MOSCOW/BRUSSELS
(Reuters) - Russian shares fell sharply (click here) on Friday as investors took fright at tougher than expected U.S. sanctions against President Vladimir Putin's inner circle over Moscow's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine.
The United States added 20 names to its sanctions blacklist, including Kremlin banker Yuri Kovalchuk and his Bank Rossiya, oil and commodities trader Gennady Timchenko and the brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, who are linked to big contracts on gas pipelines and the Sochi Olympics, as well as Putin's chief of staff and his deputy, the head of military intelligence and a railways chief.
In one immediate consequence, U.S. credit card companies Visa and MasterCard stopped providing services for payment transactions with Russia's SMP bank, owned by the Rotenberg brothers, the bank said....
In the meantime, the citizens in the Crimea remain terrified.
Who patrols your neighborhood and how predictable are their behavior while trying to get on with the day. There was a man found in a shallow grave that was beaten to death.
The Crimea is beginning to look like an occupied territory and not an independent state.
Added by Day Blakely Donaldson
March 20, 2014.To date the death toll in Crimea (click here) since Russian forces have occupied the peninsula is five. The deaths have taken place during the past several days. Two deaths came after a pro-Russian force stormed a Ukrainian army base–one death on each side of the conflict. Two deaths resulted from a sniper opening fire on both Ukrainians and pro-Russians, killing one of each. The fifth death was that of a Tatar man who was carried away from a protest two weeks ago and recently turned up–his discarded body showing evidence of torture....
This is not a benign incursion into an island whereby all people were happy for the end of a process to declare it's independence and incorporation into the Russian nation. This is very hostile and now it is becoming ethnic. Russians only, no one else needed.
...The first known death was discovered March 17. Reshat Ametov, a 39-year-old Tatar father of three, had been missing for two weeks after being last seen at Lenin Square in front of the Crimean Council of Ministers building, where he was participating in a small-scale protest. Crimean television news channel ATR showed video footage of three men leading Ametov out of the square. Two men were wearing military-style jackets and one wore a black uniform. None of the three wore identifying insignia on their clothing. The three men have not been identified.
The body of Ametov was found dumped outside the town of Belogorsk. The body had transparent tape around its hands and head, and bore marks of torture, according to local media reports....
It is all predictable, if a countries carries out occupation of another country for the purpose of ethnic reasons, ie: "Russian speaking people," there is going to be hatred of other ethnicities. It is outrageous. This is how Yugoslavia fell into warring factions and genocide of people. It is all predictable. Either the post soviet states are autonomous and diversified with support and inclusion of any minorities or there will terrible problems.
Mar 21, 2014 4:18 AM ET
...EU leaders added 12 names to their list (click here) of Russians and Ukrainians punished with asset freezes and travel bans. The bloc acted a day after the U.S. penalized 20 Russian officials and business leaders as having ties to Putin.
With Russia on the verge of annexing Crimea and massing troops near Ukraine’s eastern border, the U.S. and the EU are moving to coordinate their response as they press Putin to back down. The crisis marks the worst confrontation between the West and Russia since the Cold War ended more than two decades ago.
“The goal is not sanctions, the goal is to get Mr. Putin to the negotiating table,” EU Financial Services Commissioner Michel Barnier said today in interview on broadcaster France 2.
Western nations are signaling that Russia will face further repercussions if it fails to yield. The EU, Russia’s biggest trading partner, said today it would consider “targeted” curbs on business and investment. A separate order signed by Obama yesterday authorized potential future penalties on sectors of the Russian economy, including financial services, energy, metals and mining, defense and engineering....
To the Russian people Mr. Putin sounds like a man concerned about their best interest as well, "Russian speaking people." Those words are a flashpoint to hatred. He is beginning to designate Russian Speaking People as a superior race. He needs to stop this dialogue. It is a threat.
20/03 19:12 CET
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has told Vladimir Putin (click here) that he’s “deeply concerned” about the crisis between Russia and Ukraine.
Ban met Putin in Moscow, as the country’s lower house of parliament voted to approve a treaty to absorb the Ukrainian region of Crimea into Russia.
“I was profoundly concerned by the recent incident where Ukrainian military bases were taken over,” said Ban.
“It is at moments like this in history that a small incident can quickly lead to a situation spiralling out of anyone’s control.”
Earlier on Thursday, the UN chief met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Ban is expected to travel to Kyiv on Friday on a visit which the UN says is “part of (his) diplomatic efforts to encourage all parties to resolve the current crisis peacefully.”
Before any change in sovereignty of the Crimea was attempted by Russia, there should have been all kinds of open forums for the Tartars and hear their concerns while placing them at positions of prominence to elevate their importance in any of the scenarios and outcomes. The Tatars were important to the vote and instead they objected to it by refusing to participate. This was not the way to go about this.
I keep coming back to Yanukovych and his stationing of militias throughout the Ukraine. There is only one reason for militias and that is kill people and maintain order that is not of the sovereign authorities.
The EU's 28 leaders and interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk signed the core chapters of the Association Agreement on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, officials who witnessed the ceremony told Reuters.
The deal commits Ukraine and the EU to closer political and economic cooperation, although major parts of the agreement concerning free trade will only be signed after Ukraine has held new presidential elections in May.
Ban met Putin in Moscow, as the country’s lower house of parliament voted to approve a treaty to absorb the Ukrainian region of Crimea into Russia.
“I was profoundly concerned by the recent incident where Ukrainian military bases were taken over,” said Ban.
“It is at moments like this in history that a small incident can quickly lead to a situation spiralling out of anyone’s control.”
Earlier on Thursday, the UN chief met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Ban is expected to travel to Kyiv on Friday on a visit which the UN says is “part of (his) diplomatic efforts to encourage all parties to resolve the current crisis peacefully.”
Before any change in sovereignty of the Crimea was attempted by Russia, there should have been all kinds of open forums for the Tartars and hear their concerns while placing them at positions of prominence to elevate their importance in any of the scenarios and outcomes. The Tatars were important to the vote and instead they objected to it by refusing to participate. This was not the way to go about this.
I keep coming back to Yanukovych and his stationing of militias throughout the Ukraine. There is only one reason for militias and that is kill people and maintain order that is not of the sovereign authorities.
BRUSSELS
(Reuters) - The European Union and Ukraine's interim government (click here) signed a political
association agreement on Friday, committing to the same deal former
president Viktor Yanukovich rejected last November, a move that lead to
his overthrow.The EU's 28 leaders and interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk signed the core chapters of the Association Agreement on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, officials who witnessed the ceremony told Reuters.
The deal commits Ukraine and the EU to closer political and economic cooperation, although major parts of the agreement concerning free trade will only be signed after Ukraine has held new presidential elections in May.
