If they wish to starve for a tyrant then zieg heil and bonsai. Just as General Eisenhower marched the German people into Buchenwald to witness their collective guilt, so be it for the Russian people,,,,,,,,,, should they find their humanity and souls.
"Alexander Zakharchenko could be sent to The Hague"
Den Haag actually, Putin should be sent there also for aiding and abetting war crimes and acts of terrorism ... Actually, better to send him to Malaysia (MH17), Malaysia have the death penalty for such acts.
If the Ukrainian government is deliberately targeting civilians in Donbass or anywhere else, that is a war crime, and liable to prosecution under international law.
To the best of knowledge -- admittedly limited and imperfect -- Ukraine has not done so since Yanukovich was deposed.
The only time I know of that the Ukrainian government deliberately targeted civilians was from the rooftops of government buildings against Maidan protesters.
The Russian Federation killed more than 200,000 civilians in its two Chechen wars. And these were just real rebels -- they were not fighting alongside a powerful foreign army! It is impossible to fight such a war, without killing noncombatants -- at least, nobody has ever done so. That civilian losses in Ukraine are _comparatively_ small, is perhaps a reflection of the reluctance of the Ukrainian people to harm their countrymen.
Ukraine is in existential crisis. The available options are either surrender, and face total destruction of Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; or to fight for national survival, with its grim and horrible costs.
"The only time I know of that the Ukrainian government deliberately targeted civilians was from the rooftops of government buildings against Maidan protesters."
That was the Ukrainian government? The last I looked, Russia and Ukraine were blaming each other.
My understanding is most of the Maidan protesters believe that Yanukovich ordered the shootings. Probably, this is because all of the other violence against them was carried out by Berkut officers whose chain of command led up to Yanukovich.
Putin's press claims that the shots were fired by "NATO snipers".
"My understanding is most of the Maidan protesters believe that Yanukovich ordered the shootings. Probably, this is because all of the other violence against them was carried out by Berkut officers whose chain of command led up to Yanukovich."
And Yanukovich probably got his orders from Putin.
"A mother of seven has been accused of treason for calling the Ukrainian embassy about Russian troop movements in the latest sign of Moscow attempting to cover up its intervention in its neighbouring state." How can this statement, which by Russia is untrue, be treasonous? She should officially be charged with being a dumb-ass.
My understanding is that Interpol is a co-operation between the majority, in not all, of national police forces globally.
i.e. If Viktor Yanukovych is wanted in Ukraine then the Ukrainian police may contact Interpol to say, words to the affect, "Put out an APB on the bastard" ... It's not Interpol that want him, it's the Ukrainian authorities that want him as is verified here:
"Wanted by the judicial authorities of Ukraine for prosecution"
George Friedman is delusional and a Putin boot licker. My posting of his name gives more credibility than his position deserves. It is laughable that Obama or anyone in his administration is capable of a coup de ta. I don't believe Obama could effectively cheat on his golf score card
Eight US veterans of national security service posts have come together to offer their recommendations, concerning what the US can do to help Ukraine.
A report on their recommendations will be released Monday, under the title "Preserving Ukraine’s Independence, Resisting Russian Aggression: What the United States and NATO Must Do."
This Washington Post article by two of them (Steven Pifer and Strobe Talbott) summarizes their position:
http://goo.gl/2ZRZ3p
(Because of the WaPo paywall, I'm not certain this link will work).
Their recommendations are very pointedly about strengthening Ukraine's ability to defend itself:
* US 1 billion of _military_ support to Ukraine for each fiscal year, now through 2017
* including lethal weaponry in US assistance
* encouraging other NATO members to help Ukraine's military
How dare you criticize George Friedman! In 1991, he wrote a book* predicting that the US would be at war with Japan by 2011. Obviously, he is a genius who understands the world very deeply.
* There's no point in being an idiot, if you can't prove it.
What is the alternative ... World War III? ... I'd prefer the sanctions to remain in place until the powers that be remove the asshole from office.
P.S. I had four Russian guests that did a "runner" two nights ago with only partially paying their bill, that's it, until further notice I'm not granting credit to Russians, they pay up front or they go elsewhere.
I from my point of view think Putin wants war and to ftake Ukraine and then Poland and all the Baltic countries. Looking at history .A very much like Napoleon, ( Little man complex.) The EU and NATO should stop this.the deaths from the shelling in Ukraine by Putin's lackies. Are war crimes .To which he should be held accountable.
They are not just lackeys. They are in fact Russian regulars and under his command. The weight of the office of the U.S. President will soon leave Obama no other choice than to reciprocate and militarize the region in kind. Puntin is miscalculating the very near future.