Ukraine’s parliament voted on Saturday to remove President Viktor Yanukovich, who abandoned his Kiev office to protesters and denounced what he described as a coup after a week of fighting in the streets of the capital.
Parliament also freed his arch-nemesis, former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who walked free from the hospital where she had been jailed, completing a radical transformation in the former Soviet republic of 46 million people.
The apparent toppling of the pro-Russian leader, after bloodshed in Kiev that saw 82 people killed and the center of the capital transformed into an inferno, looks likely to pull Ukraine away from Moscow’s orbit and closer to Europe.
More headlines at Drudge. Now, if they can just escape the EU…
Plus, the lifestyles of Viktor Yanukovych
Yanukovich estate is so big, I walked around for two hours and didn't see this! pic.twitter.com/h74tZzN3q7
— Olaf Koens (@obk) February 22, 2014
Drudge is still linking to the BBC. 🙁
Here, from the source:
http://www.tymoshenko.ua/en/
and, http://www.kyivpost.com/
and Kyiv Post’s FB, which maintains good coverage as well…
https://www.facebook.com/KyivPost
Yes, but does he put jewelry on his dogs? Amateur.
Marie Antoinette and The Obama Family. Soulmates across time.
I am happy that Yulia Tymoshenko is free, although she does seem to be in some sort of distress as she was taken up to the speaking platform in a wheelchair. She may well be next President.
Former President Viktor Yanukovich appears to have received fantastic sums of payola from his oligarch friends to build an estate like that, and complete with his own private zoo.
I would be very surprised if this is over.
Yulia Tymoshenko and her daughter have complained at every opportunity of her treatment and lack of medical treatment in prison.
I don’t know how she is at the moment obviously… both elated and in pain would be reasonable guesses.
https://www.facebook.com/Tymoshenko.UA
There have been reports of the exuberance reaching all the way to Vlad:
http://www.ijreview.com/2014/02/117030-ukrainian-protesters-tear-statues-socialist-leader-lenin-nation/
It’s a shame the Ukrainian people didn’t get the chance to do the same as the Romanians did to Ceausescu.
I hope Ukraine isn’t about to jump from the frying pan into the fire with the corrupt EU.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/ukraine-biathlon-team-wins-a-gold-medal-honors-countrymen-back-home/2014/02/21/cea09ea6-9b3e-11e3-8112-52fdf646027b_story.html
With the streets of Kiev still smoldering from a week of anti-government protests, the women of Ukraine’s biathlon team maintained their focus, drew inspiration from well-wishers back home and on Friday managed to win gold at the Winter Olympics.
“It is the dream of a whole lifetime,” said Vita Semerenko, 28, competing in her second Olympics for Ukraine. “Our dream and the dream of the whole of Ukraine has come true.”
Delighted to hear Julia T. is free; perhaps she can now get her spine looked at by real physicians.
Hah, Ukrainian women can shoot straight if and when needed!! Looks like they are in good hands…
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/02/21/ukraine-priests-provide-protest-inspiration-proud-link-to-pre-soviet-era/?intcmp=latestnews
Ukraine’s priests provide protest inspiration, key link to pre-Soviet era
They stand defiant before shield-wielding riot police, clutching gilded crosses and inspiring the freedom-seeking masses in Kiev’s Independence Square.
But the clergy of Ukraine are more than leaders of the protest that threatens to split the nation’s troubled alliance with Russia. They are a link to Ukraine’s historical independence, before the Russian Revolution led to the Soviet occupation that lasted until 1991 but still hovers above like a dark cloud. Amid the escalating violence, priests have been seen defying police, leading civilians safely past them and performing last rites on those killed in the clashes.
“They are there as pastors looking over their flocks,” Roksolana Stojko-Lozynskyj, of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, told FoxNews.com. “Although they are not in [an official] leadership [role], they are well-respected in the community.”
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
Looks like Yanukovich should star on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”…working hard on a self indulgent lifestyle; replete with an estate “pirate ship”.
