T.J. Thomson, Queensland University of Technology; Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology, and Paula Dootson, Queensland University of Technology Amid the alarming images of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine over the past few days, millions of people have also seen misleading, … Continue reading Fake viral footage is spreading alongside the real horror in Ukraine. Here are 5 ways to spot it
Frank Ledwidge, University of Portsmouth Ukraine’s ramshackle military offered no resistance to the Crimean annexation in February 2014. Since then the poorly equipped but well-motivated Ukrainian Army has taken thousands of casualties while fighting separatist forces in the eastern Donbas … Continue reading Ukraine’s military is outgunned but can still inflict a great deal of pain on Russian forces
Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham and David Hastings Dunn, University of Birmingham Now that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to start negotiations at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, one of the key questions is what should be on the agenda to provide … Continue reading Why the idea of a ‘neutral’ Ukraine is a non-starter in peace talks
If we come to a minefield, our infantry attacks exactly as if it was not there – Marshal Georgy Zhukov Let’s start with the serious stuff. As Russia’s Federation Council ratifies a treaty with Crimea, concluding the formal annexation, Ukraine signs the political chapters of an association agreement with the European Union (EU). The signing of the full EU agreement will only happen later in 2014. These are the facts on the ground. Now let’s turn to comedy hour – also known as the sanctions war. The oh-so democratic EU has punished the democratic Crimea referendum by sanctioning 33 Russians and Crimeans … Continue reading Russian sanctions as war and farce
By Pepe Escobar Let’s cut to the chase – short and sweet. 1. The Obama administration’s “strategic” gambit to subcontract the State Department’s “Khaganate of Nulands” to extricate Ukraine from the Russian sphere of influence – and ultimately annex it to NATO – by instrumentalizing a coalition of willing neo-nazis and fascists with a central bank veneer (prime minister “Yats”), is in utter shambles. 2. Moscow’s counterpunch was to prevent in Crimea – as intercepted by Russian intelligence – a planned replay of the putsch in Kiev. The referendum in Crimea – 85% of turnout, roughly 93% voting for re-joining … Continue reading Russia 1, Regime Changers 0
By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON – A familiar clutch of hawks have taken wing over the rapidly developing crisis in Ukraine, as neo-conservatives and other interventionists claim that President Barack Obama’s preference for diplomacy over military action invited Russian aggression. At stake in the current crisis, according to these right-wing critics, are not only Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also Washington’s “credibility” as a global superpower and the perpetuation by the US and its Western allies of the post-Cold War international order. Some right-wing commentators, such as Michael Auslin of the neo-conservative American Enterprise Institute, which played a major role in drumming … Continue reading US hawks take flight over Ukraine
By Spengler Western governments are jubilant over the fall of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, a Russian ally. They may be underestimating Vladimir Putin: Russia has the option to hasten Ukraine’s slide into chaos and wait until the hapless European Union acquiesces to – if not begs for – Russian intervention. That leaves the West with a limited number of choices. The first is to do nothing and watch the country spiral into chaos, with Russia as the eventual beneficiary. The second is to dig deep into its pockets and find US$20 billion or more to buy near-term popularity for a pro-Western … Continue reading Careful what you wish for in Ukraine
Mohammed Abbasi 