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The Living Force
Coming home: Donetsk Republic to become Malorossia (Little Russia)
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/07/coming-home-donetsk-republic-to-become.html
Ukraine has proven to be a failed state, unable to stop the civil war in the east of the country. The way out of the impasse would be to establish a transitional period of up to three years for new state to form it own autonomous region.
This statement was made by the head of the People's Republic of Donetsk, Alexander Zakharchenko.
"The Kiev regime is not able to stop the civil war. It is proposed that we establish the state of Malorossia - Little Russia - over the next three year transition period."- Zakharchenko said.
A Minister of the DPR, Alexander Timofeev, said that Little Russia will be a federal state with broad autonomy.
The new country, with its capital in Donetsk, will be a successor of the wider Ukraine. 'Malorossia' are historically Russian lands and were only ever considered a part of Ukraine due to its geographical location in the south of Russia, and estranged during the collapse of the USSR.
Ukraine promises to disrupt creation of 'Malorossia'
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/07/ukraine-promises-to-disrupt-creation-of.html
Klimkin responded to the proposal of the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, that the Donetsk will transition into the historic 'Malorossia' (Little Russia) over the next three years.
After the transition, Malorossia has set its sights on becoming a 'union state' of the Russian Federation and Belarus. This entails mostly economic and cultural integration as opposed to a fusion of geographies.
The State Duma considers the creation of a new state inevitable. According to the head of the State Duma CIS Affairs Committee, Leonid Kalashnikov, it s a way to end the war in the DPR and LPR.
"The Ukrainian government, instead of solving the issue, only encourages fighting. But people can not live in war forever - it is necessary to do something now. "- he said.
Kiev Not to Allow Implementation of Abkhazia Scenario in Donbass
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707181055646002-ukraine-donbass-dpr-abkhazia-scenario/
Earlier in the day, Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of east Ukraine's self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk (DPR), proposed a three-year transition period toward a new state called Malorossiya ("Little Russia") as a way to settle the conflict in the region.
Just at the moment when the Ukrainian delegation is in Georgia, the Kremlin is trying to act out the Abkhazia scenario in Donbass. We will not let them," Klimkin wrote on Twitter.
Speaking of Abkhazia, the minister referred to the Russia-Georgia conflict, which took place in August 2008, when Georgia launched a military offensive against self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, prompting Russia to interfere to protect its numerous citizens living in the region.
After the five-day war with Georgia, Russia recognized both republics as independent states.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in early 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The Donbass conflict erupted in April 2014 as a local counter-reaction to the West-sponsored Maidan coup in Kiev that had toppled President Viktor Yanukovych in February. Residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions held independence referendums and proclaimed the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Kiev has since been conducting a military operation, encountering stiff local resistance.
In February 2015, Kiev forces and Donbass independence supporters signed a peace agreement in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The deal stipulates a full ceasefire, weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in Donbass, as well as constitutional reforms that would give a special status to the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. Despite the agreement brokered by the Normandy Four states (Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine), the ceasefire regime is regularly violated, with both sides accusing each other of multiple breaches, undermining the terms of the accord.
German Government Considers DPR's Malorossiya State Proposal 'Unacceptable'
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201707181055643424-germany-dpr-malorossiya/
"The German goveernmtn condemns this step as absolutely unacceptable. Mr Zakharchenko does not have the legitimacy to speak for this part of Ukraine," the government said in a statement.
According to the government, the conflict in eastern Ukraine could only be resolved through negotiations.
"We expect Russia to also condemn this step, that it will express neither respect nor acceptance of it," the statement read.
US Military Working on Inventory of Possible Lethal Defense Aid for Ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/us/201707181055654892-us-lethal-weapons-ukraine/
In September 2016, the US House of Representatives approved legislation to allow the supply of lethal "defensive" weapons to Ukraine, but the law still needs to be approved by the US Senate and signed by the US president.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned against arms deliveries to Ukraine, stressing that it would only escalate the situation in the eastern part of the country. Different European politicians, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as well as NATO Military Committee Chairman Peter Pavel have also spoken against arms deliveries to Ukraine.
"We are working very closely between the Joint Staff and the US European Command to actually put requirements on the table for an inventory of what that lethal defensive aid might look like," Selva told the US Senate Armed Services Committee.
"It will be more than just a military recommendation. This will be a policy choice."
