Putin, defiant toward West, likens Ukraine conflict to WWII

Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit Friday to the youth educational forum at Lake Seliger, in the Tver region northwest of Moscow. (Mikhail Klimentyev / Associated Press)

Evoking startling images of siege and empire, Russian President Vladimir #Putin on Friday struck a defiant pose over the deployment of troops and tanks in eastern #Ukraine, declaring that Russia has no plans for “large-scale conflicts” but reminding the #world that he presides over a nuclear-armed state.

“It's best not to mess with us,” Putin said, referring to Russian separatist fighters in Ukraine with a term that dates back to the era of the Russian empire — “New Russia militia” — and likening their battle with Ukrainian army forces to Soviet citizens' heroic resistance during the German Nazi siege of Leningrad.

His comments, designed to cast the Ukraine conflict as a World War II-like aggression inspired by the West, came a day after President Obama warned of the mounting costs to Russians as their government deepens its involvement in eastern Ukraine.

The Obama administration's new appeal to Russian public opinion probably reflects growing doubt that the U.S. can bring Putin to the negotiating table over Ukraine, as the Kremlin leader wages his own campaign designed to stoke Russians' nationalist pride and nostalgia for its the lost superpower status.

“Thank God, I think no one is thinking of unleashing a large-scale conflict with Russia. I want to remind you that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers,” Putin said during a visit to a Kremlin-sponsored youth camp, clearly aiming to marshal public support for a military campaign that has brought international isolation and increasingly stringent economic sanctions.

Obama on Thursday warned that stricter sanctions would be forthcoming after NATO released satellite surveillance images showing Russian armored columns crossing into southeastern Ukraine.

And the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, called up images of the human cost likely to be borne by the Russian military south of its borders. “In Russia, family members of Russian soldiers are holding funerals for their loved ones who have been killed in the fighting in Ukraine,” she told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday.

The U.S. is playing on growing Russian fear that the March annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region, which boosted Putin's approval ratings to record heights, could lead to a bloody and lengthy war.

The U.N. on Friday reported that the death toll in Ukraine as of Wednesday had risen to at least 2,593 since fighting between separatists and government troops escalated in mid-April. The report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights blamed all parties in the conflict for inflicting “intolerable hardships” on civilians, who are being killed at a rate of 36 a day.

State Department officials said this week that the Russian military was sending troops 30 miles into Ukraine, while concealing that fact from them and their families. Also undisclosed, officials said, was the presence in St. Petersburg hospitals of soldiers wounded in Ukraine.

Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, noted a report in a Russian newspaper that authorities had gone so far as to move the graves of two Russian paratroopers killed in Ukraine to conceal their deaths from the public.

Reporters for several independent news sites in Russia said they ran into trouble while checking relatives' reports that paratroopers who had been killed in fighting near Luhansk had been buried secretly near Pskov. The reporters said they were chased away by beefy men who appeared to be with the security services.

If casualties do begin to accumulate, “that could undermine the entire basis of public support for what Putin's doing,” said Pifer, who is now with the Brookings Institution.


But the costs to Russian society for backing the separatists aren't yet apparent to most Russians, who have applauded the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea and its defense of Russians' rights in former Soviet republics that are now sovereign states.

U.S. reliance on sanctions as a tool for stirring public opposition to Putin's Ukraine policies has so far helped the Kremlin cast Washington as the perpetrators of any economic damage the country is suffering.

Though some polls show that many Russians — 90% in one survey — oppose a war in Ukraine, there are significant signs of continuing public hostility toward Western influence in the neighboring nation.

Washington's Pew Research Center said an early August survey by the Moscow-based Levada Center found that 77% of respondents in Russia believed the Ukrainian government's military operation to recover territory from the separatists was launched at the encouragement of the United States.

As many as 52% believed that Ukraine had “become a puppet in the hands of the West and the U.S.A., who are pursuing an anti-Russia policy,” the poll found in a question that asked respondents to evaluate why the new leadership in Ukraine preferred to ally with the European Union over a Kremlin-controlled trade group.

“The story that comes through to you if you're the average Russian is that it's the Americans egging on this Ukrainian Nazi junta to attack peaceful civilians in eastern Ukraine,” said Olga Oliker, associate director of Rand Corp.'s International Security and Defense Policy Center.

In the Kremlin view, Russia is a brave force willing to stand up to the West to protect Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine from repression and to withstand the unjust sanctions imposed on it for its noble actions, Oliker said.

Putin clearly sought to reinforce that narrative Friday as state television cameras captured his choreographed exchange with the young campers.


“Small villages and large cities are surrounded by the Ukrainian army, which is directly hitting residential areas with the aim of destroying the infrastructure,” he said. “It sadly reminds me of the events of the Second World War, when German fascist ... occupiers surrounded our cities.”

