Another Big Win For Putin!!!

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

 

[88m3]

Revisiting the Russian Cartoons of My Childhood

http://www.vice.com/read/revisiting-the-russian-cartoons-of-my-childhood-316?utm_source=vicefbus

 

[Domingo Halliburton]

They're doing yuan-rouble futures...good for them.

 

[Domingo Halliburton]

They did like a full military exercise didnt they? We do the same thing with Japan or south Korea (can't remember which). Over there too not like it was off the coast of Florida.

 

[88m3]

They did like a full military exercise didnt they? We do the same thing with Japan or south Korea (can't remember which). Over there too not like it was off the coast of Florida.

One with Japan the end of last year, one in SK currently and a bunch of random countries, also there is one going on in the Baltic right now too.

 

[88m3]

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

 

[CHL]

Putin Parties Down with Pop Singers at Rally Celebrating Anniversary of Crimea Annexation

March 19, 2015 | 8:35 am
A year after Russia invaded the Crimean peninsula and annexed it from Ukraine, escalating tensions that sparked an ongoing separatist conflict in the region, the country has become something of a diplomatic pariah, its economy battered by Western sanctions.

So why not throw a party?

Russian President Vladimir Putin, parliamentarians, and cheesy Russian pop singers joined together in front of the Kremlin on Wednesday for a carefully stage-managed display of patriotism on the anniversary of the takeover of Crimea, portraying it as a historically inevitable act and scorning international objections.

As with previous pro-government demonstrations, tens of thousands of Russians came out for the occasion, many of them mobilized by labor unions, universities, and political parties. Moscow police, known for inflating the number of participants at such gatherings, claimed that more than 110,000 people had attended.

Speaking on a stage across from the iconic onion domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, Putin said that his countrymen had shown "surprising composure, surprising patriotism in helping Crimeans and Sevastopol residents return to their native shores."

"We're not just talking about territory, which we have enough of," he said. "We're talking about historic roots, about the roots of our faith and government. We're talking about what makes us a single people and a single cohesive unified nation."

Putin added that he considered Russians and Ukrainians to be "one people," despite the damage he claimed Ukrainian nationalism had done to the relationship. While Putin and other officials often call Ukraine a "brother" country, their affection hasn't been returned by the pro-Western government in Kiev, which blames Moscow for inciting a pro-Russian uprising in eastern Ukraine.

The rally came just hours after Putin signed a document that brings Georgia's breakaway republic of South Ossetia — another disputed territory that was the site of a much briefer war in 2008, ending in Russian occupation — further under Russian control. The agreement integrates South Ossetia's military and economy with Russia's, much like a similar deal that was signed last year with the nearby Georgian breakaway republic of Abkhazia.

'We'll overcome all the problems and difficulties that they try to throw at us from outside. This is a useless tactic against Russia.'
After his speech, Putin joined in singing the national anthem as some in the front of the crowd enthusiastically chanted his name. The pop stars harmonizing with the president included gravelly voiced crooner Grigory Leps, who was blacklisted by the United States in 2013 for alleged mafia ties.

Organizers handed out Russian flags, and others held printed and handwritten signs reading "Russia and Crimea together forever" and "Thanks, Putin, for Crimea and Sevastopol." One law student held a sign reading "Obama, admit the obvious," referring to the American president's refusal to recognize the annexation of Crimea.

As Russia has solidified its hold on the peninsula, Putin has portrayed it as a vital part of his country's national and religious heritage, even referring to it as Russia's "Temple Mount" in a speech in December. Prince Vladimir the Great, who converted the Russian antecedent Kievan Rus to Christianity in the 11th Century, is said to have been baptized in Crimea.

Western nations imposed economic sanctions on Russia after it annexed Crimea last March. The combination of sanctions with a sharp drop in oil prices since the summer has sent the country's economy into a recession. Inflation in Russia climbed to 16.7 percent by February — the biggest rise in over a decade — and has spiked even higher in Crimea, hitting 42.5 percent by the end of 2014.