The US European Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are contemplating the types of defensive lethal weapons they will recommend to the Congress for shipment to Ukraine, Selva said added.
"Sir, these discussions are ongoing so I think in the coming months you will have a decision on an answer to that question. But we have advocated for lethal means such as anti-tank weapons, not tanks but defensive weapons."
US Senator John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, has repeatedly called for sending anti-tank missiles and other military equipment to Ukrainian forces.
'EU Understands It Took Wrong Side' in Donbass Conflict
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707181055648401-eu-wrong-side-donbass-war/
Self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Leader Alexander Zakharchenko proposed on Tuesday a three-year transition period toward a new state called Malorossiya ("Little Russia") as a way to settle the three-year conflict in Ukraine.
He called on the international community to support his proposal. However, for a long time now the EU has kept silent about the Donbass war.
The question however, remains why the Italian media has been ignoring the conflict that has unfolded in the center of Europe?
Sputnik spoke with Maurizio Marrone, a member of the regional council and the city administration of Turin in an interview, about this issue.
According to him, “the EU understands that it has taken the wrong side in the conflict, that it has a great responsibility and therefore there are constant attempts to censor the reports about this war as much as possible.”
Marrone further said that such censorship is due to the fact that the European Union and the governments of the member countries are involved in this war.
The ceasefire is never observed. I personally visited Donetsk and Lugansk three times, where I saw with my own eyes how the artillery of Kiev bombed the quarters in which the civilian population lives, which constantly leads to new victims,” he said.
Talking about a recent conference which took place in the Italian parliament about the war in Donbass, Marrone said that the conference is an important event, since for the first time the topic of war in Donbass was discussed in the Italian Parliament.
“We wanted to draw the attention of Italian politics to the conflict, which until now has not been discussed. This is a war that indirectly affects the countries of Europe as we are talking about economic sanctions,” he further told Sputnik.
Despite the severity of the situation Marrone stressed that little is said about the conflict in the media.
He further said that the Italian government knows what damage the anti-Russian sanctions have inflicted on exports and on Italian entrepreneurs. But despite that the Italian government is not standing up to the EU.
“Italy is forced to send its military to Latvia within the framework of the NATO mission and at the political level, Rome does not have the courage to refuse the contributions that it is forced to pay to the alliance,” he added.
The conference "Donbass: The War on Conscience of Europe" was held for the first time in the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament.
Recently, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights submitted a report in which Ukraine was presented with over 16 claims for such grave crimes as torture, unlawful deprivation of liberty and violation of freedom of movement.
“We are afraid that [Ukraine] can be used [by the European Union and the United States] as a springboard for the siege of the so-called ‘Russian World’. We hope that sooner or later the Italian government will come out of this conflict and reconsider its attitude towards NATO,” Marrone said.
The politician also spoke about a project that he is currently involved in. It is called “101 life” and its purpose is to inform the public about the number of children that have been killed in the conflict, which has already exceeded 100.
He expressed hope that Italy will move towards an alliance with Russia and that the two countries will become trade and economic partners once again.
Marrone also stressed the importance of working together as geopolitical partners in the fight against terrorism.
“We, as part of the Western world, see that Moscow is fighting against Daesh almost alone. We must realize that our enemy is Islamic terrorism, not Russia,” Marrone concluded.
Ukraine Crisis May End With 5 Mln Ukrainians Applying for Russian Citizenship
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201707151055576769-ukraine-visa-restrictions-analysis/
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has acknowledged that the introduction of a visa regime with Russia would create problems for Ukrainians.
The simple introduction of visas would not give us the effect we would like to see," the diplomat said, speaking during question period in Ukraine's parliament on Friday.
"On the contrary, doing so will create significant problems, given the fact that Russia will take advantage of these problems in order to carry out both provocations and conscious policy to introduce restrictions against Ukrainian citizens who live in the occupied territories, and in occupied Crimea," he added.
In the minister's view, the decision to introduce biometric control at the border was the "optimal" option for Kiev, and one "supported by our friends and partners."
In the spring, lawmakers from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc and People's Front parties proposed the introduction of a visa regime with Russia. Last month, Klimkin said that the Foreign Ministry was ready to implement the necessary measures if lawmakers passed the relevant legislation on the issue.
Opinion polling from last month found that 51% of Ukrainians were opposed to a visa regime with their eastern neighbor, with 33% saying they were in favor, and another 16% undecided.
