Friday, March 21, 2014

Russia wants $11 billion in leases returned from Ukraine. I don't think so.

So, the important part was Russian Speaking People, huh? I think not.

There are reports on blogs, unverified, that Russia scuttled a ship to block deep water lane out of the port to trap Ukraine ships at port. That is more than worrying about Russia speaking people.

Europe and the Ukraine have other energy alternatives, they don't need to come to coercion.

Published time: March 21, 2014 09:48
Edited time: March 21, 2014 12:04


Russia (click here) may revoke a deal with Ukraine, which gave Kiev a considerable discount on gas in exchange for hosting the Russian Black Sea fleet. The Russian PM said this would oblige Kiev to return $11 billion which Russia paid to lease the bases.

The deal, which was signed in 2010 in Kharkov, extended permission to Russia to keep the Black Sea fleet at its base in Sevastopol for 25 years after 2017, when the current agreement was due to expire. In exchange Moscow offered Ukraine incentives, including a discount on the price of gas and a waiver for some payments to Russia.... 

There is this in the Daily Mail, though. 

By Sam Webb and Damien Gayle


The Russian Black Sea (click here) fleet has blockaded Ukrainian warships by scuttling an anti-submarine ship at the entrance to their port in Crimea.

Russian sailors scuttled the decommissioned warship Ochakov at the entrance to Donuzlav Bay, the location of Ukraine's Southern Naval Headquarters in the west of the peninsula.

It came as Crimea's parliament voted unanimously in favour of a snap referendum to decide whether the region should join the Russian Federation....