Russian tanks exhibited at entrance to Sevastopol, Ukraine.

asen_y2k
Russian army combat readyness drills started in central and western army commands.

I just caught this same thing ..and Putin isn't puffing up like a peacock to make grand statements or declarations. He seems understated...if anything.

This isn't feeling good. Now, I may consider picking up some more disaster supplies.

I may not be kidding for much longer, either.

Wrabbit2000

I just caught this same thing ..and Putin isn't puffing up like a peacock to make grand statements or declarations. He seems understated...if anything.

This isn't feeling good. Now, I may consider picking up some more disaster supplies.

I may not be kidding for much longer, either.

Nope there is no jokeing here.

It isnt about Rusisa wanting to score a foreign policy victory like Syria it about protecting vital Russian intrests.

The new Ukraine goverment better hammer out a deal fast with Russia and they will if they want to last.

rigel4
RT is nothing more than a fully paid for by the Kremlin
propaganda generating state opinion and policy machine.

True but to be fair so are PressTV, CNN, FOX, BBC etc etc etc

SLAYER69

rigel4
RT is nothing more than a fully paid for by the Kremlin
propaganda generating state opinion and policy machine.

True but to be fair so are PressTV, CNN, FOX, BBC etc etc etc

I agree .. but the only one on the list that compares to RT is FOX.

In the end though ..all news channels have an agenda.

reply to post by crazyewok


Yes... Exactly. Syria was of national interest to Russia. Iran, if taken by the West, is roughly 100 air miles from the soil of the Russian Federation. They've been feeling the squeeze, if subtle, from multiple directions and this, while 'our' general side has actually gotten weaker. Kinda counter-intuitive there, but we've gotten away with it up until now.

Now, I saw on the ticker of an MSM source that Kerry is off loudly calling for reforms and changes and free elections ASAP in Kiev. Errr... uhh... This would be a GOOD moment for the US to be real real subtle itself, but we're dancing a jig across independence square.



Dear Comrade may not be playing games at all, I fear. This isn't, as you note, Syria on the Med or Iran 100 miles from soil to soil. This is their literal land border, 300 miles from Moscow itself. We've managed to back the man hard into a corner, and I think this whole thing was exceptionally ill conceived. Just.....illogical if anyone bothered to think beyond "winning".

It's actually possible they didn't.

reply to post by rigel4


Here is an interesting read.

From the article.

Source

BATTLE LINES DRAWN

Rival groups of ethnic Tatars and ethnic Russians confronted each other outside the regional parliament on Wednesday but eventually dispersed after scuffles.

Conflict is hardly unusual for the people of Crimea.

It was inhabited or invaded by Scythians, Greeks, Goths, Huns, Bulgars, Kazhars, Kipchaks, Turks and Mongols, and was part of the Roman and Byzantine empires before it became part of the Russian empire.

There were fierce battles on Crimea during World War Two, when it was occupied by the Nazis, and during the Crimean War which Russia lost to an alliance of France, Britain, the Ottoman empire and Sardinia.

"We're used to being fought over. We've had the Turks, British, Germans and now this," said Igor, a 26-year-old businessman from Simferopol.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Your gonna love this then Wrabbit

Having threatened Russia that "any military move would be a grave mistake" and sounding awefully like a "line" to be crossed, US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters that the US is ready to bail out Ukraine...

*KERRY: RUSSIA MILITARY MOVE ON UKRAINE WOULD BE GRAVE MISTAKE
*KERRY SAYS U.S. PLANNING $1 BLN LOAN GUARANTEE FOR UKRAINE
*KERRY SAYS U.S. WORKING WITH IMF, OTHERS ON AID TO UKRAINE
One has to wonder how many US jobs this will create (or save)? Or will Ukraine offer unlimited vodka to citizens of Detroit (or Puerto Rico for that matter)?



As Reuters headlines show:

U.S. CONSIDERING UNSPECIFIED BUDGET SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE ON TOP OF POSSIBLE $1 BILLION LOAN GUARANTEE - KERRY
KERRY SAYS POSSIBLE MILITARY INTERVENTION BY RUSSIA IN UKRAINE WOULD BE A COSTLY DECISION, GIVES NO DETAILS
Via AP,

Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States is planning to provide Ukraine with $1 billion in loan guarantees and will consider additional direct assistance to the former Soviet republic.

Speaking to reporters at the State Department on Wednesday, Kerry said it was "urgent to move forward" in assisting Ukraine following the ouster of its Russian-backed president. But he said it was also urgent for Ukraine's interim authorities to enact reforms, curb corruption, and prepare free and fair elections.