Last week, Kiev announced that it would be introducing biometric control for all foreigners traveling to Ukraine, including Russian citizens, starting in January 2018. Russian citizens will also have to notify the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry about their arrival beforehand. At present, Russian and Ukrainian citizens enjoy visa-free travel between the two countries.
Russian officials have responded to Kiev's decision, saying that Moscow regrets the move, and sees the policy of severing contacts with Russia as an attempt to build a new 'Berlin Wall'.
Speaking to Radio Sputnik, Alexander Golub, a veteran Ukrainian ex-lawmaker and member of the presidium of Union of Left Forces, commented on how Kiev's decision will affect ordinary Ukrainians.
According to the politician, Kiev authorities seem set on sticking to their plan to cut all possible ties with Moscow, "at the economic level, at the political level, and as far as the possible introduction of visas is concerned, at the human level."
"It's another matter entirely that Kiev is simply not prepared for this step, given the social and economic situation inside the country itself," Golub added. "Because the application of countermeasures by Russia would lead to problems for millions of people who today must work in Russia to support their families."
Noting that he regularly speaks to his compatriots who work in Russia, the politician noted that "between 80-90% of them would like to obtain Russian citizenship. But they are afraid of a certain level of pressure, and a number of difficulties which would await the members of their families back in Ukraine. In total, I think we can talk about 4-5 million Ukrainians who would like to obtain Russian citizenship," the former lawmaker said.
According to Golub, the difficult situation in Ukraine can change for the better, but only in circumstances which are outside Kiev's ability to control. "When will it all end? I think this will happen when the people implementing this policy give up power, at a minimum, or are made to respond in court for the crimes they have committed," he said.
But I think it is obvious that a number of Western countries are interested in exactly this position for Ukraine. They will continue to squeeze out the benefits from the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia, which they themselves artificially inflame, to the end. But when those benefits are exhausted, then, perhaps, they'll give up on their puppets, and something will change," the observer concluded.
Last month, a poll by Rating Group Ukraine found that 75% of Ukrainians believe their country is 'in a state of collapse'. 70% said they fear the situation could lead to new large-scale protests of the kind which rocked the country in 2014 and ended in the Maidan coup d'etat.
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/07/coming-home-donetsk-republic-to-become.html
Ukraine has proven to be a failed state, unable to stop the civil war in the east of the country. The way out of the impasse would be to establish a transitional period of up to three years for new state to form it own autonomous region.
This statement was made by the head of the People's Republic of Donetsk, Alexander Zakharchenko.
"The Kiev regime is not able to stop the civil war. It is proposed that we establish the state of Malorossia - Little Russia - over the next three year transition period."- Zakharchenko said.
A Minister of the DPR, Alexander Timofeev, said that Little Russia will be a federal state with broad autonomy.
The new country, with its capital in Donetsk, will be a successor of the wider Ukraine. 'Malorossia' are historically Russian lands and were only ever considered a part of Ukraine due to its geographical location in the south of Russia, and estranged during the collapse of the USSR.
Ukraine promises to disrupt creation of 'Malorossia'
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/07/ukraine-promises-to-disrupt-creation-of.html
Klimkin responded to the proposal of the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, that the Donetsk will transition into the historic 'Malorossia' (Little Russia) over the next three years.
After the transition, Malorossia has set its sights on becoming a 'union state' of the Russian Federation and Belarus. This entails mostly economic and cultural integration as opposed to a fusion of geographies.
The State Duma considers the creation of a new state inevitable. According to the head of the State Duma CIS Affairs Committee, Leonid Kalashnikov, it s a way to end the war in the DPR and LPR.
"The Ukrainian government, instead of solving the issue, only encourages fighting. But people can not live in war forever - it is necessary to do something now. "- he said.
Kiev Not to Allow Implementation of Abkhazia Scenario in Donbass
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707181055646002-ukraine-donbass-dpr-abkhazia-scenario/
Earlier in the day, Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of east Ukraine's self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk (DPR), proposed a three-year transition period toward a new state called Malorossiya ("Little Russia") as a way to settle the conflict in the region.
Just at the moment when the Ukrainian delegation is in Georgia, the Kremlin is trying to act out the Abkhazia scenario in Donbass. We will not let them," Klimkin wrote on Twitter.
