Zelenski (president Oekraïne) ingepakt door neonazi's en beloften aan EU gedaan door Porosjenko

Tyler Durden publiceerde gisteren een artikel waarin hij stelt dat Zelensky eigenlijk ingepakt en vleugellam is...... Volgens Durden ligt e.e.a. ook aan Zelensky zelf, zo heeft hij een premier die openlijk heeft aangegeven minstens fan van neonazisme te zijn door een concert van een neonazi-band te bezoeken...... 

Niet vergeten moet worden dat men al vanaf het aantreden van de Porosjenko junta (geparachuteerd door de VS) probeert te verdoezelen dat de neonazi's een machtige factor zijn in Oekraïne, een Joodse president is dan wel het 'ultieme bewijs' dat de neonazi's geen macht hebben in Oekraïne........ Voorts stelt Durden dat Zelensky heel andere woorden gebruikt als hij met neonazi's en Oekraïense nationalisten in de VS spreekt, dan wanneer hij met het gewone Oekraïense publiek spreekt... Durden spreekt dan ook over de verkiezingen als hadden de neonazi's macht over deze verkiezingen...... 

De Oekraïense neonazi's hebben de controle over het parlement al vanaf het moment dat de voormalige president Janoekovytsj moest vluchten (en waar je over een coup kan spreken) .... De VS organiseerde en regisseerde de opstand in Oekraïne* (inclusief scherpschutters voor het Maidanplein) die zoals gezegd tot het illegaal afzetten van de democratisch gekozen president Janoekovytsj leidde....... Eén en ander was de directe aanleiding voor de bevolking van De Krim een referendum tot samengaan met Rusland uit te schrijven** en voor de bevolking in de Donbass-regio om zich af te scheiden van Oekraïne......

De bevolking van de Donbass-regio wordt sinds die tijd gebombardeerd door vooral neonazi-bataljons en zoals je weet: het bombarderen van burgerdoelen is een oorlogsmisdaad volgens het Verdrag van Genève.....

Durden wijst op de misvatting dat de neonazi's de verkiezingen hebben verloren, althans hij is daar bepaald niet van overtuigd, daar men van meet af aan heeft ontkent dat er neonazi controle was op de regering en het leger (en de bevolking o.a. middels doodseskaders die al een aantal mensen hebben vermoorde die het bijvoorbeeld niet eens waren met de Porosjenko junta, waaronder journalisten)...... Zie verder het artikel van Durden voor cijfers en groepen die onterecht gevangenzitten, maar waar men in het westen schijt aan heeft, als Rusland maar gedemoniseerd kan worden vindt men blijkbaar alles goed.....

Durden ziet Zelensky, een man van Joodse komaf, als camouflage voor het grote  fascistische gehalte van Oekraïne in het algemeen..... Kortom Zelensky zit klem tussen het volk en de neonazi's en weet niet goed hoe hier uit te komen........... Voorlopig staat de terugtrekking van de reguliere Oekraïense troepen uit de Donbass-regio in de koelkast daar de neonazi's hebben gedreigd onmiddellijk posities in te nemen die het leger verlaat..... Overigens was die terugtrekking onderdeel van een akkoord bereikt door interventie van Frank-Walter Steinmeier, destijds de Duitse minister van buitenlandse zaken en nu de huidige president van Duitsland, men noemde dit akkoord dan ook de Steinmeier Formula

Durden noemt nog een aantal punten die uit en te na moeten worden onderzocht, zoals het schieten op het Maidanplein, echter dat is al uitgezocht en daarvoor zouden neonazi's en scherpschutters uit het buitenland gebruikt zijn, puur en alleen om middels deze false flag operatie Janoekovytsj de schuld in de schoenen te schuiven en zo de woede tegen hem te voeden..... Verder noemt Durden MH17, echter gezien het volledig rammelende rapport van het JIT en een fiks aantal andere zaken, lijkt het me wel duidelijk dat ook MH17 werd gebruikt als een false flag operatie om Rusland te beschuldigen..... (klik onder dit bericht op het label MH17 voor een groot aantal berichten over rampvlucht MH17)

Lees het artikel van Durden en besef dat ook wij een fikse som aan belastinggeld hebben weggegeven aan de Porosjenko junta, waarmee de leden haar buitenlandse bankrekeningen (o.a. in Nederland) hebben gespekt...... Tegen Porosjenko lopen nu overigens minstens 11 strafrechtelijke onderzoeken..... Ondanks de vele miljarden aan steun is het land zo goed als failliet en nog steeds is de zwaar corrupte misdadiger Porosjenko het lieverdje van het westen en heeft men in het westen al kritiek geleverd op Zelensky daar hij toenadering tot Rusland heeft gezocht......

Benieuwd of Durden gelijk krijgt met zijn verhaal, want m.i. is er nog wel ruimte voor Zelensky, al vrees ik het ergste......

Zelenskii In Free-Fall

by Tyler Durden

Thu, 10/17/2019 - 03:30

Via The Saker,

Well, that didn’t take too long...

Let me summarize what just happened in the Ukraine.

Everything was looking oh-so-promising and then suddenly…

First, Trump, Macron and Merkel apparently told Zelenskii that he had to sign the so-called Steinmeier formula, which basically spells out the sequence of confidence-building and de-escalation measures foreseen by the Minsk Agreements.  Now, you would be excused for thinking that this is a no-brainer.  After all, the Minsk Agreements were ratified by the UNSC (which makes them mandatory, no “if” or “buts” about this!) and it was Poroshenko who agreed to the Steinmeier formula.  Heck, in 2016 he sure did not have a problem with it, but in 2019 he now calls the self-same formula a Russian invention and that there is no such thing as a Steinmeier formula, see for yourself (in Ukrainian only):

So what is the big deal?

