Partners of the Ukrainian coup d'etat prime minister...

[JackRiddler]

Last edited Tue May 13, 2014, 12:51 AM - Edit history (1)

Check this out, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the prime minister of the current government in Kiev, who was Victoria Nuland's choice for the job even before the prior government was forced out of power, has a foundation, Open Ukraine.

To avoid any misunderstanding about this being his own organization, it's also known as the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation.

And who were the partners in this foundation even before the coup d'etat in Kiev - Yatsenyuk's political sponsors?

Here are some of the logos from the "Partners" page at http://openukraine.org/en/about/partners


The State Department




NATO




National Endowment for Democracy
(neo-CIA founded by Reagan in 1983 with the mission as one might expect of preventing too much democracy)




Swedbank




Horizon Capital
(basically a Wall Street hedge fund looking for "growth opportunities" in Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus)




Victor Pinchuk Foundation
http://pinchukfund.org/en/about_pinchuk/biography/

Pinchuk is a Ukrainian oligarch with ties to many of the best-known American oligarchs, including Gates, Buffett, Soros, and Peterson. Peterson in turn would be the guy bankrolling the austerity and anti-Social Security lobby in the United States. Pinchuk brought the Peterson economics institute to Ukraine. So we see that neoliberal birds of a feather do flock together. Also on Pinchuk's friends list are Clinton and the fugitive war criminal, Tony Blair.

Oh, sorry, he's a "philanthropist."
http://pinchukfund.org/en/about_pinchuk/biography/

Here's Pinchuk's project list:
http://pinchukfund.org/en/projects/



Additionally listed as Yatsenyuk Foundation partners are the Black Sea Trust, in turn a project of the German Marshall Fund (another U.S. government organization, in other words) and Chatham House, the UK's foreign policy academy.

Thus four of the "partners" are directly U.S. governmental organizations, and most of the rest represent U.S. capital or the UK establishment.

A couple of individuals' names are also listed as Yats partners: Hrebenyk Mikhail, Bernadyn Andriy. The latter has the same name as the Osteuropa division leader for the German multinational Bito, but I don't know if it's the same guy.

Otherwise, that's the whole list of the Foundation's partners. And with that kind of firepower and money, who needs to complicate things by adding too many actual Ukrainians?

Now where did anyone get the idea that "Yats" (as Nuland calls him) is some kind of tool of the Western power elite run directly by the State Department?

That's so unfair!

If you appreciate this & want to keep it current on a DU currently awash in New Cold War propaganda, give a kick!

[pa28]

1. I wonder if we'll see these names again as Ukraine's state owned assets are privatized.

If the coming conflict shakes out in favor of western interests I'm guessing the answer will be "yes".

[polly7]

2. and those 'partners' couldn't have found a better tool for the job if they'd tried.

Last edited Tue May 13, 2014, 01:13 AM - Edit history (1)

INVESTING | 2/27/2014 @ 4:58PM |14,510 views
Washington's Man Yatsenyuk Setting Ukraine Up For Ruin

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2014/02/27/washingtons-man-yatsenyuk-setting-ukraine-up-for-ruin/

“Recall the phone exchange between the Ukraine ambassador and Victoria Nuland (Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs) that got leaked out, where she basically said ‘we want Yats in there.’ They like him because he’s pro Western,” says Vladimir Signorelli, president of boutique investment research firm Bretton Woods Research LLC in New Jersey. “Yatsenyuk is the the kind of technocrat you want if you want austerity, with the veneer of professionalism,” Signorelli said. “He’s the type of guy who can hobnob with the European elite. A Mario Monti type: unelected and willing to do the IMFs bidding,” he said.

Ukraine’s new 450-seat parliament approved the appointment of the former Central Banker Yatsenyuk on Thursday by a vote of 371 to 1. Oddly enough, earlier this month, the pro-Western Yats trailed behind popular opposition leaders such as former heavyweight boxer Viltali Klitschko and the leader of the nationalist, Svoboda Party, Oleh Tyahnybok. But Yats had friends in high places and while he does not have strong support of the electorate, and would have no chance of winning an election, he is pro-IMF austerity and apparently the bulk of parliament is as well.

“Yatsenyuk was saying that what the Greeks did to themselves we are going to do ourselves,” said Signorelli. “He wants to follow the Greek economic model. Who the hell wants to follow that?”

Indeed.


Austerity Kills—Case in Point: Greece

Truthout / By Julien Mercille

What happens when everything that keeps people healthy is cut.

May 6, 2014

A string of academic reports documenting in detail the impacts of austerity on health care and health outcomes in Greece have recently been released . They show how European authorities, IMF and Greek government policies implemented in response to the economic crisis have led to deaths and attacks on the health of ordinary people. But there was nothing inevitable about those consequences. As the medical journal the Lancet stated: "Experience elsewhere in Europe shows that those countries which prioritise social protection (including health) in the midst of austerity, and favour fiscal stimulation, secure better outcomes for their populations."

Austerity implies a combination of government spending cuts and tax hikes to shrink public deficits to revive economies facing the current downturn. But it doesn't work, as Europe's ongoing economic stagnation makes clear. Moreover, whatever government savings result from expenditure reductions, it is important to point out that they are built on "blood money," as argued recently by Yanis Varoufakis, the well-known Greek economist.


As if this was not enough, stillbirths rose by 21 percent between 2008 and 2011 because of scaled down prenatal health services for pregnant women, while the long-term fall in infant mortality has been reversed, surging by 43 percent between 2008 and 2010.

The general deterioration of social life due to austerity is clear when the following statistics are considered. There are 2.8 million households in Greece, and 2.3 million have a debt to the Tax Office that they cannot service; 1 million households cannot pay their electricity bill in full; households' disposable income has contracted 30 percent since 2010; the minimum wage has been reduced by 40 percent; social transfers have been cut by 18 percent; there are now 3.5 million employed people who support 4.7 million unemployed or inactive ones; and 35 percent of the population live at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

No wonder that deaths by suicide have thus increased by 45 percent between 2007 and 2011.......