The US and Europe established a trade and investment embargo on Crimea, while Ukraine shut off electricity supplies, a main irrigation canal, and public transportation to the peninsula following its annexation, causing frequent blackouts as well as other problems.

Despite the hardship, Putin has remained defiant and even flippant toward Western sanctions.

"We will overcome the difficulties that we have so easily created for ourselves recently," he remarked at the rally. "And of course, we'll overcome all the problems and difficulties that they try to throw at us from outside. This is a useless tactic against Russia."

Several other prominent attendees echoed his assertion of Russian resilience.

"It's not the biggest problem," Nikolai Valuev, a seven-foot-tall former world heavyweight boxing champion who is now a parliamentarian, told VICE News when asked about Crimea's economic woes. "People are alive and well. That's more than we can say about thousands of people in eastern Ukraine."

"Yes, prices are rising, but these sanctions won't make anyone reconsider," added Alexander Zaldostanov, a friend of Putin and leader of the Night Wolves biker club. Nicknamed "The Surgeon," he had flown in from an anniversary rally within Crimea to speak at the Moscow demonstration. "In fact, they'll have the opposite effect. They'll make people think we did the right thing."

Indeed, sanctions so far appear to have had little impact on policy, while Russian state media's unquestioning support of his opposition to Western "aggression" has effectively boosted his popularity at home. His approval rating reached a record high of 88 percent last week, according to state pollster VTsIOM.

"I never voted for him, I didn't participate in any elections, but now that he returned Crimea, my relatives and I are 100 percent for Putin," history teacher Olga Nikolayevna told VICE News.


Cold War-style posturing pervaded the rally. A Russian general took the stage to declare that Crimea was an "outpost" defending the country from the "aggression of America and NATO."

"If Putin hadn't done what he did (in Crimea) a year ago, then the US fleet would be standing next to my home right now," said Valery Zolotaryov, a pensioner from the Black Sea coast who participated in the clean-up following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. He called the sanctions "small change compared to human lives and baby's cries."

"They wouldn't have agreed to live under the Kiev junta," he said of Crimeans. "Blood would have flowed."

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Cameron revives Cold War-era free market fund to annoy Putin

• TOMAS HIRST
  

• MAR. 20, 2015, 5:28 AM
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• REUTERS/Anthony Devlin/PoolBritain's Prime Minister David Cameron (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin take part in a ceremony to award the Russian Ushakov medal to Arctic convoy veterans in 10 Downing Street, central London June 16, 2013.
  
  David Cameron announced plans on Thursday for the UK to spend £20 million to help former Soviet states develop market economies and counter Russian influence in the region.
  
  Around £5 million has already been spent on helping the government in Ukraine to support civil institutions under the programme, but it is now getting a £15 million boost to help "support democracy" in Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, according to Bloomberg.
  
  The “Good Governance Fund” is closely modelled on a similar programme launched by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Thatcher's Know-How Fund targeted Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia in an effort to help smooth their transitions into market economies by helping to establish a model for institutions and governance.
  
  However, this latest announcement has a much more overtly political dimension than its predecessor. The expansion of the fund was explicitly linked to Cameron's call for the continuance of European Union sanctions against Russia over its role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
  
  As a British official commented on the plan:
  
  We’ve said we would support these countries on a transition to democracy, and it cannot just be words. When they are facing some intimidation from Russia, we should be standing alongside them with concrete help.
  
  Moscow has spent the past decade trying to rebuild economic and political ties with its former Soviet neighbours under the auspices of the Eurasian Union. Yet international sanctions against Russia and the collapse in the oil price over the past year have put serious strains on its ambitions.
  
  President Vladimir Putin is currently attending a Eurasian Union conference with his Kazakh and Belarusian counterparts in the Kazakh capital Astana. Tensions are likely to be higher than usual with the government in Astana having to dip into its gold and foreign currency reserves to defend its currency and rein in rampant inflation over recent months.
  