EU foreign ministers meeting Friday in Milan debated calls for stepping up economic sanctions on Moscow, which to date have targeted a few dozen Kremlin officials and tightened Russia's access to international financial institutions.

“We have to be aware of what we are facing: We are now in the midst of a second Russian invasion of Ukraine within a year,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, referring to Russia's seizure of Crimea. Citing the Russian forces' opening of a new front along Ukraine's Sea of Azov this week, Bildt said Russia's hand in the Ukraine violence was indisputable and that it was time “to call a spade a spade.”

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called Putin on Friday to condemn the “significant incursions into and operations on Ukrainian soil by Russian military units” and warned that further intrusions would “carry high costs,” his office reported. The LA Times

TALIBAN ATTACK INTEL OFFICE IN EASTERN AFGHANISTAN

Afghan security forces inspect the site of a suicide attack in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014. A suicide bomber in a truck blew himself up at an intelligence headquarters in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, setting off an intense firefight with security forces, officials said. (AP Photo)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A suicide bomber in a truck blew himself up at an intelligence headquarters in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least two people and setting off an intense firefight with security forces, officials said.

After the bombing outside the headquarters of the National Directorate of Security in Jalalabad, militants battled with security forces for an hour before authorities were able to put down the attack, said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the Nangarhar governor.

He would not say how many attackers were involved or whether they were all killed or some escaped. He said authorities were searching the grounds.

Abdulzai put the death toll at two and said they were both from the NDS, but Najibullah Kamawal, the top provincial health official, said six bodies had been brought to the hospital.

Conflicting death tolls are common in the immediate aftermath of such bombings.

Kamawal said 45 people were wounded. The powerful explosion shook the entire neighborhood, breaking nearby windows and startling residents.

"It was early morning and we were sleeping at home. A strong explosion happened followed by firing. When I came out of my room I was covered with dust, and my kids and I got injured from broken windows," said Ahmad Shah.

A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack in a telephone call to The Associated Press.

Jalalabad is one of Afghanistan's biggest cities, sitting on a major trade route into neighboring Pakistan. But the city is also located in one of the country's most troubled regions.

Taliban militants are easily able to hide in the forbidding, mountainous terrain, and often cross back and forth into neighboring Pakistan. Afghan security officials have repeatedly accused Pakistan of giving sanctuary to militants that attack Afghanistan, something Pakistan denies.

In May, militants attacked the provincial justice building in Jalalabad, killing at least five civilians before authorities were able to retake the building. Militants in March attacked a police station in Jalalabad, sparking a four-hour battle with police that ended with eleven people dead.

This is the first year that Afghan security forces have operated largely on their own, without U.S. or international forces. The NATO-led security force is scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of the year, although a small number of U.S. and international troops may stay behind to advise and assist the Afghan forces. But that is contingent on Afghanistan signing a security arrangement with the U.S., something President Hamid Karzai has so far refused to do.

Both of the men vying to replace him in the country's presidential election have said they will sign the agreement, but that has been stalled as the winner from the disputed vote has still not been named.

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Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.

Answers to journalists’ questions following working visit to Belarus

 Answers to journalists’ questions following a working visit to Belarus.

QUESTION: Mr Putin, what did you discuss with Mr Poroshenko? How did the discussion go?

VLADIMIR #PUTIN: We talked about the whole range of issues in #Russian-#Ukrainian relations, first and foremost, economic cooperation, taking into account that in the expanded meeting, we also talked primarily about this, as well as the situation that has unfolded in Ukraine. We certainly could not avoid this topic. We discussed the need to end bloodshed as quickly as possible, the need to transition to a political settlement of the problems, the whole range of problems, that Ukraine is facing in its southeast region.

For its part, Russia will do everything to promote this peace process if it is launched, and in our view, this process needs to be launched as soon as possible. In this regard, an agreement has been reached – this was during the expanded format meeting, and we confirmed it during our bilateral meeting – that the contact group must renew its work as quickly as possible, perhaps here in Minsk.

Both President Poroshenko and I feel that we need to renew our dialogue on energy, including the gas issue. Frankly, this is a difficult issue, it is in a deadlock, but we still need to talk about it. We agreed that we will renew those consultations. That’s the short version.

QUESTION: Mr Putin, what about the outcome of the five-party meeting with EU representatives, with your Customs Union colleagues and with Mr Poroshenko?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Overall, I give it a positive assessment. I think this meeting in that format was useful. Granted, I do not know how it will all turn out. But in any case, we had another chance to express our concerns. We agreed that we will intensify efforts in the trilateral working group of Russia, Ukraine and EU representatives and will try to draft proposals by September 12, if we can, regarding the concerns expressed by Russia and the Customs Union that I talked about.