Full article: http://www.alternet.org/economy/austerity-kills-case-point-greece?akid=11793.44541.Ck7lmV&rd=1&src=newsletter990910&t=21

[JackRiddler]

3. And this is a European success story!

[polly7]

31. I know, right?!

Privatisation

As the people of Greece are robbed of their basic rights, public goods and services are being privatised. Electricity, water, ports, beaches, the national broadcasting service, national health care and education are only a few examples.

Greek banks, after robbing taxpayers of tens of billions of bailout money, are now sold out at bargain prices to Greek and foreign capitalists.

The deliberate economic and social destruction by big capital in many countries is clearly expounded by Naomi Klein in The Shock Doctrine. Also, the documentaries Debtocracy (2011) and Catastroika (2012) (with special reference to Greece) are enlightening about the ways global capitalism works to subjugate whole countries and their peoples.

Greece is the first eurozone country to be subjected to this fate, being often referred to as a “test case”. The implication is that the same savage policies are to be applied to other peoples if the experiment turns out to be successful. The measures taken in Greece are spreading to other countries too, especially in southern Europe.

Eyewitness Greece: ‘They are stealing everything, even our homes’
http://zcomm.org/znetarticle/eyewitness-greece-they-are-stealing-everything-even-our-homes/

[ronnie624]

17. Excellent post. Thanks. n/t

[Joe Shlabotnik]

4. K&R n/t

[jakeXT]

5. 'Yatz' our man, I've forgotten about NATO, although I've posted about it myself. /nt

[JackRiddler]

23. True, there's so much elite deception to keep track of.

[malaise]

6. K & R

for truth

[go west young man]

7. And look at who he's working along with...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-hughes/the-neo-nazi-question-in_b_4938747.html

[pampango]

9. One would assume that if fascists had a significant degree of control in Kiev, European fascists

would support them. They don't.

Far-right parties are set to do well in next month’s elections to the European Parliament, a fact that has thrown a spotlight on their links with the Kremlin. A recent study by the Budapest-based Political Capital Institute documents the support that far-right parties in the EU have given to Russian President Vladimir Putin, particularly throughout the Ukraine crisis. These parties repeated the Kremlin’s line that it is the EU and the West, rather than Russia, which are provoking tension and fueling violence in the Eastern European country.

http://euobserver.com/eu-elections/123887

European fascists seem to think they have more in common with Putin than they do with the Kiev government. I wonder why that is.

[JackRiddler]

12. Well thanks for telling us what fascists think.

Fascists do try to be international, but they keep running into other fascists. It's not much of a shock that the fascists of one country hate those of another. That's how it works.

You're deflecting!

There are fascists in the Kiev regime, which came to power by overthrowing the elected government in a coup d'etat that included fascist shock troops killing people on the street. Fascists are burning buildings full of people in the Eastern Ukraine.

It doesn't matter whether the Greek fascists of Golden Dawn likes that or dislike that. Deal with the actual subject. Don't deflect. Thanks.

[pampango]

16. During his 2010 election campaign Yanukovich said: "Ukraine's integration with the EU remains our

strategic aim".

In May 2011, Yanukovych stated that he will strive for Ukraine to join the EU. Yanukovych's stance towards integration with the EU has, according to The Economist, led him to be "seen in Moscow as a traitor", a reversal of the 2004 presidential election where Moscow openly supported Yanukovych.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yanukovich#Presidential_campaign_.26_election

Of course in 2013 he changed that the policy of favoring integration with Europe and signed an agreement with Russia. Whatever his reasons for this policy reversal, apparently his explanation of the reasoning behind his reversal was not accepted by many Ukrainians. I dare say that many of us do not like it when a presidential candidate campaigns for one policy then, once in office, decides that the opposite policy is actually the way to go.

After months of massive, sustained public protests throughout a cold, Ukrainian winter, Yanukovich signed an agreement with the protesters in which he agreed to remain in office until early elections in December and to use security forces to protect public buildings. He still had complete control of the security forces and the military and could quite easily have lived up to his end of the agreement. If he had done so he would still be president of Ukraine today, governing the country and preparing himself for national elections in 5 months.

What did he do? Rather than remain in office and to his job with the protection of the security forces, he decided to pursue a different strategy - running away.

Within hours of signing the agreement the protesters (with the police, army and security forces under his control), he hastily abandoned his residence and left Kiev. Before leaving he ordered security forces not to protect public buildings. Why issue an order contradicting the agreement he had just signed? The image of mobs mobbing and looting public buildings would create an image of lawlessness and violence that could be used by others to justify military intervention. Of course the looting and burning did not happen (much to the surprise of him and Putin), but that did not change the spin.

If he had simply lived up to the agreement he signed with the protesters in February, he would be sitting in Kiev running the government pending elections in December. Now his own political party has abandoned him and Putin never mentions him. Indeed reports are that Putin is quite mad at him for the mess he made in Kiev and never says publicly that he thinks Yanukovich should return to the presidency.

It's not much of a shock that the fascists of one country hate those of another. That's how it works.

Actually, no it is not. Fascists in Europe get along with other just fine, no matter what country they are from. If you know of examples of "hatred" among fascists of different European countries, please provide them. Right now European fascists are planning to form a coalition in the EU parliament after elections this month, assuming they do as well as many people seem to think they will do. The fact that European fascists side with Putin and not the government in Kiev is highly relevant. They side with those who share their goals - regardless of what country they are from - not their enemies.

[JackRiddler]

24. Your omissions are revealing.

Of course in 2013 (Yanukovich) changed that the policy of favoring integration with Europe and signed an agreement with Russia.

In 2013 the EU actually presented an agreement and basically it was an ultimatum to adopt the same harsh austerity that has murdered Greece, with a stipulation barring deals with Russia. So Yanukovich -- not someone I'd support but the legally elected president -- said fuck you.

Whatever his reasons for this policy reversal,

No, not "whatever." They matter.

After months of massive, sustained public protests throughout a cold, Ukrainian winter, Yanukovich signed an agreement with the protesters in which he agreed to remain in office until early elections in December and to use security forces to protect public buildings....

What did he do? Rather than remain in office... Within hours of signing the agreement the protesters (with the police, army and security forces under his control), he hastily abandoned his residence and left Kiev.

Because the agreement was broken on the Maidan side by amplified street violence (mainly from Right Sector and Svoboda types), sniping, and chaos. Y. crapped out, it is true. That doesn't make it any less of a coup d'etat, or the Yats government any more legitimate.


