Russian aid convoy 'disappears' on way to to Ukraine

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This is from a Latvian website. I have it among my favorites in Latvian but, I believe, that if you click on the link you might be able to select English as the preferred language.

http://www.diena.lv/pasaule/papildinats-20-54-krievijas-palidzibas-konvojs-pazudis-nezinama-virziena-14066176

Here's the gist. The Ukrainian government, after consulting with the EU as well as the USA, had agreed to accept the offer of Russian aid, as long as they could examine the contents of the vehicles at the border and direct the trucks to the appropriate Red Cross sites. Since having announced those conditions, the convoy seems to have turned in some unknown direction and is no longer on the road to Ukraine where it was last seen

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Type: Discussion • Score: 8 • Views: 3,625 • Replies: 22

http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Russian-aid-convoy-resumes-travels-toward-Ukraine-5687812.php

Quote:

AMENSK-SHAKHTINSKY, RUSSIA (AP) — In a diplomatic game of chicken, a large Russian aid convoy rolled toward the Ukrainian border on Thursday — but it was heading toward a crossing controlled by pro-Russian rebels instead of a government post as Ukraine had demanded.

Do you get the feeling that the Russians don't want official Ukrainian inspection of the contents of these trucks? This should be of some concern to the international community.

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http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Russian-aid-convoy-resumes-travels-toward-Ukraine-5687812.php

Quote:

AMENSK-SHAKHTINSKY, RUSSIA (AP) — In a diplomatic game of chicken, a large Russian aid convoy rolled toward the Ukrainian border on Thursday — but it was heading toward a crossing controlled by pro-Russian rebels instead of a government post as Ukraine had demanded.

Do you get the feeling that the Russians don't want official Ukrainian inspection of the contents of these trucks? This should be of some concern to the international community.

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That was my thinking when the issue of the Russian aid convoy came up--inspect the trucks.

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/08/15/ukraine-russian-convoy/14097225/

Quote:

Ukrainian troops on Friday "destroyed" part of what Kiev says was a Russian armed convoy that crossed into Ukraine around the same time as a truck convoy of humanitarian aid reached the border, according to Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security Defense Council.

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@Lustig Andrei,

Ukranian border guards are in Russia inspecting the aid vehicles before letting them cross.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/15/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

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http://www.diena.lv/uploads/thumbnails/345x190/article/1407/14066450/5854965_ORIGINAL_1408116136.jpg.jpg

Ukrainian soldiers man the border. Foto: LatPress

Btw, the destruction of Russian armored vehicles by Ukrainian forces, following a Russian incursion, is confirmed by UN observers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/16/world/europe/ukraine-russia.html

Quote:

Russia denied sending a military column into Ukraine, but the incursion, first reported by British journalists who said they saw 23 armored vehicles crossing the frontier, was confirmed Friday by NATO’s secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

“I can confirm that last night we saw a Russian incursion, crossing of the Ukrainian border,” Mr. Rasmussen told journalists during a visit to Copenhagen, according to news agency reports. He did not elaborate on what had happened to the Russian vehicles.

BBC reports that the Russian trucks supposedly carrying reflief supplies to Ukrainians are "almost empty."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28799627

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I find it difficult to believe that virtually none of you seems concerned about what is going on in Ukraine. A virtual state of war exists between Russia and Ukraine. Latest news I've come across is that Russian artillery has destroyed a Ukrainian border post. This is some serious ****. There's a real danger of Putin reviving the borders of the former Soviet Union, or at least trying to do so.

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Some of us, like me, are very concerned, but don't know what to say about it that is not already out there.

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@Lustig Andrei,

Lots of coverage and analysis on the news here - plenty of concern as there is Canadian military in the area.

Not sure what the status is in the US.

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@Lustig Andrei,

Lustig Andrei wrote:

I find it difficult to believe that virtually none of you seems concerned about what is going on in Ukraine. A virtual state of war exists between Russia and Ukraine. Latest news I've come across is that Russian artillery has destroyed a Ukrainian border post. This is some serious ****. There's a real danger of Putin reviving the borders of the former Soviet Union, or at least trying to do so.

I've offered solutions in other threads that will ward off Putin's aggression without resorting to open warfare, but I always get pounced on by the anti-war creeps (who apparently want Putin to conquer the world).

