The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Ukrainian unrest spreads; dozens dead in Odessa
By PETER LEONARD and JIM HEINTZ SLOVYANSK, Ukraine©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
35 Comments
Login to comment
Kabukilover
According to the latest Guardian, the fatal fire in Odessa was in the Trade Union building and was started by pro Ukrainian nationalists. The victims were pro Russian rebels. The Gurardian noted the presence of Right Sector in Odessa. Right Sector is an ultra nationalist organization with representatives in the current Ukrainian government.
KevinPhilipsBong
Over 20 of the thirty found dead in the building had Russian passports and were members of Russian special forces - clear evidence and proof that Russia is orchestrating the destabilization of Ukraine. This is nothing short of an invasion by Russia, for which they will be severely punished.
Kabukilover obviously get his news from a dubious source - probably RT or one of those propaganda stations.
Triumvere
And so it begins...
Kabukilover
Um, I wrote that I got my information from the Guardian. So where do you get your information, KPB?
Steven C. Schulz
Putin is just waiting for the election results.
If he can manipulate the new government into towing the line, he'll back off. But if he feels his grip on Ukraine threatened, he will invade, consequences be d*****.
lucabrasi
Ukraine should just give up her eastern territories. Nationalistic pride is nothing compared to human suffering. Let it go and rebuild a peaceful, democratic nation in the west.
SuperLib
Who knew that the Russian plan of flooding the Ukraine with undercover troops, arming makeshift local groups, supporting hostile takeovers of buildings, putting troops on the border, kidnapping UN officials.....would lead to violence?
I'm just so surprised.
gcbel
Be careful what you wish for...
Ukraine may make the calculation it'd be better to leave Russia only the option to take eastern Ukraine rather than acquiesce to living with permanently destabilized regions or a farce of a Ukrainian federation.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2014/05/01/putins-promises-to-eastern-ukraine-could-bankrupt-russia/
Kabukilover
Super Lib. Gives the sources to back your contentions.
FizzBit
Nice link Joeintokyo
Particularly liked the comment
What's funny (not really) is that anyone who supports the new Kiev leadership is also supporting right-wing neo-fascists. The Svoboda political party is a wing on the Right Sektor. Take a look at their symbol.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iдея_Nації.svg
My speculation only, but the Right Sektor, or a wing of theirs, could be a tool of Putin's.
Nobody is innocent here except the Ukrainians who just want to go to work and have a good life.
I'm truly worried for the women and children of Ukraine.
NATO, US, EU, Putin, corporate pigs, greedy bankers, Money Changers....Get Out!!
It's gonna be all propoganda from here on out. If you do not understand how deep this goes, check it out. But please don't rely on CNN, BBC, FOX, RT, MSNBC, Bloomberg, etc., for your information about whats really going on.
gcbel
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/02/ukraine-dead-odessa-building-fire
I don't think it says who actually started the fire. It does say that the pro-Russia fighters were seen "shooting from the roof." Also mentioned that both sides had petrol bombs. And that even while the building was on fire the pro-Russia fighters were throwing "masonry and petrol bombs from the roof on to the crowd below."
It does say that "Pro-Ukraine protesters made desperate efforts to reach people with ropes and improvised scaffolding."
Both sides were spoiling for a fight. But I find it hard to blame the pro-Ukraine side for not wanting to allow pro-Russian fighters free rein in their own country.
ilya0
@Burning Bush
He can not. At least for now. Ukrainian media quickly reported victims as Russian and Transdniestria citizens, but no identification of bodies was made, so Odessa police dismissed those claims. For now they identified only those 8 victims that didn't die in the building, but jumped from the windows: all of them are odessian locals.
badsey3
The East and South of Ukraine is mostly Russian. Kiev (Kyiv-Ukrainian) long ago was in fact the capital of Russia and Kiev is the Russian spelling.
The people of Ukraine must unite against these terrorists like the women in Egypt did. Notice how the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is now finally taking responsibility (on death row) for their actions.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140502-egypt-muslim-brotherhood-morsi-mubarak-mallawi-world/ (Explains situation in Egypt now)
If the terrorists in control of Ukraine right now cannot be stopped all the historic wood churches in Ukraine will be burned to the ground. Egypt saved itself where Libya could not -and Egypt was far poorer. So it will come down to the people once again if they can save their country/identify. You will see mass protests in the millions in Kiev to force the criminals out to stop this. The borders must be secured by any means however.
SuperLib
One could probably say this description also covers a lot of the Soviet supporters here:
FizzBit
SuperLib=Superdumbass
Olegek
the criminals who murder 40 victims by burning them like Nazi criminals
should say something in his own defense
So the people who did not want to live in united Ukraine will be thrown in fire !
Kabukilover
Super Lib. Source? Not that it matters. This is mere hearsay from an obviously biased person. I have heard similar rubbish about political protest for years.
Let me say it again. These are popular grass roots protests. They have substantial roots. Russia at one point suggested mediation via the UN but Kiev rejected it. If you want the source I will dig it up.
With these recent horrific events anything can happen. All, all is changed utterly as Yeats wrote about the Easter 1916 Irish revolt. Only I see no terrible beauty being born from all this. Just terrible suffering.
gcbel
AFAIK, Ukrainians are the ethnic majority of the Odessa oblast (southwestern Ukraine). As also is the case in the Luhansk, Donetsk, and Kharkiv oblasts. Of course many more Ukrainians speak Russian but, neither condition, ethnic Russian and/or Russophone, automatically means you're pro-Russian separatist. Crimea was the one and only province where Russians were the ethnic majority.
National elections are scheduled for May 25th. My guess is that Russia and pro-Russian "separatists" will do everything they can to undermine them.
badsey3
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/12/09/this-one-map-helps-explain-ukraines-protests/
-goes over the voting and culture maps.
kurisupisu
The Ukraine needs an elected government - yucky!
SuperLib
Was that the article that said the fighting started when pro-Russians attacked pro-Ukrainians? And the same article that said the pro-Russians were shooting people from the roof? And some pro-Ukrainians tried to help get people out of the building?
Just wondering.
Willem
I'm European and I hate Europe. Those European goverments over here think they have the right to say and do anything. Whenever they are not hiding behind the biggest terrorist on the planet, they always like to play Mr. Adolf the second when it comes to situations like this. The European mainstream media keeps repeating the same propoganda over and over again. And most European citizens cannot think for themselfs, always blindly accept the mainstreammedia, and love to demonize Putin whenever they get a change. Personaly I can't wait to get out of this godforsaken land of fools.
Kabukilover
Let us not forget who started the fire.
gcbel
We all know who is stoking the fire... Russia
FizzBit
We all know who is stoking the propaganda...gcbel
Olegek
So you are from Ukraine ??
FizzBit
This should help anyone who might be on the fence as to who's really pulling the strings.
Go to war or you ain't gonna a get your money.
gcbel
Tell me, dear reader, when was the last time you heard of the IMF threatening to withhold funds if a political leader didn't wage war on his own people?
http://www.theecologist.org/blogs_and_comments/commentators/2383878/obamas_new_ukraine_a_russophobic_failed_state_ruled_by_fascists.html
Or, if one were to read one would understand the same sentence as a statement of the obvious.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101631226
FizzBit
Dear reader, one only needs to look at Greece, Spain, Italy, gee I could go on....to see the success of the IMF. Where have you been living?