Now his own political party has abandoned him and Putin never mentions him.

So? Yanukovich not good. Your post is latest attempt to distract from the issue: Yatsenyuk, the bankster backed by NATO and State Dept/CIA in charge of the coup government imposing austerity, including Nazi ministers, and burning people alive in Odessa.

Actually, no it is not. Fascists in Europe get along with other just fine, no matter what country they are from.

Until their revanchist dreams run into the revanchist dreams of other nationalist extremists. So the Ukrainians and Russians naturally conflict -- as the Croatians and Serbians did before them. And far-away fascists prefer the Russian nationalists to the Ukrainian. So what? Like your distracting focus on what Putin thinks about Yanukovich, it's has little bearing in determining what is actually happening in Ukraine. The hatred of some French or Greek fascists doesn't magically make the Svoboda or Right Sector any less fascist.

It also doesn't make Yats into less of a front man for NATO and the State Department/CIA who is imposing a bankster austerity disaster capitalist program.

If you know of examples of "hatred" among fascists of different European countries, please provide them.

Yugoslavia was destroyed by exactly this: a bunch of hardline ethnics on all sides decided to murder each other and force the end of a multicultural country. Italy invaded Greece back in 1940. Fascism and nationalist extremisms are inherently prone to conflict amongst each other when their insane ethno-fantasies run up against each other. Whose Lebensraum is that?

The fact that European fascists side with Putin and not the government in Kiev is highly relevant. They side with those who share their goals - regardless of what country they are from - not their enemies.

Wrong. They choose sides here according to what aids their goals. It's an important difference. The rhetoric of the Ukrainian fascists is not distinguishable (just as hateful, anti-Semitic, anti-internationalist, anti-gay, etc.) from that of the Russian or the Greek. The Golden Dawn goes with the Russians out of convenience given the New Cold War situation. They think that will serve them better in their own country. Obviously.

[pampango]

25. As are your responses.

Of course in 2013 (Yanukovich) changed that the policy of favoring integration with Europe and signed an agreement with Russia.

In 2013 the EU actually presented an agreement and basically it was an ultimatum to adopt the same harsh austerity that has murdered Greece, with a stipulation barring deals with Russia. So Yanukovich -- not someone I'd support but the legally elected president -- said fuck you.

Apparently a large number of Ukrainians, if their opinion matters, would disagree and disagreed passionately enough to take to the streets in large numbers for many months. They may not be as smart or insightful as you but they have their policy preferences.

Whatever his reasons for this policy reversal,

No, not "whatever." They matter.

Indeed the reasons do matter. And the people they should matter to are Ukrainians. Apparently the reasons he gave for his policy reversal did not go over very well with many Ukrainians.

After months of massive, sustained public protests throughout a cold, Ukrainian winter, Yanukovich signed an agreement with the protesters in which he agreed to remain in office until early elections in December and to use security forces to protect public buildings....

What did he do? Rather than remain in office... Within hours of signing the agreement the protesters (with the police, army and security forces under his control), he hastily abandoned his residence and left Kiev.

Because the agreement was broken on the Maidan side by amplified street violence (mainly from Right Sector and Svoboda types), sniping, and chaos. Y. crapped out, it is true. That doesn't make it any less of a coup d'etat, or the Yats government any more legitimate.

You're right. Y. "crapped out". When the president "craps out" it kind of puts the remaining government in a bit of a bind. When the president "craps out" it is not a coup. It's an abdication. He still had full control of the army and security services. If that did not make him feel safe enough to remain as president and he still felt the need to 'crap out', I feel sorry for him. Perhaps that is why Putin has no time for him now.

The fascists in the rest of Europe can only hope that their governments "crap out" when presented with street violence in one public square by some hard core neo-Nazis.

Now his own political party has abandoned him and Putin never mentions him.

So? Yanukovich not good. Your post is latest attempt to distract from the issue: Yatsenyuk, the bankster backed by NATO and State Dept/CIA in charge of the coup government imposing austerity, including Nazi ministers, and burning people alive in Odessa.

On January 25, 2014, Yatsenyuk was offered the post of prime minister by President Viktor Yanukovych but refused due to unmet demands. Yatsenyuk said the people should be making a decision for the future of Ukraine, not the present government officials.

Yatsenyuk was designated as the new Prime Minister of a national unity government following the revolution that removed former President Viktor Yanukovych from power.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arseniy_Yatsenyuk#2012_parliamentary_election

Apparently Yatsenyuk was acceptable to Yanukovich . The fact that he was offered the position of prime minister by Yanukovich was one reason that the post-'crap-out' government offered it to him.

Actually, no it is not. Fascists in Europe get along with other just fine, no matter what country they are from.

Until their revanchist dreams run into the revanchist dreams of other nationalist extremists. So the Ukrainians and Russians naturally conflict -- as the Croatians and Serbians did before them. And far-away fascists prefer the Russian nationalists to the Ukrainian. So what? Like your distracting focus on what Putin thinks about Yanukovich, it's has little bearing in determining what is actually happening in Ukraine. The hatred of some French or Greek fascists doesn't magically make the Svoboda or Right Sector any less fascist.

Oh, I think that the opinion of "far away fascists" is quite relevant. They have no built-in antagonism or support for either party, yet they flock to Putin's defense and not to the fascists in the government in Kiev. With not history of "natural conflict" with either why would they support Putin over their 'brothers' in Kiev?

"The hatred of some French or Greek fascists doesn't magically make the Svoboda or Right Sector any less fascist." The love or "French or Greek fascists" for Putin does not "magically make" Putin "any less fascist either".

If you know of examples of "hatred" among fascists of different European countries, please provide them.

Yugoslavia was destroyed by exactly this: a bunch of hardline ethnics on all sides decided to murder each other and force the end of a multicultural country. Italy invaded Greece back in 1940. Fascism and nationalist extremisms are inherently prone to conflict amongst each other when their insane ethno-fantasies run up against each other. Whose Lebensraum is that?

Thank you. Yugoslavia is a great example and a more relevant one than the WWII version of fascists. Of course, the fascists there did "naturally conflict" just as Ukrainians and Russians do.

