6 May 2014

Two Russia citizens (Myra and Mikhail Kuznetsov from St. Petersburg) burned their Russian passports last Tuesday in the centre of Lviv (Ukraine). They were protesting against the aggression of Russia near to the monument to Taras. In Myra Kuznetsova’s words, ‘I am protesting against Putin's regime in Russia - one that turns people into mindless creatures of propaganda. I can no longer be a citizen of this state ... I can no longer bear to watch the Kremlin's aggression against Ukraine.’

A new law in Russia, signed by Putin yesterday, would ban ‘wittingly spreading false information about the activity of the USSR during the years of World War Two.’ Independent channel Dozhd (TV Rain) was taken off the air earlier this year after asking viewers whether Leningrad, now St Petersburg, should have been given to German troops to save thousands of lives during its 872-day siege during World War Two. A veteran TV host, Vladimir Posner, earlier said he believed the aim of this law was ‘to shut the mouths of journalists, historians and writers.’

Putin also signed a law imposing stricter rules on bloggers. The opposition  says these laws aimed at suppressing criticism on the Internet.

Ukrainian Minister of Social policy, Liudmyla Denysova, reported today that almost 8,000 people have relocated from Crimea to mainland Ukraine. The largest number of resettled Crimeans (2111) are located in Kyiv. Pensioners and resettled citizens are receiving state assistance.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs is refuting Russia’s claims that Maidan activists set fire to the Trade Union building in Odessa. It is important to remember that the fire caused the majority of the casualties on May 2^nd. However, the causes of the fire remain unknown (it seems that it may have been unintentionally caused by protestors lighting Molotov cocktails).

Meanwhile, Turchynov has appointed MP Ihor Palytsya as the new governor of the Odessa region. Palytsya is an ally of Ihor Kolomoyskyi, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk Region (who has prevented separatist violence in his jurisdiction).

In Donetsk Region, pro-Russian groups have conducted a prisoner exchange with the Ukrainian government in which captured ‘Maidan’ activists and pro-Ukrainian military volunteers were exchanged for detained pro-Russians. There are many stories emerging, and continuing, of journalists and other Ukrainians being tortured by the separatists while held hostage.

A Ukrainian internal military base was put on full combat alert when about 50 armed men appeared outside of base’s perimeter in Donetsk. The armed men declared that they were members of the ‘Oplot’ organization, which apparently aims to gain more autonomy for eastern regions within Ukraine. So, these are not separatists, and they claimed that they were there to ‘defend the base from a separatist attack.’ Following negotiations, these men dispersed.

Reports (from ‘military analyst’ Dmytro Tymchuk) claim that pro-Russian militants in Donetsk have started distributing weapons to all those who are willing to help their cause. A group that has taken two Ukrainian officers hostages are demanding 300 assault rifles as ransom.

Slovyansk is currently surrounded by Ukrainian troops and fighting continues for the control of the city. In Luhansk, police have reported that they do not have the resources to deal with the insurgency. It seems that most of the separatists and their supporters are looting and rioting throughout the region.

In Kyiv, Tymoshenko claimed today that she is the only one that can overcome the tension in Ukraine and fight corruption. She said that under her leadership the revolution will continue. This is the woman who, in 2009, signed a deal with Yanukovych to share Presidential and Parliamentary power until 2029. This is the woman who has been part of the political and economic elite in Ukraine that the people in Maidan came out to revolt against.

An excerpt quoted from the report of the Presidential Council on Civil Society and Human Rights of the Russian Federation:

The Crimean referendum is assessed as follows (synopsis):

• the overwhelming majority of citizens in Sevastopol have voted for joining to Russia on the referendum (50-80% of voters); in Crimea 50-60% of voters voted for joining Russia whereas the general voter turnout was only 30-50%.

• Crimea’s inhabitants have voted not so much for joining Russia, as for the termination of, as they say, “corruption and lawlessness of the thieves of the dominant Donetsk henchmen.” Inhabitants of Sevastopol particularly voted for annexation to Russia. Fears of illegal armed groups in Sevastopol were higher than in other regions of Crimea.

Consequently, the confines of the possible values of the total number of voters in Crimea who voted on the “occupendum” for joining Russia draws from 15% (30×50) to 30% (50×60). Crimean voter presence for the occupendum is 32.4%. In this case the number of voters who voted to join Russia comes to a bit more than 31%.

Thus:

• the majority of the voters living in Crimea haven’t voted for the annexation;

• the officially announced results of the occupendum that were also repeatedly and publically announced by President V. Putin have been roughly fabricated;

The decisions of the State Duma, the Federation Council and the President of the Russian Federation about joining Crimea to RF are based not only on unacceptable violations of the Ukrainian Constitution and International Law, but also on the rough fabrication of the results of the occupendum on the 16th of March against the clearly expressed will of the vast majority of residents of Ukraine and Crimea, and therefore are legally fraught.

A maximum 30% (i.e. 60% of 50%) of Crimeans voted to join Russia. This does not take into account any of the bribery, blackmail, bullying and multiple voting that reportedly took place.