I’m sure that will go over well with the populace…
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
Ken is on to something. I too would be very surprised if this is the end. The Soviets never actually collapsed and went away, rather they just dispersed where they could do more damage. I think the same is happening in Ukraine. Though I would be happy to be proven wrong.
The Ukraine does not really have a good choice, I think. Either they join the corrupt un-democratic EU and are ruled from Brussells (which is a long way away and can be ignored to some extent) or they can fall into the orbit of Russia under Vladimir Putin. The Ukraine has been part of the Russian Empire since the 1770’s and was brutalized by the Czar’s cossacks and almost exterminated by Stalin 80 years ago. If you were a Ukrainian would you want to have anything to do with Russia?
Don’t want to sound to negative but I can’t imagine Putin letting Ukraine escape his grasp this easily. I expect he’ll do everything he can to overturn, get rid of and make life for the people of Ukraine as miserable as possible in the months ahead.
I hope I’m wrong even life under the EU can’t be as bad as life under Russia.
Breaking news…….
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s border authorities said on Saturday it had refused to allow President Viktor Yanukovich to leave the country, Interfax news agency said.
Armed men had tried to bribe border staff at Donetsk airport in the east of the country to allow the charter flight to take off but they had refused, the agency, quoting an aide of the head of the state border service, said.
Yanukovich subsequently got off the plane and left in a waiting car, it said.
It was not clear where the plane had wanted to fly to.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Writing By Richard Balmforth)
Once the Olympics are over we will know how far Putin is willing to go. I agree with above posts that he will not relinquish power without a few well placed threats. Unlike Obama, his line in the sand would carry some weight.
To me this whole thing looks like its staged, Obama said that he couldn’t understand why the Russians wanted to break up the Ukraine. To me this sounds like exactly what is happening. Even the tinfoil head RT television is now talking separation and a possible union. Hmm…maybe because you guys planed this all along.
Staging these protests to escalate during the Winter Olympics was superb timing.
When the armed forces announced a politically neutral position, the real political weakness of Yanukovich was exposed.
Shedding the blood of protestors is just so …20th Century (Soviet).
It will be interesting to see how much financial assistance and aid in modernizing the economy of Ukraine will be forthcoming. An economy that is growing and becoming stronger would look pretty good to Europe right now. Even if, that were to be a 10 year project.
That the women’s biathlon team won a gold medal, adds a positive background note, as it seemed if the government tried to use more violence they could not have withstood a popular uprising.
Vitali Klitchko may be a more healthy alternative to Tymoshenko who is obviously ailing. She will have to go abroad for medical treatment.
Yatseniuk is a more serious candidate than Klitchko. And Tymoshenko is damaged goods.
Ken, she wasn’t put in hospital to improve her health, rather the reverse.
And Max and Larry are wrong. Nothing beats a martyr in the eyes of the electorate, and Tymoshenko is just that. Larry’s right about one very big thing. Yanukovich was finished when even the police were joining the demonstrators’ barricades. The army joining the sans-culottes was the end of Louis XVI as well.
In the photo at this link is Yulia Tymoshenko pointing to the bruising on her stomach. I’m not certain how hard someone needs to punch a woman in the stomach in order to make her bruise but…
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/04/30/marni-soupcoff-germany-should-boycott-euro-2012-soccer-games-in-ukraine/
I had thought she had injured her back as well. These aren’t sickness” … and there may have been some sort of exhaustion as a result of her trial, but not anything needing years of recuperation.
somewhat related, as an example:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/news/france-ukrainian-refugee-urgent-need-protection-2014-02-14
“Ukrainian Rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman, called on Kiev’s Jews to leave the city and even the country if possible, fearing that the city’s Jews will be victimized in the chaos, Israeli daily Maariv reported Friday. ”
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/1.575732
The people actually in charge on the ground don’t like Jews very much.
Yes another successful EU sponsored coup. Now they can hollow out the Ukraine as they did Greece and Turkey.
Interview with Jewish Euromaidan Self Defense Unit:/
A remark stupid beyond words. Do you actually imagine Yanukovich is better?