Fascists in modern Europe have apparently learned their lesson and reserve their disdain for liberals, gays, immigrants and the EU.

The fact that European fascists side with Putin and not the government in Kiev is highly relevant. They side with those who share their goals - regardless of what country they are from - not their enemies.

Wrong. They choose sides here according to what aids their goals. It's an important difference. The rhetoric of the Ukrainian fascists is not distinguishable (just as hateful, anti-Semitic, anti-internationalist, anti-gay, etc.) from that of the Russian or the Greek. The Golden Dawn goes with the Russians out of convenience given the New Cold War situation. They think that will serve them better in their own country. Obviously.

That does not explain why European fascists don't side with Ukrainian fascists (with whom they have not 'natural conflict') rather than with Putin. Why does "Golden Dawn go with the Russians" if they do not think that Putin shares much of the same mindset that they have? Indeed it begs the question. Why do they not support Ukrainian fascists who believe in the same agenda as they do?

If the French fascists ever win an election or take over the French government by other means, I suggest that other European fascists would not come down on the side of the opponents of the French fascists, but would support their French "brothers" heartily, hoping to have the same success in their own countries. Why are they not supporting their Ukrainian "brothers" their opponents? Could it be that they see in Putin someone who is anti-gay, anti-EU, anti-democracy, anti-Muslim and pro-military and feel a common bond with him and respect the power that he is not afraid to wield?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

66. "Deal with the actual subject. Don't deflect. Thanks."

[ronnie624]

19. Informative.

[go west young man]

21. Cheers Ronnie....

just came out two days ago.

[KoKo]

43. Yes...a snip from the article:

It isn't too surprising that conservative outlets like FOX News would downplay Russian allegations but the so-called "liberal" press has also contributed to the American disinformation campaign. Celestine Bohlen from The New York Times considers harsh epithets, like the word "neo-Nazi," which Putin has hurled at the demonstrators in Kiev as part of a Russian propaganda effort to tarnish Ukraine's revolutionary struggle against authoritarianism.

Yet after simply Googling the terms "Ukraine" and "Neo-Nazi," the official position of the United States government along with the stance taken by many in the American media both now seem quite dubious, if not downright ridiculous, especially considering that one would be hard-pressed to machinate the lineup that now dominates Ukraine's ministry posts.

For starters, Andriy Parubiy, the new secretary of Ukraine's security council, was a co-founder of the Neo-Nazi Social-National Party of Ukraine (SNPU), otherwise known as Svoboda. And his deputy, Dmytro Yarosh, is the leader of a party called the Right Sector which, according to historian Timothy Stanley, "flies the old flag of the Ukrainian Nazi collaborators at its rallies."

The highest-ranking right-wing extremist is Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Sych, also a member of Svoboda, who believes that women should "lead the kind of lifestyle to avoid the risk of rape, including refraining from drinking alcohol and being in controversial company." This is the philosophy underlying one of his "legal initiatives," according to the Kyiv Post, "to ban all abortions, even for pregnancies that occurred during rape."

[pampango]

46. Looks like Svoboda may not be long for the Ukrainian government. Their man is polling at 1.5% with

the presidential election in just 11 days. If their party does not do better than that in the parliamentary part of the election, they will fall short of the 5% vote threshold for having a seat in parliament.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_presidential_election,_2014

I hope that the low polling prediction holds for the election itself. Such a low vote for Svoboda would be a fantastic rejection of their right-wing party.

[KoKo]

53. It would be...but, I wonder how they will feel about having just 5%.

Their radical element might not take kindly to that and find ways to make trouble so that the election will have to be postponed. Hopefully they will realize that if they do cause trouble and election is postponed that their approval might drop even further.

But, depends on what the PTB intend, anyway, so probably not just up to what Svoboda does or doesn't do. Our US interests in the gas and oil...probably will have more to do with that election than what Ukrainians want or get with there vote. But that's just me being a pessimist.

[JackRiddler]

55. Fantastic indeed...

But if this is the case, you must also ask: why were they made a part of this government in the first place.

[JackRiddler]

8. Hm. Many passionate defenders are missing here.

What's up, this issue always stirs responses on DU. Where are the defenders of the Kiev government, the minimizers of NATO/US involvement in events there, etc. etc.?

Is this a set of facts they can't jiujitsu to their own purposes, at least not in the context of a mostly progressive board? Could it be because most people here don't support NATO interventions to overthrow elected governments? That kind of thing has its supporters but to find majorities for it you need to be in more of an explicitly neocon place.

[pampango]

10. Speaking of neocons: How Russia's president resembles the American hawks who hate him most

Ever since Vladimir Putin invaded Crimea, American pundits have strained to understand his view of the world. Putin’s been called a Nazi; a tsar; a man detached from reality. But there’s another, more familiar framework that explains his behavior. In his approach to foreign policy, Vladimir Putin has a lot in common with those very American hawks (or “neocons” in popular parlance) who revile him most.

1. Putin is obsessed with the threat of appeasement

To Kristol, McCain, and their ilk, the United States is a nation perennially bullied by adversaries who are tougher, nastier, and more resolute than we are. ... In his (Putin's) view, it’s Russia that has been perennially bullied by tougher and nastier countries—in particular, America and its NATO allies. “They have lied to us many times, made decisions behind our backs, placed us before an accomplished fact,” he explained in a speech announcing Russia’s incorporation of Crimea. “They are constantly trying to sweep us into a corner.” But now, finally, the era of appeasement is over. “Russia found itself in a position it could not retreat from,” Putin said. “If you compress the spring all the way to its limit, it will snap back hard.”

2. Putin is principled—so long as those principles enhance national power

For Putin, an anti-Russian government in Kiev is illegitimate regardless of how it takes power. For many American hawks, the same is now true for a pro-Chávez government in Latin America or an Islamist government in the Middle East. ... In the United States, both hawks and doves like to claim that they’re promoting cherished principles like democracy and freedom. The difference is that doves are more willing to acknowledge that these principles can undermine American interests. For most hawks, by contrast, the fight for democratic ideals must serve American power.

