Ukraine's European Revolution?

[Syt]

We're sending some fighters and a minesweeper to help with the increased NATO presence in the East.

[Queequeg]

Russian community in Latvia says banning Russian TV violates constitution

The head of Latvia's Russian community, Valery Kravtsov, says the ban is aimed particularly at discriminating against Russians in Latvia

RIGA, April 16. /ITAR-TASS/. Latvia's broadcasting authority has banned Russia's RTR television channel for three months.

The head of the nation's Russian community, Valery Kravtsov, described the National Electronic Media Council decision as a violation of constitutional freedom of expression.

"The community considers such actions as a violation of the legal rights of a European democratic country's citizens, the right for free access to information in particular. We also believe that this ban is aimed particularly at discriminating against Russians in Latvia", he said on Wednesday, adding that the Ukrainian crisis would be resolved and that Russians and Latvians would have to coexist in a single state.

Residents of a rational democratic society had the right independently to choose programs to watch, books to read and ideas to have, Kravtsov said. "We do not understand why we, honest taxpayers who have already paid for our broadcasting services, were so dishonestly cheated."

The country's electronic media council voted last week to cease transmitting RTR, claiming it had spread military propaganda. Russian activists have challenged the ban in a Riga court.

Unless it starts blasting Kremlin irridentist propaganda I think it is pretty absurd to target the television station of an ethnic minority. 

[Jacob]

Unless it starts blasting Kremlin irridentist propaganda I think it is pretty absurd to target the television station of an ethnic minority.

As I understand it, RTR is Russian and state owned. You seem to imply that it's a Latvian based Russian language station.

I suspect that RTR is already blasting Kremlin irredentist propaganda, at least re: Ukraine.

[Tamas]

Unless it starts blasting Kremlin irridentist propaganda I think it is pretty absurd to target the television station of an ethnic minority.

As I understand it, RTR is Russian and state owned. You seem to imply that it's a Latvian based Russian language station.

I suspect that RTR is already blasting Kremlin irredentist propaganda, at least re: Ukraine.

Yes, I am pretty sure.

[OttoVonBismarck]

Germans ain't gonna do shit.

Germany would let Putin take back the entire Warsaw Pact aside from East Germany without raising a finger, and Merkel would be on the front lines arguing for a muted economic response.

Too many years of castration has made Germany weak willed and irrelevant in anything outside of the economic sphere. It's a sad day when the only country with balls in continental Western Europe is France.

[derspiess]

I admit that part would like to see those Baltic fucks get their asses handed to them.

  Why?

[Grey Fox]

Germans ain't gonna do shit.

Germany would let Putin take back the entire Warsaw Pact aside from East Germany without raising a finger, and Merkel would be on the front lines arguing for a muted economic response.

Too many years of castration has made Germany weak willed and irrelevant in anything outside of the economic sphere. It's a sad day when the only country with balls in continental Western Europe is France.

So, it's 1900 again?

[Tamas]

Germans ain't gonna do shit.

Germany would let Putin take back the entire Warsaw Pact aside from East Germany without raising a finger, and Merkel would be on the front lines arguing for a muted economic response.

Too many years of castration has made Germany weak willed and irrelevant in anything outside of the economic sphere. It's a sad day when the only country with balls in continental Western Europe is France.

I don't think so. Germany has pretty heavy economic influence in the east European EU countries I believe.

Their motivation for not doing shit for Ukraine (and probably Belarus and Moldova later) is that the influential people do not wish to suffer short term economical disadvantages for no short term economic gain.
However, if you have the Russian oligarchs trouncing into prime German economic interests behind Russian civilian self defense forces, then you can be more certain of German resistance.

[derspiess]

However, if you have the Russian oligarchs trouncing into prime German economic interests behind Russian civilian self defense forces, then you can be more certain of German resistance.

Part of me would like to see that put to the test.

[grumbler]

what a disaster.

What do they mean they don't want to shoot? Really the Ukrainian population doesn't give a shit if half of the country goes to Russia? Maybe they want to go to?

Maybe what they mean is that they will be no better off if they shoot than if they don't.  Would you be willing to kill and die for the thugs that have looted Hungary?

The Ukrainian elite has spent 20 years fucking over everybody in sight to make a fast buck, rather than building a country.  They can't create one now.

[Norgy]

Don't worry, we'll fight. At least 10 % of Europe (the gays) are still up in arms about the Sochi Olympics and just need a bit of training. I suggest we use the Eurovision song contest in Denmark for that, and we'll have a highly motivated force to scare off the homophobic Russians. I'll bring my axe and join the 22nd Hetero Support Brigade.

[KRonn]

Don't the US and some Euro nations have defense agreements with Ukraine? Given so that Ukraine would give up its nukes and whatever else of the military. Signed by Pres Clinton and re-signed by Pres Obama. I don't want to see US troops fighting in Ukraine but I wonder what the status of that agreement is?

[Tamas]

Don't the US and some Euro nations have defense agreements with Ukraine? Given so that Ukraine would give up its nukes and whatever else of the military. Signed by Pres Clinton and re-signed by Pres Obama. I don't want to see US troops fighting in Ukraine but I wonder what the status of that agreement is?

It is being merrily ignored by everyone except Ukraine

[Syt]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/16/ukraine-on-the-brink-live-blog-16-april#block-534eb7c3e4b056a9012cd909

Here is video of Vitaly Nayda of the Ukrainian security services saying that Ukrainian forces have apprehended 40 Russian special services members plotting violent unrest.

The presence of the infiltrators could not be independently confirmed. Kiev is keeping up a battle of accusations with Moscow. On Tuesday, Russian president Vladimir Putin's spokesman flatly said "there are no Russian forces whatsoever" in Ukraine.

Ukraine's security service says its counter-intelligence department has found members of the Russian special services involved in unrest in eastern Ukraine. The head of the counter-intelligence department says discussions have been documented involving plans to kill up to 200 people after which Russian forces would invade Ukraine

[Norgy]

Don't the US and some Euro nations have defense agreements with Ukraine? Given so that Ukraine would give up its nukes and whatever else of the military. Signed by Pres Clinton and re-signed by Pres Obama. I don't want to see US troops fighting in Ukraine but I wonder what the status of that agreement is?

Russia was also a signatory to that agreement, and I suppose, like Tamas says, it's being blissfully ignored for the sake of Russian natural gas.