COUP IN KYIV?

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begrudging Russia the right to correct a situation that only took place when Crimea was under the Soviet Union, and therefore it might not have mattered if it was part of the Ukraine, or not. Today Crimea's identity is quite important, and Russia is just using a democratic referendum to prove that over 90% of Crimeans want to be part of Russia. Otherwise, it is the Ukraine that has the "Iron Curtain."

The argument goes that the negotiations and agreements reached upon the death of the Soviet Union was Russia's one and only chance to seek the return of Crimea, that once Russia signed on to a set of lines it must forever hold its peace.

...What's important is he stops there or tries to get parts of Eastern Ukraine as well.

Sebastopol has never been a good site for a base. Because of their humiliation and their sense of betrayal in 1854-55, they have held on to it. The anchorage is long and narrow, with steep sides. Even today, under conventional attack it would be a nightmare for the Russian navy. Because the anchorage is long and narrow ships could not easily maneuver to avoid air or missile attack. The ships could not sortie easily, and would very likely only be able to sortie one at a time. It proved a trap for the Black Sea fleet in 1854--they were unable to support the besieged troops from the French and British ground attacks. Although those conditions no longer obtain, it would still be a trap for them today. The Black Sea fleet is based there for historical reasons, not because it's a good place for such a base.

I'm just hoping it doesn't get out of hand. But if there were no MAD I wouldn't be all that hopeful.
MAD really does save lives. They are all itching to send men to the front. I think they might well dream about it.

None of these planned upgrades are a response to Russia's current actions. But if there is a new Cold War in the offing, we're going to have a lot of fun new hardware to surround the Russians and Chinese with.

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None of these planned upgrades are a response to Russia's current actions. But if there is a new Cold War in the offing, we're going to have a lot of fun new hardware to surround the Russians and Chinese with.

fixed.

hawkeye10 wrote:

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None of these planned upgrades are a response to Russia's current actions. But if there is a new Cold War in the offing, we're going to have a lot of fun new hardware to surround the Russians and Chinese with.

fixed.

I was thinking the same thing.

Obama and West NEED to be careful, a coalition of Iran, Russia and China would be a bitch to deal with if they decided to take on the West. Even worse would be if the muslims of the Mid East joined.

he dates of the formation of the first sea ice, of fast ice and of young ice
have shifted to a later time during the 55-year period. At the same time, the dates
of the break-up of fast ice and of the final disappearance of sea ice have moved
earlier even more rapidly. As a conclusion, the number of days with sea ice in the
winter season has decreased significantly.

Kronstadt was founded by Peter the Great, who took the island of Kotlin from the Swedes in 1703.

The first Russian Navy base, Taganrog was officially founded by Peter the Great on September 12, 1698 and hosted the Azov Flotilla of Catherine the Great (1770–1783). This flotilla subsequently became the Russian Black Sea Fleet. (emphasis added)

This is the "reset" action Obama took that erased Bush's attempt to keep Putin in line.

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Many Poles and Czechs supported entry into the Western alliance eagerly, indeed passionately, as the guarantee that they would never again lose their independence to Germans, Russians, or anyone else. Because they cherish their American security ties as the key to their countries' future safety and freedom, the leaders of Poland and the Czech Republic aimed to strengthen those ties through their missile-defense agreements with the United States.
Obama, however, apparently decided that those agreements were less important than the goodwill he might buy with Russia by cancelling them. Maintaining solidarity with allies that look to America as the leader of the free world has never been an Obama administration priority.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/10/16/how_the_russian_reset_explains_obama_s_foreign_policy

Maintaining solidarity with allies that look to America as the leader of the free world has never been an Obama administration priority.

The second campaign involved both ground forces and the Azov fleet, which was built in Moscow Oblast, Voronezh, Bryansk and other regions between winter 1695 and spring 1696. In April 1696, the army of 75,000 headed by Aleksei Shein moved to Azov by land and by ship via the Don River to Taganrog. In early May, they were joined by another fleet led by Peter I. On 27 May, the Russian fleet blocked Azov by sea. On 14 June, the Turkish fleet tried to break the blockade but, after losing two ships, retreated to the sea. After intensive bombardment of the fortress from land and sea, on 17 July the Russian army broke the defense lines and occupied parts of the wall. After heavy fighting, the garrison surrendered on 17 July. After the war, the Russian fleet base was moved to Taganrog and Azov, and 215 ships were built there between 1696 and 1711. In 1711, as a result of the Russo-Turkish War (1710–1711) and the Treaty of the Pruth, Azov was returned to Turkey and the Russian Azov fleet was destroyed.

Ukraine has since November when protests began against former president Victor Yanukovych, who later bowed to the pressure and fled to Russia. At his request, armed Russian troops descended on the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea to "protect the ethnic Russian community there," according to Moscow.

For Ukraine this show of force was a declaration of war, setting many Ukrainians on the defensive. As a result, young Ukrainians are flooding army recruitment centers. Hundreds of self-declared defense forces have sprung up around the country.

"The National Guards arrive when the army is not effective," Igor Didkovskiy, coordinator of The National Guards of Ukraine said. "We have 3,000 people now from all of Ukraine. We have total mobilization in recruiting centers."

Men and women alike are preparing for grave consequences. To learn more about these young Ukrainians' motives, Natalie Carney spoke with new recruits in Kyiv. [Her report at link above.]

15:46 18/03/2014
MOSCOW, March 18 (RAPSI) The 1954 decision by leader Nikita Khrushchev to hand over the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine was unconstitutional, President Vladimir Putin said in an official address to federal and regional officials Tuesday.

Crimea, a largely Russian-speaking republic within Ukraine, was part of Russia until it was gifted to Ukraine by Khrushchev in 1954. President Putin said in his address that the decision was made with evident violations of the constitutional norms prevailing at the time.

The Russian President added that Sunday’s referendum, which resulted in Crimea professing its independence from Ukraine, was conducted in full accord with democratic principles and international law.

Putin added that one must be familiar with Crimean history to understand the desire of its people to reunite with Russia.

The president further added that Ukraine appealed to the UN Charter when declaring independence from USSR, and pointed out that Crimea acted similarly.

President Putin drew parallels between the struggles for independence in Crimea and Kosovo, and accused the West of employing double standards.
Putin signed a decree Monday recognizing Crimea as an independent state, following a referendum Sunday that saw voters overwhelmingly support secession from Ukraine and reunification with Russia.