3. Putin doesn’t understand economic power

This indifference to the economic aspects of statecraft was a defining feature of the Bush administration, where treasury secretaries played a marginal foreign-policy role ... Seeing “economics” as separate from “foreign policy issues” is precisely what Clinton decried in the 1990s, and it’s the weakness in Putin’s strategy today. But it’s a weakness that many American hawks share. For decades now, Kristol and McCain have insisted that America relentlessly expand its global military footprint and relentlessly boost its defense budget. I’ve never seen either make a serious effort to explain how this should be paid for.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/03/vladimir-putin-russian-neocon/284602/

[JackRiddler]

11. That Putin, he sure is dislikable.

Thanks for that cut and paste on an unrelated subject.

Got anything to say about the subject of this thread? The prime minister of Ukraine has his own foundation and its partners are an interesting crew. I guess Yats "understand(s) economic power" -- all too well. He knows which side his bread is buttered. He seems to be owned by economic power, so to speak.

[go west young man]

22. The bus is crashing....

and their trying to jump off of it. The silence is deafening. A few naysayers are still hanging on and refusing to believe their lying eyes but the wheels are turning in bigger circles....did you see Robert gates interview on Face The Nation? I'm no fan of Gates or the show but he did have some valid points on Russia....points the Obama administrations seems to have jumped the shark on.

I've said all along that this whole thing was a neocon adventure for the MIC to restart NATO get big contracts and foment a New Cold War....it's failing on all fronts and now President Obama(who I voted for) is possibly going to have his last two years of domestic priorities (which I fully support and wish he would have focused more on) sidelined by the disaster of Ukraine and attempting to economically weaken Russia.

[polly7]

13. Well, some are over here .....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024944357#post62

[JackRiddler]

14. That's easier to have a fight over.

You can debate actual size of the crowds relative to population, or you can try saying PutinHitlerPutinHitlerPutinHitler 10,000 times and see if that works.

It cannot be disputed that the prime minister of the Kiev coup regime, Yatsenyuk, presented himself prior to the coup and unapologetically as the country's open agent for the State Department, NATO, and U.S. business, citing these as his "partners."

[polly7]

15. That's very true. nt.

[LanternWaste]

20. However, saying KievfascistKievfascistKievfascist does seem to do the trick

"or you can try saying PutinHitlerPutinHitlerPutinHitler 10,000 times and see if that works..."

However, saying KievfascistKievfascistKievfascist does seem to work for far too many of the dogmatic. (six of one, half a dozen of the other-- insert distinction without a difference here to maintain the pretense of credibility...).

[ronnie624]

18. It isn't easy defending shifting principles.

You can bet they are hard at work, trying to come up with some new angle on, "Putin lover!!".

[JackRiddler]

26. Yatsenyuk lover?

No one would believe that one, ha ha.

[reformist2]

27. I get the sense that Putin is going to win this battle, and send our puppets packing.

Of course he's going to install his own set of puppets, but at least our government and related NGOs may think twice about destabilizing an entire country for nothing.

[JackRiddler]

28. Is it even about Putin?

Did Putin start this battle?

I hope the people of Ukraine can find a peaceful solution with economic justice and civil rights for all.

[pampango]

29. Indeed. A peaceful, negotiatied solution would serve all Ukrainians best.

It sounds like there is the possibility of negotiations beginning today, though it is still up in the air.

The (Ukraine foreign ministry) spokesman said Kiev was following the OSCE plan by scheduling an “all-Ukrainian roundtable” Wednesday to discuss national unity. It was not clear who would be sitting at any negotiating table, however.

In Donetsk, the Kiev-appointed regional governor, Serhiy Taruta, said the “Donetsk People’s Republic” has no political or legal standing. But Taruta also told reporters that the concerns of the region’s people need to be addressed. He advocates a nationwide referendum June 15, at the same time as the second round of a presidential election, on a decentralization of political power that would give regions more say in their affairs, including a greater share of the taxes they levy and the power to grant Russian the status of second official language.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/germanys-foreign-minister-in-kiev-in-bid-to-get-government-separatists-to-table/2014/05/13/420c360a-da84-11e3-bda1-9b46b2066796_story.html

If there is to be a peaceful solution, it would seem to have to include more autonomy for eastern Ukrainian provinces. Crimea is/was an autonomous province in Ukraine until 3 months ago so the idea of some provinces having more autonomy than others would not be a new concept in Ukraine.

Under Ukrainian law, Crimea is considered an autonomous parliamentary republic within Ukraine, which is governed by the Constitution of Crimea in accordance with the laws of Ukraine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_Republic_of_Crimea

The devil, of course, would be in the details and there may need to be changes to the level of autonomy that Crimea held, but it is a precedent that could at least be used as a start to the negotiations.

[reformist2]

50. Assuming "our" side doesn't relinquish control voluntarily, Putin's involvement will be needed.

I agree with you - it would be nice if the people of Ukraine could come up with a peaceful solution all by themselves - but with US, EU and Russian butt-in-skys crawling throughout the country, that ain't happening.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

30. Jack, can you give me that evidence of a western-sponsored coup in Ukraine?

I'm still waiting on it. Time's a-wastin.

[JackRiddler]

33. I cannot wake a man pretending to sleep.

The guy could wear the NATO logo like a race-car driver -- in fact, that's what he is doing in his online presence -- and you wouldn't care.

By comparison, of course, you need absolutely no evidence -- since there is none -- that the whole mess in the Ukraine was masterminded by Putin, or that the people burned to death by Nazis were themselves at fault.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

34. So in other words, you can't.

You know the definition of the word coup, and yet you can't actually show me that is what happened with Victor Yanukovych in February 2014 was a "coup", let alone a western-sponsored one.

All you can point to is a website of an organization associated with Yatsenyuk, which proves absolutely nothing in and of itself. Nothing.

Considering that, you really ought to think retitling your OP here, lest you be considered an unreliable bald faced liar.

[JackRiddler]

35. In other words, you ignore it.

Your credibility here is on the level of FOXNEWS talking Benghazi. It doesn't matter what anyone says, even in a thread providing exactly the evidence you say has not been provided.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

36. This thread shows that Victor Yanukoych was forcibly removed from office against his own will?

I must have missed that part. Can you point me to where that is?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

40. Still waiting for you to show me where in your post it says Yanukovych was forcibly removed.

[JackRiddler]

41. Thank you for kicking this important thread!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

42. Much obliged, sir.

I mean, I'm not a big fan of the whole whoring for K&Rs like you appear to be, but go knock yourself out.

