WNU In China July, 1988

Russian President Putin Is Holding All The Cards On Ukraine

On Ukraine, Putin Holds All The Cards And Dictates The Timetable -- Haaretz

If Russia invades Ukraine, the timing may be determined by the situation on the ground in Moscow more than the streets of Kiev and Simferopol.

When will we know the Russians have invaded Ukraine? We won’t. Unlike the summer of 2008 when paratroop brigades crossed the border into Georgia’s sovereign territory under the pretext of aiding the Ossetian minority, marines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are already stationed on Ukrainian soil. The agreement between the two countries not only allows warships to be based at the port of Sevastopol, but also for Russian military vehicles to traverse the Crimean peninsula.

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My Comment: Putin's most important card is economic. Ukraine is facing default now .... while Russia can just bide it's time. But Russia will need to be careful in not overplaying this hand .... a worst case scenario of Ukraine becoming a "failed state" will have long term implications on Russia .... and none of it good.

My Analysis On Today's Remarks By President Obama On Russian Intervention In Ukraine

WNU Editor: I am underwhelmed by this speech .... and I have zero confidence in President Obama's assurances and promises. Bottom line .... there is no U.S. strategy, no U.S. vision, no U.S. direction, no U.S. leadership, and definitely no White House desire to get involved in Ukraine .... a viewpoint that is probably shared by about 90% of the U.S. population.

Update: Charles Krauthammer's comments on President Obama's speech on Ukraine are spot on.

Update Saturday 1:00 EST: I am watching Russian TV (I speak Russian), and the commentators are mocking President Obama's remarks. Sighhh .... this is not good.

Update #2: Obama's threats to Russia are empty: expert -- Josh Rogin, New York Daily News

President Obama Issues A Warning To Russia To Not Intervene In Ukraine

Obama Warns Russia Of 'Costs' For Intervention In Ukraine -- Reuters

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned Russia on Friday that military intervention in Ukraine would lead to "costs," as tension with old foe President Vladimir Putin rose in a Cold War-style crisis.

"We are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the Russian Federation inside of Ukraine," he told reporters.

Obama and European leaders would consider skipping a G8 summit this summer in the Russian city of Sochi if Moscow intervenes militarily in Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said. The G8 includes the world's seven leading industrial nations and Russia.

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More News On President Obama Issuing A Warning To Russia To Not Intervene In Ukraine

Obama warns Russia of 'costs' in Ukraine -- AP
President Obama blunt in warning Russia not to intervene in Ukraine -- L.A. Times
Ukraine crisis: Obama warns Russia against intervention -- BBC
Barack Obama warns Russia against any military intervention in Ukraine -- The Guardian
Obama warns Russia: There will be costs to any military intervention in the Ukraine -- Haaretz/Reuters/AP
Obama: 'There will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine' -- CNN
President Obama warns Russia to stay out of Ukraine or face 'costs' for military intervention -- New York Daily News
Obama warns against intervention as Russian troops move in Crimea -- CBS
Reports of Russian military activity in Crimea prompts stern warning from Obama -- Washington Post
Obama expresses deep concern on Ukraine, may skip G8 summit -- AFP
Putin Might Face G-8 Boycott as Obama Warns Russia on Ukraine -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Obama may cancel Russia trip amid Ukraine crisis -- The Hindu/AP

BREAKING NEWS: Russian Military Forces And Russian Military Contractors Are On The Move In Crimea.

Ukraine's Fury As Russia Sends Troops Into Crimea: Gunmen Take Over Airports And Surround Border Post -- Daily Mail

* U.S. and Britain have held crisis phone calls with Russian President Putin
* Told him not to intervene in Ukraine's Crimea as tensions in region rise
* Today 10 Russian helicopters flew into Crimea airspace, reports suggest
* Servicemen blockading port city of Secastopol, Kiev border guard claims
* Country's new interior minister branded the act an 'armed invasion'
* 2,000 troops are private security hired by Russian military, reports suggest
* 'The U.S. is deeply concerned about Russian military movements' - Obama
* President warned 'there will be costs' for military intervention in Ukraine
* Comes as UK and U.S warn citizens against all travel to Crimea

Ukraine accused Russia of an ‘armed invasion and occupation’ in Crimea yesterday as it was claimed 2,000 troops had been flown into the region.