The U.S. aid would be part of a planned massive international assistance package that was expected to include European contributions as well as loans from global financial institutions.

www.zerohedge.com...

I'm no American but that would make me really p***ed.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Thanks Wrabbit for your insight on this issue.. I'll be honest, I wasn't too sure how serious this could be until reading your posts. I'm not even sure I've ever read posts from you that are so....concerning. It's times like these that I find myself hitting refresh for updates more often.

reply to post by SLAYER69


Informative read Slayer.. This is going pair shaped
Isn't it?

Hey guys, I found an easy source to share a very informative and powerful map. I've used other segments of these maps around the world for other things and they are just incredible when you load them and zoom to their max resolution. The Library of Congress and Central Intelligence both have lots of them. However, this one covers the Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions. It's a resource/lease/pipeline map but tends to show a great deal more.

Call this the geography of this one.

Rosneft and ENI sign pact for Barents & Black Seas exploration

It's the second map down. I hope it's helpful.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I think people just won't learn from history,and that is the real problem...

People just won't accept that what we are seeing is the set up of the war to come;and it is not just about Ukraine

Everything screams war wherever I look,from the economical collapse we are witnessing to the proxy wars that have been going on for some time now.

The more I look back to 1936-1938,the more I see a reflection of what is going on right now,only this time it isn't because of a mad man's dream of glory.

Russia getting involve in the Crimea region won't spark it(or at least I hope),but an attempt to move into the E.U/U.S pro region will be the line to cross.They(EU/US) will either back down(and loose credibility) or face the Russians(and it will turn ugly very quick).

And with the US/NATO forces spread out throughout the middle east,it will take the ruskies(i hope its not derogatory) to flare things in said conflict zones(Iraq,Afghanistan or even Iran) to keep the US/NATO busy enough for them to take back their "states" from the good old USSR days.

If Russia was to take back Ukraine with no interference,they would not stop at that(Reminding everyone here that i'm an outsider,neither pro US/EU/NATO,nor pro RUSSIA).Just stating my opinion here,but I think what we will witness in the coming year or so,will be the rise of Russia or the beginning of a new World War.Mark my words,this time I don't think Russia is backing down.

Russia getting involve in the Crimea region won't spark it(or at least I hope),but an attempt to move into the E.U/U.S pro region will be the line to cross.They(EU/US) will either back down(and loose credibility) or face the Russians(and it will turn ugly very quick).

reply to post by wildapache


Why would Russia want to move to US/EU region. It is NATO which is now moving into Russian region. After decay of communism, Russia has learned that expansionist agenda is old school not 21st century. Russia even refused a common union with Serbia and Belarus many times before. Russia has changed its ways and so should the Northern Alliance of Europe.

RiaNovosti reports defense minister Sergei Shoigu saying Russia plans "to expand permanent military presence outside its borders by placing military bases in a number of foreign countries," including Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Seychelles, and Singapore. "The talks are under way, and we are close to signing the relevant documents," Shoigu told reporters in Moscow.

Via RiaNovosti,

Russia is planning to expand its permanent military presence outside its borders by placing military bases in a number of foreign countries, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday.

Shoigu said the list includes Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Seychelles, Singapore and several other countries.

“The talks are under way, and we are close to signing the relevant documents,” Shoigu told reporters in Moscow.

The minister added that the negotiations cover not only military bases but also visits to ports in such countries on favorable conditions as well as the opening of refueling sites for Russian strategic bombers on patrol.

Moscow currently has only one naval base outside the former Soviet Union – in Tartus, Syria, but the fate of this naval facility is uncertain because of the ongoing civil war in that country.

Post-Soviet Russia closed a large naval base in Vietnam and a radar base in Cuba in 2002 due to financial constraints.

However, Russia has started reviving its navy and strategic aviation since mid-2000s, seeing them as a tool to project the Russian image abroad and to protect its national interests around the globe.

Now, Moscow needs to place such military assets in strategically important regions of the world to make them work effectively toward the goal of expanding Russia’s global influence.

en.ria.ru...

reply to post by victor7


I didnt say US/EU region mate,i said US/EU pro region(of Ukraine,as you are aware the country is divided between pro EU and pro Russia).

I get your point on Russia,but like you said NATO/US has been pushing hard on Russia and sooner rather than later Russia will fight back.

reply to post by MessageforAll


And that crash we hear is the other shoe dropping.... Hell... I think many of us has felt there was more happening here than could be seen. That's one BIG series of things to see happen in quick succession. I wonder how long this has been in the planning with Russia? Hmmm...

