February 27, 2014
[Started this update at 10:30 EST (5:30 pm in Crimea); it is now an hour later]

Update from Crimea

Dear partners in the gospel,

Maybe this is too much news to digest, though it all points in the same direction – Crimea is in danger of civil war, Russian intervention, and continued mass confusion largely due to disinformation as well as a population with split views about their future — but please do pray for Ukraine and Crimea.

I talked to our office and building manager, by Skype this morning, her afternoon.

Everything in the city is closed, though runs on the stores and markets continue.

It is a time of fear for many residents of the major cities of Ukraine. And it is a time for opportunists to practice their deviant behavior. Anya who is an administrator for an orphanage school in Simferopol reported (three?) Skin Heads entering the orphanage school, flexing their muscles with threats. She persuaded them to leave but is now overnighting with ‘her children’ in the school. Pray for her. You may recall that she is one of our graduates who could have stayed at Disney after her internship but choose to return to serve her people in Ukraine.

Roads are blocked so that some people cannot leave home or get home outside the city.

Misinformation and disinformation in the Russian news sparks protests and conflicts. There is a greater chance of civil war (war between people, not just war between people and government) in Crimea than there was on the mainland of Ukraine.

Someone we have known for 20 years is recruiting people to serve as hospital volunteers if there is violence. Many of my staff are among the volunteers. May it not come to that.

If you can make the time, please read the updates that I gleaned today.

Thanks,

Georges (and LaVerne)

Details Follow

Today has been declared a day off in Crimea. That is, everything is shut down and people should stay at home. Schools are closed. Government offices are closed. Banks are closed. People are afraid.

The Russian flag flies over government buildings in Simferopol, Sevastopol and elsewhere in Crimea.

Unconfirmed reports of some 50 military vehicles moving towards Simferopol [from where?].

In various Crimean cities, civilians are being recruited to join a separatist movement army – and many are lining up to volunteer.

Crimean parliament was to meet at 2 pm today, 5 AM our time. No news about it yet, if they did.

One news report (Akadyrov): hundreds of Berkut [the riot-control and special forces unit that the Kiev government dismissed] patrol the parliament building.

Furthermore, the reporter said that — combined with the violent protests that killed two people and injured scores in Crimea on Feb. 26 — it’ clear that the “Russian scenario” of attempting to reclaim Crimea as its own is taking place.

Armed gunmen believed to be from Russia [but may be ex-Berkut and Russian speaking – and self-appointed]  took over Crimea’s parliament building and its regional government headquarters at 4 a.m. [local time] today.

“They (the Russian side) are going to legitimize ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, the situation in the country is going to sharpen next days because of the standoff in Crimea and unclear situation in Crimean parliament,” Akadyrov told the Kyiv Post.

For more details related to the above story, see:

From the New York Times:

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine — Masked men with guns seized government buildings in the capital of Ukraine’s Crimea region on Thursday, barricading themselves inside and raising the Russian flag after mysterious overnight raids that appeared to be the work of militant Russian nationalists who want this volatile Black Sea region ruled from Moscow.

Police officers [or Berkut?!] sealed off access to the buildings but said that they had no idea who was behind the assault, which sharply escalated tensions in a region that serves as home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and also to a number of radical pro-Russia groups that have appealed to Moscow to protect them from the new interim government in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital.

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Mr. Putin himself has yet to make public remarks on the crisis in Ukraine, but senior officials have vowed not to interfere directly and called on the United States and Europe to do the same. Even so, the public clamor of ethnic Russians in Crimea and eastern Ukraine has raised fears that Russia could be provoked to intervene.

More news about the Crimean hostilities:

UPDATE ON MEETING OF THE CRIMEAN PARLIAMENT

Crimea “splits” from Kyiv’s new government calls for referendum on 25 May

Russian media novaya gazeta report that the Crimean parliament has just voted to sack the local cabinet, setting a referendum on autonomy for May 25. In the meantime the new acting president of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov is heading to Crimea, according Interfax-Ukraine news agency that quotes Ukraine’s Ambassador to NATO Igor Dolgov. “He will fly to Simferopol. There are steps that give us hope for a peaceful resolution of the situation. Now it is important to avoid collisions “said Dolgov in Brussels.

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Presidium of Crimean parliament calls for referendum on expanding the autonomy. Not quite secession.

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MORE UPDATES (I need to quit reading and mail this, for the news keeps updating! Or just not send out anything!)

“Berkut” agents among armed group that seized Crimean Parliament – ukrainian MP

{ Another source: The buildings of the Crimean Council of Ministers and the Crimean parliament have been seized by 120 unknown professionally trained individuals with automatic weapons, UDAR party member Serhiy Kunitsyn said.}

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Two Russian warships entering the Black Sea could be returning from a mission in Syria.

From CBN:

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/February/Pro-Russia-Activists-Protest-Ukraine-Bandits/

New unrest is brewing in Ukraine Wednesday on the Crimean Peninsula city of Sevastopol, a pro-Russian part of the country in the southeast.

In cities across the region, pro-Russian demonstrators are protesting the new Ukrainian government and calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to protect them.

“Russia, save us!” they chanted.

“Bandits have come to power,” Vyacheslav Tokarev, a 39-year-old construction worker, complained. “I’m ready to take arms to fight the fascists who have seized power in Kiev.”

Sevastopol is also home to the Russian navy’s Black Sea Fleet, with 25,000 naval forces.

“This particular part of Ukraine is very, very pro-Russian,” CBN News’ George Thomas explained. “There are thousands of people chanting ‘Russia, Russia, motherland Russia. Putin, we support you.'”

“There is this rift that’s taking place today in Crimea,” he said. “The society is evenly split between those who support Ukraine and those who support Russia.”

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It is hard to know the whole truth and nothing but the truth when it comes to public information.

Most people in Crimea listen to Russian news sources; only those who read a variety of news sources from the Internet have a better idea of the various views and possibilities.

For example, there were demonstrations at the Crimean parliament yesterday that included possibly up to 10,000 Crimean Tatars (around 12% of the population) protesting the parliament even considering Crimea succeeding from Ukraine to come under Russian governance. There were also protestors who want Crimea to succeed from Ukraine.

I am told that what the Russian news sources reported was that the Crimean Tatars want to take over the government of Ukraine since there is instability in the country and the “fascists” took over the government in Kiev!  Some of my staff were present and said that it was peaceful, no threats by the Crimean Tatars, but of course, a lot of shouting. Though, later I read that there were some scuffles at some point.

This is the kind of pretext that the Russians could use to move in and protect their own (ethnic Russians make up to 58% of the population).

In Yevpatoria some unknown organization has been holding meetings and recruiting volunteers to join so called public army which supports the separatists. Quite many respond. 

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Yanukovych is in Russia; vows to ‘fight to the end;’ Crimean violence linked to his attempt to regain power with Kremlin backing (LIVE UPDATES) – Kiev Post

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About $70 billion has been withdrawn from Ukraine’s financial system [to offshore accounts ]over the last three years, new Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said on Feb. 27, alleging corruption on a scale that not even graft-ridden Ukrainian has ever seen. ” Now it’s clear that they withdrew the funds that were raised as loans under state guarantees and stolen by representatives of the previous government,” he said from the parliament’s rostrum.

“The country received loans worth $37 billion which disappeared in an unknown direction,” Yatseniuk said. “We have only Hr 4.3 million ($400,000) on the treasury account.

An update on LaVerne will follow later – she needs shoulder surgery, probably from when she tried to stop her fall with an outstretched arm when she landed on her knee in Ukraine.

Georges