But yeah, I'll go ahead and kick the thread which you claim to have definite proof that Victor Yanukoyvch was forcibly removed from office in a western-sponsored coup d'état and yet apparently can't show any of it.

Unless you actually do have it.

So where is it? Where is that smoking gun in that OP of yours, Jack?

[Jesus Malverde]

32. What about glenn greenwalds partner/handler

Pierre Omidyar co-funded Ukraine revolution groups with US government, documents show

Just hours after last weekend’s ouster of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, one of Pierre Omidyar’s newest hires at national security blog “The Intercept,” was already digging for the truth.

Marcy Wheeler, who is the new site’s “senior policy analyst,” speculated that the Ukraine revolution was likely a “coup” engineered by “deep” forces on behalf of “Pax Americana”:

“There’s quite a bit of evidence of coup-ness. Q is how many levels deep interference from both sides is.”

These are serious claims. So serious that I decided to investigate them. And what I found was shocking.

Wheeler is partly correct. Pando has confirmed that the American government – in the form of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) – played a major role in funding opposition groups prior to the revolution. Moreover, a large percentage of the rest of the funding to those same groups came from a US billionaire who has previously worked closely with US government agencies to further his own business interests. This was by no means a US-backed “coup,” but clear evidence shows that US investment was a force multiplier for many of the groups involved in overthrowing Yanukovych.

http://pando.com/2014/02/28/pierre-omidyar-co-funded-ukraine-revolution-groups-with-us-government-documents-show/

[go west young man]

44. Ties in with this....the picture is coming together....USAID again

Not only did we provide financial support for the Odessa massacre....we paid Ukrainian media who covered it up.

Link to the official US government website for USAID. That US government site officially states that USAID INCREASES SUPPORT FOR MEDIA AND PRESS FREEDOM IN UKRAINE
For Immediate Release
Friday, May 2, 2014
USAID Press Office

http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/may-2-2014-usaid-increases-support-media-and-press-freedom-ukraine

This support takes place on May 2, 2014- the very same day of the Odessa massacre.....now look at what the Kiev Post publishes on May 3,2014, the very next day...

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/sbu-russia-behind-kidnapping-of-osce-military-observers-updates-videos-346066.html

Headline at link reads:
Police say pro-Russians accidentally set fatal Odessa fire with Molotov cocktails (LIVE UPDATES, VIDEO)
Print version
May 3, 2014, 6:45 p.m. | Ukraine — by Kyiv Post

Now take a look at the way these people died....and attempt to figure out all these "accidents"...Warning graphic photos: Pictures are of corpses in various states of death. http://ucmopuockon.livejournal.com/5885397.html

[JackRiddler]

54. Greenwald took this apart two days later...

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/03/01/journalistic-independence/

Ames engages in ridiculous exaggerations.

It should be noted that Pando itself is part owned by PETER THIEL!!!

Greenwald and Snowden are subjected to a squeeze play in which Snowden is supposed to be the slave of Putin, but wait, at the same time, Omidyar owns Greenwald and masterminded the Ukraine coup. It's bullshit times 10 and you should read Greenwald's response (especially points 3 and 4 on Thiel and the mythology about who controls and has access to Snowden documents.

What gets lost here is the actual NSA story!

[Jesus Malverde]

56. Actually S&G were partners, then the US sent Omi their long standing operative down to talk to G...

and make him an offer he couldn't refuse. Since then the leaks from G have stopped.

Not only stopped he's welcome back to to the US. Once back he engages in a dog and pony show with Hayden the criminal himself.

Now only snowden is out in the cold.

Its obvious. The leaks from G are Over.

[JackRiddler]

57. Pure speculation, no basis.

It's been said before, and the stories of NSA malfeasance continue to break.

[Jesus Malverde]

58. From G? where?

[KoKo]

37. Great post on this....and definite Recommend!

The "Open Ukraine" Foundation was posted by me back when he was installed. But, tempers were high and the post got little interest.

I like the way you posted this and for the post on Biden's son which can't be posted too many times, imho.. because it's so hypocritical that Biden was over in Ukraine doing speech on solidarity with the new government while his son was was picked for the Board of the Gas Company who will Frack Ukraine.

So many want to discount Nuland and John McCain's presence over there and Nuland addressing the Chevron Board back last Fall before the Ukraine Government protests began.

It's all about the Oil and Gas and that this was being plotted and hatched by our own State Department is concerning. Nuland should be fired. And, the rest of the Neocons infesting the DOS. But....will not happen as long as we have our Dem Party embedded with the neocons, oil, gas and mineral companies and working together with the Republicans in meddling in other countries for profit while the ordinary people suffer through violence, dislocation, poverty and loss of life.

[JackRiddler]

38. Thank you.

Among those who want to hide what's happened in Ukraine, the standard of evidence for American involvement seems to be that not even a direct confession would be accepted as such: certainly not tapes of Nuland's planning session, a press release in which the current bankster-governor flies the logos of NATO and the State Department, Biden Jr.'s hiring by a hedge fund fracking the Ukraine, or McCain's (and Nuland's!) meetings with the Svoboda leader.

Whereas the standard for alleging Russian involvement basically comes down to this: Putin exists, therefore everything bad in the Ukraine is a Russian plot. The "pro-Russians" are even responsible for burning themselves to death.

[TBF]

39. Good work!

[JackRiddler]

47. Thank you!

[malaise]

48. Did you hear that Russia has reponded to sanctions by demanding all oil payments be made

in rubles not dollars.

[JackRiddler]

49. Now I have, thanks.

[go west young man]

51. More pertinent info coming together....

Last edited Wed May 14, 2014, 07:58 PM - Edit history (1)

The Russian government has identified the on the ground leader of the Odessa Massacre...filmed at the 13:10 , 13:25 and 19:32 mark in the HD Odessa video I have included here.....the man's name is Captain Mykola Nikolaevich Volkov.....he is what the Right Sector refers to as a Galacian SS Centurian....he is wanted on arrest warrants.....the Russian press is saying that during the phone call with the Chief of Police, where he is trying to influence the police chief, he is calling Kiev for authorization.....they are writing that they believe he is on the phone to Andriy Parubiy, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, appointed after leading the anti-government protests in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andriy_Parubiy

Here's the link to original Russian Vesti story:http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=1553720&m=1&photo=1 You may want to use Google Translate. The link includes photo evidence of who Mykola Volkov is and his arrest warrant.