The problem of the “non-existing Nazis”

Zelenskii’s problem can be summed up in a simple sentence: the non-existing Nazis.  Well, at least in the past all the Neo-Nazis cum Jew-haters were constantly trying to convince us that there are no Nazis in the Ukraine; apparently, my use of the term Ukronazi really set them off.  Then came the election in which an absolute majority of Ukrainians rejected Poroshenko’s drive for war and voted for Zelenskii.  If the Ukrainian people voted en masse to elect an anti-war/pro-peace Jew, surely the Ukronazis were just a small minority of fringe individuals, right?

Wrong!  Very very wrong!

And if those who were whitewashing the Ukrainian Nazis (obviously to obfuscate their real ideology and power) had paid closer attention they would have seen signs of real Nazi power all over this election.

First, there was the remarkable change in tone in Zelenskii’s rhetoric.  Just like so many politicians (including Trump!), he radically changed his tune and clearly tried to say one thing when speaking to the general Ukrainian public and quite another when meeting with the Nazis or nationalist exiles in the USA.

You could say that there is a “Nazi deep state” in the Ukraine which, just like the other deep states out there, can weather any elected president and quickly reassert its control over whomever the people elected.

You don’t believe me when I say that he actually hosted the Ukronazis “fringe minority”? Fine, see for yourself:

In the photo above, Zelenskii is sitting with your typical gang of Ukronazi skinheads, including members of the infamous Azov death-squad, and he is trying really hard to charm them while they, very publicly, have threatened him with a new Maidan.

And this is not an isolated case or a fluke.

Zelenskii’s prime minister went to a concert for an openly Nazi “Scream” music group called Sekira Peruna and thanked the crowd of veterans of the “anti terrorist operation” (i.e. thugs from the Ukronazi deathsquads) for being there and for saving the Ukraine.  I did not find any English language translation of the typical lyrics of Sekira Peruna, but I assure you that they contain all the obligatory nonsense which the Nazi ideology is built upon (see here for a very good article with more details on this event and the Nazis involved).

Check out what their concert posters look like (shown below) or, even better, check out the website of this group: http://sokyraperuna.com/

  

                           

‘Nuff said, I think.

So what is going on here?

Basically, exactly what I predicted as soon as Zelenskii was elected in my article “Zelenskii’s dilemma” in which I wrote: (emphasis added)

The Nazi-occupied Ukraine is not a democracy, but a plutocracy combined with an ochlocracy. The oligarchs are still there, as are the neo-Nazis mobs and death squads. And that creates an immense problem for Zelenskii: this new Rada might well represent the views of a majority of the Ukrainian people, but the real power in the country is not concentrated in the Rada at all: it is in the streets (…) The people of the Ukraine desperately want peace. For the time being, the Rada reflects this overwhelmingly important fact. I say “for the time being” because what will happen next is that the various forces and individuals who currently support Zelenskii have done so just to gain power. They do not, however, have a common ideological platform or even a common program. As soon as things go south (which they will inevitably do) many (most?) of these folks will turn against Zelenskii and side with whoever can muster the biggest crowds and mete out the most violence. Now that he got elected, Zelenskii quasi-instantly switched to the exact same rhetoric as what got Poroshenko so severely defeated. Why?  Because Zelenskiii is afraid that the neo-Nazi mobs and death squads will be unleashed against him at the very first opportunity. In fact, the neo-Nazis have already begun promising a new Maidan.  The truth is that Zelenskii has to choose between acting on the will of the people and face the wrath of the neo-Nazis or do the will of the neo-Nazis and face the wrath of the people: tertium non datur!  So far, Zelenskii has apparently decided that talking is all he is going to do simply because his triumphant electoral victories have landed him in the middle of an immense minefield, and any steps he takes from now on could cost him very dearly. Right now, in the short term, the neo-Nazi mobs represent a much bigger danger to Zelenskii than the (disorganized, demoralized and generally apathetic) people. But this will inevitably change as the economic and political situation gets worse.

We see exactly that scenario unfolding before our eyes.  Zelenskii took not one, but three very real, if small, steps.  First, he ordered a pullback of some regular Ukrainian armed forces from a few important segments of the line of contact, then he agreed to a relatively minor prisoner exchange and, finally, he ordered the Ukrainian delegation to sign the Steinmeier formula.  The prisoner exchange went okay for both sides.  The Ukronazis soon categorically rejected any withdrawal and they publicly promised to immediately re-occupy any village vacated by the regular army and they rejected what they call the “Russian” or “Putin” formula.  So far there were a few attempts to block the thugs of the Azov battalion, but after a few minor clashes, the Azov people passed the police line.  And now, the Nazi organized mass protests in 300 Ukrainian cities.  I could post lots of videos here, but that would take a lot of space.  If you want to get a feel for what took place today, go to YouTube and copy-paste the following search query “протесты в украине” into the search bar, and then use the filter option and chose “this week”: you will easily get many hours of video and you don’t even need to understand a word of Ukrainian to immediately get it.

There is another very important factor which you will almost never see on these videos or on any public statements and that is that there are a number of civil and even criminal cases currently being brought to trial in the Ukraine against a host of officials of the ancient régime including even against Poroshenko (11-14 separate investigations just for him already!)  These men (Poroshenko, Parubii, Turchinov, etc.) now have absolutely no choice but to try to overthrow Zelenskii.

Just like the US Dems need a coup against Trump (in the form of an impeachment or something else) because the Clinton-Biden gang now risks real, hard, jail time, so do the former Ukronazi leaders now need a coup against Zelenskii or they go to jail.

Initially, it appeared that Trump had given Poroshenko some personal security guarantees, but everybody knows how much the US President’s security “guarantees” are worth (just ask the Kurds!).  So Poroshenko did not flee the country.  It now appears that some of the people behind Zelenskii (aka Kolomoiskii) are out to get the “Poroshenko clan & Associates” – Poroshenko has to either topple Zelenskii or run away abroad.  There are also rumors that the US “deep state” (as opposed to the Trump Administration) is now putting pressure on Zelenskii to stop these investigations.  Thus, the current battle between Trump and the Neocons and their “deep state” has now spilled over into the Ukraine and it appears that various US interest groups are now creating local Ukrainian surrogates whom they will use in their struggle against each other.

