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Recently freed from prison, Khodorkovsky seeks residency in Switzerland

Marie-Noëlle Blessig
Yahoo! News
Mon, 10 Mar 2014 14:58 UTC
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© AFPFormer Russian oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky leaves the Wall Museum in Berlin on December 22, 2013 in Berlin after giving a press conference a few days after he was released after 10 years of jail.
Former Russian oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who spent a decade in prison in Russia, has applied to become a resident of Switzerland, his spokesman told AFP on Monday.

"His application for residency was filed a while ago," said spokesman Boris Durande, without specifying which part of Switzerland Khodorkovsky intends to settle in.

The 50-year-old foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been living at a Zurich hotel since shortly after he was pardoned and released from jail on December 20.

He was once Russia's richest man and an influential politician with presidential ambitions who openly opposed Putin when the former KGB spy first entered the Kremlin in 2000.

Khodorkovsky's arrest in 2003 and subsequent convictions on fraud and embezzlement charges have been widely condemned by Kremlin critics as an effort by Putin to silence his most potent rival.

Comment:
Vlad the Merciful: Putin frees Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky from prison
Khodorkovsky created the myth that he is Putin's political opponent AFTER he was sent to prison for being a corporate thief

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Stop

Crimean military thwarts sabotage of gas plant feeding peninsula


RT
Sat, 15 Mar 2014 14:36 UTC
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© RIA Novosti / Valery MelnikovVolunteers from self-defense units are taking an oath of allegiance to the people of Crimea as the autonomous republic puts together its own military on March 10, 2014
Crimean military and self-defense forces have prevented an attempt to sabotage and cripple the gas distribution center that feeds a number of socially critical facilities in the peninsula, including schools and medical centers, Crimean authorities said.

Around 11:00 GMT on Saturday the gas supply to Crimea was halted at one of the distribution centers near Strelkovaya, effectively cutting gas delivery to a number of areas in the eastern part of the Crimean peninsula. As a result a number of hospitals, medical centers, schools and apartment buildings were cut off from the gas supply.

A group of gas technicians, escorted by the Crimea's newly created military, comprised of former Ukrainian troops who have sworn their allegiance to the republic, responded to the supply disturbance and set out to check the gas station.

"There they encountered a group of at least 20 armed men in camouflage," the Cabinet of Ministers of Crimea announced. "These people were planting explosives at the facility in order to knock it out of action completely."

Upon seeing the Crimean forces, they quickly fled towards the village of Strelkovaya, authorities explained. According to Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov, the men sabotaging the facility introduced themselves as the member of the Border Troops of Ukraine, but retreated without any further explanation of what they were doing at the gas plant.
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Eye 2

Venezuelan FM: John Kerry is a murderer and is intentionally inciting violence in Venezuela


RT
Sat, 15 Mar 2014 14:27 UTC
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© AFP Photo/Juan Barreto
Foreign Minister Elias Jaua has called US Secretary of State John Kerry a murderer and accused him of inciting violence in Venezuela. Jaua's words came in retaliation to Kerry's accusation that the Venezuelan government is terrorizing its own people.

In a heated rebuke to Kerry, Jaua denounced him as a murderer of the Venezuelan people.

"Kerry, we denounce you before the world. You are inciting violence in Venezuela, and we will denounce it in every part of the world. We denounce you as a murderer of the Venezuelan people," Jaua said in Caracas.

He added that Venezuela would not back down until the US ordered its "lackeys" in Venezuela to cease their violent activities.

"Every time we're about to isolate and reduce the violence, Mr. Kerry comes out with a declaration and immediately the street protests are activated," Jaua said in a speech carried on state TV. He added that the protests had not succeeded, however, in achieving their aim of triggering a coup d'etat in Venezuela.
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Green Light

The wait is over: Putin signs order to recognize Crimea as a sovereign independent state


RT
Mon, 17 Mar 2014 14:24 UTC
Russia's President Vladimir Putin
© Reuters / Michael KlimentyevRussia's President Vladimir Putin
President Vladimir Putin has signed an order that Russia recognizes Crimea as a sovereign and independent state. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea held a referendum on Sunday with over 96% voting for integration into Russia.

"According to the will of the peoples of the Crimea on the all-Crimean referendum held on March 16, 2014, [I order] to recognize the Republic of Crimea, in which the city of Sevastopol has a special status, as a sovereign and independent state," the document reads.

The order comes into force immediately.

Crimea was declared an independent sovereign state, the Republic of Crimea, on Monday, the autonomous Ukrainian regional parliament's website stated.

Crimea also addressed the UN seeking recognition as a sovereign state.

"The Republic of Crimea intends to build its relations with other states on the basis of equality, peace, mutual neighborly cooperation, and other generally agreed principles of political, economic and cultural cooperation between states," the parliament said.

The Crimean parliament also unanimously voted to integrate the region into Russia.
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Handcuffs

Pro-Russian oligarch arrested - first sign of U.S. sanctions on Russia? Will U.S. and EU soon regret such actions?

Ian Allen
Intel News
Mon, 17 Mar 2014 00:00 UTC
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A well-connected Ukrainian oligarch, who is considered one of Russia's most trusted energy sales intermediaries, has been arrested in Austria at the request of the United States.

Some speculate that this may be a first direct sign of America's response to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. In an article published last week, The Washington Post suggested that the arrest of Dmytro Firtash, a citizen of Ukraine, may be "the beginning of a US effort to inflict financial pain on Russia over its role in the Ukrainian crisis".

