Russia Orders Military Exercise..

[Cdnwolf]

President Vladimir Putin ordered massive military exercises involving troops in western Russia, as pro-Western Ukrainian revolutionaries charted a new course in Kiev.

The military exercise is meant to “check the troops’ readiness for action in crisis situations that threaten the nation’s military security,” said Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who added that Putin ordered the exercise Wednesday afternoon. The troop maneuvers will begin Friday and will last four days, and involve ships of the Baltic and Northern Fleets and the air force.

Shoigu did not make any reference to Ukraine, which shares a border with western Russia, the Associated Press reports. Opposition figures there are setting the groundwork for a new government after toppling the Russia-supported President Viktor Yanukovych. A Russian lawmaker promised Tuesday to protect pro-Russia activists in Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, where Russia has a major naval base.

It remains to be seen what kind of pressure Putin will apply in Ukraine and how he may seek to reassert his control in the country. When the protests began in December, Putin promised Russia would not use military force in Ukraine. “None of this means that we are going to go in there and wave our saber around and send in our troops,” he said at his annual year-end press conference three months before Yanukovych was overthrown. “That’s total rubbish. That is not happening and cannot happen

http://world.time.com/2014/02/26/rus...#ixzz2uSxTVLgU

[Cdnwolf]

From Twilight 2013

One month after the video making its way onto the internet,
Russia launches a major assault into the Ukraine. The Russian
president gives a speech to the media declaring Russia’s right to
preemptively protect itself from threats. In a spectacular show of
combined arms Russia quickly encloses the Rada controlled areas
and begins to tighten the noose. Russia now is effectively fighting
extremists on two fronts, in the Ukraine and in Chechnya.
Russian forces make light work of most of the Rada resistance
except for the areas around the city of Luhansk, the Rada
stronghold. Rada insurgent fighters manage to inflict moderate
losses on Russian troops in heavy fighting in and around the city.
It takes another month of fighting before the Russians declare the
city liberated. Although beaten, the Rada are not destroyed totally.
Many survivors go on to wage an Iraqi-style insurgency against their
Russian occupiers.
The Ukrainian government does not take the intrusion into its
sovereign territory lightly. While they are grateful for the assistance
Russia is providing against Rada elements, the Russian invasion is
seen as an act of war. Rather than engaging the Russian military
however, the Ukrainian military sets up the Luhansk Oblast as
a containment zone. The goal being to keep Russian forces from
engaging targets elsewhere in the country and to be prepared to
repel the Russian invaders once the Rada is put down.
Russia has not been immune to the severe weather seen around
the world. Crop production is at an all time low, and the Russian
people are demanding action from the government. During the
Soviet years, the Ukraine region was often seen as the breadbasket
for Russia being a major source of grain, sugar, meat and milk
products. With the Russian military already in the Ukraine, it does
not take much provocation to extend the action.
Arguing that the current Ukrainian government is incapable of
controlling its people, the Russians again state their rights to protect
their people even against perceived threats. Once the Luhansk
Oblast has been pacified though, Russia begins to target the entire
country for “pacification”.

Copyright © 2008 by 93 Games Studio.

[Targan]

The Russian government must be sorely tempted to annex the Crimean Peninsula right now. Obviously they have no fear of the Ukraine, but the rest of the world wouldn't be happy about it. Then again, there's a couple of provinces of Georgia that are now part of Russia. No-one was prepared to do much about that.

[mikeo80]

Originally Posted by Targan

The Russian government must be sorely tempted to annex the Crimean Peninsula right now. Obviously they have no fear of the Ukraine, but the rest of the world wouldn't be happy about it. Then again, there's a couple of provinces of Georgia that are now part of Russia. No-one was prepared to do much about that.

IMHO, there is not much the rest of the world can do if Russia decides to "annex" the Ukraine. Realistically, all anyone could do is point at Mr. Putin and say "You are a very bad boy."

It is interesting that T2013 had the statement that it did about the Ukraine.

