Ukraine's European Revolution?

[Tamas]

How can a coup be legal?

When it's done constitutionally? Y'know, by following legal procedures to replace the government.

Ok.

Well, RussianFox, here is how it happened: the President made a deal to curb his own powers, and stay until elections. 24 hours later he was nowhere to be found. The democratically elected Parliament, including the Prez's own party, kicked him out. It was anything but a coup.

[Tamas]

Turkey says it scrambled jets on Monday after Russian plane flew along Turkey's Black Sea coast - but stayed in international air space, Reuters news agency reports.

Russia is unbelievable. As if the powder keg is not dangerous enough, they taunt the probably most jumpy NATO member. Screw them.

[Grey Fox]

Okay. You've read too much in my question tho.

I was only wondering, since they keep calling this an illegal coup, how a coup could be legal.

I find Viking's answer very funny. If I'm ever overthrowing my government, I bet I won't care what the constitutions says but I guess that's way.


RussianFox, atleast I've stop being fake-gay.

[Ed Anger]

Gay Russian fox.

[Grey Fox]

Gay Russian fox.

No, that's not possible. Nothing is Russian is Gay & vice-versa.

[Queequeg]

Gay Russian fox.

No, that's not possible. Nothing is Russian is Gay & vice-versa.

Tchaikovsky?

[OttoVonBismarck]

I think those are both bad ideas.

Russia is a belligerent state run by an asshole. Giving them advanced weapons systems is a bad idea.

The Crimea isn't a country. It is a small piece of the Ukraine, currently occupied by Russia. Its population appears unlikely to welcome NATO membership and it fails to meet several key criteria for NATO membership. Also, the current status of the Crimea as being occupied by Russia means that the ascension of the Crimea to NATO would immediately trigger article 5 and result in war between the US and Russia.

Did you watch Red Dawn recently, you seem to think anything at all leads to immediate war with Russia. We've already NATOized former WP countries, all that will happen if we bring Ukraine into NATO is Putin will never do this to Ukraine again. It also sends a message that NATO is willing to be aggressive. If Putin was ever dreaming he might be able to do this to NATO member states on the Baltic I think putting Ukraine into NATO would make him think twice because he'd recognize the West is willing to do things in response to  his belligerence. Further, Ukraine is a sovereign state, the idea that NATO should be afraid of inviting another sovereign state to join is frankly asinine.

[Solmyr]

Surprisingly, it appears he spent some time lashing out against oligarchs not just in Ukraine but Russia too, including Roman Abramovich. Nuke the bastard. 

Seriously though, is that a hint of him doing more power-concentrating in Russia in the future? More botox = more gusto?

If this is all Putin's elaborate game to weaken oligarch influence in Russia, I'll be very amused.

[DGuller]

Surprisingly, it appears he spent some time lashing out against oligarchs not just in Ukraine but Russia too, including Roman Abramovich. Nuke the bastard. 

Seriously though, is that a hint of him doing more power-concentrating in Russia in the future? More botox = more gusto?

If this is all Putin's elaborate game to weaken oligarch influence in Russia, I'll be very amused.

Unlikely, oligarchs are his quiet power base.  It's more likely that they privately protested to Putin, in horror at the prospect of spending the rest of their lives in Russia, and Putin may have had to acquiesce, but he's still reminding them gently of their place.

[Tamas]

Russian volunteers are very brave when they have Russian soldiers with machine guns behind them.

edit: this is at that airbase where the standoff is with the Ukrainian soldiers.

[Viking]

Surprisingly, it appears he spent some time lashing out against oligarchs not just in Ukraine but Russia too, including Roman Abramovich. Nuke the bastard. 

Seriously though, is that a hint of him doing more power-concentrating in Russia in the future? More botox = more gusto?

If this is all Putin's elaborate game to weaken oligarch influence in Russia, I'll be very amused.

Unlikely, oligarchs are his quiet power base.  It's more likely that they privately protested to Putin, in horror at the prospect of spending the rest of their lives in Russia, and Putin may have had to acquiesce, but he's still reminding them gently of their place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3lsJmwNO40

[OttoVonBismarck]

So Khodorkovsky has offered to mediate, sounds like a fabulously bad idea:

Khodorkovsky Offers to Mediate in Ukraine
Former Oil Tycoon Spent a Decade in a Russian Prison Camp


By
Andrew Morse
March 4, 2014 2:33 a.m. ET

ZURICH—Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former oil tycoon who spent a decade in a Russian prison camp, volunteered to travel to Ukraine to mediate a resolution to the country's worsening conflict.

In a statement posted on his website, Mr. Khodorkovsky said Ukraine was on the brink of civil war. He called the growing crisis "a family affair," saying he had relatives and friends who are Ukrainians.

"I am ready to travel to any location in Ukraine at any time at the invitation of any responsible actor in order to help prevent bloodshed," Mr. Khodorkovsky said in a brief post. He added that the presence of "independent and internationally-known individuals" could help prevent the conflict from escalating.

Mr. Khodorkovsky's statement comes as tensions in Ukraine rise after Russian troops moved into the strategically important Crimea region. The Russian forces have since tightened their hold on the Crimean peninsula and Ukraine's prime minister has acknowledged that his government has little near-term hope of reclaiming control the territory.

The former oil tycoon grabbed international headlines late last year when he was unexpectedly released from a Russian penal colony, where he spent nearly 10 years after being convicted of fraud and money laundering. The Swiss government subsequently granted him a three-month visa.

Mr. Khodorkovsky, who frequently challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin's political power, blamed politicians for the situation in Ukraine but didn't name any individual.

"As a result of the incompetent actions of politicians, we find ourselves on the brink of being involved in a civil war in Ukraine," he wrote.

Write to Andrew Morse at [email protected]

If he's not careful he may end up having an unexpected heart attack or a coincidental exposure to polonium.

[alfred russel]

Gay Russian fox.

Gay Russian Gen. Wolfe.

[PJL]

Meanwhile, newsreader on Russian Today speaks out against the Russian invasion of Crimea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZolXrjGIBJs

[Queequeg]

Improper usage of double negative.  Very pretty, very fierce.