The military moves, which saw access blocked to two major airports and the taking over of a border post, came as ousted president Viktor Yanukovych appeared in public for the first time since he fled from Ukraine to Russia.

The 63-year-old claimed he had been forced from power by ‘nationalist, pro-fascist gangsters’.

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More News On The Rising Tensions In Ukraine

Ukraine latest - The invasion begins: armed Russian-speaking gunmen with Crimea in their grip as Barack Obama warns Moscow -- The Independent
Ukraine: Night Wolves and unidentified military men seize key Crimea sites -- The Guardian
Ukraine accuses Russia of deploying troops in Crimea -- BBC
Russia tightens grip on Crimea despite Obama’s warnings -- The Australian/AFP
Russians Enter Crimea with Planes, Helicopters, Troops -- NBC
Russia says Crimea deployments based on agreements with Ukraine -- Reuters
Russia interested in Ukraine stability, acts within existing agreements – UN envoy -- RT
Ukraine Accuses Russia of Invading Crimea as West Reacts -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Ukraine accuses Russia of invading Crimea -- AL Jazeera
Ukraine's Acting President Tells Putin to Stop 'Provocations' in Crimea -- Voice of America
Russian 'invasion' of Crimea fuels fear of Ukraine conflict -- The Guardian
Russian stealth in Crimea leaves ethnic Tatars, Ukrainians on verge of panic -- Toronto Star

My Comment: This is a "limited invasion" .... and a test for the new Ukrainian government. This military grab is also an unwanted distraction for the new Ukrainian government .... they are on the brink of default and the last thing that they need right now are fears of war while they are negotiating financial assistance from international lenders.

Russian Military Contractors (Not The Military) Are Rumored To Be The Ones Who Have Taken Over Two Airports In Crimea

Exclusive: Russian ‘Blackwater’ Takes Over Ukraine Airport -- Josh Rogin, Daily Beast

The troops who have taken over two airports in Crimea are not Russian military, but they could be security contractors working for the Russian military, and they are there to stay.

Private security contractors working for the Russian military are the unmarked troops who have now seized control over two airports in the Ukrainian province of Crimea, according to informed sources in the region. And those contractors could be setting the stage for ousted President Viktor Yanukovich to come to the breakaway region.

The new Ukrainian government in Kiev has accused Moscow of “an armed invasion and occupation” in the Crimean cities of Simferopol and Sevastopol, where well-armed and well-organized troops with no markings or identification have taken control of the airports. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Secretary of State John Kerry over the phone Friday that no Russian military or marines have been deployed outside of the base of the Black Sea Fleet, which is anchored nearby, officials in both governments said.

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My Comment: I concur with this analysis. Those uniforms are not standard Russian military issue. My cousin's son .... who had just finished his tour in the Russian military .... has just told me that Russian Special Forces do have uniforms that look like that, but he thinks that those men are contractors. In fact .... when you look at some of the videos, some of these "soldiers" are too fat for their uniforms (definitely not special forces). But this is all semantics. Everyone knows that these "contractors" are employed by Moscow .... and their masters reside in the Kremlin.

The Syrian Conflict In Pictures (Photo Gallery)

A man at a site recently hit by what activists said was a Scud missile in Aleppo’s Ard al-Hamra neighborhood, February 23, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman

WNU Editor: The photo gallery starts here.

Islamic Rebels In Syria Impose A 'Terror Tax' On Christians

In 2013, ISIL removed crosses from The Martyrs Church in Raqqa and hoisted their flags [Reuters]

Al-Qaeda Rebels in Syria Tell Christians to Pay Up or Die -- Time

ISIS leaders are invoking an ancient law to force Christians living in their areas to pay for protection

Radical Islamist rebels running the northern Syrian city of Raqqa have made the Christians living in the area an offer they can’t refuse: pay for protection, convert to Islam, or “face the sword.”