My $0.02

Mike

[stormlion1]

Putin longs to reassemble the old USSR with himself at its head. This will not end well I think.

[.45cultist]

Still interesting for us, whether T2K2.2 or T2013(or a mix of the two).

[Cdnwolf]

Originally Posted by mikeo80

IMHO, there is not much the rest of the world can do if Russia decides to "annex" the Ukraine. Realistically, all anyone could do is point at Mr. Putin and say "You are a very bad boy."

It is interesting that T2013 had the statement that it did about the Ukraine.

My $0.02

Mike

Although the Ukraine is a supplier of UN peacekeeping forces,
no other country comes to their aid. The massive refugee crisis in
Western Europe has many believing the Russian rhetoric. Once the
action in the Ukraine progresses from securing against a possible
nuclear threat to complete pacification, people in France and
Germany for instance side with the Russians. Many European media
outlets begin to portray this action as an expanded security action by
the Russians rather than an invasion. The politicians in Europe are
basically forced to abide by the wishes of their constituents. Russia’s
threat of the oil supply coming through the region into Europe
quiets those European politicians not swayed by the media or the
populace.
The U.S. also abstains from the conflict both militarily and
diplomatically. With no backing from the European members of the
UN Security Council and no willingness to go at it unilaterally, the
U.S. sits this one out. Although that doesn’t mean that U.S.-made
weapons and supplies don’t reach Ukrainian insurgents.

Again from Twilight 2013.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by mikeo80

IMHO, there is not much the rest of the world can do if Russia decides to "annex" the Ukraine. Realistically, all anyone could do is point at Mr. Putin and say "You are a very bad boy."

At this stage I don't think there's a great risk of Russia attempting annex the entirety of the Ukraine. I do however think there is a significant risk of Russia moving to annex the Crimean Peninsula. The area has a really complicated history, particularly from WWII onwards. Nearly 60% of the Crimean population are ethnic Russians and Russia not only has a declared policy of military intervention abroad to protect Russian citizens, Russia has also in the not-too-distant past been accused of issuing Russian passports to ethnic Russians in Crimea. We all remember what happened in Georgia in 2008. I think armed Russian intervention in Crimea is rapidly moving from theoretical to very possible or even likely.

[stormlion1]

I think we will have an economic collapse long before we need to worry about an invasion. At that point we will only real have to worry about is Raiders, Government forces stealing stockpiled food, Gas, and ammo for their own use, and UN Intervention. Oh and don't forget the complete devaluing of the US Dollar, Possible Civilian disarmament and low ammunition stockpiles and power outages.

[RN7]

Putin is looking at a map of where ethnic Russians live outside of Russia. He sees the Crimea, the Eastern Ukraine, the entire north of Kazakhstan and parts of Belorussia and the Baltics states and pockets here an there in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

He then looks at a map of the old Soviet Union and sees that the areas were the Russians live are by and large the best parts of it. The oil fields and the space launching site at Baikonur in Kazakhstan are certainly of interest to Russia, and Russia shares a very long border with Kazakhstan who's population in about 40% Russian and Slav. But who wants the deserts and mountains were all the crazy Muslims live in Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus, and what use are Armenia and Georgia to Russia.

He's then thinking the Eastern Slavs in Belorussia and the Ukraine are really Russians, and to an outsider they might as well be as they share a similar language, religion and culture. Belorussia is now so cosy with Russia that it might as well be part of it, so that just leaves the Ukraine.

He then looks at the rest of the world and thinks about who might stop him from annexing the Crimea and the Eastern Ukraine. China? I don't think they would even raise an eye lid. Europe? A lot of protests but they are going to do nothing without America. The UN? Ah cmon get real. America? They could cause some real problems if they wanted to, but Obama is focused on Obamacare and immigration reform, and if he couldn't prevent a relatively weak power like Syria from gassing and massacring its own people what is he going to do against a very strong and nuclear armed power like Russia on its own doorstep?

It could be Grim times ahead for the Ukraine