Speaking of Abkhazia, the minister referred to the Russia-Georgia conflict, which took place in August 2008, when Georgia launched a military offensive against self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, prompting Russia to interfere to protect its numerous citizens living in the region.
After the five-day war with Georgia, Russia recognized both republics as independent states.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in early 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The Donbass conflict erupted in April 2014 as a local counter-reaction to the West-sponsored Maidan coup in Kiev that had toppled President Viktor Yanukovych in February. Residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions held independence referendums and proclaimed the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Kiev has since been conducting a military operation, encountering stiff local resistance.
In February 2015, Kiev forces and Donbass independence supporters signed a peace agreement in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The deal stipulates a full ceasefire, weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in Donbass, as well as constitutional reforms that would give a special status to the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. Despite the agreement brokered by the Normandy Four states (Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine), the ceasefire regime is regularly violated, with both sides accusing each other of multiple breaches, undermining the terms of the accord.
German Government Considers DPR's Malorossiya State Proposal 'Unacceptable'
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201707181055643424-germany-dpr-malorossiya/
"The German goveernmtn condemns this step as absolutely unacceptable. Mr Zakharchenko does not have the legitimacy to speak for this part of Ukraine," the government said in a statement.
According to the government, the conflict in eastern Ukraine could only be resolved through negotiations.
"We expect Russia to also condemn this step, that it will express neither respect nor acceptance of it," the statement read.
US Military Working on Inventory of Possible Lethal Defense Aid for Ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/us/201707181055654892-us-lethal-weapons-ukraine/
In September 2016, the US House of Representatives approved legislation to allow the supply of lethal "defensive" weapons to Ukraine, but the law still needs to be approved by the US Senate and signed by the US president.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned against arms deliveries to Ukraine, stressing that it would only escalate the situation in the eastern part of the country. Different European politicians, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as well as NATO Military Committee Chairman Peter Pavel have also spoken against arms deliveries to Ukraine.
"We are working very closely between the Joint Staff and the US European Command to actually put requirements on the table for an inventory of what that lethal defensive aid might look like," Selva told the US Senate Armed Services Committee.
"It will be more than just a military recommendation. This will be a policy choice."
The US European Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are contemplating the types of defensive lethal weapons they will recommend to the Congress for shipment to Ukraine, Selva said added.
"Sir, these discussions are ongoing so I think in the coming months you will have a decision on an answer to that question. But we have advocated for lethal means such as anti-tank weapons, not tanks but defensive weapons."
US Senator John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, has repeatedly called for sending anti-tank missiles and other military equipment to Ukrainian forces.
'EU Understands It Took Wrong Side' in Donbass Conflict
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201707181055648401-eu-wrong-side-donbass-war/
Self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Leader Alexander Zakharchenko proposed on Tuesday a three-year transition period toward a new state called Malorossiya ("Little Russia") as a way to settle the three-year conflict in Ukraine.
He called on the international community to support his proposal. However, for a long time now the EU has kept silent about the Donbass war.
The question however, remains why the Italian media has been ignoring the conflict that has unfolded in the center of Europe?
Sputnik spoke with Maurizio Marrone, a member of the regional council and the city administration of Turin in an interview, about this issue.
According to him, “the EU understands that it has taken the wrong side in the conflict, that it has a great responsibility and therefore there are constant attempts to censor the reports about this war as much as possible.”
Marrone further said that such censorship is due to the fact that the European Union and the governments of the member countries are involved in this war.
The ceasefire is never observed. I personally visited Donetsk and Lugansk three times, where I saw with my own eyes how the artillery of Kiev bombed the quarters in which the civilian population lives, which constantly leads to new victims,” he said.
Talking about a recent conference which took place in the Italian parliament about the war in Donbass, Marrone said that the conference is an important event, since for the first time the topic of war in Donbass was discussed in the Italian Parliament.
“We wanted to draw the attention of Italian politics to the conflict, which until now has not been discussed. This is a war that indirectly affects the countries of Europe as we are talking about economic sanctions,” he further told Sputnik.
Despite the severity of the situation Marrone stressed that little is said about the conflict in the media.
He further said that the Italian government knows what damage the anti-Russian sanctions have inflicted on exports and on Italian entrepreneurs. But despite that the Italian government is not standing up to the EU.
“Italy is forced to send its military to Latvia within the framework of the NATO mission and at the political level, Rome does not have the courage to refuse the contributions that it is forced to pay to the alliance,” he added.
