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War, War, War See other War, War, War Articles Title: Rebels parade captured Ukrainian soldiers in east DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — To shouts of "Fascists!" and "Hang them from a tree!" captured Ukrainian soldiers were paraded through the streets of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk on Sunday as bystanders pelted them with eggs, water bottles and tomatoes. The spectacle of the bruised and filthy soldiers being marched hands bound and surrounded by gun-toting pro-Russian insurgents came as Ukrainians in Kiev celebrated their country's independence from the Soviet Union — a stark display of the growing divisions between east and west. While support and mobilization for Kiev's campaign against the separatists has grown in many parts of the country, resentments fester in much of the east, where civilian casualties and shelling have become a part of daily life. Illustrating the divisions, an ostentatious procession of tanks and weaponry rumbled through downtown Kiev to mark Ukraine's 23rd anniversary of independence from Moscow — a highly publicized event accompanied by speeches and a vow by President Petro Poroshenko to boost defense spending to defeat the rebels. In Donetsk, thousands gathered in the main square as the insurgents staged their own spectacle mocking the national army. To jeers and catcalls, dozens of captive soldiers, some wearing tattered Ukrainian military uniforms and some in torn and dirty civilian clothing, were forced to march past as nationalistic Russian songs blared from loudspeakers. They were flanked by rebels pointing bayoneted rifles. One visibly agitated man yelled slurs as he held an infant in one arm. "Hang the fascists from a tree!" one woman shouted as other women rushed at the prisoners, trying to kick and slap them. Two water trucks followed the captives, hosing down the road in a move apparently meant to cleanse the pavement where the Ukrainian soldiers had passed. The image had historical parallels as well: In 1944, Red Army soldiers paraded tens of thousands of German prisoners of war through the streets of Moscow. View gallery Pro-Russian rebels escort captured Ukrainian army prisoners, … Pro-Russian rebels escort captured Ukrainian army prisoners, who walk in a cloud of flour thrown by … The top rebel commander sent a mocking message to the Ukrainian government. "Kiev said that on the 24th, on the Independence Day of Ukraine, they would have a parade. Indeed, they did march in Donetsk, although it wasn't a parade," top rebel commander Alexander Zakharchenko said. "Soldiers of the armed forces of Kiev walked along the main streets of Donetsk. What Poroshenko planned has taken place." Human Rights Watch said parading the Ukrainian soldiers was a violation of humanitarian law. Rachel Denber of the New York-based rights group cited an article of the Geneva Conventions that prohibits "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment" of captives of armed conflicts. This parade is a clear violation of that absolute prohibition, and may be considered a war crime, she said. On Sunday, rebels put several fire-blackened, shrapnel-shredded Ukrainian military vehicles on display in Donetsk's main square, where supporters posed for photos in front of one of the destroyed tanks. One onlooker grabbed a Ukrainian flag from the wreckage of one tank and threw it to the ground. Several others trampled on it, wiping their feet and spitting. View gallery A man throws an egg at captured Ukrainian army prisoners … A man throws an egg at captured Ukrainian army prisoners as they're escorted by Pro-Russian rebe … "Today is the so-called independence day of what was Ukraine. And look what has happened to their equipment. This is what has become of Ukraine!" shouted a pro-Russian rebel fighter who identified herself by her battle name, Nursa, pointing at the remains of a Ukrainian troop transport. Alexander, a 40-year-old businessman from Donetsk who declined to give his surname, said the Ukrainian flag had no place in the city. "I feel this is no place for this flag. The great achievement here is that people can see it in the state that it deserves to be in," he said. Resentment has grown in the east as residential areas have increasingly come under fire in recent weeks, with the civilian death toll rising to at least 2,000 since April, according to United Nations figures. In Donetsk, an estimated 300,000 of the city's population of 1 million have fled the fighting, and many of those who remain have gone weeks without electricity or running water and spent days hunkered down in bomb shelters. Early Sunday, artillery shells struck several residential buildings as well as a hospital and morgue in downtown Donetsk, although nobody was reported killed. The government has denied that Ukraine's forces were responsible for the shelling of any residential buildings or hospitals. The situation is even direr in Luhansk, a city closer to the Russian border whose war-reduced population of a quarter-million people has suffered under constant fighting in recent weeks. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian National Security Council, told journalists Sunday that 68 civilians had been wounded there in the past 24 hours, but could not confirm whether anyone had been killed. Hospital hit in east Ukraine rebel stronghold Done … Play Video Hospital hit in east Ukraine rebel stronghold Done … The scene in Donetsk proved a striking contrast to the fanfare in Kiev, where more than 20,000 people, many waving the country's blue-and-yellow flags or donning traditional embroidered shirts, watched the parade on Kiev's Independence Square, where months of protests earlier this year ended in the ouster of the country's former pro-Russian president. Poroshenko announced he would raise military spending by $3 billion through 2017, a 50 percent increase from current budget targets. "It is clear that in the foreseeable future there will always, unfortunately, be the threat of war," the Ukrainian president said in an address to the highly militarized rally. "And we not only have to learn to live with that. We must always be prepared to defend our independence." Ukrainian military leaders have pleaded for extra resources as they face a potentially protracted fight against separatists. In recent