He is also seen shooting at people trying to escape the burning building at the 7:05 mark in the following video: shaky camera warning:

If this man, who the Russian government believes is directly connected to the Kiev government and Andriy Parubiy (who the US is directly involved with) orchestrated and conducted the Odessa massacre.....then we are seeing the larger picture coming together....and it is incredibly ugly and disturbing in relation to US actions and responsibilities.

In the full Odessa HD video at the 2:29 mark and 4:50 mark we can see Right Sector units wearing new military fatigues and helmets....this would lend credence to the theory that the government supplied the uniforms and that Mykola Volkov, who is seen directing those Right Sector units and individuals, was working directly for that government. If this is the case, as the Russian government suspects, as shown above, then it lends strong credence to the theory that the Kiev coup government is responsible for sending those individuals to Odessa and murdering 46 Ukrainian citizens......citizens that the US falsely implied were not Ukrainian....but from neighboring Transnistria.

The US media also blatantly mislead the American people in regards to the fighting itself and the nature of the fire. A simple glance at the Odessa HD video will prove beyond all doubt that the Right Sector and nationalists that attacked the building met no resistance.....they conducted all violence against primarily helpless women, men and even children as can verified by starting the video at the 1:08:14 mark.

This was murder by fascist nationalist neo-nazi's conducted by the coup Ukrainian government who our government is supporting. This is what we have paid for with our tax dollars as shown here.

Link to the official US government website for USAID. That US government site officially states that USAID INCREASES SUPPORT FOR MEDIA AND PRESS FREEDOM IN UKRAINE
For Immediate Release
Friday, May 2, 2014
USAID Press Office

http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/may-2-2014-usaid-increases-support-media-and-press-freedom-ukraine

This support takes place on May 2, 2014- the very same day of the Odessa massacre.....now look at what the Kiev Post publishes on May 3,2014, the very next day...

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/sbu-russia-behind-kidnapping-of-osce-military-observers-updates-videos-346066.html

Headline at link reads:
Police say pro-Russians accidentally set fatal Odessa fire with Molotov cocktails (LIVE UPDATES, VIDEO)
Print version
May 3, 2014, 6:45 p.m. | Ukraine — by Kyiv Post

Now take a look at the way these people died....and attempt to figure out all these "accidents"...Warning graphic photos: Pictures are of corpses in various states of death. http://ucmopuockon.livejournal.com/5885397.html

[Purveyor]

52. kick. Thanks for posting. +1 eom

[JackRiddler]

59. Post-modern coups even get branded.

They can sing about it and deny at the same time.

No hindrance from the reality based community.

[Strelnikov_]

60. Looks like the coup was as grass roots as the Tea Party

I got a whiff of bullshit early on, and it's only getting stronger.

There are no good guys in this one. The west pushed, and Russia pushed back.

In the end, IMHO, it's all about leverage over Russia regarding energy reserves and petrodollars vs. petroroubles.

Don't understand some of the agenda's are around here anymore.

[go west young man]

61. DU definitely ain't what it used to be....

Last edited Thu May 15, 2014, 12:04 AM - Edit history (3)

but on this particular issue it does feel a bit like old times when many of us worked together, gathered information and put the bigger picture together. Alas that was when the president was Republican so exposing hypcrisy, corruption and killing was tolerable. Apparently people can look past their humanity when it's our side doing it.

On another note.

What is ironic and hilarious about the Hunter Biden affair, besides revealing yet another example of flagrant nepotism and insider dealing, is that the dynamic company he is joining has an uncertain future, considering most of the land it intended to exploit for natural gas is no longer under the control of Kiev.

On a much larger scale and more hilarious still, is the fact that the EU, apart from trashing the supposedly noble values which keep the sclerotic enterprise together, is pouring mountains of cash into a venture which is nothing other than a giant black hole, whilst at the same time shooting itself in the foot. Well, that's the prescription the US is offering to its European quislings to remain members of the irrelevant and increasingly expensive north Atlantic military alliance.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

62. Hey Jack. Look, I'm kicking your thread!

Doesn't that make you happy? Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaah! Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaah!

Anyways, since you've tried to avoid answer the question posed to you on other people's threads, hopefully you'll be more forthright since it's your own.

So, let's see. You title this thread, "Partners of the Ukrainian coup d'etat prime minister". And then you continue on in the body of your post, "And who were the partners in this foundation even before the coup d'etat in Kiev...." And then you continue on several more times to continue to label the events of February 2014 in Ukraine as a "coup".

So my very simple question to you, again, is what exact proof do you have that what happened in Ukraine in February 2014, where former president Victor Yanukovych ultimately fled the country for Ukraine, was in fact something that can be considered a coup d'état as it is defined?

I'll again remind you of the generally accepted definition of "coup d'état" and ask you to take that into consideration in your answer:

: a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics; especially : the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coup%20d'%C3%A9tat

I'll also provide for you the video from Yanukovych's mansion the day he left Kyiv (February 21st) and ask you whether there is anything in those videos that indicate to you that Yanukovych was being forced to leave under the violence that is typically associated with a coup d'état:

(The first video is rather long, but Yanukovych himself is seen at 13:45 in the video)

Note, I don't need you to say that the U.S. liked Yatsenyuk or that Yatsenyuk liked the U.S. I'll concede to you without hesitation that appears to be the case. What I want to know how you can identify what happened as an actual coup based on the actual mechanics of the supposed forceful removal of Yanukovych from power.

Because, like it or not, words--and what they imply--do matter. And one should not use description words that are ill-fitting for a situation, lest one seek to mislead others into believing something that is not the case.

So again, the floor is yours. And, KICK!

[JackRiddler]

63. You are pushing a particular conspiracy theory...

that everything bad that happens in the Ukraine is the result of action by ethno-Russians and the president of Russia. Even though the latter especially, no matter how evil, has no interest whatsoever in a civil war in Ukraine, or annexing territories that Russia was already exploiting but that as new Russian provinces would come with their own built-in, new, violent insurgency.