  In July, the Kazakh government passed a new law increasing the sentence for separatist activity in a possible hint that the Kazakh authorities are becoming increasingly concerned about a possible Russian land-grab, not dissimilar to what has been seen in the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine. The government had previously refused to sign up to Moscow's tit-for-tat sanctions imposed on Western goods imports making clear that it views the Eurasian Union as a purely economic, not a political undertaking.
  
  Cameron's latest move (though modest in scale) is no doubt intended to signal that Britain offers an alternative to Moscow for regional development and economic cooperation. It is a message that is unlikely to be lost on Putin.
  

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Danish warships could become legitimate nuclear targets, warns Russian ambassador
Joining NATO's missile shield would put the ships at risk, says diplomat


The Russian ambassador said that Danish ships could become targets (photo: Christian Wenande)

March 21, 2015
04:19

by Ray Weaver
Danish warships could end up as targets for Russian nuclear missiles if Denmark joins the NATO missile defence shield, according to Mikhail Vanin, the Russian ambassador to Denmark.

“I do not think that the Danes fully understand the consequences if Denmark joins the US-led missile defence shield,” Vanin told Jyllands-Posten. “If that happens, Danish warships become targets for Russian nuclear missiles.”

READ MORE: Russian ambassador blasts Danish media's coverage of Sochi Olympics

Vanin said that Denmark would become “part of the threat to Russia and relations with Russia will be damaged”. Vanin warned that joining the defence shield would be “Denmark’s decision” and that the country would “lose both money and security”.

Foreign minister angry
Martin Lidegaard, the Danish foreign minister, was not pleased with Vanin’s comments.

“This is obviously unacceptable,” Lidegaard said. “Russia knows very well that NATO’s missile defence system is defensive. We disagree with Russia on many important things, but it is important that the tone between us remains as positive as possible.”

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Putin calls for currency union with ex-Soviet allies

March 20, 2015 10:59 AM

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R), Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev (C) and Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko meet in Astana on March 20, 2015 (AFP Photo/Alexei Druzhinin)
Astana (Kazakhstan) (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called for a single currency with the Kremlin's closest ex-Soviet allies despite fraying ties in the region which is struggling with the fallout from Moscow's economic crisis.

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1. Russia's Putin calls for regional currency union Reuters
2. Kremlin: Putin postpones trip to Kazakhstan by several days Associated Press
3. Putin delays Kazakh visit, no health problems says Kremlin Reuters
4. Ex-Soviet states battle challenge of low oil prices Reuters
5. Putin to meet Kyrgyz leader Monday after absence from view Associated Press

Putin urged closer integration for his flagship Eurasian Economic Union -- which also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia -- as Moscow scrambles to limit the damage from Western sanctions over Ukraine and tumbling oil prices.

"We think the time has come to discuss opportunities to form a potential currency union," Putin said at a meeting with his Kazakh and Belarusian counterparts in Kazakhtan's capital Astana.

"Working shoulder to shoulder, it is easier to react to external financial and economic threats, and protect our common market."

Political and economic ties between Moscow and the bloc's two other founding members, Belarus and energy-rich Kazakhstan, have been strained by the recent economic woes and jitters over Russia's alleged military involvement in Ukraine.

"Major trials have befallen our union," said Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the outset of the summit, while arguing for deeper cooperation.

The economic union -- a pet project of Putin's -- has been slammed by the West as an attempt by the Kremlin to revive its Soviet empire.

The debate over whether Ukraine would opt for closer ties with Europe rather than the Russian-led bloc is at the heart of the current crisis.

Nazarbayev said the trio were "interested in Ukraine becoming a strong, stable, independent state with territorial integrity," at the conclusion of the meeting.

The summit, which followed bilateral meetings between Nazarbayev and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Putin was initially scheduled for March 12 but was cancelled by Russia during a 10-day disappearance by Putin from public view that had sparked rumours over his health.

Ahead of their separate meetings with the Kazakh president, both Putin and Lukashenko backed Nazarbayev to extend his 23-year grip on power at snap presidential polls in April that he looks set to cruise through.



