Putin's "in your face" invasion of Ukraine begins

Hardly had the criminals in eastern Ukraine carried their stuffed ballot boxes into their contrived polling booths than Putin gives the order to start the invasion of eastern Ukraine. (Nicolas Miletitch with Sebastian Smith in Kiev 12 hours ago 3 Nov 2014)

Ukraine rattled by Russia troop movements as separatists vote

Even as, "Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko blasted the ballot as a "farce that is being conducted under the threat of tanks and guns" and warned Moscow not to follow through on its intention to recognise the result" (Miletich and Smith),

Kiev's military [is claiming that] it had detected "intensive" movement of troops and equipment "from the territory of the Russian Federation". (Miletich and Smith)

Meanwhile Tass, the Russian News Agency, is spreading the lie  (November 02, 23:30) that there were international observers who 'monitored' these criminal elections in Donetsk and Luhansk. Who were these so-called 'international observers'?  Jean-Luc Schanfhauser, a so-called 'observer' from France, was mentioned in this article. Yet no mention of any known international monitoring organization or group. So who, exactly, were these so-called monitors?

Thanks to Anton Shekhovtsov (November 2, 2014) we know who they are:

(L-R ) The leader of the DNR terrorists Aleksandr Zakharchenko and Mateusz Piskorski, 1 November 2014, Donetsk

(L-R) The leader of the DNR terrorists Aleksandr Zakharchenko and Fabrice Beaur (EODE / extreme-right Parti communautaire national-européen), 1 November 2014, Donetsk

The fake 'press' conference of "representatives" of  EU fascist and right-wing Organizations deemed 'international observers' by Tass.

Donbass, 1 November 2014. Second from left is Alessandro Musolino, third is Ewald Stadler. Photo by Alec Luhn

And yet the 'fragrant' Mogherini, now in her role as the EU's new foreign policy chief said on Sunday (Nov 2 2014) that,

"I consider today's 'presidential and parliamentary elections' in Donetsk and Luhansk 'People's Republics' a new obstacle on the path toward peace in Ukraine. The vote is illegal and illegitimate, and the European Union will not recognize it," Mogherini said in a statement after pro-Russian rebels elected a separatist leadership." (my emphasis)

The 'fragrant' Mogherini. EU's new Foreign Policy Chief

The key phrase in what she said and that rather exposes, yet again, her underlying sympathy with Putin, is by referring to the Ukrainian rebel areas as the Donetsk and Luhansk 'People's Republics.

Either she is completely naive or she means to send to Putin the signal that, like Transnistria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia in particular, he can go ahead and send troops there since they, too, are "independent republics" recognized by the Kremlin, and by the Kremlin alone. This is the excuse that Putin and Medvedev used to continue with Russian expansionism. And this is precisely what Putin is now doing in relation to the rebel areas in eastern Ukraine. Putin has, in effect, been given the 'green light' to send troops into the rebel areas of eastern Ukraine and, as stated before, he will use his Minsk Agreement ( clause 9) to legitimise what he is doing simply by recognising the criminal election that has taken place in the rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine. 

These rebel elections were designed specifically to take place on the 2nd November, 2014, when the new EU Commission Team of  Jean-Claude Junker were in place.

 

The Position and Role of the High Representative 

The Treaty of Lisbon made the position of the HR one of the most powerful and visible figure in the Union. Federica Mogherini is the third High Representative (HR), referred [to] as EU foreign minister. The description of the job requirements was very broad, as the HR ought to contribute with assistance of the Council to the “formulation, preparation, and implementation of policy decisions” on foreign and security policy matters (Official Journal of the European Union 2007: Article J.16). 
 (Politipond Nov 3 2014)

Let us now remind ourselves of the fact that,

"Putin has said that he has “... high hopes that Italy will give a new impetus to the development of relations between Russia and the European Union”, as reported in Ria Novosti on the 17^th April 2014." (cf. First blog of June 9 2014)

What did Putin know in April 2014 the we did not?

Meanwhile Angela Merkel is apparently finally conceding that Germany 'would accept [a] UK exit from EU' to protect migration rules, (3 Nov 2014) even though George Osborne, British Chancellor of the Exchequer, downplayed these reports emanating from Germany. (3 Nov 2014)

Merkel and Cameron

Whilst this report may seem totally un-related to the current situation in Ukraine, let us not forget that Prime Minister Cameron, together with Poland and the Baltic States, has been the most vociferous in confronting Putin regarding his invasion of Ukraine. Irrespective of Merkel ostensibly taking a 'tough' stand against Putin, with even  Zbigniew Brzezinski  stating that Chancellor Merkel's strategically tough-minded stance against Putin's anti-European adventurism provides the leadership that Europe needs, nonetheless the fact that Merkel is placing all her 'leadership' eggs into the basket of Putin's Minsk Agreement should give us all serious pause for concern. After all, Putin is not 'testing' German airspace as he is doing with Bristish airspace. Furthemore, the added pressure that Merkel must be receiving from German businessmen, given the current wobbly state of the German economy, cannot but help to impel her towards acknowledging a Putin interpretation of Clause 9 of that Minsk Agreement. 

The next few critical days will reveal just how much in lock-step Merkel and the 'fragrant' Mogherini are in relation to Putin accepting the results of the criminal elections that have been held in the rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine. As the 'fragrant' Mogherini has already stated, " .... parliamentary elections' in Donetsk and Luhansk 'People's Republics'" Indeed has the EU, through the mouth of the 'fragrant' Mogherini, already given Putin the 'green light' for his invasion of Ukraine?

(to be continued)