Furthermore, a real possibility opened up now that all sorts of previously buried issues will be investigated by the Ukrainian prosecutors including:

1. An official and true investigation to find out who opened fired on the police and demonstrators during the Euromaidan
2. MH-17
3. Ukronazi atrocities in the Donbass
4. Human rights violations in the Ukraine (where over 1000 political prisoners are still being held) starting with innumerable cases of horrible torture of detainees (in secret torture camps, à la CIA, including an especially infamous one in Mariupol).
5. Poroshenko’s role in the “Crimea Bridge provocation”
6. All the many murders of journalists and opponents to the Nazis beginning with the murder of Oles Buzina
7. A quasi infinite list of war profiteering, corruption, fraud, etc. etc. etc.

Simply put: there is no way that the Ukronazis will just stand by and let those investigations proceed.  And while it is true that numerically the Ukronazis are a small minority in the Ukraine, there is plenty enough of them to terrify Zelenskii and his handlers, especially considering that they are 1) well armed 2) many have frontline combat experience and 3) that they are willing not only to engage in “regular” violence, but also to commit atrocities and engage in terrorism (they did plenty of both in the Donbass).

Zelenskii does have a number of things going for him: first, the mandate of the people (though his popularity is already down from 73% to 66% – which is still very big), his legal prerogatives as the President and Commander in Chief and the support of Kolomoiskii’s strong network of international connections, especially in Israel.

But that is all rather theoretical so far.

All Zelenskii has done, besides hosting the skinheads in his office, was to make a 14 hour long interview with a group of reporters.  Yes,  fourteen hours.  Alas, all he achieved was to show that he is a much better actor than politician.  In fact, most experts seem to agree that in his role as President Zelenskii is a total failure who speaks a lot, says a lot of silly things when he does, and seems to be absolutely unable to take any real action.

At the time of writing (Wed 16th) the leader of the Ukronazis has given Zelenskii 10 days to yield to all the demands of the opposition.  If not, he has promised to trigger a new Maidan and bring millions of people to the streets.

Yup.  The “tiny” “fringe” and otherwise “non-existing” Nazis have now given Zelenskii an ultimatum.

Zelenskii is in free fall:

• Trump, Macron and Merkel are demanding that he abide by the decisions of the UNSC, the Minsk Agreements and the Steinmeier formula. 
• The Russians have clearly indicated that unless tangible and real progress is made in the implementation of this formula, there will be nothing else to discuss. 
• The Ukraine is basically bankrupt and desperately needs both Novorussian coal and Russian gas. 
• Furthermore, only a removal of the self-defeating barriers and boycotts imposed by the former regime against any trade or even communications with Russia could begin to kick-start the economy of what is now clearly a failed state.
• Yet the Nazis will oppose any and all such measures, with violence if needed. 

As for Zelenskii, he appears to be in a no win situation: no matter what he does next, things will only get worse.  Thus the most likely outcome of all these processes will be, in the short term, further futile attempts by Zelenskii to appease the Nazis (thereby alienating the general population), in the middle term a violent confrontation, followed in the long term by (the probably inevitable) break-up of the Ukraine into separately much more viable parts.

*  *  *

UPDATE: I just heard that the Ukraine is now demanding that 1) the LNR/DNR dissolve themselves, 2) that they have to leave the Ruble zone and switch back to the Hrivna, 3) that the local military forces have to be disbanded and, finally, 4) that Kiev wants the total control of the LDNR/Russian border.

Well, good luck with that, folks!  I hope they are not holding their breath (they aren’t – they are just trying to find a pretext to renege on their legal and political obligations…)

=======================================
*  Daaraan gaf de VS minister van buitenlandse zaken, destijds Hillary Clinton van de Obama administratie, maar liefst 4 miljard dollar uit........

** Zie: 'De Krim het echte verhaal: geen annexatie maar de vrijwillige aansluiting bij Rusland, zelfs Oekraïners stemden voor'

Zie ook:
'MH17: Stef Blok (VVD minister BuZa) daagt Rusland voor het Europees Hof voor de Rechten van de Mens, terwijl de rechtszaak in Nederland nog lang niet is afgerond'

'MH17, getuige zegt vlak voor neerhalen 2 Oekraïense straaljagers te hebben gezien >> het JIT weigert commentaar te geven.....'
 
'Brief aan de Russische bevolking over 'Defender 2020', de zoveelste militaire NAVO oefening langs de grens van hun land' 

'MH17 proces op Radio1'(en zie de links in dat bericht voor meer over rampvlucht MH17) 

'Oekraïne: opnieuw neonazi protesten op Maidanplein, vanwege Rusland vriendelijk handelen door president Zelensky'

'Snowden vindt het ongelofelijk dat de media VS politici niet aanspreken op totaal verschillende reacties n.a.v. 'klokkenluiden''

'Joe Biden heeft al lang toegegeven dat hij Oekraïne onder druk zette een openbaar aanklager te ontslaan die zijn zoon vervolgde'

'Koning Willem Alexander vraagt Rusland om medewerking bij onderzoek naar rampvlucht MH17' (en zie de links in dat bericht naar meer informatie over rampvlucht MH17)

'MH17: JIT haalt zelfs de afscheiding van Oost-Oekraïne aan in de zoveelste mislukte poging de schuld in de schoenen van Rusland te schuiven'

'Oekraïne kondigt staat van beleg af vanwege 'Russische agressie' in de Zee van Azov'

'VS torpedojager arriveert in Zwarte Zee terwijl de boel daar op scherp staat........'

''Porosjenko (Oekraïne) roept de NAVO op tot oorlog tegen Rusland'

'Election ploy? Poroshenko declares martial law in Ukraine after Kerch standoff'

'VS senator Rand Paul stelt n.a.v. NAVO-top dat men de zaak moet bekijken vanuit het Russische perspectief'

'Putin en Trump halen spanning uit de lucht >> de westerse wereld schreeuwt moord en brand......'

'Afspraken met de VS maken? Voor je het weet heb je te maken met een 'verspreking' van de president..... ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!'