We once again pointed out to our partners – both European and Ukrainian partners – that implementation of the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU carries significant risks for the Russian economy. We have shown this in the text of the agreement, directly pointing to specific articles in that agreement.

Let me remind you that this concerns nullifying Ukraine’s customs tariffs, technical regulations, and phytosanitary standards. The standards in Russia and Europe currently do not correspond. But, as you recall, the most classic example is the introduction of EU technical regulations in Ukraine. In that case, we would not be able to supply our goods to Ukraine at all. We have different technical standards. And according to the European Union’s standards, we will not be able to supply our machine-building products there, or any industrial goods. If that happens, we cannot accept Ukrainian agricultural production goods in our territory, because we have different approaches to phytosanitary standards. We feel that many problems would occur.

I must say that our colleagues do not agree with all my arguments, but in any case, we were heard and we agreed that we will intensify our exchange of opinions and try to find at least some resolutions. But I once again said that in order to avoid any surprises, we are constantly discussing this, including at the meeting in Deauville, as you know, where I also talked about this. If we do not achieve any agreements and our concerns are not taken into account, then we will be forced to take measures to protect our economy. And we explained what those measures would be. So our partners must weigh everything and make corresponding decisions. Each nation in this process has the right take any steps within the framework of its competence. All of us are sovereign states and we will respect any choice by our European and Ukrainian partners. We hope that they will treat our measures to protect our economy with the same respect.

QUESTION: Mr Putin, did you discuss the reports from Ukraine about the arrest of Russian paratroopers? If this is true, how did they end up there and what will Russia do about this?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Yes, Mr Poroshenko mentioned this. But you know that Ukrainian service members have ended up on our side as well, and not just 5-10 of them, but dozens; last time, it turned out to be 450 people. I have not yet heard the report by the Defence Minister of the General Staff. But the first thing I heard is that they were patrolling the border, they may have ended up on the Ukrainian side. After all, Ukrainian service members entered our territory with armoured equipment, and we didn’t have any problems. I hope that in this case, there also will not be any problems with the Ukrainian side.

QUESTION: We were not officially told until the last minute whether you will have a bilateral meeting or not. But the meeting occurred. What was the reason, what circumstances served in favour of holding the meeting?

You talked about a ceasefire. Did you speak substantively about the conditions for a ceasefire to be possible?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: No. We did not discuss this matter substantively. Frankly speaking, we cannot discuss any conditions for a ceasefire or possible agreements between Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk. This is not our business; it is a domestic matter of Ukraine itself. We can only support the creation of a environment of trust during this possible and, in my view, highly necessary negotiation process. We spoke about this. We spoke, where possible, about what Russia could do to make this process possible. But Russia did not impose any conditions. We cannot do that, we do not have any right to do so. This is a Ukrainian affair; it is up to Donetsk and Lugansk.

We expressed our concern with regard to the humanitarian component. That is true. And, indeed, President Poroshenko does not deny the complexity of the humanitarian situation. It cannot be characterised as anything other than catastrophic. We talked about the possibility – this is another topic, I did not mention it earlier – and the need to provide humanitarian assistance to Donetsk and Lugansk, and we agreed on how we will cooperate in this area. I will not get ahead of myself, but overall, we have certain agreements here as well. We will look into how to do this.

We talked about cooperating in various sectors. Why was this imperative? Currently, we are in a deadlock on the gas issue. You see, this is very serious matter for us, for Ukraine and for our European partners.

It is no big secret that Gazprom has advanced payment for the transit of our gas to Europe. Ukraine’s Naftogaz has returned that advance payment. The transit of our gas to European consumers was just about suspended. What will happen next? This is a question that awaits a painstaking investigation by our European and Ukrainian partners. We are fulfilling all the terms of the contract in full. Right now, we cannot even accept any suggestions regarding preferential terms, given that Ukraine has appealed to the Arbitration Court. Any of our actions to provide preferential terms can be used in the court. We were deprived of this opportunity, even if we had wanted it, although we already tried to meet them halfway and reduced the price by $100.

In other words, we have many specific issues to address and both Russia and Ukraine are interested in resolving these matters, as are our European partners. All this compelled us to meet bilaterally.

Thank you very much. Have a good evening. Kremlin.ru

Rockets from Syria fired into Israeli-held Golan Heights, army says

Menahem Kahana, AFP | Israeli army tanks during a drill in the Golan Heights on May 19, 2014

Rocket fire from #Syria slammed into the #Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights Sunday but there were no reports of casualties.

"At least five rockets fired from Syria hit different locations across the Golan Heights," the Israeli army said in a statement.

An army spokeswoman told AFP that it was not known who launched the rockets and the Israeli military did not return fire.