The conference "Donbass: The War on Conscience of Europe" was held for the first time in the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament.
Recently, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights submitted a report in which Ukraine was presented with over 16 claims for such grave crimes as torture, unlawful deprivation of liberty and violation of freedom of movement.
“We are afraid that [Ukraine] can be used [by the European Union and the United States] as a springboard for the siege of the so-called ‘Russian World’. We hope that sooner or later the Italian government will come out of this conflict and reconsider its attitude towards NATO,” Marrone said.
The politician also spoke about a project that he is currently involved in. It is called “101 life” and its purpose is to inform the public about the number of children that have been killed in the conflict, which has already exceeded 100.
He expressed hope that Italy will move towards an alliance with Russia and that the two countries will become trade and economic partners once again.
Marrone also stressed the importance of working together as geopolitical partners in the fight against terrorism.
“We, as part of the Western world, see that Moscow is fighting against Daesh almost alone. We must realize that our enemy is Islamic terrorism, not Russia,” Marrone concluded.
Ukraine Crisis May End With 5 Mln Ukrainians Applying for Russian Citizenship
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201707151055576769-ukraine-visa-restrictions-analysis/
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has acknowledged that the introduction of a visa regime with Russia would create problems for Ukrainians.
The simple introduction of visas would not give us the effect we would like to see," the diplomat said, speaking during question period in Ukraine's parliament on Friday.
"On the contrary, doing so will create significant problems, given the fact that Russia will take advantage of these problems in order to carry out both provocations and conscious policy to introduce restrictions against Ukrainian citizens who live in the occupied territories, and in occupied Crimea," he added.
In the minister's view, the decision to introduce biometric control at the border was the "optimal" option for Kiev, and one "supported by our friends and partners."
In the spring, lawmakers from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc and People's Front parties proposed the introduction of a visa regime with Russia. Last month, Klimkin said that the Foreign Ministry was ready to implement the necessary measures if lawmakers passed the relevant legislation on the issue.
Opinion polling from last month found that 51% of Ukrainians were opposed to a visa regime with their eastern neighbor, with 33% saying they were in favor, and another 16% undecided.
Last week, Kiev announced that it would be introducing biometric control for all foreigners traveling to Ukraine, including Russian citizens, starting in January 2018. Russian citizens will also have to notify the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry about their arrival beforehand. At present, Russian and Ukrainian citizens enjoy visa-free travel between the two countries.
Russian officials have responded to Kiev's decision, saying that Moscow regrets the move, and sees the policy of severing contacts with Russia as an attempt to build a new 'Berlin Wall'.
Speaking to Radio Sputnik, Alexander Golub, a veteran Ukrainian ex-lawmaker and member of the presidium of Union of Left Forces, commented on how Kiev's decision will affect ordinary Ukrainians.
According to the politician, Kiev authorities seem set on sticking to their plan to cut all possible ties with Moscow, "at the economic level, at the political level, and as far as the possible introduction of visas is concerned, at the human level."
"It's another matter entirely that Kiev is simply not prepared for this step, given the social and economic situation inside the country itself," Golub added. "Because the application of countermeasures by Russia would lead to problems for millions of people who today must work in Russia to support their families."
Noting that he regularly speaks to his compatriots who work in Russia, the politician noted that "between 80-90% of them would like to obtain Russian citizenship. But they are afraid of a certain level of pressure, and a number of difficulties which would await the members of their families back in Ukraine. In total, I think we can talk about 4-5 million Ukrainians who would like to obtain Russian citizenship," the former lawmaker said.
According to Golub, the difficult situation in Ukraine can change for the better, but only in circumstances which are outside Kiev's ability to control. "When will it all end? I think this will happen when the people implementing this policy give up power, at a minimum, or are made to respond in court for the crimes they have committed," he said.
But I think it is obvious that a number of Western countries are interested in exactly this position for Ukraine. They will continue to squeeze out the benefits from the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia, which they themselves artificially inflame, to the end. But when those benefits are exhausted, then, perhaps, they'll give up on their puppets, and something will change," the observer concluded.
Last month, a poll by Rating Group Ukraine found that 75% of Ukrainians believe their country is 'in a state of collapse'. 70% said they fear the situation could lead to new large-scale protests of the kind which rocked the country in 2014 and ended in the Maidan coup d'etat.