'Oekraïne, Georgië en Moldavië hebben oud bondgenootschap doen herleven, in voorbereiding op NAVO lidmaatschap en verdere actie tegen Rusland........'

'De Krim, Georgië en Syrië >> de anti-Russische propaganda.....'

'Oekraïne en NAVO bezig met uitlokking WOIII.........

'VS levert neonazi-leger Oekraïne voor 250 miljoen dollar aan wapens'

De Krim het echte verhaal: geen annexatie maar de vrijwillige aansluiting bij Rusland, zelfs Oekraïners stemden voor

Zoals je wellicht wel weet, erger ik me kapot aan het enorme leugencliché dat De Krim is geannexeerd door de Russen en dat het daar gehouden referendum werd gemanipuleerd door de Russen, die tijdens het referendum met grote aantallen militairen op straat zouden zijn gezien...... Niets van waar, bovendien hebben internationale waarnemers het referendum gecontroleerd en zij stelden dat het referendum eerlijk en goed was verlopen.......

Eva Bartlett, de bekende onderzoeks- en oorlogsjournalist uit de VS ging op reis om e.e.a. te onderzoeken. Ze sprak met mensen die al generaties in De Krim wonen, de oorspronkelijke bevolking van De Krim, Oekraïners (mensen die voorheen in Oekraïne woonden), etnische Russen en anderen, waarbij ze telkens weer hetzelfde verhaal te horen kreeg: men wilde zich aansluiten bij Rusland. 

Niet voor niets leefde die wens onder de bevolking, zeker als je de staat van de infrastructuur zag (van wegen t/m de havens en het vliegveld van Simferopol) ten tijde van het Oekraïense bestuur: enorm veel gaten in de wegen, alles afgeragd en slecht onderhouden, Kiev stak dan ook geen geld in De Krim..... Ook de bouw van ziekenhuizen en crèches bleef ver achter bij de behoefte daaraan..... Uit eerdere berichtgeving (al van voor de opstand) weet ik dat men destijds stemde voor Janoekovytsj, die beloofde e.e.a. op te knappen, bovendien wilde hij vriendschappelijke banden met Rusland onderhouden, waarbij Oekraïne zelfs een verdrag werd aangeboden, dat in tegenstelling tot een verdrag met de EU, uiterst lucratief zou zijn geweest (iets dat de VS zo stak dat het de opstand in Oekraïne organiseerde en regisseerde*).

De opstand eindigde met het afzetten van Janoekovytsj en het installeren van een VS vriendelijk dictatuur o.l.v. de zwaar corrupte Porosjenko, bovendien een neonazi....... Dit was voor de bevolking van de Krim en de bevolking van de Donbass-regio het sein om een punt achter de relatie met Oekraïne te zetten, immers de door hen gekozen president werd afgezet en vervangen door een fascistische junta......

Lees het volgende mooie reisverslag waarin diverse mensen stellen dat men volkomen achter het besluit staat tot aansluiting bij Rusland en dat Rusland in de paar jaar dat Oekraïne zich aansloot zo ongeveer gehele infrastructuur heeft vernieuwd dan wel opgeknapt....... Lees het verhaal en onthoud dat als je weer eens hoort over de 'annexatie' van De Krim en de 'Russian backed rebels' die samen met het Russische leger zouden vechten in de Donbass-regio, waar het Porosjenko regime enorme oorlogsmisdaden heeft begaan, oorlogsmisdaden als het bombarderen van steden en dat NB door neonazi-bataljons, om nog maar te zwijgen over de schuld van de Porosjenko junta voor het neerhalen van MH17.....

Zegt het voort mensen, de leugenbrij en anti-Russische propaganda moet eindelijk worden gestopt!! (en vergeet niet dat zoals gezegd ook rampvlucht MH17 onderdeel is geworden van die leugenbrij.....)

Hier het artikel van Bartlett, eerder gepubliceerd op MintPress News:

THE ROAD TO CRIMEA

Return to Russia: Crimeans Tell the Real Story of the 2014 Referendum and Their Lives Since

Eva Bartlett traveled to Crimea to see firsthand out how Crimeans have fared since 2014 when their country reunited with Russia, and what the referendum was really like.

October 09th, 2019

by Eva Bartlett

SIMFEROPOL, CRIMEA — In early August I traveled to Russia for the first time, partly out of interest in seeing some of the vast country with a tourist’s eyes, partly to do some journalism in the region. It also transpired that while in Moscow I was able to interview Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman of the Foreign Ministry.

High on my travel list, however, was to visit Crimea and Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) — the former a part of Russia, the latter an autonomous republic in the east of Ukraine, neither accurately depicted in Western reporting. Or at least that was my sense looking at independent journalists’ reports and those in Russian media.

Both regions are native Russian-speaking areas; both opted out of Ukraine in 2014. In the case of Crimea, joining Russia (or actually rejoining, as most I spoke to in Crimea phrased it) was something people overwhelmingly supported. In the case of the Donbass region, the turmoil of Ukraine’s Maidan coup in 2014 set things in motion for the people in the region to declare independence and form the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

In March 2014, Crimeans held a referendum during which 96 percent of voters chose to join Russia. This has been heavily disputed in Western media, with claims that Crimeans were forced to hold the referendum and claims of Russian troops on the streets “occupying” the peninsula.

Because Western media insisted the referendum was a sham held under duress, and because they bandy about the term “pro-Russian separatists” for the people of the DPR, I decided to go and speak to people in these areas to hear what they actually want and feel.

From the Russian mainland to the Crimean Peninsula

From St. Petersburg, where I spent a few touristy days, I booked a flight to Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, and on August 22 I landed at the attractive new airport. A Russian-American friend, Vlad, flies in from Moscow and together we rent a car and drive to Alushta, a tourist-packed seaside area to the south.

As we drive from the airport, Vlad can’t get over the changes in the airport, which had been dank and barely functional when he last visited:

"When I came here at the end of 2014, Simferopol Airport was very dated: small and stuffy, low ceilings, small windows; the bathrooms didn’t work, there was a constant stench in the air, and many facilities weren’t working — even the baggage carousels didn’t work properly. There were no restaurants or cafes, and no places to rent taxis. Now, it’s a world-class international airport.”