This dude gives no fukks

 

[88m3]

22 March 2015 Last updated at 12:07 ET
Europe far-right parties meet in St Petersburg, Russia

Organisers say they want to unite "nationalist" forces
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories

• Ukraine shies away from tackling far right
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Some 150 representatives of far-right parties across Europe have been meeting in Russia to co-ordinate policy.

The event in St Petersburg, organised by the pro-Kremlin Rodina party, heard strong criticism of the West's support for the Ukrainian government.

Those attending included the ousted leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, Udo Voigt from the German neo-Nazi NPD, and Greece's Golden Dawn.

A small anti-fascist protest outside the venue was dispersed by police.

Demonstrators were not welcome
Organisers say the event, the International Russian Conservative Forum, is aimed at promoting "traditional values" and uniting nationally-orientated forces in Europe and Russia.

Opponents say it is a contradiction for Russia to host such a meeting while the Kremlin criticises what it sees as "fascist" tendencies in the Ukrainian government.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32009360

 

[88m3]

22 March 2015 Last updated at 18:26 ET
Ukraine ex-President Yanukovych's son 'drowns in lake'

Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia in February 2014 after being toppled following mass protests
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories

• Profile: Viktor Yanukovych
• Ukraine ex-leader wanted by Interpol
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The younger son of Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovych has drowned in Lake Baikal in Russia, reports say.

Ukrainian MP Nestor Shufrych confirmed to the BBC the death of the ex-leader's son, who was also called Viktor.

Earlier Russian and Ukrainian media reports said he died after his vehicle fell through ice on Lake Baikal in the south of the Russian region of Siberia.

Reports say he had been taking part in a sporting event when the VW van plunged into the water.

Five other people in the vehicle escaped, Ukrainian news website Levvy Bereg quoted sources from his inner circle as saying.

Russian website RBK quoted local officials as saying the incident happened on Saturday, after the group drove on to the ice to take photographs.

Viktor Yanukovych Jr, 33, was known for his passion for extreme driving.

The death of Viktor Yanukovych Jr is the latest of several involving people with ties to the former president.

Oleksandr Peklushenko, a former regional governor, was found dead in Ukraine earlier this month in what authorities said appeared to be a suicide.

Five other officials also died in mysterious circumstances this year.

Saturday's incident is also the latest in a series of deaths in traffic accidents involving the former president or his team.

In July 2009 the son of Volodymyr Sivkovych, Mr Yanukovych's then-deputy secretary of the National Security and Defence Council who was involved in an attempt to disperse pro-EU protesters, died when his car veered off the road, hit a pole and caught fire in central Kiev.

A few months later, the son of Mr Yanukovych's de-facto spokeswoman, Anna Herman, was killed in a car crash on the Kiev-Odessa highway.

Interpol placed Mr Yanukovych on its wanted list in January. He is accused by Ukrainian officials of embezzling millions of dollars in public funds.

He was deposed in February 2014 after thousands of people took part in street protests.

These followed his government's rejection of a far-reaching accord with the European Union in November 2013 in favour of stronger ties with Russia.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32009480


just like the mob

 

[Poh SIti Dawn]

I'm new to this thread but damn, this is like a movie

 

[88m3]

Russia: Gold found in roadside socks lands man in court

By News from Elsewhere......as found by BBC Monitoring

• 19 March 2015

Gold bars on display in a bank
A Russian man has been found guilty of illegally possessing more than a dozen pieces of gold he found in some socks by the roadside, it's been reported.

Bagaudin Estermirov, from the Amur Region in Russia's Far East, found 18 ingots of gold worth 10.5 million rubles ($171,000; £116,184), wrapped in three black jersey socks in bushes in the town of Zeya last October, Interfax news agency reports. But instead of reporting his precious find to local police, he kept it stowed away under a seat in his car. That is until officers from Russia's Federal Security Bureau (FSB) in Amur Region finally tracked him down.

A Russian district court on 17 March handed down a two-year suspended sentence for "illegal possession of a precious metal" after Estermirov fully admitted his guilt, according to a statement from the official website the regional prosecutors office. The gold, which weighed about 8kg, was handed over to state coffers, it added.


http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-31960982

am I missing something here?