Sanctions will not do anything unless we can get China on board. So unless anyone thinks we can do that, there is no point in wasting time talking about sanctions.

It will be to our benefit to pour in lots of economic aid to ensure that Ukraine's government doesn't fail and collapse. If the current government in Kiev fails, Putin will be right there ready to propose an alternative government.

Ukraine has a history of corruption, so we should be prepared for the fact that a lot of our aid money is only going to enrich corrupt officials. (We need to do it anyway, to ensure that the government doesn't fail.)

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Breaking news -- reports indicate two Russian armored columns have just invaded Ukraine. President Obama is addressing this situation at a press conferecne right this minute.

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https://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine-abroad/new-york-times-362486.html

Quote:

MOSCOW — Asserting that Russian soldiers and armaments had crossed into Ukraine to support the separatists, President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine canceled a trip to Turkey on Thursday, and his national security council ordered mandatory conscription for the armed forces.

1 Reply

@Lustig Andrei,

The Washington Post ran a story Thurs or Wed that Ukranians Forces captured a number of Russian paratroopers inside Ukraine. It's a very dangerous situation, I don't think anyone should view this lightly. But I do believe that the world community should be united in pushing Putin back. It can't simply be the US alone. Russian people are being told the Ukraine 'difficulty' is due to American agitators. Apparently the Russian population believes it to be true, America is still viewed as an interloper with plans to eventually rule Russia.

It hasn't been that long since the 'Cold War' was declared over. And Putin has been stepping up old Soviet practices for years now. At one point the Russians discontinued the Long Range Aviation (LRA) bomber flights around its neighbors, but when they resumed those flights about 5 years ago, the only mention of it was in the Washington Post, and it didn't make the grade for front page. I didn't hear anything on network or cable news, but I think that's in large part because too few Americans are interested in keeping up with the rest of the world.

Did anyone comment on the Russian spy ring that was discovered several years ago? I don't remember if anyone on A2K discussed it or not. The US eventually sent them back to Russia where they received a hero's welcome. I was surprised that the only angle reported was how beautiful the red haired woman was. But again, until the American public begins to take notice, nothing's going to change. If Putin takes over Ukraine, my countrymen will be blaming the President, Congress will get a pass.

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Great Britian reports at least 4K-5K Russian Troops in Ukraine. They also report close to 20K Russian troops on the Ukraine border.

1 Reply

@glitterbag,

Right now an undeclared state of war exists between Russia and Ukraine and the Western powers (USA chief among them) simply refuse to acknowledge that fact.

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@Lustig Andrei,

I don't know how long it will take to start calling it an invasion and quit pussyfooting around with incursion. Or accidentally wandering over the border.

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@Lustig Andrei,

I've been thinking a bit on how to prevent Putin from pulling the same sort of shenanigans with the Baltic NATO states.

My earlier suggestions on other threads for a "strong NATO military buildup" ran into vague objections that I think were based on a fear of returning to Cold War tensions, so I thought I'd come up with an alternative idea.

It occurs to me that Putin always justifies these invasions based on the notion of protecting ethnic Russians.

We could do a lot to undermine any Russian justifications for messing with Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania simply by ensuring that the Russian minority in these countries have strong protections for their civil rights.

Unfortunately I see a downside: it might send the wrong message. Civil rights protections are of course always a good thing, but this might project an image of appeasement, and right when our allies are looking for reassurance of strength.

However, it might be possible to combine this with my former idea. We could tie an offer for increased military presence with a requirement that a state have strong civil rights protections for minorities. That would blunt the image of appeasement. And the civil rights protections would help mitigate any tensions with Russia that might result from our increased troop presence.

1 Reply

@oralloy,

Actually some of this is already being done by our State Department. It's not so much a matter of NATO but a lot of US foreign aid (e.g. as military armament assistance) is closely tied to the civil rights policies of the client countries. I know that in Latvia the rights of ethnic Russians and other minorities receive much attention from the authorities; I assume the situation is very similar in Estonia and Lithuania. Full citizenship rights are granted to any resident who demonstrates a rudimentary knowledge of the Latvian language and an understanding of the principles of a dmocratic form of government.

1 Reply

@Lustig Andrei,

Putin referred to the Russian separatists as New Russia. Has a familiar ring to it.

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Russian aid convoy 'disappears' on way to to Ukraine

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