We drive south along smooth roads, passing endless vineyards on either side, flanked by low mountains. As Vlad drives, he comments on the condition of the roads, which five years prior were so rough “you had to swerve to dodge the potholes.”

Descending to the coast, along cypress tree-lined streets, we arrive in the hub of Alushta, park, and stroll along the seaside. The beach scenes could be anywhere: people sunbathing and swimming, jet-skiing, drinking beer and eating. In the touristy hub before the beach, a carnival sort of feel and smell, a man playing the accordion, children’s rides, upscale restaurants, and fast-food stalls.

Revelers enjoy the pristine Black Sea waters of Alushta. Photo | Eva Bartlett

As it happens, we arrive on Russia’s National Flag Day and while walking we come across a small event celebrating this with singers on stage and a crowd that, when we pass by again some hours later, has grown in size and enthusiasm.

I remark on how kind and gentle people are here, just as in Russia. Vlad replies:

"It shouldn’t be surprising — people are people anywhere. But Western media conditions us with stereotypes of Russians as cold and hard, vilifying an entire nation.”

The coastal city of Yalta lies further west along the peninsula. The drive there the following day is more beautiful still, the road flanked by mountains to one side, hills cascading down to the Black Sea on the other, endless wineries and, before Yalta itself, the stunning cliff-top castle known as “Swallow’s Nest.”

In the evening, we stay in the home of Vlad’s friend Tata, a Russian woman who moved to Crimea in 2012.

Since there was so much hype in Western media about a Russian takeover of the peninsula, I ask the burning questions: Were Crimeans forced to take part in the referendum? What was the mood like around that time? Tata replied:

"I never saw so many people in my life go out to vote, of their own free will. There was a period before the referendum, maybe about two months, during which there were two holidays: International Women’s Day, March 8, and Defender of the Fatherland Day, February 23.

Normally, people would go away on vacation during these holidays. But that year, Crimeans didn’t go anywhere; they wanted to be sure they were here during the referendum. We felt the sense of a miracle about to happen. People were anxiously awaiting the referendum.

There were military tents in the city, but they were not erected by the military, but by local men. They would stand there every day, and people could come and sign a document calling for a referendum.

I went one day and asked if I could add my name but I couldn’t, because I have a Russian passport. Only Crimean citizens could sign it. This was the fair way to do it.

At that time, my husband was in America. One day, he was watching CNN and got scared and called me because he saw reports of soldiers in the streets, an ‘invasion’ by Russia. 

The local navy came from Sevastopol to Yalta and anchored their ships off the coast, made a blockade to ensure no larger Ukrainian or other ships could come and attack.

But I never saw tanks, I never saw Russian soldiers. I never saw any of that in the city.”

Young boys enjoy a local skate park in Sevastopool. Photo | Eva Bartlett

I asked Tata about how life had changed after the referendum:

"When I came here in December 2012, everything was dilapidated and run down. The nice roads you were driving on, they didn’t exist when we were a part of Ukraine. I didn’t understand why Crimea was still a part of Ukraine. It was Russian land ever since the Tsars, the imperial time of Russia. This is where the Russian soul is, and the soul of the Russian navy.

After the Soviet Union collapsed, it wasn’t the will of the Crimean people to join Ukraine. People were always Russian here; they always identified as Russian. Ukraine understood this well, and put nothing into Crimea, as punishment. Ukraine didn’t build any hospitals, kindergartens or roads.

In the past four years, the Crimean government has built 200 new kindergartens. This is the most obvious example of how things have improved. They also built the new Simferopol airport.

I worked in aviation. It took three years to build an airport of this standard in Yekaterinburg, Russia. It took half a year in Simferopol.” 

International Jazz Festival

On my third day in Crimea, we drive eastward anew, driving for hours through the gorgeous countryside, along winding and rolling roads flanked by jagged mountains, past an exceptionally beautiful church (Nicholas Church Lighthouse) overlooking the coast, and down along the sea through more touristy seaside towns and past lines of day tents along the beach. The local FM radio plays a variety of both Russian and Western songs.

Finally, after night falls, we drive into the city of Koktebel, where an annual Jazz Festival is starting.

Buskers entertain passersby at the annual Koktebel Jazz Festival. Photo | Eva Bartlett

During all these hours of driving, the roads are smooth and well-trafficked, and I don’t see a single Russian military vehicle.

The next day, I walk through Koktebel, taking in the local markets brimming with produce, cheeses, and other goods, and every so often come across a streetside stand laden with fresh fruits. In the late afternoon, I walk along the sea, past packed beaches, and meet with a Crimean woman, Yaroslava, who lives in Austria but every summer returns to her beloved Crimea. She is ardently supportive of the decision to have joined Russia and spends much of her time back in Austria trying to educate people on why Crimeans wanted to be a part of Russia.

These are reasons I hear throughout my travels in Crimea: We wanted to be able to speak our native language [Russian] and be educated in that language; we wanted to be able to practice our cultural traditions; we have always been a part of Russia and we wanted to return.

Yaroslava is busy helping out with the Jazz Festival and wants to use the rest of our short time talking to help me arrange future meetings with people in Crimea. We decided to do a proper interview via Skype in the future when time allows.

I drift on to the Jazz Festival, where a talented pianist and band play beach-side to an enthusiastic crowd. Some songs later, I drift back along the beach, passing numerous musicians busking, and a pulsing nightlife that isn’t going to bed any time soon.

Construction everywhere

On the fifth day, we drive back to Simferopol; Vlad is heading back to Moscow. As we drive, we see road work repeatedly, just as we had when driving from Simferopol south to Alushta: roads being widened, repaved; bridges being repaired or newly built. This is something I observed throughout my travels around Crimea. I remember Tata’s words about “everything being dilapidated” and have a hard time imagining that now with what I see.