Well, that can't be good for Obama's foreign policy record and I hope we all had a good vacation for the last 25 years. It looks like East and West are warming back up and we aren't looking at an even match this time.

Wow... Putin had this planned. What else is planned in sequence to reaction, I wonder?

Having threatened Russia that "any military move would be a grave mistake" and sounding awefully like a "line" to be crossed, US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters that the US is ready to bail out Ukraine...

*KERRY: RUSSIA MILITARY MOVE ON UKRAINE WOULD BE GRAVE MISTAKE
*KERRY SAYS U.S. PLANNING $1 BLN LOAN GUARANTEE FOR UKRAINE
*KERRY SAYS U.S. WORKING WITH IMF, OTHERS ON AID TO UKRAINE
One has to wonder how many US jobs this will create (or save)? Or will Ukraine offer unlimited vodka to citizens of Detroit (or Puerto Rico for that matter)?



As Reuters headlines show:

U.S. CONSIDERING UNSPECIFIED BUDGET SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE ON TOP OF POSSIBLE $1 BILLION LOAN GUARANTEE - KERRY
KERRY SAYS POSSIBLE MILITARY INTERVENTION BY RUSSIA IN UKRAINE WOULD BE A COSTLY DECISION, GIVES NO DETAILS
Via AP,

Current US leadership is highly over-confident. This is coming from decades of being almost unchallengeable in terms of both military and economy. But as the gap in relative military might closes as other super powers grow stronger at a rate faster than the US does, and as the US economy continues to death spiral, there still remains a sense of the old way things once were... a dreamy illusion that nothing has changed, and a deadly complacency that indeed, nothing can nor will change.

Kerry is a blustering old windbag who is out of touch with reality. Hes emblematic of the entire US "leadership" from what I can discern.

Putin is not some rinky dink 3rd world despot that is easily intimidated by bully tactics from a dying shooting star empire whose brightest moments are already long gone. Whoever and whatever one thinks of the man on a personal level, credit has to be given where it is due; it is blatantly obvious that Putin is an intelligent, experienced professional that knows his business inside and out.

That is far more than can be positively said about Kerry/Obama.

Perhaps what is worrying while contemplating any kind of future conflict between super powers, is who exactly will be moving the pieces for each side.

On the Russian side, I think its pretty clear who will be sitting at the table, making the moves. While they might be down a minor piece or two at conflict onset, they also have an older and experienced 2200 rated player moving the pieces.

On our side, while we might have a full board to begin with and have the technical advantage, moving our pieces seems to be something akin to a shortsighted teen of 1300 rating or so, overly cocky that theyve been able to recently beat up some other players who only started with 3 pawns and a king.

Dunno about anyone else, but I dont put it past the delusionals in control of the US to start a war with Russia. They are so far gone already, no form of insanity is off the table.

10:47 Spontaneously formed self-defense units in Crimea are directed to to Simferopol - ITAR-TASS correspondent reports.

10:51 The buildings housing the parliament and government of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea are currently under the control of self-defense units of Crimea's Russian-speaking population.

11:26 The building of Crimea's government was taken over by a group of some 30 people at around 4:30 am local time on Thursday. These persons ordered police officers guarding the government headquarters to leave the building and gave their officially issued weapons and ID cards back to them.

11:32 Ukraine's acting interior minister says police on high alert after Crimea parliament seized.

Live updates here

Ukrainian Interior ministry troops on high alert.

RT breaking news

We on ATS predicted if military action takes place by Kiev iN Crimea we can expect the Russian tanks to roll into Ukraine.

asen_y2k
Ukrainian Interior ministry troops on high alert.

RT breaking news

We on ATS predicted if military action takes place by Kiev iN Crimea we can expect the Russian tanks to roll into Ukraine.

edit on 27/2/14 by asen_y2k because: Spellings

The timing is conspicuous for sure...

Russia military forces, about 150k troops across various branches, have been given the order by Putin to engage in "snap battle drills". They tried to downplay the exercise as something that was previously scheduled and not linked into the issues in Ukraine (which I don't find credible).

The situation will devolve into an incident occurring that allows Russia some cover to take action.

If that occurs then they have lost all credibility when it comes to Syria and Iran and the wests actions towards them. I am wondering who the people were who seized the building.

Russian "near abroad" has been penetrated and Kremlin will not keep silent.

The building occupiers say "they are not authorized to talk or negotiate". This means real orders are coming from somewhere else.

Very soon, Crimea will be a part of Russia.

Hope East Ukraine also breaks away as independent country.
This will cancel the Russian fears of NATO at their doorstep and cool things down........for the rest of the world.