Very glad to hear news from Ukraine yesterday. Ukrainian revolution is reaction against oligarchs who have been very blatant in display of their wealth in Ukraine. Likely will be large exodus of this criminal class who likely have moved most of their money out of Ukraine.
Interesting to see the whole area of country where my father once lived throw out the statist swine and start building a freer country. The peoples forces who have been fighting the criminal government for the past few months appear very well organized and are now likely well armed as well. Decisions of Ukrainian military to not get involved, riot police to disappear and parliament to get rid of Yanukovich are all very positive moves. The size of movement is sufficiently large now that should Russia try to get things back to what they think is normal, it would be a pitched battle, not a minor skirmish like in Georgia.
Likely the Russians will try to take over Crimea but there is a long term deal with Uiraine for the Russian navy to have a base there. Probably the person most worried about this whole event is Putin as his power base in Russia consists of similar corrupt oligarchs who view it as their right to steal as much as they can get away with and rule autocratically.
As far as the nationalists from West Ukraine being “Nazi’s”, there’s this story which shows the exact opposite:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-protests-israeli-ex-officer-leads-militant-group-094657071.html#5NSViBi
This is a true peoples rebellion and the banksters in the EU should be very worried as once people have tasted freedom and gotten rid of one set of parasites they will be likely to treat another group the same way.
Sorry but the only one hollowing out of the Ukraine is done by the Russians. You need to take of your tinfoil hat.
All the industry, resources, ports, any thing of value, is in the east.
Its not a coincidence, that these places have a high Russian population, most of which hold Russian passports, and don’t speak a word of Ukrainian. What we will see next, is a push there to separate, and fall into Russian control. This is nothing more then a land grab by Russia, we will take all the goodies and you can go to hell.
Stop kidding yourself. Ukraine has no future in the EU as anything but a pool of cheap labour less likely than Muslims to make the elites look bad by blowing themselves up on commuter buses.
The spiritual heir of the monsters who planned and bankrolled the Ukrainian famine is Angela Merkel, unrepentant citizeness of the GDR, not Ukraine’s Russians. She’s been looking forward to getting revenge on the Russians for stabbing Erich Honecker in the back in 1989. The first act of Ukraine’s new rulers will be to cleanse her of her Russians and the Jews they missed in the Forties, and then to hand over everything in Ukraine of value to Ukraine’s creditors.
If our masters have any say about it the meek will only inherit the earth when there’s nothing left on it worth stealing. Ukraine is no exception. If Angie’s feeling generous, she might let the Ukrainians keep Chernobyl.
The Russian people are the only European nation to have gotten halfway serious about fighting Islam, homosexuality and globalism, and, honestly, are the only real friend Ukraine has and the last hope of Christian Europe. One day I hope you’ll be big enough to admit that. I just hope that day comes before Europe falls into Muslim hands, not after.
“The Russian people are the only European nation to have gotten halfway serious about fighting Islam, homosexuality and globalism, and, honestly, are the only real friend Ukraine has and the last hope of Christian Europe.”
…and under the leadership of a former KGB colonel to boot! What is this world coming to?
I believe you are correct. The Ukraine ought to fear an EU hegemony.
Heh.. EU ought to fear Ukrainian intransigence. And Eastern seperation isn’t happening anymore than Alberta seperation is happening. Yes there’s a majority ethnic Russian population but they will be in the streets with AKs if Putin’s fat fingers try and redefine their country. There’s a huge amount of bullshit out there on Ukraine and it’s been cranked up to max lately. Reasonable English sources on Ukraine include Aslund, Motyl, Kuzio.. stuff published at the Jamestown Foundation is short and digestible for non-regional-wonks.
Now he’ll head to the arms of Justin Trudeau.
Between Yanukovich and Piers Morgan, JT now has his Dream Team to send tingles up many a Liberal leg.
This was Alison’s next purchase. It is be coming apparent that she was attempting to roll with the Yanukovichs of the world. #Penthouse/federal building. similar out come?