And at the same time, you push the coincidence theory that the obvious, announced involvements of NATO and the State Department and the CIA ("NED&quot , and even the FBI, do not matter and mean nothing. These involvements began long before the banker Yatsenyuk's group came to power. You'd like to trivialize the open public endorsement of the State Department for an extraconstitutional regime change (sounds like a coup!) as a matter of Nuland handing out those cookies you are obsessed with.

This is a consistently upheld double standard on behalf of a fantasy that there was a democratic, legitimate transition, or that the present government is not destroying the country by fomenting civil war, when it so evidently is. It dispenses with examination of what's actually going on and it's nonsense.

Perhaps Yanukovich fled in a cowardly fashion, or perhaps by fleeing (after clearing out some of his plunder) he averted (for that time) the bloodbath that your Nazi allies had already initiated. There are worse things he could have done than to sneak out in the middle of the night. He could have gone for the Tiananmen Square solution, would that have caused you to respect him more? I suppose you would have been more impressed with the small-time kleptocrat if he'd made some bellicose speech pitting the West against Russia in an ongoing war, like Yatsenyuk just did on May 9th. Standing tall for World War III!

Why does this matter now?

You never address who is in charge now: the government chosen by State Department-CIA, NATO and EU, using disaster capitalism to impose austerity, being willing to incite ethnic civil war so as to maintain its power, working with Nazis, burning people for protesting, dressing up its attack helicopters in UN colors, and (as of May 9) talking up a war with Russia in which the West is supposedly standing tall alongside the Kiev regime.

As an American, my primary concern should be whether the American government takes a side in this conflict materially, gets involved with aid, money, arms, announcements, ultimata, and the risk of a World War, or else engages in negotiations and forces its Kiev wild-dog to back down.

So now that you have your precious answer to your Yanukovich at Night question, you will continue to avoid what the Kiev regime is and rationalize anything they do as the (ethno-)Russians' fault. More importantly, from a DU perspective, you will continue to contribute to the New Cold War propaganda and selling a disastrous imperialist involvement for the U.S.

U.S. out of Ukraine, assist in a negotiated, peaceful solution. Peace above all, because escalation is a potential global disaster. It's that simple.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

64. All you do is deflect and project. Constantly. Consistently. But you finally admit it.

I ask you a very narrow question--your proof for your claim that an actual coup d'état occurred in Ukraine--and you proceed to bloviate about everything you believe happened before the alleged coup and everything you believe happened after the alleged coup, but nothing, nada about the supposed coup itself. This after proclaiming so boldly in the title in your post, "Partners of the Ukrainian coup d'état prime minister." (Emphasis added)

And yet, by your third paragraph, you finally admit (in run around fashion) you have no proof of a "western sponsored coup." Nothing on those videos was consistent with Yanukovych being forced out of power violently. He just up and left, casually, with many of his treasures in hand. And there's certainly nothing that indicates any western forces were involved in removing him that night. So you use loaded language that you cannot prove.

There was no coup. That's your own invention. (Actually not--you're merely repeating what other like minded and delusional people have said before.) That there was regime change is undisputed. Victor Yanukovych was the president of Ukraine and now he's not. But not all regime changes are coups. Your use of the misnomer "coup" doesn't strike me as innocent though.

So why do I care so much what a diddly little DU poster distorts as the truth? Well, really it's goes far beyond you. Because you are not as much the cause, but instead the symptom. And when I am told I need to "respect" the opinions of someone like Robert Parry (because, you know, he was an investigative journalist 30 years ago, ergo his word is gold) that peddle the same exact bullshit that you are peddling here at DU, it reflects a malignant disinformation campaign at hand. They're lying when they call it a coup, and a western-sponsored at that.

And given that the argument that what happened in Ukraine was a "western sponsored coup" and such a claim appears to be a complete rhetorical lie, all that flows out from people such as yourself should also be called into account. And the disinformation campaign is just so completely obvious. Overstating the involvement of ultranationalist parties in both Maidan and the Ukrainian government. Reframing the terrible mob violence in Odessa earlier this week as a completely one-sided, completely unprovoked massacre of "anti-facist protesters" by "neo-Nazis" bent on recreating World War II atrocities. And this all gets repeated over and over and over again by useful idiots such as yourself, for obvious effect.

Now, nothing in Ukraine is black and white. Absolutely nothing. There are ultranationalists in Ukraine, and even a few genuine neo-Nazis out of that bunch. The violence in Odessa was horrible, and people on the pro-Ukrainian side are partly to blame for what happened there. And yes, the US appears to like Yatsenyuk and Yatsenyuk appears to like the U.S. But you take these individual truths and just spin, spin, spin it into false narratives and lies.

I don't know why--maybe you think it's cool to be anti-establishment and that taking this position furthers your creds. And no, I'm not going to assume you to be a Putin apologist just yet, although we actually do have a few legitimate ones of those on here.

But you are wrong, you are lying, and you are damn sure I'm going to call you out on your lies.

Hey, look, I'm kicking again! KICK!

[ronnie624]

65. Lol.

[polly7]

67. Kick. nt.

[Oilwellian]

68. This is just oh so special

The neoliberals and neoconservatives are one and the same...fascist fuckers. This post should stay on the front page as a reminder of that fact.

[malaise]

69. Ding ding we have a winner

Kick

[Tommy_Carcetti]

70. If only the OP wasn't so dishonest when labeling it a "coup d'etat"

Even though he possess no such evidence of the sort, and sheepishly admitting so.

If one needs to make a point, one ought to refrain from lying to do so.

[JackRiddler]

71. Renewed relevance and against denial.

Last edited Wed Jun 4, 2014, 11:13 AM - Edit history (1)

Why does anyone think Yatsenyuk works as a "partner" of the State Department, NATO, and the NED, a CIA-type "regime change" organization?

Oh, right, because he says so!

He's not in denial, he's proud of it. (See the May 9th speech comparing the present situation to World War II and thanking "the allies" for standing by him, as if they're ready -- luckily not -- to go to war with Russia over his sorry neoliberal ass.)

Therefore one really must wonder what causes some U.S. progressives to deny reality anyway.