And here I thought it would start in the middle east... yeah, Kerry's already telling Russia it would be "A grave mistake".

Who knows where this is going. I can see Putin slaughtering a lot of people. 90 jets on the border. I'm not sure the US would do anything about it though. It's Russia's backyard. This is the way things are now, they should stay away. If it were central or Western Europe it would be a different story and Putin knows this.

These are basic rules of an altercation. In a street altercation, don't get involved unless you're ready to swing, otherwise you'll look like a fool. Maybe the USA wants to swing. I don't think so though.

the US do not have the right nor the ability to reply. all rhetoric at the moment and nothing more. the soldiers that took the airport this morning are definiatly Russian, not Spetsnaz, but some kind of forward recce unit sent to secure the airport. for what reason? I can only speculate one of two. logistically this airport is how they transport Russian troops to and from the Russian Crimian Naval Base on the south coast or secondly, this airport could easily be converted from Civilian to Military overnight putting US military bases in Turkey and risk from conventional jets, which have a severe disadvantage when it comes to range. this is going to go on for months, if not years and will end up with a small portion of the east coast and the Crimea succeeding from Ukraine and become Russian again or some small satellite state with Russian backing. internal strife and loss of life will be minimum and not one international shot fired.

I would have to agree with Carbon04 about not one international shot fired.
I really don't think the US wants to stand toe to toe with Russia over this.
I predict stern words, economic sanctions, and lots of finger wagging at most.

I would have to agree with Carbon04 about not one international shot fired.
I really don't think the US wants to stand toe to toe with Russia over this.
I predict stern words, economic sanctions, and lots of finger wagging at most.

hey Denob, long time no speak... 😀

BBC News just reporting....

"18:07: At least five Russian Il-76 planes have landed at a military airport in Gvardiysky, near Simferopol, Ukrainska Pravda internet newspaper reports citing eyewitnesses. Reports also say a column of Russian armoured personnel carriers is heading towards Simferopol." (that's Greenwich time so about 10 minutes ago from me posting this)

The Il-76 is a transport/ logistics plane....five of them would suggest spec ops, engineers, supplies, anti-aircraft batteries, a few armoured vehicles etc.....plus they have ground troops moving south towards the airport from Russia....within 24 hours this airport will have a military designation rather than a civilian one. If I was Putin its exactly what I would have done. The country will be divided into to two giving Russia unfettered access to the Black Sea.

The US will do nothing, neither will the rest of the international community. However, Assad should now really watch his P's and Q's because if Putin wants to ignor 'requests' from the US, they will ignor his 'request' to stay out of the Syrian conflict. That's where we may see an escalation.

How does a commercial for a Russian international tourism agency sounds like? "Come visit us or else we'll come visit you!" 🙂

I can't help but marvel at how CBC stated that Canada is shipping people and "equipment" to the Ukraine to to help "De-esculate" tensions there. That is just such a stupid statement in itself! We (Canada) would not even send any representatives to witness if Cremea's elections were fair when invited, and now we are helping support a takeover while the rest of Ukraine people just want their elections now. The EU wishes to hold off until mid-summer (when they will have a better foothold).

Follow some of the threads http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUNVwbp_JSA. They show these people of Ukraine supporting those brave enough to stand against the EU and hoping Russia will step in soon. They seem outgunned and yet determined to stand until Russia does. Not the story that our news paints is it? In fact our news is telling of the slavery of women and another on cannibals in Syria(aren't they mostly Muslims who abstain from even eating many meats?) I've seen many stories that swing both ways but the Russian side always seems less censored somehow?

Even CBS seems to have conflicting statements as she is on one side, the the other http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWrXKeliE44. I see Canada is just a puppet to the US these days and that we should have refused to participate in this at all. How do others see this?

So if the people of Ukraine wanted the EU some much, why aren't they happy now? Why are they still protesting? Do they not like their new leader?

If Russia is the cause of all this, why are they not taking advantage of these present uprisings to take Kiev? Maybe they don't wish to start a war afterall.....

Here is news presented by RT news. For those unaware, they are the largest news media company in the world. RT stands for Russia Today. This news agency reports in every language and in every major country(including the US). Seems they have influence to get behind the lines of both sides of today's crisis's. I'm sure they too have an agenda of influence, but referring to their channel can give readers an alternate prospective to better judge current events.

Watch the following and see which side you think the people of Ukraine are on overall. Is our countries news misleading us? Why are the riot police now using force when they didn't fight back during the previous leaders reign?(even when being burned by moltav's....)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3-cFkiI98U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWVtzrjCNnI

"In 1994, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation, and the United States and the United Kingdom entered into an agreement to remove former Soviet nuclear weapons from Ukraine.

Ukraine's actions were not without significant commitments, however, by the other signatories. Russia, the U.S. and the UK pledged in part "to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine" and "reaffirm their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine."

Russia's policies and actions toward Ukraine's Crimea region demonstrate complete disregard for this critically important memorandum and international law""

References:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/16/opinion/hall-ukraine-russia-putin-nuclear/index.html

"In 1994, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation, and the United States and the United Kingdom entered into an agreement to remove former Soviet nuclear weapons from Ukraine.

Ukraine's actions were not without significant commitments, however, by the other signatories. Russia, the U.S. and the UK pledged in part "to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine" and "reaffirm their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine."

