SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
wantkitteh writes:
"The BBC is reporting that Russia has given Ukrainian military forces in Crimea a deadline of 3AM Tuesday morning to surrender or face assault. Moscow claims the position is to protect Russian civilians in Crimea following what it describes as the illegal coup in the past weeks. The Ukrainian Prime Minister has denounced Russia's actions as totally illegal and has called on it's allies to put pressure on Moscow. Russian military readiness in the area is very high with a blockade in place at Ukraine's naval headquarters and pre-positioned air and ground forces already in central locations around Crimea. Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and unprepared to face the threat. Demonstrations in the largely Russian-speaking area have supported Moscow's position while outside the area civilians are scared of what the future holds."
Russia's military has given Ukrainian forces in Crimea until dawn on Tuesday to surrender or face an assault, Ukrainian defence sources have said. The head of Russia's Black Sea Fleet Aleksander Vitko set the deadline and also threatened two warships, Ukrainian officials said. However, Interfax news agency later quoted a fleet spokesman who denied that any ultimatum had been issued. Moscow has said its troops are needed in Crimea to protect civilians. The Kremlin says people in Crimea have come under threat from "ultra-nationalists" since pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted last month. Russia is now said to be in de facto control of the Crimea region.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by VLM on Monday March 03 2014, @08:00PM
"they could be the EU leaders themselves in the long run"
The purpose of the EU was to let the Germans take over non-violently this time, rather than the strategy from the last couple world wars. I'm thinking the Russians taking over the EU wouldn't work out so well.
As the EU is rapidly falling apart, I wonder how the Germans are going to react?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 03 2014, @08:09PM
I wonder how the Germans are going to react?
by calling in the loans and freezing assets is my guess
(Score: 2) by VLM on Monday March 03 2014, @10:55PM
And then the natgas exports to .eu accidentally on purpose get shut off during winter. Maybe get away with it in June, maybe. UK's pumped out, they're a net natgas importer now. Gonna be a cold spring in .eu if they try that.
Might at most be a PR move, like before they do it, they make a deal where the west gets to make a dramatic speech doing nothing, but the finances are all opened back up by the fall, maybe along with penalties.
This would be an excellent way to push the .ru into the arms of the Chinese, who never met a bad loan they wouldn't gleefully underwrite for political purposes. So now you've got China and Russia united against NATO, what could possibly go wrong?
(Score: 1) by Hartree on Tuesday March 04 2014, @02:52AM
"The purpose of the EU was to let the Germans take over non-violently this time"
Tell that to the French who were one of the main proponents of not only the EU, but the Common Market before it. I think Valerie Giscard D'Estaing (former French President who practically wrote the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe) would get quite a chuckle out of that.
The situation we have now, with the German checkbook giving such influence, only started to emerge when the Germans were the only ones with enough cash to bail out the various failing economies after the economic downturn.