crimea, the diplomat
said Monday.
Merkel
and French President Francois Hollande have warned that Russia could
face more consequences if the Ukrainian presidential vote does not go
ahead as planned.
"If
no internationally recognized presidential election were to take
place, this would inevitably further destabilize the country,"
Merkel said.
In
that case, she said, "we are ready to take further sanctions
against Russia."
Merkel
and Hollande also said that Russian troops along the Ukrainian border
"should undertake visible steps to reduce their readiness."
Putin
announced a troop pullback Wednesday, but NATO says it has seen no
signs of a withdrawal of Russian forces from the border area.
Russia
annexed the southern region of Crimea after announced results in a
separatist referendum showed more than 90% in favor of joining
Russia. In an independent survey by the Pew Research Center, 54% of
Crimea residents showed support for secession.
The
Kremlin has said that it has no interest in annexing other parts of
Ukraine. But it is pushing for the country to adopt a constitution
that would give regions where Russian is widely spoken a larger voice
in policy-making.
Critics
fear that the creation of autonomous pro-Russian regions in Ukraine
would cement alliances with the Kremlin that would give it essential
control over them.
Donetsk Warns Ukraine Army Located In The East To "Leave In 48 Hours" Or Face War
12
May, 2014
Update: And
just to make sure Russia has a catalyst:
- UKRAINE FORCES ATTACK EASTERN CITY OF SLOVYANSK, INTERFAX SAYS
* *
*
With
the US having voiced its support for Ukraine's "anti-terrorist"
operations, and Russia strongly supportive of pro-Russian people's
decisions to regional self-determination, the threats coming from the
newly independent regions are a concern (that markets clearly do not
care about):
- DONETSK ARMY SAYS WILL FIGHT UKRAINE FORCES IF DEADLINE IGNORED
Ukrainian
military forces have 48
hours to leave the
region or Donetsk own "anti-terrorist" forces will fight.
Of course, with the US already saying the referendums are illegal and
not recognizing them, we suspect it will be time for more sanctions
soon (despite the lessons below).
Insurgent group army of so-called Donetsk People’s Republic “will start its own anti-terrorist operation in Donetsk region” against Ukrainian military forces if they don’t heed seperatist army chief Igor Girkin’s 48-hour ultimatum to leave or obey him, head of seperatist group, Denis Pushilin, says by phone.
So...
buy stocks?
And
a different perspective on
which the western approach to resolving the Ukraine crisis may not be
exactly "working."
1.
Don’t overreach. Policymakers
should avoid inflated expectations of what sanctions can accomplish.
Sanctions seldom impair the military potential or change the policies
of an important targeted power. Modest goals contribute to successful
outcomes. Thus it may make more sense to achieve the modest goal of
thwarting an impending invasion of Eastern Ukraine than to try to
reverse the fait accompli of Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
2.
Russian economic integration with the West is an advantage. Economic
sanctions are most effective when aimed against close trading
partners with more to lose.
3.
Don’t count on Russian public opinion. It
is hard to “bully a bully” with economic measures. Democratic
regimes are more susceptible to economic pressure than autocratic
regimes like Russia.
4.
Slam the hammer; don’t turn the screw. Economic
sanctions are best deployed with maximum impact. Gradually imposed
steps may simply strengthen the target national government’s
resolve. In the present case, threatening very heavy sanctions if
Russian armed forces cross the Ukrainian border has the best chance
of deterrence.
5.
International cooperation is not always essential, but in the case of
Russia, it probably is. A
large coalition of sanctioning countries does not necessarily make
the sanctions highly likely to succeed. Financial sanctions against
Iran, on the other hand, succeeded in large part because they were
backed by an international coalition of countries willing to forgo
Iranian oil imports and dealings with Iranian banks. To be sure, the
effort to gain international support can dilute their scope. But the
United States has little choice but to gain the cooperation of
Western Europe in this case.
6.
Choose the right tool. Sanctions
deployed in conjunction with other measures, such as covert action or
military operations, increase chances of success. So far, the United
States has been reluctant to provide substantial military assistance
to Ukraine, out of concern that Russia will escalate its own
intervention. Instead, the military dimension of US support has
been limited to greater assistance to NATO allies in the region,
especially Poland.
7.
Don’t be a cheapskate or spendthrift. Sanctioning
governments must balance the benefits against the costs borne
domestically to sustain public support at home. At present, the
United States, but especially Europe, are facing the resistance of
major business firms over the possibility of severe energy and
financial sanctions.
8.
Look before you leap. Sanctioning
governments should weigh their means and objectives against
unintended costs and consequences. In the Ukrainian case, all
signs indicate that President Obama and his European counterparts
(especially Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany) are giving each step
of the sanctions regime their carefully guarded attention.
Predictably....
US
says Eastern Ukraine vote illegal
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