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Ukraine Declares Martial Law, Puts Military on Full Combat Alert

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Ukraine Declares Martial Law, Puts Military on Full Combat Alert

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

The latest Ukraine regime provocation against Russia on Sunday follows a familiar pattern - its reckless belligerence and horrendous human rights abuses since lawlessly installed in power by Obama in February 2014.

Petro Poroshenko is a president in name only, illegitimately installed by Washington, overwhelmingly despised by the vast majority of Ukrainians - with virtually no chance for reelection in March 2019 presidential elections.

Provocatively challenging Russia in its own waters was a harebrained stunt - followed by Poroshenko declaring martial law and putting Ukraine’s military on full combat alert - according to the country’s war ministry.

Its forces wouldn’t last a day against vastly superior Russian military strength if foolhardy enough to attack cross-border.

Creating greater regional instability, turmoil, and crisis conditions is all Kiev could hope to accomplish. Washington supports the regime it installed - not enough to go to war with Russia to save it if things go this far.

Under Ukrainian law, declaring martial law is permitted in case of armed aggression against the country, or imminent threat by a hostile force - clearly not the situation Kiev faces, threatened by no other country, not Russia or any others.

Declaring martial law for 30 days requires parliamentary approval, the rubber-stamp body going along on Monday. Ukraine’s general staff was ordered to ready its defenses against the nonexistent threat of aerial attacks.

The regime’s security service was “ordered to take immediate steps to strengthen counter-intelligence activities, counter-terrorism and counter-sabotage protection, and information security” - solely to hype fear, attempting to enlist public support for its recklessness.

Military analyst Andrei Koshkin believes the Sunday provocation in Russian waters was ordered by Poroshenko, given his untenable political situation ahead of March 2019 presidential elections, hoping to enlist some semblance of support - along with disrupting Putin/Trump talks when they on the sidelines of the Buenos Aires G20 summit later this week.

The incident could also be a pretext for escalating war on Donbass with full US support and encouragement, risking Russian intervention the way the Kremlin acted in Syria, risking possible East/West confrontation.

According to the Saker, what’s likely coming is “Ukie bawling about the ‘Russian aggression’ with the hope that this will a) raise the value of the Poroshenko regime in the eyes of the Empire and b) disrupt the planned Trump-Putin meeting.”

Cancelling the March election to retain power would be another harebrained stunt, but with extremists running things in Kiev, anything is possible, including confrontation with Russia to blame the Kremlin for its own aggression.

It got away with it in Donbass with US-led Western support. A recklessly belligerent entanglement with Russia would be something entirely different.

Ukraine’s military likely wants none of it, knowing the disastrous consequences if daring to confront Russia militarily.

Moscow at all times favors diplomatic resolution to conflicts, but make no mistake. If its forces are attacked or otherwise threatened, its Defense Ministry will go all-out to protect them, short of risking WW III - nuclear weapons virtually certain to be used if waged, putting humanity’s survival up for grabs.

Clearly, Ukraine bears full responsibility for what Russia justifiably called a premeditated planned provocation in its Kerch Strait Black Sea waters.

Three Ukrainian vessels and their crew members were detained - perhaps to be used as bargaining chips to negotiate release of Russian nationals held as political prisoners by the Kiev regime.

Journalist Kirill Vyshinsky has been illegally detained since May on false charges of “high treason” for doing what all journalists are supposed to do - their jobs in reporting accurately on issues. He was covering Kiev aggression in Donbass, arrested and detained for the crime of truth-telling.

The Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) condemned his illegal detention on trumped up charges, demanding his immediate release, calling him a “true prisoner of conscience.”

The European Federation of Journalists supports him. Russian lower house State Duma’s Petr Tolstoy blasted Kiev, saying he’s held “hostage by (regime) terrorists,” illegally installed in power, “waging a war of annihilation against their own citizens who disagree with their (extremist) politics and ideology.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry called his arrest and detention part of Kiev’s war on journalism the way it should be, along with unacceptable hostility toward Moscow, adding “(t)here are no reasons to believe the situation will improve” - not as long as Washington wants regional instability remaining unchanged.

According to Russian ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova, 30 or more Russian “prisoners of conscience…are held abroad,” a “very modest estimate” she believes, adding:

“We understand that these people have not committed anything dangerous to the society, but were put on trial for their position regarding the Republic of Crimea or because of the anti-Russian sanctions.”

Along with Vyshinsky, Ukraine unlawfully holds Yelena Odnovol - both on false charges of high treason. Other Russian nationals were illegally imprisoned by Kiev fascists.

Detained Ukrainian military personnel involved in Sunday’s Black Sea provocation could be a way for Moscow to get its political prisoners in Ukraine released - by negotiating a prisoner swap.

Russia cares about its nationals mistreated abroad. Fascists running Ukraine operate by different standards - perhaps unwilling to aid its citizens, prioritizing their hardline recklessness, pursued with no concern for their welfare.

VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at [email protected].

 

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

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