Unacceptable Kiev-Sponsored Murder + Kiev Breaks Easter Truce

Stephen Lendman

Unacceptable Kiev-Sponsored Murder

Fascist thugs operate this way. Moscow denounced them. Slavyansk Mayor Vladimir Ponomaryov asked Russia to send peacekeepers for protection. More on this below. A companion article [below] said Kiev putschists pledged no Easter weekend Eastern Ukraine attacks.

Straightaway they occurred. Earlier deployed Right Sector neo-Nazis murdered 4 Slavyansk activists. They did so in cold blood. Other gunmen attacked central city residents. Two victims were injured. They remain hospitalized. Expect more Right Sector initiated violence ahead. They bear full responsibility for Maidan killings. Clear evidence proves it. Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych had nothing to do with what happened.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet's leaked conversation with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton confirmed it. He visited Kiev. He commented on what he learned. It's polar opposite mainstream propaganda. He explained what's vital to know. Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed, he said.

"(T)here is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovyich, but it was somebody from the new coalition." "The Russian side is enraged by the militant provocation which is an indication of the reluctance of the authorities in Kiev to bridle and disarm nationalists and extremists."

On March 12, 2014 former Ukrainian Security Service head Aleksandr Yakimenko confirmed Paet's assessment. He blamed putschist official Andrey Parubiy. He's a neo-Nazi Svoboda party leader.

"Shots came from the Philharmonic Hall," he said. "Maidan Commandant Parubiy was responsible for this building." "Snipers and people with automatic weapons were 'working' from this building on February 20. They supported the assault on the Interior Ministry forces on the ground who were already demoralized and had, in fact, fled," he added. "When the first wave of shootings ended, many have witnessed 20 people leaving the building."

They were carrying military-style bags used for sniper and assault rifles with optical sights. Many witnesses saw them. Foreign elements may have been involved. Perhaps CIA, US special forces, and secret service operatives. What happened was well planned in advance.

"These were the forces that carried out everything that they were told by their leadership - the United States," Yakimenko stressed. Maidan leaders practically lived at Washington's embassy, he added. As security chief, he was ready to order Ukrainian troops to enter the building and remove the snipers, he said. He needed approval from Parubiy to do it, he explained. Otherwise, so-called "self-defense" elements would have attacked him, he believes. "Parubiy did not give such consent," he said. He controlled access to weapons used in Independence Square.

Moscow expressed outrage over Slavyansk killings. A Foreign Ministry statement said:

"The Russian side is enraged by the militant provocation which is an indication of the reluctance of the authorities in Kiev to bridle and disarm nationalists and extremists." "It is surprising that the tragedy occurred after the signing on April 17 in Geneva of the final statement of the four-sided meeting of representatives of Russia, the USA, EU and Ukraine which calls for refraining from any violent actions, intimidation or provocations." "The Russian side insists on the strict fulfillment by the Ukrainian side of its commitments concerning the de-escalation the situation in southeast Ukraine." "The Eastern ceasefire was violated in Slavyansk on April 20. As a result of an armed attack by the so-called Right Sector innocent civilians died." "Local residents seized the vehicles of the attackers in which they discovered arms, aerial maps of the area and Right Sector paraphernalia."

Slavyansk Mayor Ponomaryov wants protection. He asked Russia for help. City residents are vulnerable. Right Sector thugs target them. "They kill our people," said Ponomaryov. "They don't talk to us but just kill. The town has actually been besieged by the Right Sector." Only Russia can help, he said. He asked Putin to send peacekeepers to Eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Print US media scoundrels largely ignored Slavyansk killings. BBC and US television accounts misreported. Propaganda substituted. Fingers pointed the wrong way.

On April 19, The New York Times headlined "Pro-Russian Forces Work on Consolidating Power," saying:

They "paused what had been the daily expansion of their territory in eastern Ukraine." They're focusing on "consolidating political power over areas already under their control." They "pressured…dissenters and the media in ways that are commonplace in Russia but had not been in Ukraine until now."

Fact check

Times editors support Kiev fascist putschists. They have no legitimacy whatever. They usurped power lawlessly. They represent mob rule. Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are the best and bravest. They reject Kiev putschists. They want their inviolable rights respected. They want local autonomy. They want democratic governance. They want what everyone deserves. They're putting their bodies on the line for equity, fairness and justice. They enjoy growing widespread support.

Kiev putschists blocked Russian males aged 16 from 60 from entering Ukraine. Russian TV channels were shut down. Russian nationals and Jews are targeted. Don't expect The New York Times to explain. Managed news misinformation garbage substitutes. It claimed threatening Russian hoards massed near Ukraine's border. It called courageous Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters "militants." It did so in the worst sense of the term. It said "Kiev had expressed some hope that a settlement was still possible." It stopped short of explaining ruling putschists demand unconditional surrender. It called "separatists' political grip" on cities they control "a setback." The Times supports unchallenged illegitimate fascist rule. It reported Kiev's pledge to suspend Eastern Ukrainian attacks over Easter weekend. It ignored cold-blooded murder that followed. It blamed Eastern Ukrainian activists for struggling for their freedom. "(I)t was clear all along that for (four-party agreement terms) to have a chance for success, the Kremlin would have to pressure the militants to loosen their grip on areas already seized," it said.

