Ukraine's European Revolution?

[Savonarola]

It's nice to see that tradition still means something in Eastern Europe:

Jews ordered to register in east Ukraine

Jews in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk where pro-Russian militants have taken over government buildings were told they have to "register" with the Ukrainians who are trying to make the city become part of Russia, according to Israeli media.

Jews emerging from a synagogue say they were handed leaflets that ordered the city's Jews to provide a list of property they own and pay a registration fee "or else have their citizenship revoked, face deportation and see their assets confiscated," reported Ynet News, Israel's largest news website.

Donetsk is the site of an "anti-terrorist" operation by the Ukraine government, which has moved military columns into the region to force out militants who are demanding a referendum be held on joining Russia.

The leaflets bore the name of Denis Pushilin, who identified himself as chairman of "Donetsk's temporary government," and were distributed near the Donetsk synagogue and other areas, according to the report.

Pushilin acknowledged that flyers were distributed under his organization's name in Donetsk, but denied any connection to them, Ynet reported in Hebrew.

Emanuel Shechter, in Israel, told Ynet his friends in Donetsk sent him a copy of the leaflet through social media.

"They told me that masked men were waiting for Jewish people after the Passover eve prayer, handed them the flyer and told them to obey its instructions," he said.

The leaflet begins, "Dear Ukraine citizens of Jewish nationality," and states that all people of Jewish descent over 16 years old must report to the Commissioner for Nationalities in the Donetsk Regional Administration building and "register."

It says the reason is because the leaders of the Jewish community of Ukraine supported Bendery Junta, a reference to Stepan Bandera, the leader of the Ukrainian nationalist movement that fought for Ukrainian independence at the end of World War II, "and oppose the pro-Slavic People's Republic of Donetsk," a name adopted by the militant leadership.

The leaflet then described which documents Jews should provide: "ID and passport are required to register your Jewish religion, religious documents of family members, as well as documents establishing the rights to all real estate property that belongs to you, including vehicles."

Consequences for non-compliance will result in citizenship being revoked "and you will be forced outside the country with a confiscation of property." A registration fee of $50 would be required, it said.

Olga Reznikova, 32, a Jewish resident of Donetsk, told Ynet she never experienced anti-Semitism in the city until she saw this leaflet.

"We don't know if these notifications were distributed by pro-Russian activists or someone else, but it's serious that it exists," she said. "The text reminds of the fascists in 1941," she said referring to the Nazis who occupied Ukraine during World War II.

Michael Salberg, director of the international affairs at the New York City-based Anti-Defamation League, said it's unclear if the leaflets were issued by the pro-Russian leadership or a splinter group operating within the pro-Russian camp.

But the Russian side has used the specter of anti-Semitism in a cynical manner since anti-government protests began in Kiev that resulted in the ousting of Ukraine's pro-Russian former president Viktor Yanukovych. Russia and its allies in Ukraine issued multiple stories about the the threat posed to Jews by Ukraine's new pro-Western government in Kiev, Salberg said.

Those stories were based in part on ultra-nationalists who joined the Maidan protests, and the inclusion of the ultra-nationalist Svoboda party in Ukraine's new interim government. But the threat turned out to be false, he said.

Svoboda's leadership needs to be monitored, but so far it has refrained from anti-Semitic statements since joining the government, he said. And the prevalence of anti-Semitic acts has not changed since before the Maidan protests, according to the ADL and the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, which monitors human rights in Ukraine.

Distributing such leaflets is a recruitment tool to appeal to the xenophobic fears of the majority, to enlist them to your cause and focus on a common enemy, the Jews," Salberg said.

And by targeting Donetsk's Jews, they also send a message to all the region's residents, Salberg said.

"The message is a message to all the people that is we're going to exert our power over you," he said. "Jews are the default scapegoat throughout history for despots to send a message to the general public: Don't step out of line."

[Syt]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27072351

Peace in our time?

Ukraine crisis: Deal to 'de-escalate' agreed in Geneva

Russia, the US and the European Union have said that all sides have agreed to steps to "de-escalate" the crisis in Ukraine.

Their foreign ministers were speaking at the end of talks between Russia, Ukraine, the EU and US in the Swiss city of Geneva.

Analysts say the outline agreement could stay economic sanctions the West was preparing to impose on Russia.

Ukraine has been in crisis since the toppling of its pro-Moscow president.

Russia then annexed the Crimean peninsula - part of Ukraine but with a Russian-speaking majority population - in a move that provoked international outrage.

This was followed by the seizing of government buildings in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists opposed to the new order in the capital Kiev.

'Concrete steps'
Following the Geneva talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said there was agreement that all illegal military formations in Ukraine must be dissolved, and that everyone occupying buildings must be disarmed and leave them.

They added that there would be an amnesty for all anti-government protesters under the agreement.

These steps will be overseen by monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Mr Lavrov said the crisis must be settled by Ukrainians themselves and there must be long-term constitutional reforms.

Mr Kerry said the extent of the crisis had been highlighted in recent days by the "grotesque" sending of notices to Jews in eastern Ukraine, demanding that they register themselves as Jewish.

He praised the Ukrainian government for the restraint it had shown in the face of what he said was provocation from pro-Moscow elements.

Baroness Ashton said the agreement contained "concrete steps that can be implemented immediately".

What are the chances that there will be some sort of incident, pinned on the Ukraine by Russia, that will null and void this agreement soon?