In a statement posted to Jihadi websites and signed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-designated emir of the future Islamic caliphate of Raqqa, as well as the founder of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] rebel brigade, Christians are urged to pay a tax in order to continue living under ISIS’s protection. The terms are simple: twice a year wealthy Christians must pay the equivalent of half an ounce of gold — about $664 by today’s market value. Middle-class Christians have to come up with half that sum, and poor Christians can get away with paying a quarter, or about $166.

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More News On Al Qaeda Rebels Imposing A "Terror Tax" On Christians

Islamists demand levy in gold from Christians in Syrian city they control -- Reuters
Islamists in Syrian city offer Christians safety -- at a heavy price -- CNN
Syria militants claim Christians agreed to pay tax -- Washington Post/AP
Jihadists subjugate Christians in captured Syrian city -- Haaretz
ISIL demands gold to 'protect' Christians -- Al Jazeera
Al-Qaeda-linked group demands protection money from Christians in Syrian ‘Caliphate’ -- National Post/The Telegraph
Syrian Christians pledge submission to Islamists: report -- Washington Times
Syria crisis: ISIS imposes rules on Christians in Raqqa -- BBC
Radical preacher says Syrian militants should not impose Islamic tax on Christians -- FOX News/AP
Generations on, Christians fleeing Syria return to Turkish homeland -- Reuters
Syria’s Christian Sheep Among the Wolves: A ragtag militia defends the community against Islamists and the Assad government. -- Andrew Doran, NRO
Why Won’t Western Churches Condemn Muslim Oppression of Christians? -- Tom Wilson, Commentary

Syrian Jihadists Live-Tweet The Amputation Of A Thief's Hand

Live amputation: Extremist organisation ISIS - Islamist State in Iraq and Syria - claimed the man had asked for the punishment to be carried out in Maskanah, northern Syria

Syrian Extremists Cut Off Man's Hand As Punishment For Stealing And Post Pictures On Twitter -- Daily Mail

* Islamist group live-tweeted punishment of a thief in northern Syria
* Photos were posted online showing a man having his hand chopped off
* Group claimed the man requested the punishment to 'cleanse him of sin'

A group of Syrian islamist militants posted a series of photographs of a man havign his hand cut off in a live-update on Twitter.

The live-feed from the amputation. which was carried out in the northern town of Maskanah, near Aleppo, were re-tweeted by several jihadi social media channels.

The group responsible, an extremist organisation calling themselves ISIS - Islamist State in Iraq and Syria - claimed the man, an alleged thief, had requested to be punished in this way.

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Update: Syrian extremists amputated a man’s hand and live-tweeted it -- Washington Post

My Comment: This makes you wonder if this is the future of the Middle East .... a society that is living in the 7th century.

The Civil War In Syria Has Also Become A Proxy War Between Iran And Saudi Arabia

Proxy War Between Iran, Saudi Arabia Playing Out In Syria -- Washington Times

Sectarian tensions entangling Middle East a worry for U.S.

Iranian support for embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad is producing a violent backlash against Tehran’s interests in the Middle East and fueling a proxy war with Saudi Arabia that threatens to further destabilize the region.

The situation is a source of growing concern among U.S. intelligence officials and regional analysts who say tension between Saudi Arabia’s Sunni-led monarchy and Iran’s Shiite-controlled theocracy has become a dangerous subtext of Syria’s civil war and poses an existential threat to regional neighbors — particularly Lebanon.

Saudi Arabia and Iran “view their influence in the Middle East region as zero-sum, and the situation in Syria is just another venue in which they are playing out their long-standing power struggle,” said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters.

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My Comment: The Syrian civil war is already impacting the neighboring states .... especially from returning Jihadist rebel fighters. And while many are working furiously to find a solution to the crisis .... unfortunately .... this conflict within Islam goes back to the beginning of Islam 1,300 years ago .... and I suspect that it will probably continue in the years/decades/and maybe even centuries ahead.