Vlad departs for Moscow, and I’m on my own now, traveling from the airport via public bus and minibus. At one point I ask a young couple, using Yandex translate, for directions. They get me on the right minibus and, following my route via Yandex maps, I get myself to Simferopol’s rail station and walk the half-hour to my nondescript hotel. I again need to ask locals for directions, as the unmarked hotel is in some parking lot behind a supermarket.

I retrace my steps to the train station the next day and repeat the routine to buy a ticket for Sevastopol. The ticket is 119 rubles (just under $2). Over the next two hours on a slow train with wooden seats, I watch as more beautiful scenery and construction slide by.

Construction dots the train ride to Sevastopol. Photo | Eva Bartlett

Arriving in Sevastopol, I leave the train station and hope to find some cafe where I can charge my phone, as I need it to navigate to the guesthouse where I’ve theoretically reserved a room online.

As I stand to orient the map route and zoom in to look for any signs of cafes, a woman walks by me and says with a smile something with the word “shto,” which I think means “what.” When I reply in English, she laughs and flags down another woman, Yana, who speaks English well and insists she and her husband drive me.

As we drive, we chat. I ask her about the referendum, mentioning that many in the West have the notion that it was done under duress, with a heavy military presence to influence the vote. She laughs, saying: “There were no troops, no military, around us during the referendum.” She speaks of the joy of Crimeans to vote, says that maybe 98 percent of Sevastopol voters had voted in favor [it was apparently 96 percent, but close enough], and adds, “We are now under the wing of Russia.”

I ask about developments since then. She mentions the improvements in roads, also the modern trolley-buses and regular buses, the opening of kindergartens and schools, and free courses (like music) for children.

We arrive at the remote guesthouse, where we realize that no one is home to give me a room. Yana mentions her parents have a guesthouse just outside the city and overlooking the bay. We drive to it, I meet the owners, charming people who set me up in a little apartment surrounded by fig and pear trees and with a small swimming pool to cool off in.

They invite me for dinner, but I have to politely decline in order to get back to work, though I do take a few minutes to enjoy their pool, the stars, the silence, and the incredible fragrance of some night blossoms.

The stunning view of the bay in Malorichenske. Photo | Eva Bartlett

The next few days, when not working on my laptop, I go for walks in the area, take in Sevastopol Bay, and one day take a minibus into the city and walk for hours around it, seeing some of the key sights.

When I finally need to leave Sevastopol for Simferopol again, the couple refuses to take my money, insists I am their guest, and drives me to the bus station, stopping en route at a market where they search for ten minutes until they find the traditional Armenian treats they want to give me: walnuts covered in the syrup of various fruits (pomegranate, peach, currant, grape), and a box of walnut-stuffed dried figs.

Ukrainians in Crimea

In Simferopol anew, I meet Anastasiya Gridchina, the Chair of the Ukrainian Community of Crimea, an organization formed in 2015 whose main goals, she tells me, “are to have friendly relations between two great peoples: Ukrainians and Russians — not the politicians but the people. The second goal is to preserve inter-ethnic peace in the Republic between different nationalities.”

Gridchina explains that in Crimea there are more than 175 nationalities, just 20 less than in all of Russia, but in a very small territory. Hence the importance of preserving inter-ethnic peace. After Russians, Ukrainians comprise the second largest population in Crimea.

I asked Anastasiya whether she supported, much less participated in the referendum.

"I worked very hard in order that we could have a referendum. I live in Perevalne, the last settlement in the mountains above Alushta. There was a Ukrainian military detachment which did surrender. In February 2014, I was among a line of people standing between the Ukrainian and Russian military detachments, to prevent any bloodshed. The fear that prevailed at that time was that nationalists from Ukraine would come here and we would have massacres.

In February, there was a confrontation outside the Parliament here in Simferopol. It was organized by leaders of the Mejlis — the Crimeans Tatars. On the other side, there were some pro-Russia organizations who were protecting the Parliament. They were far less [numerous] than the Mejlis. The Mejlis were armed with sticks and knives. There were clashes and two people were killed, but thankfully it didn’t escalate beyond that.

When the news came that there would be a referendum, people relaxed. They had a chance to express their point of view and 96 percent of the population of Crimea voted for Crimea to return to Russia.” 

Since she is Ukrainian, I asked Anastasiya why she wanted Crimea to join Russia:

"I’ve lived in Crimea all my life, and my language is Russian. And I know the history of Crimea, which has always been Russian territory, which has a history beginning with the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union. So, it is Russian-speaking territory, first of all. That’s why I believe it should be in the Russian Federation, not in Ukraine.”

Singer entertain a crowd in Alushta on Russia’s National Flag Day. Photo | Eva Bartlett

I asked about the claims that Russian soldiers invaded Crimea:

"Whatever they might have said about Russian soldiers forcing people to participate in the referendum, it was all lies, pure lies. We did not see any soldiers on the streets, especially on the day of the referendum.

I gave an interview to foreign journalists before the referendum. But when they published it, they changed my words. I said we were very thankful to the Russian troops that were here, that protected us from the attacks of Ukrainian nationalists prior to the referendum. But they translated it that I said ‘Please, we want Ukrainian soldiers to defend us from those Russian soldiers.’

The Russian troops that were here were not on the streets on the day of the referendum but, at the time in general, they were there to protect civilians from an attack by Ukrainians.

On the day of the referendum, there were no soldiers, no military. The only security were there to prevent any illegal actions. No military people were there, no arms, no armored personnel carriers, no military equipment, nothing. Only members of the election commission and the people voting.”

I asked whether many Ukrainian Crimeans left following the referendum:

"There were those who immediately after the referendum left Crimea for Ukraine because it was their personal wish. Nobody prevented them from going. Even the soldiers had an option: to stay and continue military service here, or to leave.

There were also some people who didn’t like that Crimea joined Russia, but didn’t leave for pragmatic reasons. Because the quality of life in Russia is much higher than in Ukraine. So they continue living in Crimea.”

Finally, Anastasiya gave me a message for the people outside of Crimea:

"I’d like to tell people around the world, welcome to Crimea, come here yourselves and see and hear with your own eyes and ears, to understand that all the lies you hear about Crimea, that we are oppressed or under pressure from the military…this is all lies, this is all not true.

