[Aaus-list] [Ukrainians For Obama] PUTIN SPELLS OUT HIS POLICY

Wed Mar 19 09:46:01 EDT 2014

I think we all are nauseated and disgusted.  The word "fascism" is badly overused, but if this is not a classic fascism with references to "national traitors,"  demanding from residents to put the flags up, appointing governors and now mayors, ultra-nationalist rallies, brazen propaganda, I do not know what is.  I think and hope that they understand this in the White House and figuring out a response.  When will the Europeans, and Germans in particular, understand this, is a question.

On Mar 19, 2014, at 12:09 AM, Bohdan Besaha wrote:

It's important to mention that Putin caveated his assurance that he would not seek further Ukrainian territories with concern for the Russian speakers in Donetsk and Kharkiv.  I'm tired of pretending that he is not spelling out his next moves just because the media does not catch it or whatever it is that keeps people from wanting to face up to the immediate danger.

I'm not happy to write this kind of thing, but I am nauseated with the wait and see what he does nonsense, when he is telling you what he plans to do.

Marta Farion <marta at farion.org<mailto:marta at farion.org>> wrote:

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/0ac21512-aec3-11e3-a088-00144feab7de.html siteedition=intl#axzz2wNhSOTaF<http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/0ac21512-aec3-11e3-a088-00144feab7de.html%20siteedition=intl#axzz2wNhSOTaF>

Crimea’s annexation used to warn world of resurgent Russia
By Kathrin Hille in Moscow
©AFP<http://www.ft.com/servicestools/terms/afp>
Russian President Vladimir Putin used the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol <http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d93e4c7c-ae6d-11e3-8e41-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=intl> on Tuesday to warn the world of a resurgent Russia that will assert its interests and whip up a wave of patriotic sentiment at home.
In an hour-long address <http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/liveblogs/2014-03-18-2/> to both chambers of parliament, regional leaders and the loyal parts of the country’s political elite in the Kremlin’s ornate Georgiyevsky Hall, Mr Putin said Russia had been “cornered for centuries”, but could now not be bullied any more.
·
“It was only when Crimea<http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2014/03/is-crimeas-referendum-vote-legal/> ended up as part of a different country that Russia realised that it was not simply robbed, it was plundered,” Mr Putin said. He said the break-up of the Soviet Union had left Russia one of the biggest, if not the biggest nation, to be divided by borders.
But beyond the fallout of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Mr Putin pinpointed anger at the west, and particularly the US, to explain what drove him on the course he took on Ukraine.
“What happened in Ukraine reflects the situation that unfolded in the entire world: After the bipolar world broke down, [the] US decided to use strong-arm politics. They think they have been entrusted by God,” Mr Putin railed. “But if you press the spring too hard, it will recoil. Russia, just like any other country, has its national interests which you need to respect.”
Mr Putin spelt out in concrete terms that at the heart of these interests was keeping Nato at bay. Although he pledged the will to live in peaceful, brotherly relations with Ukraine and that Russia would not grab other territories, he warned that Nato must not come closer to Russia.
While the Russian president’s tough tone shocked many observers abroad<http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/eafe8370-adf8-11e3-974d-00144feab7de.html>, it is likely to boost his popularity at home. Mr Putin faces steep challenges ahead of the next presidential election in 2018 as the Russian economy slowed sharply last year and is expected by independent analysts to move into recession this quarter.
But in step with Moscow’s drive to escalate the crisis in Ukraine in recent weeks, Mr Putin’s support ratings have risen to levels around 70 per cent, a level not seen during all of his third term in office.
At an unannounced appearance at a celebratory rally on Red Square on Tuesday night, he sang the national anthem, ringed by a navy choir, and shouted: “We have a very joyful, bright, celebratory day today. After a hard, long, exhausting voyage, Crimea and Sevastopol <http://www.ft.com/intl/indepth/battle-for-ukraine> are returning into the haven of the motherland, to their native shores, to the home port, to Russia!”
A moderator led a crowd of thousands in shouts of “Crimea, Russia, Putin!” It was the first time Mr Putin appeared at such an event since a rally to celebrate his controversial return to the presidential office in May 2012, which marked victory over a growing protest movement.
Alexander Zaldostanov, head of the biker gang Night Wolves and one of the many prominent Russians who have been fanning Russian nationalism in Ukraine in recent weeks, took to the stage to celebrate Sevastopol as “the Stalingrad of the 21st century”.
if you press the spring too hard, it will recoil. Russia, just like any other country, has its national interests which you need to respect
- Vladimir Putin
Not all Russians share the joy. Liberal intellectuals are worried that the patriotic euphoria whipped up over the return of Crimea is providing the cover for an even tougher crackdown on dissent.
When Mr Putin dismissed western criticism of his moves on Ukraine, many Russians detected a threatening undertone.
“Some western politicians are already trying to scare us not only with sanctions but also with the perspective of worsening domestic problems,” he said. “I would like to know what they have in mind – acts by a certain fifth column, some national traitors? Or do they think that they can worsen the social-economic situation in Russia and thus provoke the people’s discontent? We consider such statements as irresponsible and will respond in an appropriate manner.”
Following Mr Putin’s speech, several internet sites used by activists were temporarily blocked<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3ee0cf2c-ab9a-11e3-90af-00144feab7de.html>. Residents of different districts of Moscow reported on their blogs on Tuesday that the management companies of their apartment blocks had demanded they hang flags from their windows in celebration, and bristled when refused.

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