Ukraine

Paving the future: Ukraine’s Crimea goes to independence poll
A crucial referendum on either becoming an integral part of Russia or staying within Ukraine on conditions of wide autonomy has kicked off in the Republic of Crimea despite international condemnation and pressure from Kiev. The polling stations of 27 regional Crimea election commissions are going to be open all day long [...]
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US to violate own laws by financially aiding Ukraine’s coup-installed govt |€“ Moscow
Washington'€™s decision to provide financial aid to the coup-appointed government of Ukraine goes against the US laws, Russia'€™s Foreign Ministry said, urging American politicians to think about the consequences of supporting the radicals in Kiev. Ukraine’s ousted president, Viktor Yanukovich, said on Tuesday that the US plans to loan $1 billion to the country’s new authorities are illega [...]
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Ukraine crisis: US will not recognise Crimea referendum, says ambassador
Washington threatens further action against Russia if Vladimir Putin uses poll to legitimise military occupation, says Kiev envoy. America's ambassador in Kiev said the US would refuse to recognise next Sunday's "so-called referendum" in Crimea, and said Washington would take further steps against Russia if it used the poll to legitimise its occupation. [...]
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Ukraine turmoil | LIVE UPDATES
The coup-imposed government in Kiev is seeking foreign aid from the US, the EU and the IMF to address its budget shortage. The east remains defiant of the new authorities, while Russia reserves the right to deploy troops in order to prevent bloodshed. Nearly 15,000 people in the Russian city of Perm in the Urals have gathered for a demonstration to support Russian speakers in the autonomous republ [...]
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“F**k the EU”: Snr US State Dept. official caught in alleged phone chat on Ukraine
A senior US State Department official has allegedly been caught giving an unexpected message to the EU while discussing Ukrainian opposition leaders’ roles in the country’s future government. The phone call was taped and posted on YouTube. [...]
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Russia hits back at US “€˜barefaced cynicism and double standards”€™ over Ukraine
The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the US State Department of double standards and low-level propaganda after it published a list of President Vladimir Putin'€™s "€œfalse claims" about the events in Ukraine. [...]
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The clash in Crimea is the fruit of western expansion
Seumas Milne: The external struggle to dominate Ukraine has put fascists in power and brought the country to the brink of conflict. Diplomatic pronouncements are renowned for hypocrisy and double standards. But western denunciations of Russian intervention in Crimea have reached new depths of self parody. [...]
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Putin’€™s rating at two-year high for second consecutive week | pollsters
According to an early March poll the Russian President's rating remains at its highest in the last two years and researchers list the Sochi Olympics and moves for a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis as possible reasons. [...]
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Pensions in Ukraine to be halved – sequestration draft
The self-proclaimed government in Kiev is reportedly planning to cut pensions by 50 percent as part of unprecedented austerity measures to save Ukraine from default. With an "€œempty treasury"€, reduction of payments might take place in March. [...]
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Crimean parliament votes to join Russia, hold referendum in 10 days on ratifying
The Crimean parliament has voted for the region to join Russia. The decision will only come in force if approved by the Crimeans at a referendum which will be held in 10 days. Crimean MPs voted on Thursday for the region to “to become part of the Russian Federation as its constituent territory,” says the text of the regional parliament’s statement. [...]
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Questions on Ukraine the West chooses not to answer
Ukrainian and Western refusal to answer Moscow'€™s hard questions explains Russia'€™s tough stance on the crisis in Kiev. Ignoring Russian concerns is a western habit adopted after the Soviet Union’s collapse; when NATO bombed Yugoslavia; during the recognition of Kosovo as an independent state, and the US push to install an anti-missile shield over Europe that can target Russia. [...]
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Russia’€™s 25,000-troop allowance & other facts you may not know about Crimea
Ukraine'€™s statement at the UN that "€˜16,000 Russian soldiers had been deployed"€™ across Crimea sparked a MSM feeding frenzy that steadfastly ignored any hard facts that got in their way. Especially unwelcome is the fact that the so-called ‘invasion force’ has been there for 15 years already. [...]
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Kiev snipers hired by Maidan leaders – leaked EU’s Ashton phone tape
The snipers who shot at protesters and police in Kiev were allegedly hired by Maidan leaders, according to a leaked phone conversation between the EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton and Estonian foreign affairs minister, which has emerged online. [...]
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Hidden Motives Behind the Ukraine-Russia Conflict
Gas Wars: The untold story driving the crisis. The untold story behind the crisis is that this is an energy tug of war being fought between Russia and the west, with Ukraine caught in the middle. [...]
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Thousands rally in Russia’€™s southwest to support Russian speakers in Ukraine
Thousands gathered in the Russian cities of Novocherkassk, Bryansk, and Belgorod to support the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine. "We don'€™t abandon our people," said banners held by those who sympathized with residents of the crisis-torn country. [...]
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Yanukovich sent letter to Putin asking for Russian military presence in Ukraine – Russia’s UN envoy
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin says ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has sent a letter to Putin asking him to use military force in Ukraine to restore law and order. [...]
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Russian forces in Ukraine could be a stabilizing factor in a country with no legitimate govt€™
As President Putin weighs using military forces in a Ukraine plunging deeper into political turmoil, Alexander Mercouris, international law expert, tells RT that the presence Russia’s forces could be a restraining factor for all the parties involved. [...]
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675,000 Ukrainians pour into Russia as “humanitarian crisis”€™ looms
An estimated 675,000 Ukrainians left for Russia in January and February, fearing the "revolutionary chaos"€ brewing in Ukraine, Russia's Federal Border Guard Service said. Officials fear a growing humanitarian crisis. On Sunday, the border guard service said Russian authorities have identified definite signs that a “humanitarian catastrophe” is brewing in Ukraine. [...]
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Seriously, what?! Kerry tells Russia “you don’t invade a country on completely phony pretexts”
The US Secretary of State spoke today of the unacceptability of invading a sovereign country on phony pretexts in order to assert one’s own interests in the 21st century. But no, he was not speaking about the United States, as one might have thought. [...]
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“Revolution!”Thousands pour in for pro-EU rally in Ukraine, storm govt buildings
Thousands of demonstrators chanting "€˜Revolution!"€™ have flocked into 'Maidan' square in Kiev despite a court-imposed ban on rallies. The protesters have reportedly taken several government buildings. [...]
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Ukraine refused to “€˜sign a suicide note”€™, sending the EU’s “€˜geopolitical project”€™ onto the rocks
Joining an old European geopolitical and ideological project would have been catastrophic for the Ukrainian economy, political expert John Laughland told RT, noting that it was actually the EU, not Russia, blackmailing Ukraine into signing a suicide note. The European foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says Ukraine's U-turn is indeed a major disappointment. [...]
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Scuffles with police as thousands of Ukrainians protest shelving of EU trade deal
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of several Ukrainian cities in protest at Kiev’s decision to suspend the EU trade agreement. A major rally for Euro integration with sporadic clashes is taking place in Kiev. Ukrainian police had to use teargas after a group of protesters tried storming government buildings in Kiev. [...]
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