Also, that we are not allowed to speak Ukrainian is a lie. One of the state languages is Ukrainian. Russian and Tatar are also state languages.”

As she leaves to go to the Ukrainian festival she has helped organize, she notes that the government allotted part of its budget towards financing the festival. She invites me to join. “You can see us singing Ukrainian songs, see our culture and traditions preserved.”

Next, I speak to Yuri Gempel, a member of Parliament, and the chairman of the Standard Commission on Inter-Ethnic Relations of the Parliament of Crimea.

Klik hier voor het vervolg.
===================================
* Hillary Clinton stak als minister van buitenlandse zaken tijdens de Obama administratie maar liefst 4 miljard dollar in het organiseren van de opstand, die tot de afzetting van Janoekovytsj leidde.......

Zie ook:
'Zelenski (president Oekraïne) ingepakt door neonazi's en beloften aan EU gedaan door Porosjenko'

'Oekraïne: opnieuw neonazi protesten op Maidanplein, vanwege Rusland vriendelijk handelen door president Zelensky'

'Snowden vindt het ongelofelijk dat de media VS politici niet aanspreken op totaal verschillende reacties n.a.v. 'klokkenluiden''

'Joe Biden heeft al lang toegegeven dat hij Oekraïne onder druk zette een openbaar aanklager te ontslaan die zijn zoon vervolgde'

'Koning Willem Alexander vraagt Rusland om medewerking bij onderzoek naar rampvlucht MH17' (en zie de links in dat bericht naar meer informatie over rampvlucht MH17)

'MH17: JIT haalt zelfs de afscheiding van Oost-Oekraïne aan in de zoveelste mislukte poging de schuld in de schoenen van Rusland te schuiven'

'Oekraïne kondigt staat van beleg af vanwege 'Russische agressie' in de Zee van Azov'

'VS torpedojager arriveert in Zwarte Zee terwijl de boel daar op scherp staat........'

''Porosjenko (Oekraïne) roept de NAVO op tot oorlog tegen Rusland'

'Election ploy? Poroshenko declares martial law in Ukraine after Kerch standoff'

'VS senator Rand Paul stelt n.a.v. NAVO-top dat men de zaak moet bekijken vanuit het Russische perspectief'

'Putin en Trump halen spanning uit de lucht >> de westerse wereld schreeuwt moord en brand......'

'Afspraken met de VS maken? Voor je het weet heb je te maken met een 'verspreking' van de president..... ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!'

'Oekraïne, Georgië en Moldavië hebben oud bondgenootschap doen herleven, in voorbereiding op NAVO lidmaatschap en verdere actie tegen Rusland........'

'De Krim, Georgië en Syrië >> de anti-Russische propaganda.....'

'Oekraïne en NAVO bezig met uitlokking WOIII.........

'VS levert neonazi-leger Oekraïne voor 250 miljoen dollar aan wapens'

Voor meer berichten over Oekraïne, De Krim of rampvlucht MH17, klik op het betreffende label, direct onder dit bericht.

Oekraïne: opnieuw neonazi protesten op Maidanplein, vanwege Rusland vriendelijk handelen door president Zelensky

De Oekraïense president Volodymyr Zelensky wil vrede met de rebellen in de Donbass-regio en staat hen toe een verkiezing uit te schrijven, bovendien belooft hij autonomie aan het volk in die regio.

Zoals te verwachten was: de neonazi's zijn woedend en demonstreren in Oekraïense steden, waaronder Kiev en ook het Maidanplein daar is weer gevuld met neonazi's.....

Alsof hij een zegen was voor Oekraïne heeft de zwaar corrupte ex-president en neonazi Porosjenko een grote bek over de stappen van Zelensky, 'immers je moet er niet aan denken, vrede in de Donbass-regio......' Wat moeten die neonazi-bataljons dan doen, bataljons die bij bombardementen van burgerdoelen (zware oorlogsmisdaad) bepaalde ritmes maken, waarbij ze hard lachen, straatmuzikant worden?'

President Zelensky is van Joodse afkomst en zoals je begrijpt wordt ook dat door de neonazi's aangegrepen om antisemitische tekeer te gaan..... Hoewel de VS altijd partij trekt voor Israël, zullen ze nu geen krimp geven over deze fascistische demonstraties, ik wed dat dit antisemitisme zelfs Netanyahu aan de vieze reet zal roesten....... 

Het is zeker dat de CIA nog steeds werkzaam is in Oekraïne, zoals ze daar al waren voor het opzetten van gewelddadige protesten tegen de democratisch gekozen president Janoekovytsj.... Uiteraard zal ook nu de CIA hand en spandiensten verlenen aan de neonazi's (en waarschijnlijk de regie voeren, zoals eerder bij de protesten tegen Janoekovytsj*)...... Reken maar dat er snel doden zullen vallen, precies zoals eerder op het Maidanplein, destijds kreeg Janoekovytsj de schuld, echter het was niet de politie maar door de VS ingehuurde scherpschutters die de demonstranten beschoten..... Dit geweld werd in de schoenen van Janoekovytsj geschoven, ofwel hier was sprake van de zoveelste false flag operatie georganiseerd door de VS, zo bleek achteraf.......

Het wachten is op de eerste zware kritiek op Zelensky van de EU en haar lidstaten, ook zij hebben liever oorlog in de Donbass-regio en zien de neonazi's als helden die zich verzetten tegen invloed vanuit Moskou..... De Oekraïners moeten bloeden voor het verdrag met de EU, i.p.v. het sluiten van lucratieve verdragen met Rusland...... Overigens is het overgrote deel van de miljarden aan EU-hulpgelden, inclusief belastinggeld van jou en mij, verdwenen in de zakken van de Porosjenko kliek, geteisem met bankrekeningen in het buitenland, Porosjenko zou zelfs 2 bankrekeningen in Nederland hebben....

