Tim Drayton:
Pardon me, but did the Putin regime not annex Crimea in breach of international law? Please refer to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262.
You are selective with your indignation!
The people of Crimea had a referendum in which the result was a staggering 95.5% in favour of breaking from Ukraine. Russia was requested by the people to be taken back as part of Russia.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26606097Why did they vote for leaving Ukraine? Because they were threatened by a new fascist government that came to power through a coup, instigated and supported by a foreign power. The people of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, were the ethnic Russians who formed the majority and had lived there for generations, from long before they became Ukrainians ..... and nobody asked them if that was their wish, at the time.
Russia was also under threat from the new government. The Russians were there legally by agreement with the elected Ukraine government in their naval base at Sevastopol. That was under threat as this new government in Ukraine were going to tear up the treaty.
The US had spent $5bn over a number of years to work toward ‘Regime Change’ by deposing the elected President.
http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/2013/dec/218804.htmThe threats came from various anti-Russian, Ukraine political parties, that were now in power, that had a philosophy based on National Socialism (
NAZI) and made it very clear of their intent toward ethnic Russians. They were predominantly extreme right wing nationalists.
http://www.fairobserver.com/region/europe/the-ukrainian-revolutions-neo-fascist-problem-14785/The Russians did not invade Crimea, they were there legally by treaty. By this treaty they were allowed up to 25,000 but had 18,000 military in Crimea. Both the people of Crimea and Russia saw the threat, maybe from different angles, but a threat no less.
The Russians then went contrary to International Law and left their bases to neutralise the threat posed to civilians by the Ukraine military who were under ordes from Kiev. The Russians effectively confined them to barracks. When the decision was made, the Ukraine military that wanted to return to Ukraine were given civilian clothes and provided with transport to return. The rest remained, volunteered to join the Russian army or were allowed into Russia as refugees.
IMO: This action may have been technically illegal, but it saved hundreds, maybe even thousands, of lives and property destruction. In this ‘invasion’ nobody died, or was even injured and there was no damage to homes or infrastructure. The people demanded their right to self determination and called for a referendum. The result was almost unanimous for breaking with Ukraine, but that vote did not support the Western vision.
Russia recognised the result of the vote, but the Western powers did not. When Russia was asked to re-absorb Crimea back into Mother Russia..... they agreed.
OK ...... so the lock-down was an illegal act but why do you not recognise the illegal acts of their accusers and the untold death and destruction their illegal acts are responsible for? Iraq, Libya and now Syria? All have the common denominator ..... US regime change ...... that is also illegal under International Law ...... and yet it is ignored. Every time US/NATO aircraft enter Syrian airspace .... it is a breach of International Law ...... and yet it is ignored. Russia is condemned for helping and arming ethnic Russians in Eastern Ukraine to defend themselves from a rather nasty, illegally imposed Government but when the US arms and supports rebels in Syria trying to overthrow an elected government ...... it is ignored.
NATO surrounds Russia with weapons of mass destruction and is then surprised when Russia moves a few battalions to its Western border...... and then the West regards Russia as the aggressor! Automatically I get the association with missiles/ Cuba/Kruschov/JFK. Watch the video in the first post ....... Putin makes sound common sense, the NATO spokesman from the Warsaw meeting sounds like he is threatening war!
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.