It's "clear" that Ukrainian freedom depends on struggling for it. On replacing putschist rule with democracy. On turning East, not West. On maintaining sovereign independence free from US dominance. Don't expect Times correspondents, contributors or editors to explain.

Or neocon Washington Post editors. On April 18, WaPo headlined "After Russian moves in Ukraine, Eastern Europe shudders, NATO to increase presence."

It lied claiming Russia intervened in Ukraine. No evidence whatever suggests it. Eastern European countries aren't vulnerable. Washington pressured them to say so. At issue is expanding US-led NATO east. It's encroaching closer to Russian's borders. It's targeting its heartland. It's threatening its sovereignty.

WaPo ludicrously calls NATO "a mutual defense organization." It was established for offense, not defense. It's a US-controlled killing machine. It's expanding from an Atlantic to a global alliance. It aims to become a worldwide police force. It wants all sovereign independent governments ousted. It wants subservient pro-Western puppet regimes replacing them.

Don't expect WaPo to explain. Propaganda substitutes for truth and full disclosure. Readers are systematically lied to. Alternative independent sources are the only choices for real news, commentaries and analysis. Growing numbers rely on them. They're abandoning scoundrel media they don't trust.

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Kiev Breaks Easter Truce

On April 19, Kiev putschists pledged no Easter weekend Eastern Ukraine attacks. They promised "suspension of the active phase of the anti-terrorism operation" to defuse crisis conditions. A state security service (SBU) spokeswoman said suspension was "linked to the implementation of the Geneva agreement and the Easter holidays."

Putschist Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia added:

"The anti-terrorist operation was put on hold for the Easter time, and we will be not using force against them at this moment."

A day earlier, he said "more concrete actions" will follow next week if activists don't stop resisting. He demands unconditional surrender. Protesters remain firm. They want their fundamental rights respected. They want local autonomy. They want real democracy. They reject Kiev putschists. They're illegitimate. They demand they resign.

At the same time, earlier deployed neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs attacked Slavyansk activists. Reports indicate six killed - four residents and two gunmen. Rossiya-24 TV said:

"Three residents of Slavyansk were shot dead by unidentified gunmen who attacked a block-post in the north of the town. Another person was wounded and is in hospital in critical condition." "Several cars drove up to the block-post and then those inside the cars open fire. Self-defense fighters promptly arrived at the scene and returned the fire, killing two attackers."

Activists seized two cars. Evidence inside was incriminating. It included Right Sector paramilitary emblems, military uniforms, a machine gun, other weapons, plastids, smoke pellets, US-made night vision devices and aerial photograph maps. According to RT International, 26 local residents manned the checkpoint attacked. They were unarmed. They had bats alone for protection.

"As (they) ran from the checkpoint, a group of 20 protesters with firearms were called from their camp in the city," said RT. "They opened fire on the attackers, killing two of them and sending the rest running, according to a Life News report."

Casualties may rise. Gunmen retreated to a nearby forest. Hunting for them continues. They may have planned attacking an activist-held TV tower, said RT. It's encircled on maps found in their cars.

Separately, other gunmen attacked residents in central Slavyansk. Two injuries were reported. Both victims are hospitalized. In response to Saturday's violence, activist leaders ordered a midnight to 6AM curfew.

On April 17, Russian, US, EU and Ukrainian foreign ministers met in Geneva. Discussion focused on deescalating Ukrainian crisis conditions.

A joint document was agreed on. It's meaningless. It's not worth the paper it's written on. It calls for all sides to end "violence, intimidation or provocative actions." It condemns "all expressions of extremism, racism and religious intolerance, including anti-semitism." It "calls for an immediate commencement of a broad national dialogue which must be inclusive, transparent and accountable." It stresses doing so "within the framework of the constitutional process, which must be inclusive and accountable."

Ukrainians alone must resolve things. They must do it without foreign interference. US-led Ukrainian collusion assures doing things their way. Expect Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters to respond accordingly. They have every right to do so.

Successfully implementing four-party agreement terms depends on real constitutional reform representing vital interests of all Ukrainians equitably, fairly and democratically. Chances for doing so are virtually NIL! I bears repeating. The agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on. It was dead on arrival.

Kiev putschists violated terms straightaway. They acted with full US support. Obama's new friends represent the worst of societal misfits. They have no legitimacy whatever. They rule lawlessly. They tolerate no opposition. It's targeted for elimination. Their Eastern Ukrainian aggression continues. It includes cold-blooded murder.

