Carillet’s update and headlines April 11, 2014
FYI, after April 26 you may not hear from me for a while, and certainly not with so much information. I will be traveling, spending May in France (French relatives) and Poland (attending the European Leadership Forum with two of my staff, possibly speaking to some churches, too. Then I will go to Warsaw and try to get a visa for Crimea for June.
LaVerne’s shingles are still tender but starting to dry up. She is to keep her arm pinioned against her side for six weeks so that the tendons heal. Hope she manages that.
Reportedly, under Russian law, churches cannot meet in homes or rent a building or share space with another church. They must have their own building. This is contrary to Ukrainian law. What we were able to do in the church, we were fully allowed to do in our Center, our House in the Hill. Now our Bible teaching programs could be in jeopardy if Bible teaching is considered a church activity. Welcome to Russia’s freedoms!
Please see Janice and Cory Lemke’s updatein separate attachment. (Reproduced with permission.)
Georges
Highly recommended if you are following the accusations made against NATO by Russia to justify what they have done in Crimea and may do in other parts of Ukraine:
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Fact Sheet Russia’s accusations -setting the record straight
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has led to Russia’s international isolation, including NATO’s suspension of all practical cooperation with Russia.
To divert attention away from its actions, Russia has levelled a series of accusations against NATO which are based on misrepresentations of the facts and ignore the sustained effort that NATO has put into building a partnership with Russia.
Russia has also made baseless attacks on the legitimacy of the Ukrainian authorities and has used force to seize part of Ukraine’s territory. This document sets the record straight. [Read on!]
Lies, lies, lies
Ukraine: Why Protests in the East are Fake « Ukraine In Depth
The unrest which have been stirred up in the East and the South since Yanukovych?s escape and the formation of the interim government assumed a radical form last weekend.
… According to the latest Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation opinion poll, only 26% of the population in the East and 19% in the South would like to join Russia. The latest Rating Group poll also indicated that 64% of the Ukrainians are against federalization of the Ukrainian state. … Hence, it is evident that the South-Eastern crisis is the Russian attempt to destabilise Ukraine at the very least, keep it within its orbit of influence or even restore the former empire.
[For contrary views to this article, see some of the comments on the blog. Interesting how hard it is for most people to see the problems and issues in their complexity and also to see the foundational issues that keep them from being misled. Whether speaking of the ‘neo-Nazis’ or the ‘Russians’, the data is always highly selective and seldom representative of the larger population or reality. GC]
For examples of Russia’s continuing propaganda, see:
FaceBook comment on Russian TV reporting:
“My personal favourite is that the Russian space shuttle was attacked from Western Ukraine!
Halya Coynash: Russian channels caught lying April 11, 2014
and
Russian state TV show same person to be both Right Sector extremist and victim
and
Lavrov: There are no Russian military, special service agents in southeastern Ukraine
April 11, 2014
[Maybe not, maybe so … maybe not ‘military’ or ‘agents’ – though there are alleged examples of those caught – but for sure there are those on a mission from Russia to destabilize Ukraine.]
Lavrov: Russia has no wish to incorporate southeastern regions of Ukraine April 11, 2014
[No, no wish …. But they might be honor bound to do it ‘for the sake of the people’, like in Crimea.]
Satellite images reveal Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s border
April 11, 2014
Russian troops near the Ukrainian frontier are at a state of advanced readiness and could deploy within 12 hours from a decision taken at the highest level, a senior NATO official has said.
Barents Observer: ‘It is wrong to consider this as journalism’ April 11, 2014
“Dmitry Kiselyov is a propagandist for President Putin and well known for his anti-Semitism and hate speech,” says Secretary General Bjørn Engesland with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.
What Russia says: “On March 13, in Donetsk tragic events and bloodshed happened. Peaceful demonstrators who came to the streets to express their attitude to the destructive position of people who call themselves Ukrainian authorities were attacked by right-wing groups, armed with traumatic weapons and bats, who arrived to the city from the other parts of the country on the eve, “- said the statement. “As a result there is a large number of wounded people, one person was killed,” – he added in the statement. “We have repeatedly said that the government, which came to Kyiv, has to disarm the militias, ensure the safety of people and the legitimate right of people to hold rallies. Unfortunately, as it turns out from the events in Ukraine, it is not happening, the government in Kiev does not control the situation in the country” – he added. [Open thelink to read the reality.]
Russian News Service (RSN) put one of the “self-defense” commanders who seized the Donetsk administrative building on the air:
-Can you present yourself?
-Paramonov Pavel Vladimirovich
-Are you a resident of Donetsk?
–Of course not, I live in Yefremov, Tulska Oblast [Russia].
-What are you doing in Donetsk?
–Helping a fraternal people defend their rights.
Russia reports isolated incidences of ‘neo-Nazi’ behavior in Ukraine as if they were widespread, and then still lacking enough examples, makes things up. Here is an isolated incident in Crimea, where “Russians” want Crimea for “Russians only” and made their point by breaking the nose of a 14 year old Crimean Tatar boy.
Putin’s Khanate
How Moscow is Trying to Integrate Crimean Muslims
By Robert D. Crews
The Crimean crisis is not just about Russia’s relationship with the West. It is also very much about Islam’s role in Russia. Moscow’s success in Crimea won’t just depend upon economics or international politics, but on the delicate negotiations between Russian Muslim clerics…
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Aksionov: Crimea to see 150 Russian bank branches open within 10 days April 11, 2014
Railway traffic between Ukraine and Crimea might be halted April 11, 2014
‘Russia does not care about Ukraine’s welfare and interests’ April 11, 2014
Dmitry Tymchuk’s military blog: Russia won’t let up before May 25 presidential election April 11, 2014
From Burgers to Banks, Russia Sanctions Start to Bite
Right Sector raiders seize regional office of Ukraine Communist Party April 11, 2014,
“Vote for the secession of Alaska from the United States and its annexation to Russia ,” – said in the petition . The appeal says that the inhabitants of Siberia moved to Alaska across the Bering Strait in antiquity . Russians and became the first Europeans visited AlaskaAugust 21, 1732 . The pioneers were members of the team bot ” St. Gabriel ” under the surveyor Gvozdev and assistant navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition Shestakov and DI Pavlutski 1729-1735 period.
Alaskans petition White House to make state part of Russia Posted on March 28, 2014