Be alert - signs of Russian invasion may be strong

[Tim Beelen]

Russia has taken over Crimea, wreaking havoc on the native Crimean 
Tatars by upsetting the balance of power in that region. Effectively 
driving Ukraine into civil war. Crimea, a region that heavily depends on 
Ukranian utilities and general consumer goods.

It has been a year, and Russia has turned it into a shit hole. There 
used to be no nuclear weapons on Crimea, now there will be. The 
minorities were free to express their religion, now they have express 
their religion under government oversight or pay fines-- and in most 
cases both since as anyone who ever did to do business in Russia knows 
that it corrupt as fuck.

The Russian government initially made good on promises to hike doctors’ 
and teachers’ salaries after the annexation, but those raises were cut 
back in April.

Since January prices for food have risen over 19%, almost twice as 
steeply as in Russia. Among those who opposed the annexation some want 
Ukraine to impose a total blockade. The rationale for this is to have 
“Putin try to deliver it all”.

The peninsula’s main industry, tourism, is, as we all know, is left 
completely fucked. The ferry service from Russia’s mainland brings 
nothing like enough tourists to make up for the absent Ukrainians and 
the Europeans whose cruise ships once docked in Yalta.

Western credit cards do not work.

Many businesses have been expropriated by “self-defence” units, 
paramilitaries controlled by the peninsula’s Russian-installed prime 
minister, Sergei Aksyonov.

Meanwhile again, the fucking “authorities” are eliminating the political 
and cultural space for Crimea’s Tatars and ethnic Ukrainians. Cool 
right? Go Russia.

In March a group of Ukrainians who laid flowers at a statue of Taras 
Shevchenko, their national poet, were fined some $200 each for 
“employing Ukrainian attributes”. Which is not at all unlike KGB tactics 
where they jail journalists for three days. Kick 'm around hold a gun to 
their head. Oh shit this already happens. Google "Crimea voting fraud" 
for a dozen examples.

The Irony of the “Crimea Is Ours!” slogan: 
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15387216.2015.1038574 well 
researched for your comic relief. Because in Russian Federation occupied 
territory even basic infrastructure like a busted sewer-pipe won't be 
fixed.

Last month, authorities detained seven Ukrainians for taking selfies 
while wearing /vyshyvanki/, their traditional embroidered shirts.

Police also detained a dozen Tatars who gathered in Simferopol’s Lenin 
Square on May 18th to commemorate Deportation Day, the anniversary of 
the date in 1944 when Stalin deported all 180,000 Crimean Tatars to 
central Asia.

Meanwhile Russia 85% of Crimea’s budget is now supplied by Russia’s 
federal government. In April Dmitri Medvedev, Russia’s prime minister, 
put the overall costs incurred due to the annexation (including the cost 
of sanctions) at $27 billion in 2014 alone.

Russian citizens may grow less happy about bearing such costs as time 
goes on. An opinion poll in May found only 16% of Russians would support 
budget cuts in Russia proper in favor of developing Crimea. But after 
the propaganda commitment Mr Putin has made, it would be politically 
inconceivable to roll back the annexation.

These numbers are the official ones from Moscow, Google Natalia 
Zubarevich who is a Russian economist at Moscow University if you'd like 
to know more about how Putin fucks over his own population for the 
benefit of his own fucking ego.

/In addition the EU extends restrictions: /

On 19 June 2015, the Council extended the EU restrictive measures in 
response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol until 23 
June 2016. The sanctions include prohibitions on:

- imports of products originating in Crimea or Sevastopol into the EU;
- investment in Crimea or Sevastopol, meaning that no Europeans nor 
EU-based companies can buy real estate or entities in Crimea, finance 
Crimean companies or supply related services;
- tourism services in Crimea or Sevastopol, in particular, European 
cruise ships cannot call at ports in the Crimean peninsula, except in 
case of emergency;
- exports of certain goods and technologies to Crimean companies or for 
use in Crimea in the transport, telecommunications and energy sectors 
and related to the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas 
and mineral resources. Technical assistance, brokering, construction or 
engineering services related to infrastructure in these sectors must not 
be provided either.

As stated by the European Council on 19 March 2015, the EU continues to 
condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian 
Federation and remain committed to fully implement its non-recognition 
policy.

So, Putin just created an economically isolated economic dead-zone with 
2.4 million people. And this is something that EVERY FUCKING ONE knew 
ahead of time. So there is a reason he's dicking around on Ukraine's 
border. He NEEDS to annex at least the east of Ukraine. Or lose face 
regarding Crimea because he is going to feel the pressure internally 
supporting an economic dead zone. 2.4 million mouths to feed with no 
place to go.

So, yea, Russia invades. And they do this without regard for the 
population they are invading.

Whenever I read such an exceptionally retarded opinion piece... I 
suggest you go troll someone else with it.  Again EVERY FUCKING ONE KNEW 
that Crimea is an island and that it will be hard to supply. Especially 
since it is almost completely dependent on Ukraine to power it's economy.

Also the referendum oh my fucking god. Russian Invasion > Russian 
Referendum > Russian Troops overseeing said referendum > turnout bigger 
then 100% > like 95%+ victory.

Yea right.

Also, the Russians shot down a commercial flight.


On 6/20/2015 8:45 PM, Zenaan Harkness wrote:
> Grab a coffee for this one.
>
> http://russia-insider.com/en/russian-non-invasion-causing-concern-european-capitals/ri8139
>
> I hope it's not too shocking for folks around here.

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