weeks, Kiev's troops have scored heavy gains in territory and encircled the east's regional capitals of Luhansk and Donetsk. Lysenko said Sunday that 722 members of Ukraine's armed forces have died in the fighting, with five killed and eight wounded in the past day alone. In another symbolic move, Poroshenko traveled south to the predominantly Russian-speaking port city of Odessa to give a second speech on Sunday. Ukrainian television showed footage of navy ships bobbing by the shore on a stormy, turbulent sea. Ukraine lost much of its coastline when the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea was annexed by Russia in March, and the loyalty of local authorities in Odessa to Kiev has been a top priority for the new government. Poroshenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to meet Tuesday in Minsk, Belarus, alongside other European Union leaders. The two leaders have not met since early June and many hope that the talks could help defuse the conflict in east Ukraine. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday cautioned against expectations of a decisive breakthrough at the much-anticipated meeting. "The meeting in Minsk certainly won't yet bring the breakthrough," she said. "But you have to speak to one another if you want to find solutions." ___ Mills reported from Moscow. Associated Press reporters Vitnija Saldava in Kiev and Dalton Bennett and Nicolae Dumitrache in Donetsk contributed to this report. Poster Comment: Jack Of course shelling civilians is also a war crime! Our US billionaire-run capitalist propaganda machine prefers not to put that in big headlines. The arrogant billionaires think working class people are sheep who will show no anger at seeing their loved ones murdered. Compare the RT coverage of the Donetsk parade in this article: "Anti-govt forces ‘circle 1000s of Kiev troops, capture 2 tank battalions’ in E.Ukraine". Notice what the real headline should be? Kiev denies its forces are encircled! Kiev lies about everything. Kiev lied about the aid convoy. So did our US propaganda machine! Solidarity with the brave people of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.5-5 roger h "There is no Political solution" Ghost in the machine…………….. politicians spend their entire careers trying to convince Us that we need them. When "politics" is the problem to begin with. Poli meaning many and tics meaning blood sucking creatures (Politicians). The power of a word.31-2 X on Earth “The Russian Aggression Prevention Act” (RAPA): A Direct Path to Nuclear War with Russia - Global Research The Russian Aggression Prevention Act”, introduced to Congress by U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), will set the US on a path towards direct military conflict with Russia in Ukraine. Any US-Russian war is likely to quickly escalate into a nuclear war, since neither the US nor Russia would be willing to admit defeat, both have many thousands of nuclear weapons ready for instant use, and both rely upon Counterforce military doctrine that tasks their military, in the event of war, to preemptively destroy the nuclear forces of the enemy. 32-8 Mihajlo Petrovich This all started when the democratically elected government of Ukraine whether you like it or not chose closer ties with Moscow than with the EU and NATO. The response in Western Ukraine was a coup of the government with the support of the USA and that war monger Senator McCain who actually went to Ukraine to instigate problems. The proper response would have been to hold elections and let democracy decide the fate of the country not support a coup. But the US chose the anti-democratic way and Putin said enough is enough. Reap what you sow 41-10 Tatarewicz... War in Ukraine and Malaysian plane shootdown resulted from actions of Zionist agents from Israel and US promoting a coup which put Jews into Ukraine's leadership and bring the country into the Israel-friendly EU-NATO camp.Ukraine was once Khazaria from where most of Israel's Jews came from and could return to if things got too hot in Palestine. American politicians must support Israel because Democrats and Republicans depend on Israeli lobby agents for success in congressional elections Maryellen The younger son of Vice President Joseph Biden has taken the position of member of the board of directors and legal adviser to Burisma Holdings Ltd., the largest private natural gas production company in Ukraine. Hunter Biden joins another American who recently became a director of the firm, Devon Archer, a top fundraiser for Secretary of State John Kerry during Kerry’s 2004 presidential bid and the college roommate of Kerry’s stepson. Burisma’s financial and business operations are anything but transparent, however. The company was chartered in 2006 in Cyprus—a location frequently used by Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs seeking to avoid taxes, regulations and any kind of public scrutiny. The company is privately held and does not issue financial statements. It is difficult to discern what legal advice Biden, a member of the bar for Connecticut and the District of Columbia, could provide for a company established in Cyprus and operating in Ukraine. The Burisma statement said that Biden would provide support for the company “among international organizations.” The vice president’s son has made his career in financial manipulation, serving as CEO and chairman of the hedge fund Paradigm Global Advisors, co-founded with his uncle James Biden and the financier Allen Stanford, who is now serving a jail sentence of 110 years for a multi-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Biden’s new colleague on the Burisma board of directors, investment banker Devon Archer, was a top Kerry fundraiser in 2004 and the college roommate of Kerry’s stepson, Christopher Heinz, one of the heirs to the H. J. Heinz ketchup billions. He has held senior positions at Citibank, New England Financial and MetLife. Biden and Archer both now work at Rosemont Seneca Partners, a US investment house, which is affiliated to the private equity firm Rosemont Capital, cofounded by Archer and Heinz. There is ample reason to suspect that the Burisma connection has as much to do with US covert operations in Ukraine as with the immediate payoff for Biden and Archer, however lucrative that may turn out to be. 49-10 Dad Longworth German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Kiev By Christoph Dreier 23 August 2014 German Chancellor Angela Merkel travels today to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk. She will also meet with local government officials. The trip was “a sign of support,” stated German government spokesman Steffen Seibert on Friday. The chancellor’s visit takes place at a time of deep crisis for the regime in Kiev. The country’s economic outlook is grim. Industrial production fell in July by 12 percent, and a decline of 15 percent in the harvest is anticipated. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects a drop of already minimal real wages by 3.3 percent this year. Since negotiations over gas prices with Russia have failed thus far, and Kiev has not been able to pay off outstanding debts, next winter threatens to bring a halt to the gas supply. The regime has already stopped providing warm water in many cities. Although the army claims territorial gains in the war being led by the government against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, the number of military and civilian casualties is growing on a daily basis. Poroshenko has now ordered a further mobilisation in order to be able to send two further brigades against the separatists. There were already strong protests against the previous call-up of troops throughout the country. The government is also under the pressure from the extreme right-wing forces it has relied upon since the coup in February. Over the past week, the fascist Right Sector threatened to withdraw its fighters from the east and to lead them to Kiev unless all of their members were released from prison. The government agreed to the ultimatum. The Kiev regime is hoping for financial and military support from the German chancellor’s visit. The leaders would discuss “support for our European reforms,” said foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin to the Kölner Express. “We need a Marshall Plan for Ukraine,” he urged. While the US played the main role in the Marshall Plan after World War II, he suggested Germany could play the main role today. Such an initiative has support among sections of German big business. “We need a real Marshall Plan, which will cost Germany a lot of money but will also be very useful,” wrote Markus Felsner, chairman of the external trade association for Eastern and Central Europe. “From Lviv to Luhansk, one of the most exciting growth markets is spread right across our doorstep.” Potential financial aid would not signify an improvement of conditions for the working class. On the contrary, it would be used to bring about a further deterioration in living conditions for working people and to impose social attacks. Above all, it would increase Germany’s influence, and transform the country into a low-wage centre and a cheap supplier of raw materials. This has been the goal of the major German intervention in Ukraine from the outset. The country was to be brought under the control of the European Union (EU) in order to push back Russian influence. When then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych refused last November to sign an agreement with the EU, German politicians, businesses and party foundations organised and supported the protests on the Maidan. After the demonstrations failed to bring about the desired result, the German government relied increasingly on the extreme right-wing forces of Right Sector and Svoboda, in order to put the regime under pressure. Then in February the US and Germany orchestrated a coup based precisely on these fascist forces to bring a new government to power, which was utterly dependent on the Western powers and contained fascists from Svoboda. One of the new government’s first acts was the signing of the association agreement with the EU. The disastrous situation in Ukraine is a direct product of the intervention by German and US imperialism. Shortly after the coup, loan deals were agreed with the new regime making devastating social attacks a condition for financial support from the IMF. This included an increase in gas prices for workers, as well as tax cuts for businesses. But above all, Germany and the US intensified the confrontation with Russia. Moscow responded to the aggressive expansion of the EU and NATO’s sphere of influence by incorporating the Crimean peninsula into Russia and backing the pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, who did not accept the regime in Kiev. The Ukrainian government began a major offensive in April against the Donbas region controlled by the separatists. They proceeded with extreme brutality, and are responsible for the deaths of at least 950 civilians. At every stage, the Ukrainian government has been working closely with its masters in Berlin and Washington. In spite of the negative impact on German business, the German government intervened at the end of July to adopt EU sanctions against Russia in order to put the country under further pressure. Merkel is attempting to use her visit to stabilise the regime in Kiev. This includes negotiations with Russia over a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts in Berlin last weekend without any concrete results. Poroshenko is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin next Tuesday. 16-9 Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — To shouts of "Fascists!" and "Hang them from a tree!" captured Ukrainian soldiers were paraded through the streets of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk on Sunday as bystanders pelted them with eggs, water bottles and tomatoes. I'm sure the temptation to do this sort of thing is very, very strong when you've suffered the turmoils of war, but doing this hurts your cause in the long run as it emboldens the Uk soldiers still on the field. Treating prisoners respectfully can encourage others Uk soldiers to defect.
#2. To: Pinguinite, Tatarewicz (#1)
Agreed, Pinguinite. It's a violation of the rights of POWs under most established codes of warfare. Like you, I think it's counter-productive to the aims of the rebels.
I suggested in another posting POWs be taken on returning aid convey trucks to help with fall harvest in Russia (where they could enjoy home cooked meals...get an earful about being hoodwinked by Israel-serving Jews).
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