On Saturday (18 July, 2015), that dyed-in-the-wool Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov,
".....held separate talks Saturday with his Ukraine, US and German counterparts, the Kremlin announced, as fighting spikes in eastern Ukraine." (Agence France Press AFP : 18 July 2015)
(image left: Lavrov, Kerry, Klimkin, Steinmeier)
What is significant is that, for some reason, the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius (right), was rather conspicuously left out of these 'separate talks'.
"Yesterday the Ukrainian Rada (parliament) took the first steps towards giving the rebels in eastern Ukraine temporary self-rule. As Dmitry Zaks informs us,
"Ukraine's parliament took the first step Thursday toward granting temporary self-rule to pro-Russian rebels under a change to the constitution the West hopes can end one of Europe's deadliest wars in recent years." (AFP : 17 July, 2015) (my emphasis)"
I also commented that,
"
..... Moscow's
annoyance that Kiev did not include rebel representatives in its
constitutional reform discussions
17 July 2015)
No matter how much money Putin throws at his "disinformation" and propaganda machines viz. RT, Sputnik, and RT Ruptly, the truth always has a way of bubbling to the surface.
Is it therefore any wonder that, notwithstanding his 'constant denial' about Russian soldiers operating in eastern Ukraine, AFP (Agence France Press) informs us that,
The popular
Gazeta.ru website said several dozen soldiers would be prosecuted after
fleeing a training ground in southern Russia where they were under
pressure to "volunteer" to fight in Ukraine." (AFP : July 11, 2015)
Delphine d'Amora (right) of the Moscow Times,
Three years ago, President Vladimir Putin promised the Russian people a kind of utopia: salaries would grow by up to 50 percent, average life expectancy would rise to 74 and waiting lists at kindergartens would disappear.
Russia's regional governments have fallen deeply into debt under the weight of these pledges. And with a drop in aid from the federal budget, which is increasingly tied up in such expensive projects as military rearmament and the integration of Crimea, relief is nowhere in sight."(Moscow Times : Jul. 15 2015) (my emphasis)
Even the forthcoming hosting of the World Cup in Russia has not been immune from the effects of sanctions. As reported by the Associated Press (AP),
"In a country battered by economic problems and Western sanctions, Russian officials aren't boasting of their World Cup's size and extravagance. With cost-cutting in vogue, they prefer to brag about cheap stadiums." (Moscow Times : Jul. 13 2015) (my emphasis)
Meanwhile,
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has
revealed US investors are planning to build a LNG-terminal in Ukraine's
southern region as the country aims to gain energy independence within
five years." (UT : Jul. 17, 2015) (my emphasis)
Is it therefore any wonder that that Soviet dyed-in-the-wool Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has recently yet again tried to come up with all sorts of 'diplomatic and interpretive 'maskirovka' ploys' to try and emasculate the Minsk2 proposals, proposals that can rightly be regarded as Putin's Minsk2 proposals?
As I have stated above,
".....held separate talks Saturday with his Ukraine, US and German counterparts, the Kremlin announced, as fighting spikes in eastern Ukraine." (Agence France Press AFP : 18 July 2015)
(image left: Lavrov, Kerry, Klimkin, Steinmeier)
What is significant is that, for some reason, the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius (right), was rather conspicuously left out of these 'separate talks'.
Recall that in my last blog entry (Friday, 17 July 2015) I wrote that,
"Yesterday the Ukrainian Rada (parliament) took the first steps towards giving the rebels in eastern Ukraine temporary self-rule. As Dmitry Zaks informs us,
"Ukraine's parliament took the first step Thursday toward granting temporary self-rule to pro-Russian rebels under a change to the constitution the West hopes can end one of Europe's deadliest wars in recent years." (AFP : 17 July, 2015) (my emphasis)"
I also commented that,
"
"They
can't just walk away from the framework of the (Minsk) obligations, in
particular those concerning the direct dialogue between Kiev, Donetsk
and Lugansk," he stressed during his conversation with US Secretary of
State John Kerry." (ibid AFP) (my emphasis)
Further underlining the 'maskirovka' mentality of Putin and his ilk in the Kremlin, NBC News informs us that,
"Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels accused each other on Saturday of
shelling residential areas despite a ceasefire, reporting four civilians
and one soldier killed following a week of the deadliest fighting in
over a month." (NBC News : 19 July, 2015) (cf also: DW [Deutsche Welle] and BBC News)
Video of shelling in Donetsk taken 19 July, 2015
Even more ominous, Putin's soldiers and Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine are positioning themselves for a major offensive, according to Kiev-based journalist Thomas Theiner. (cf. Map, left, explained)
17 July 2015)
No matter how much money Putin throws at his "disinformation" and propaganda machines viz. RT, Sputnik, and RT Ruptly, the truth always has a way of bubbling to the surface.
Is it therefore any wonder that, notwithstanding his 'constant denial' about Russian soldiers operating in eastern Ukraine, AFP (Agence France Press) informs us that,
Delphine d'Amora (right) of the Moscow Times,
Three years ago, President Vladimir Putin promised the Russian people a kind of utopia: salaries would grow by up to 50 percent, average life expectancy would rise to 74 and waiting lists at kindergartens would disappear.
Russia's regional governments have fallen deeply into debt under the weight of these pledges. And with a drop in aid from the federal budget, which is increasingly tied up in such expensive projects as military rearmament and the integration of Crimea, relief is nowhere in sight."(Moscow Times : Jul. 15 2015) (my emphasis)
Even the forthcoming hosting of the World Cup in Russia has not been immune from the effects of sanctions. As reported by the Associated Press (AP),
"In a country battered by economic problems and Western sanctions, Russian officials aren't boasting of their World Cup's size and extravagance. With cost-cutting in vogue, they prefer to brag about cheap stadiums." (Moscow Times : Jul. 13 2015) (my emphasis)
Meanwhile,
"US company Frontera to build the gas terminal which will help Ukraine gain energy independence
Is it therefore any wonder that that Soviet dyed-in-the-wool Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has recently yet again tried to come up with all sorts of 'diplomatic and interpretive 'maskirovka' ploys' to try and emasculate the Minsk2 proposals, proposals that can rightly be regarded as Putin's Minsk2 proposals?
As I have stated above,
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