Het is welhaast zeker dat de VS, naast inzet van de CIA, veel verder zal gaan en het niet zal pikken als Zelensky doorgaat op wat de VS een 'verkeerd ingeslagen weg' noemt.... De VS wil het grensgebied van Oekraïne met Rusland beheersen en toevoegen aan het enorme grensgebied met Rusland dat het in feite controleert met haar NAVO-partners (onder militair opperbevel van de VS), tja dat gaat niet lukken met een figuur als Zelensky......

Het volgende artikel werd geschreven door Tyler Durden, verscheen eerder op Zero Hedge en werd door mij overgenomen van Anti-Media:

Protests Rage as Ukraine's President Zelensky Allows Election in Donbass

October 2, 2019 at 3:09 pm

Written by Tyler Durden

(ZH) — Comedian turned president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky’s unlikely rise to power was based in large part on convincing voters that he would dramatically ease tensions with Russia and seek a peaceful resolution to the war in Donbass, raging since 2014.

But now in a potentially explosive Maiden 2.0 scenario, hardcore Ukrainian nationalists have taken to the Kiev square which has come to symbolize resistance to Russia in order to protest the popular president’s dovish and rapprochement-signalling policies. Hours after Zelensky gave an unprecedented go ahead to allow a local election in Donbass which could result in Kiev granting a special status to the region, hundreds of nationalists flooded the square holding signs that read: “No to capitulation!”.

Zelensky insisted all candidates and political parties should be allowed to run according to Ukrainian law, which has enraged the anti-Russian nationalists, who say Ukraine’s sovereignty is on the line. The new election has the blessing of Russia and European monitors.

Bryan MacDonald

✔@27khv

Replying to @27khv

In central Kiev tonight, some familiar scenes. A protest against on the Maidan. Against Zelensky's announcement today

(helaas kan ik deze video niet overnemen, zie daarvoor het origineel)

Both government and pro-Russian separatist forces have agreed to withdraw troops from key locations in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions next week to ensure “free and fair” elections, which international monitors will also observe.

One journalist and political commentator noted the neo-Nazi imagery used in this and other hardline nationalist protests in Kiev’s Maidan, which has for years tainted some of the country’s far right militias and political parties.

Mark Ames

✔@MarkAmesExiled

Ukraine’s fascists in torchlit march against their Jewish president, accusing him of “capitulation” over peace moves.
We really fucked Ukraine up good. Not that anyone in the west gives a damn. https://twitter.com/radiosvoboda/status/1179088690196500480?s=21 …

Радіо Свобода

✔@radiosvoboda

Акція "Ні капітуляції" під Офісом президента

10:16 PM - Oct 1, 2019

Former president Petro Poroshenko also added fuel to the fire, saying the agreement is “a capitulation to Russia”.

“Without that, this [Minsk agreement] is capitulation to Russia. I draw your attention to the fact that they [the Ukrainian government] were not offered anything, they were offered only to be there at the meeting. And for this meeting Ukraine risks paying and surrendering,” he said.

President Zelensky’s first working visit to the restive Donbass region in May 2019, via Ukrainian President’s office.

Poroshenko further echoed other critics who’ve said Ukraine is not gaining anything from the agreement after sacrificing soldiers that died fighting the separatists in a conflict that’s taken 13,000 lives – thousands of them civilians – on both sides.

Meanwhile, Russia has welcomed the news, with one senior Russian politician hailing it as “a victory for common sense and an overall success.” Kremlin officials also said they hope this will lead to substantive peace talks on the ground.

By Tyler Durden / Republished with permission / Zero Hedge / Report a typo

=====================================
* Voor de opstand in Oekraïne trok de minister van buitenlandse zaken van de VS, destijds Hillary Clinton (onder 'vredesduif' Obama) maar liefst 4 miljard dollar uit......

Zie ook:
'Zelenski (president Oekraïne) ingepakt door neonazi's en beloften aan EU gedaan door Porosjenko'

'De Krim het echte verhaal: geen annexatie maar de vrijwillige aansluiting bij Rusland, zelfs Oekraïners stemden voor'

'Snowden vindt het ongelofelijk dat de media VS politici niet aanspreken op totaal verschillende reacties n.a.v. 'klokkenluiden''

'Joe Biden heeft al lang toegegeven dat hij Oekraïne onder druk zette een openbaar aanklager te ontslaan die zijn zoon vervolgde'

'Koning Willem Alexander vraagt Rusland om medewerking bij onderzoek naar rampvlucht MH17' (en zie de links in dat bericht naar meer informatie over rampvlucht MH17)

'MH17: JIT haalt zelfs de afscheiding van Oost-Oekraïne aan in de zoveelste mislukte poging de schuld in de schoenen van Rusland te schuiven'

'Oekraïne kondigt staat van beleg af vanwege 'Russische agressie' in de Zee van Azov'

'VS torpedojager arriveert in Zwarte Zee terwijl de boel daar op scherp staat........'

''Porosjenko (Oekraïne) roept de NAVO op tot oorlog tegen Rusland'

'Election ploy? Poroshenko declares martial law in Ukraine after Kerch standoff'

'VS senator Rand Paul stelt n.a.v. NAVO-top dat men de zaak moet bekijken vanuit het Russische perspectief'

'Putin en Trump halen spanning uit de lucht >> de westerse wereld schreeuwt moord en brand......'

'Afspraken met de VS maken? Voor je het weet heb je te maken met een 'verspreking' van de president..... ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!'

'Oekraïne, Georgië en Moldavië hebben oud bondgenootschap doen herleven, in voorbereiding op NAVO lidmaatschap en verdere actie tegen Rusland........'

'De Krim, Georgië en Syrië >> de anti-Russische propaganda.....'

'Oekraïne en NAVO bezig met uitlokking WOIII.........

'VS levert neonazi-leger Oekraïne voor 250 miljoen dollar aan wapens'

Voor meer berichten over Oekraïne, klik op het label met die naam, direct onder dit bericht.

Beste bezoeker, dit was het voor vandaag, morgen meer berichten, maak er zo mogelijk een mooie dag van.