She said there were no casualties in the attacks, at around 1.30 am (2230 GMT) on Sunday, the 48th day of a war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas in and around Gaza.

Last month a rocket from Syria prompted Israeli artillery to shell Syrian army positions.

In June Israeli warplanes attacked Syrian military headquarters and positions after an Israeli teenager was killed in what the Jewish state said was a cross-border attack by forces loyal to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Some previous incidents have been put down to stray fire from fighting between Syrian government troops and opposition forces.

Late on Saturday, a rocket fired from Lebanon hit northern Israel.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the launch or reports of damage or injuries.

A Lebanese security source said the rocket was fired from Dheira, three kilometres (nearly two miles) from the border with Israel.

The same source noted that Israeli helicopters were seen flying around the border area.

In mid-July, at least nine rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Jewish state, prompting Israel to retaliate with artillery fire.

Lebanese military officials had at the time said they believed the attacks were carried out by a small Palestinian group in an act of solidarity with Gazan militants.

Israel did not return fire for the Saturday night attack but sent "a strong protest" to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which monitors the border between Lebanon and Israel. AFP

America’s adversaries crow over Ferguson shooting conflict

Usually, it is the United States that doles out rebukes over human rights abuses to the troublesome country of the day.

However the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager and subsequent crackdown on protesters in the Midwestern state of Missouri has America’s foes crowing about the flaws in the land of the free. Teargas, arrests of journalists, racial tensions and footage of militarily equipped police training their weapons on protesters. These are images more easily associated with one of the nations regularly chided by Washington than the small town of Ferguson, rocked by days of violent protests.

Many of the countries at the stinging end of these criticisms have seized upon the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown and the ensuing clashes to scold the United States for hypocritically lecturing the world on human rights while ignoring the plight of its own people. They also say the shooting underscores how far America has to go to resolve its racial tensions.

In China, which Washington regularly accuses of human rights abuses, the Ferguson story has been getting prominent media coverage.
‘Human rights flaws’

In a commentary entitled “Ferguson riot reveals US racial divide, human rights flaw”, the official news agency Xinhua berated America.

It said the Ferguson shooting “once again demonstrates that even in a country that has for years tried to play the role of an international human rights judge and defender, there is still much room for improvement at home”.

“What the United States needs to do is to concentrate on solving its own problems rather than always pointing fingers at others,” it added.

While China censors reports of local unrest in its domestic media, state broadcaster CCTV has covered the Ferguson riots. On Tuesday, it showed National Guard troops on the streets, with a reporter taking advantage of the greater access available to media in the United States, describing tear gas and other weapons used by police.

On Chinese social media, some echoed the state media line. “This is human rights in democratic countries,” wrote one user of the Twitter-like Sina Weibo service.

But others noted the repression was light compared to that meted out to protesters by the Chinese government. In 1989, hundreds were killed during the armed suppression of protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

‘Oppressed’ Americans
Iran also latched on to the Ferguson story as evidence of the racial divide in America and what it called double standards on human rights.

“The targeted discrimination against the black in America by the US police and the judicial system and the suppression of protesters ... are clear instances of violations of human rights of people of colour in the US,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei tweeted: “Today like previous years, African-Americans are still under pressure, oppressed and subjected to discrimination.”

Even Egypt - where at least 1,400 people, mostly Islamist protesters, have been killed in clashes with security forces - weighed in. Interior ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Lattiff, said the US police were using “excessive” force. “The police are using heavy weapons that are used in war. We didn’t see the protesters even using Molotov cocktails or shotguns. They have legitimate demands.”

Egypt’s foreign ministry said Tuesday it was “closely monitoring” the situation in Ferguson and echoed a UN call for restraint. Russia, which has been under fire for months over its intervention in Ukraine and is a favourite target for allegations of authoritarianism, has also given the Ferguson story wide coverage.

Konstantin Dolgov, the foreign ministry’s representative for human rights, said the US should take care of its own problems before interfering in the affairs of other nations. He said the events in Ferguson “are clear evidence of the high degree of tensions in US society, which remains split along racial lines”.

It was a view echoed by rights group Amnesty International, which for the first time has deployed observers within the United States.

The “US can’t tell other countries to improve their records on policing and peaceful assembly if it won’t clean up its own human rights record,” the group wrote on Twitter. The irony of the situation was not lost on the Internet.

One website www.vox.com published a satirical take on how American media would cover the story if it were happening anywhere else in the world, referring to “a remote Missouri village that has been a hotbed of sectarian tension”.

Dramatic footage from the protests sweeping social media prompted reactions from activists in more troubled parts of the world.

Mariam Barghouti, a student from Ramallah in the West Bank, tweeted some advice to the Americans: “Keep calm when you’re teargassed, the pain will pass, don’t rub your eyes!”–AFP