Meanwhile Putin during his annual "Ask me anything" call in show on Russian TV (source: Guardian):

The question is to ensure the rights and interests of the Russian southeast. It's new Russia. Kharkiv, Lugansk, Donetsk, Odessa were not part of Ukraine in czarist times, they were transferred in 1920. Why? God knows. Then for various reasons these areas were gone, and the people stayed there - we need to encourage them to find a solution."

[citizen k]

http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-condemns-call-jews-register-ukrainian-city-170306288.html

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday that Jews in a city in eastern Ukraine had been ordered to register with the authorities, calling the idea intolerable.

"Just in the last couple of days, notices were sent to Jews in one city indicating that they had to identify themselves as Jews ... or suffer the consequences," Kerry told reporters. "This is not just intolerable, it's grotesque."

[KRonn]

Well you give the loan after the crisis.  A major problem with Ukraine is that it's essentially bankrupt.  The economy is going to collapse if the Russian come or not.  If we can offer loans to prop them up, that would help prevent the disintegration of the country.

Do we really want to prevent the disintegration of the country?

I wouldn't be surprised if it might end up being better for the Westies to get rid of Russophile areas. The remaining population would be much more amenable to EU influence, and the need to kill the Soviet-era industrial and mining dinosaurs in the Donbass would disappear.

You guys aren't paying attention to what Putin is saying.

There's no demand to annex eastern Ukraine.  Instead he's been pushing to "federalize" it - decentralize powers.  Which sounds great to those of us in Canada or the US, but what that means is to devolve power to local warlords beholden to Russia.  It'll make the country poor and ungovernable, and never suitable to join the West in any meaningful way.

Probably better being annexed to a most benevolent and merciful Mutha Russia....   

[alfred russel]

Sav, this could be the way for East and West Ukraine to stop the conflict...they can put aside their differences and focus on the one thing uniting them: virulent anti-semitism.

[Savonarola]

Sav, this could be the way for East and West Ukraine to stop the conflict...they can put aside their differences and focus on the one thing uniting them: virulent anti-semitism.

Yeah, they've spent so much time bickering over language and ties with Europe or Russia that they've lost sight of what's really important.

[Caliga]

Sav, this could be the way for East and West Ukraine to stop the conflict...they can put aside their differences and focus on the one thing uniting them: virulent anti-semitism.

See, they are uncivilized barbarians that need Putin's fatherly guiding hand in their lives.

[Iormlund]

There's no demand to annex eastern Ukraine.

No, but if this mess ends up with a series of referendums and Russia is asked to take those provinces he can hardly reject the will the the people after Crimea without losing street cred.

[derspiess]

You guys aren't paying attention to what Putin is saying.

There's no demand to annex eastern Ukraine.  Instead he's been pushing to "federalize" it - decentralize powers.  Which sounds great to those of us in Canada or the US, but what that means is to devolve power to local warlords beholden to Russia.  It'll make the country poor and ungovernable, and never suitable to join the West in any meaningful way.

Seems like he'd be satisfied with that, or with annexing the Russian bits. 

[Syt]

It would probably mean a construct like Bosnia-Herzegovina, but on a much larger scale - with two separate groups, with one group constantly blocking whatever the other group wants.

[Syt]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/17/ukraine-diplomats-meet-in-geneva-in-bid-to-ease-crisis-live-coverage

Here's a non-encouraging reaction to the news out of Geneva. A leader of pro-Russian protesters inside the Donetsk regional government building tells Reuters his side would not leave until supporters of Ukraine's new government quit their camp around Kiev's main square, known as the Maidan:

"If it means all squares and public buildings then I guess it should start with the Maidan in Kiev. We'll see what they do there before we make our decision here," the leader, Alexander Zakharchenko, told Reuters by telephone.

Ukrainian nationalists and other groups who helped overthrow the Moscow-backed president in Kiev two months ago have maintained barricades around the Maidan. Many have said they will not leave until they are satisfied by the result of a presidential election to be held on May 25.

Armed men took over a television tower in eastern Ukraine on Thursday and switched it to Russian channels playing an almost non-stop stream of sound-bites from a marathon TV phone-in by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reports:

Employees at the tower said the men, who were armed with Kalashnikov rifles, barged in after arriving in cars and frightening off guards by firing a shot.

TV engineers accompanying the men then took Ukrainian channels off the air and replaced them with five Russian channels.

The channels included Russia 1, Russia 24 and ORT - some of the most popular state-controlled channels - which were broadcasting clips of Putin's TV phone-in.

"I was at my desk and heard a shot fired outside. Then men, armed and wearing masks, came in. They had technicians with them and switched channels," said Tetyana Chernogod, an electrical mechanic who works at the station.

"We pressed alarm buttons when they came in, but nobody responded. I have been seeing Putin all day since," she said.

Three TV screens were broadcasting clips from Putin's phone-in when this correspondent went to the tower's master control room. Two armed men guarded the entrance.

[derspiess]

I'd love to see Putin's nose bloodied at some point.

[The Brain]

I'd love to see Putin's nose bloodied at some point.

The tip?

[celedhring]

What are the chances that there will be some sort of incident, pinned on the Ukraine by Russia, that will null and void this agreement soon?

My bet is that if Kiev can't get the Maidan people to raise camp, it will be used to pin the breach on the west.

That said, it's best if those people go back to their homes.

[DGuller]

Sav, this could be the way for East and West Ukraine to stop the conflict...they can put aside their differences and focus on the one thing uniting them: virulent anti-semitism.

Color me skeptical.  The leaflet just seems too convenient.