Russia's policies and actions toward Ukraine's Crimea region demonstrate complete disregard for this critically important memorandum and international law""

References:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/16/opinion/hall-ukraine-russia-putin-nuclear/index.html

From the same article:

<<Putin has sent a clear message to the more than 25 non-nuclear states possessing the technical capabilities to join the nuclear weapons club that the stick of nuclear arms and not the carrot of international law is what guarantees national security.>>

and on the same note from this article:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/03/19/nuclear-weapons-ukraine-putin-russia-column/6629775/

<<The Ukraine crisis carries nuclear lessons for the rest of the world. For states pursuing nuclear capability, such as Iran, the message is to press on. For states with rudimentary nuclear capability, such as North Korea, the lesson is to build up. For those with healthy arsenals, India and Pakistan, it is never disarm. For states that could quickly achieve nuclear status if they wanted to, say Japan, the message is to give nuclear weapons serious consideration.>>

Seems to me like this crisis has deeper implications than any other crisis that happened in the recent history.

Seems to me like this crisis has deeper implications than any other crisis that happened in the recent history.

Agreed

Logic dictates that nuclear war is bad for both sides! To start down this path is likely signing the death warrants for both sides as neither has the ability to truly predict such an outcome. American news seems to pull alot of things out of the hat these days with little proof. I cannot find a direct threat so far other than suggestion. I can see that both sides are using the media to sway listeners to their side.

My point is that we, the viewers have to try to wade thru it all and get to the real truth thru weighing of "real evidence" and tossing out the "hearsay" as we would do in a court of law. A proper news presentation of the facts would show real evidence from both sides. Since no news agency does that properly anymore, you have to look elsewhere for those who are still trying to inform the public by presenting compelling proof to backup their claims.

Here's something I just found that shows both sides of this issue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMVSVDOMllA
It may not sway you either way, but it was presently as unbiased and informative as anything I've seen on this subject to date! Much of the daily crap has been removed, while sticking to the evidence. He then presents logical reasons for given events, and from both sides. When I watch what was presented(most of which I found thru other searches). I at least felt I was better informed about the reasoning behind each sides actions.

The most obvious truth in this whole affair is that the Ukrainian people don't want to fight their own kind and that is why they haven't started shooting each other yet! The part where CNN is explaining the map showing % who speak Russian explains alot yet doesn't fully explain why so many are protesting in Kiev....obviously they are not happy there with the EU as we were led to believe! But other You Tube videos better explained this as the earlier ones I listed showed.

What this all reminds me of is sorta like a fight you may have seen at school in your youth. Two kids were coerced into fighting over some petty difference...you could tell neither really wanted to fight but the crowd is pushing them on...name calling and other tactics are used to provoke them into an action for benefit of the audience, not because the two opponents wished to fight. While neither wishes to lose face, it is their own faces which show confusion instead of the anger required to move against their opponent. They are now aware they were played and yet continue down this path only because their pride refuses them the right to admit they were gullible enough to be played! Does this sound familiar but just on a much grander scale?...They don't want to fight and are just now maybe realizing that they are being played...they are becoming aware that they are too interlinked with Russia to divide after all but have opened the field to battle before total realization set in.....and we are the audience calling them on....let there be no doubt! The audience paid for their front row seats and their options are to fight or refund their money(which they no longer have). But where is this freedom they were promised? It is just a word, for they are as enslaved as the rest of us are to the profiteers of today.

I am considering that some of you may not understand what is meant when I say that "they are on their doorstep". I consider than when you are in your home country, that you are at home. Therefore any country touching your country is kinda like your front or back yard and your country therefore is theirs in turn. The Ukrainian people can know see that if war does break out, that their country is to become the battleground for it. They don't want that! Yet if Russia backed down and withdrew as the US demands (1) that opens the premise that they are weak and encourages it's enemies to push more and(2) it obviously moves the potential battleground inside the borders of Russia instead. So in all reality, the EU already has Russia's back against a wall....there is no more retreating, the only option they have left now is to stand their ground and fight!

Reverse the rolls so that we are facing their predicament...how would you feel having the enemy so close and pushing you into your own home to hide? Also, if war does break out, what is the chance that a world power such as Russia would not retaliate by trying to bring the war the North America too? It would mean that the US would now have to divide their military strength to defend it's borders. This tactic is a common one used throughout man's history. It doesn't require a massive army to accomplish this...just hit and runs with sabotage tactics. Since the US defends it's own soil fervently, a border battle is the next best option. That makes it Canada or Mexico. Canada has the weaker borders and is closer...thus we would become the doorstep for this battle with coastal regions the most likely targets. And let us not forget that China is waiting in the shadows too.....

Just a thought........

And here is another video by Vice news that show us what is truly going on and how the Ukrainian people view this by going amongst them as news reporters used to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNig07RtWxA

and here is one from the Ukrainians who support the EU showing that Vice News does a good job of presently both sides

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FF03oC5zno

so how effective are these EU Ukrainian forces in the Ukraine? Seems the locals are turning on them anywhere they travel including Kiev!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lONL_AmnfQ

It seems that our reporter from Vice news is now hostage with one side or the other(as neither claims to have him). The US demands his release, yet Vice News seemed well liked by the Pro Russians too and he was the main one getting the Russian perspective out to the peoples of America. To get another perspective still, I found this video from Euro News dated 29 April.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQmCZNnbP1s

Note that the people are many and you have to admit they seem to represent the local mindset as they are cheering and in good spirits, not a violent mob. They are wanting the election date sooner and chose May 11 instead of late May. Those wanting to go with the EU seem to be the minority and they do not accept EU's banker as their elected representative.
Why? Because they never voted for him.....

I'm not a big Putin fan but I can see that this premiss for occupation was staged by the EU and we've already lost this hand! Continuing down this road only marks us as the invader, not the protector....

You're wrong. EU and US are not the bad guys here. Before looking at the news read some history and maybe you'll understand why non Russians and even some Russian people would choose western and US imperialism over Russian imperialism. Try to get an idea of what 45 years of communism brought by Russian tanks meant for eastern Europe and other neighbouring countries. I said try, because, unless you lived there you'll never really understand.