Is Putin being let off the hook by the German cabal of Merkel, Steinmeier, and Gabriel?

There is an old saying which goes,

 "Birds of a feather, Flock together".

And so it is with Putin and Yanukovich, the ex-Ukrainian president now enjoying the protection of Putin in Moscow after fleeing Ukraine in 2014.

As reported by Maxim Tucker,

"Ukraine’s former president paid bribes worth at least $2 billion (£1.4 billion) during his four years in office – amounting to almost $1.4 million for every day he was in power – according to evidence handed to investigators.
...
A logbook has emerged listing the bribes paid to former and serving Ukrainian officials. In particular, election commissioners were handsomely rewarded in return for guaranteeing victory for Mr Yanukovych’s Party of Regions in the parliamentary election of 2012." (Daily Telegraph : 31 May 2016) (my emphasis)

Like Yanukovich, an avalanche of evidence points to the fact that Putin is a  master of theft and 'corruption' who, unlike Yanukovich, skilfully conceals his thefts from the Russian people.

 

(cf. also : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgDCRegyo7Q)

And yet, as reported by Der Spiegel staff (Matthias Gebauer, Christiane Hoffmann, Peter Müller, Ruben Rehage, Michael Sauga and Christoph Schult), on the EU sanctions against Putin,

"Berlin is [now] prepared to make concessions to Moscow 

...

The Chancellery also supports the new approach. Thus far, it was the Social Democrats that were particularly vocal about rapprochement with Russia. Led by Economics Minister Gabriel, the SPD is Merkel's junior coalition partner. While Steinmeier, also a senior SPD member, has never explicitly demanded the easing of sanctions, he has long supported Russia's return to the G-7. Merkel, by contrast, had always maintained a hard line. Now, though, the Chancellery also appears to be changing course." (Der Spiegel : May 30, 2016) (my emphasis) (right: Steinmeier, Gabriel, Merkel)

And whilst this Putinversteher German cabal are shifting towards making concessions to Putin, thus fuelling the calls of  Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi,  Austrian Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, and French Economics Minister Emmanuel Macron, including Alex Tsipras of Greece and officials of Spain and Portugal, that sanctions against Russia be lifted,

"Poland says it will start recruiting in September for a new 35,000-strong paramilitary defence force because of tensions with Russia." (BBC News : 3 June 2016) 

This comes on the back of an increase in fighting in eastern Ukraine.

As reported by Live 112 TV,

"Russian-backed militants in Donbas attacked Ukraine’s Armed Forces at least 49 times over the past 24 hours, ATO (Anti-Terroristic Operation) press center reports.
In Donetsk direction, militants shelled Ukrainian military with 120 mm mortars. They also attacked strongholds near Pisky and Opytne.

Increased military activity has been reported in Mariupol direction, where Russian-backed militants attacked Ukrainian military at least 31 times. Near Novotroitske, Ukrainian positions were hit with 120 mm mortars, near Pavlopol – with 82 mm mortars." (Live 112 TV : 3 June 2016)

Furthermore,

"[Ravina] Shamdasani (right), [UN press-secretary of human rights], expressed concern about the increasing number of heavy military equipment near the contact line in the Donetsk region.

"We have received credible reports on the movement of Russian troops across the border into the territory of Ukraine (Donbas - Ed.), as well as across the country, - she said.

Shamdasani added: "This also applies to heavy weapons. Moreover, it is a quite reliable reports." (Live 112 TV : 5 June 2016) (my emphasis)

 And whilst Ukrainians are being shelled by Putin's Russian soldiers and his rebel-proxies operating in the Donbas, Merkel yesterday, at her CDU Party Conference, explicitly supported Putin by referring to Russia's war with Ukraine as,

"....  'civil war, with the support of Russia'" (Live 112 TV : 4 June 2016) (my emphasis)

This statement must have sent a 'cold chill' down the spines of  the Baltic States, Poland, and, most of all, the Ukrainian authorities.

This is the LIE that Putin has peddled since the start of the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea, and his pouring of thousands of Russian soldiers into the Donbas!

Merkel has finally let the mask slip from her face. How, otherwise, would she say at this conference that,

"I am convinced that Russia is gradually, step by step moving towards a common European economic area from Lisbon to Vladivostok", - she said " (ibid Live 112 TV : 4 June 2016)

Merkel's platitudes about 'EU principles in the face of Russian aggression' rings rather hollow!

"... such aspirations [a common European economic area from Lisbon to Vladivostok] can not force the EU to give up its principles in the face of Russian aggression." (ibid Live 112 TV : 4 June 2016)

 

German 'economic' jackboots marching over Ukraine circa 2016

Let us not forget that,"...Angela Merkel has a portrait on her desk of Russian empress Catherine the Great, the Prussian-born princess who went on to expand Russia’s territory to the west and the south, including Crimea." (Patrick Donahue and Tino Andresen : Bloomberg : March 4, 2014)

Let us remind ourselves that,

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" (George Santayana)

(to be continued)