Calling it an "anti-terrorist" operation doesn't wash. Ukrainian terrorism is entirely state-sponsored. Neo-Nazi thugs operate as expected. Further escalation is likely. Perhaps civil war. Maybe spilling conflict cross-border. Perhaps involving Moscow and Washington.

Great conflicts begin this way. Perhaps the unthinkable will follow. US hegemonic ambitions risk it. Obama may be damn fool enough to pursue what responsible leaders wouldn't dare. America's rage for war, its formidable weapons, and reckless ambitions makes anything possible.

In May 2000, the Pentagon's Joint Vision 2020 called for "full spectrum dominance" over all land, surface and sub-surface sea, air, space, electromagnetic spectrum and information systems with enough overwhelming power to fight and win global wars against any adversary. It asserted the right to use nuclear weapons preemptively. So did Bush's December 2001 Nuclear Policy Review. His 2002 and 2006 National Security Strategies reaffirmed it.

Bush and Obama administrations violated 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) provisions. The 1972 ABM Treaty was abandoned. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty provisions are ignored. So are the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention and Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty. It prohibits additions to current stockpiles. International laws, treaties, conventions, standards and norms don't matter. Washington rules alone apply. Might v. right reflects them.

So-called proactive, anticipatory self-defense, first-strike preemption asserts America's right to use all weapons in its arsenal. At issue is achieving unchallenged global dominance. Obama's 2010 Nuclear Posture Review was old wine in new bottles. Policy remains unchanged. Washington "reserves the right" to do whatever it pleases.

Stop Nato editor Rick Rozoff if one of many distinguished contributors to a forthcoming Clarity Press book. It's titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks Global War."

Ukraine's geopolitical importance in US-led NATO's drive East is significant, says Rozoff. Co-opting it into the Atlantic Alliance ensures encroaching on Russia's "entire Western flank." It'll do so from "the Arctic Ocean and Barents Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south with NATO air bases, naval docking facilities, firing ranges, aircraft, radar installations, interceptor missiles, armored vehicles and troops." Rozoff calls Ukraine "the decisive linchpin" in US-led NATO plans to establish "a military cordon sanitaire." Achieving it assures cutting off Russia from Europe. Isolating and weakening it at the same time.

In December 2008, "NATO initiated its Annual National Program with Ukraine," said Rozoff. The same year, Washington "launched the United States-Ukraine Charter on Strategic Partnership." Founding document objectives stated in part:

"Deepening Ukraine's integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions is a mutual priority." "We plan to undertake a program of enhanced security cooperation intended to increase Ukrainian capabilities and to strengthen Ukraine’s candidacy for NATO membership. "Guided by the April 3, 2008 Bucharest Summit Declaration of the NATO North Atlantic Council and the April 4, 2008 Joint Statement of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which affirmed that Ukraine will become a member of NATO." "Recognizing the persistence of threats to global peace and stability, the United States and Ukraine intend to expand the scope of their ongoing programs of cooperation and assistance on defense and security issues to defeat these threats and to promote peace and stability." "A defense and security cooperation partnership between the United States and Ukraine is of benefit to both nations and the region."

With US-installed putschists ruling Ukraine, Washington is hell bent on transforming it into a "gargantuan" Pentagon-run NATO "forward base." It's part of America's "inexorable" longstanding drive East. Doing so more than ever threatens world peace. It hangs by a thread. The slightest miscalculation risks anything. All bets are off given this risky scenario. "Flashpoint in Ukraine" includes much more incisive analysis like Rozoff's. Other distinguished contributors assure it. Content is special. It's polar opposite mainstream Big Lies. It's required reading to know what's ongoing, the threat it poses, and what's likely ahead.

On April 19, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov highlighted the threat. US-led NATO's further encroachment "one more step towards the Russian border" changes things entirely, he said. "(T)he entire European security architecture (will need) to be overhauled," he stressed. Further NATO enlargement poses a serious threat. It remains a belligerent/aggressive military alliance. "Russia will have to take serious measures to ensure its own security," said Peskov.

A potential East/West confrontation looms. Reckless US policy risks it. Today is the most perilous time in world history. The worst of all possible outcomes remains possible.
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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He has devoted his time and efforts to progressive causes and organizations, all involved in working for a more humane and just world for all people everywhere, but especially for the most needy, disadvantaged and oppressed. His efforts since summer 2005 have included writing on a broad range of vital topics ranging from war and peace; social, economic and political equity for all; and justice for all the oppressed peoples of the world like the long-suffering people of Haiti and the Palestinians. He also co-hosts The Global Research News Hour, gives occasional public talks, and appears frequently on radio and at times television. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. Also visit his blog and listen to The Lendman News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday - Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national issues. All programs are archived for easy listening. His new book "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War" can be ordered HERE. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
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URL: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/2014/04/21/unacceptable-kiev-sponsored-murder-kiev