Firtash's lucrative business activities are inextricably tied to Gazprom, the world's largest extractor of natural gas and one of the most powerful corporations in existence. The company, whose activities typically account for around 10 percent of Russia's annual gross domestic product, is one of Moscow's primary exporters of energy and among its most important sources of foreign revenue. Throughout the last decade, Firtash's company, RosUkrEnergo, acted as the primary mediator between Gazprom and Naftohaz, Ukraine's national oil and gas company. The latter would import Russian natural gas from Gazprom through RosUkrEnergo, which would purchase it from the Russian company and sell it to the Ukrainians at a noticeably steeper price.
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Dollar

Obama's executive order -- Blocking property of certain persons contributing to the situation in Ukraine

Office of the Press Secretary
The White House
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 00:00 UTC
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© Politiconomie.wordpress
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, find that the actions and policies of persons -- including persons who have asserted governmental authority in the Crimean region without the authorization of the Government of Ukraine -- that undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets, constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat. I hereby order:

Section 1. (a) All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person (including any foreign branch) of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in: any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:

(i) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have engaged in, directly or indirectly, any of the following:
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Take 2

Edward Snowden: 'We need a watchdog that watches Congress'

Dustin Volz
National Journal
Mon, 10 Mar 2014 00:00 UTC
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© Tomsguide.fr
The fugitive leaker, appearing by video conference, attacked virtually every corner of the national security apparatus during a Q&A session at the festival

America's most high-profile fugitive visited one of the country's most popular entertainment festivals in Texas on Monday, drawing thunderous applause from a crowded room filled with his adoring fans.

Edward Snowden, appearing from Russia through a live video stream, told attendees of the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin that Congress had fundamentally failed to do its job as an overseer of the government's bulk surveillance programs, declaring that "we need a watchdog that watches Congress."

The former National Security Agency contractor, in a conversation with the American Civil Liberties Union's Christopher Soghoian and Ben Wizner, also charged the current and most recent chief of the NSA as the two people most responsible for jeopardizing the country's national security due to their preference for aggressive collection of data rather than protection of it after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Comment: The full video interview with Edward Snowden can be found here.

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Airplane Paper

NATO sends AWACS and fighter jets to Polish and Romanian colonies to 'monitor situation in Ukraine'


BBC News
Mon, 10 Mar 2014 16:01 UTC
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© AAIAWACS facts: AWACS are one of Nato's most sophisticated command and control aircraft. The plane contains a radar system that can detect, identify and track enemy aircraft, and direct fighters to meet them, from the ground up into the stratosphere.
Nato is to deploy reconnaissance planes in Poland and Romania to monitor the Ukrainian crisis. It gave the go-ahead for the flights on Monday, a Nato spokesman said. "All Awacs [Airborne Warning and Control System] reconnaissance flights will take place solely over alliance territory," the official said.

It comes as Russia cements its control of Ukraine's Crimea ahead of Sunday's referendum to join Russia. Ukraine and the West say this is illegal.

In the latest move on Monday, armed men - said to be Russian troops and local militias - seized a military hospital in Crimea.The attackers marched into the hospital in the regional capital Simferopol, threatening staff and some 30 patients.

Pro-Russian troops are also blockading Ukrainian troops across Crimea, which is an autonomous region.
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Coffee

The War Nerd says: Everything you know about Crimea is wrong(-er)

Gary Brecher
Pandodaily
Mon, 17 Mar 2014 13:25 UTC
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Reading the Anglo-American press babble on about Crimea is painful, if you know anything at all about that part of the world.

Mark Ames tried to wipe away some of the slime a few weeks ago in his article, "Everything You Know about Ukraine Is Wrong," - and you can just assume that everything you know about Crimea is even wrong-er. Today I'll try to take apart the nonsense going around about the Crimean Referendum and impending union with Russia.

It's not easy diagnosing the psychotic episode brought on in the western media by Crimea, because anti-Russian stories are pushing two totally contradictory lines at the same time. Sometimes the party line is that Putin has gone crazy, and Russia is a joke, "a gas station masquerading as a country" that will pay a "big price" for grabbing the Crimean Peninsula.

Then there's the neocon version of Russophobia, peddled by shameless old Iraq-Invasion boosters like Eli Lake. According to Lake's latest in the Daily Beast, "Russia is invading Ukraine in the shadows." The proof? Eli don't need no stinkin' proof. He's been told that the dreaded SpetzNaz troops - Nazgul with black ski masks - are "spreading out" through the entire territory of Ukraine. His source? "U.S. officials who spoke to The Daily Beast on condition of anonymity."
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Smiley

Obama eats crow, announces minor sanctions against seven Russian officials

Aamer Madhani
USA Today
Mon, 17 Mar 2014 11:59 UTC

President Obama announced Monday that he is leveling new sanctions against seven Russian officials the White House says have contributed to the crisis in Ukraine.

Obama announced the sanctions one day after the Crimean region of Ukraine voted overwhelmingly to join Russia in a referendum that the U.S. and western allies vowed not to recognize.

In comments at the White House to formally announce the sanctions, Obama said he believes there is still a diplomatic solution to end the crisis. At the same time, he warned that if Russia continues to interfere with Ukraine's sovereignty he stands ready to push for even tougher sanctions.

"We are imposing sanctions on specific individuals for undermining the sovereignty, territorial integrity and government of Ukraine," Obama said."We are making it clear that there are consequences for their actions."

The high-level government officials named by the White House are: Vladislav Surkov, Sergey Glazyev, Leonid Slutsky, Andrei Klishas, Valentina Matviyenko, Dmitry Rogozin, and Yelena Mizulina.
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