[Winnipegger]

BBC: Ukraine conflict: Many soldiers dead in 'rocket strike'

$1:

A rocket strike in the east Ukrainian region of Luhansk has killed at least 19 soldiers, Ukrainian officials say, blaming it on separatist rebels.

They said rebels had fired a barrage of Grad rockets at troops in Zelenopillya, a village near the Russian border.

The pro-Russian rebels say they "destroyed a column" of troops there.
...
Ukraine's defence ministry put at 23 the number of troops killed in clashes in the past 24 hours. Nineteen of them died in the Grad attack, it said.

The ministry spokesman, Volodymyr Seleznyov, also said 93 troops had been wounded. Earlier media reports about the rocket strike, which spoke of up to 30 killed, were inaccurate, he said.

Russian-made Grad rockets are heavy artillery weapons fired in batches from lorries. Both the Russian and Ukrainian armed forces use them.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird responds...
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/World/ID/2473188076/

[Winnipegger]

Hi monty16. It's good to hear from the other side. Are you just a citizen like me, or connected? Could you pass on a message to Vlad Putin or the government of Russia?

I still would like a peaceful resolution. When Boris Yeltsin was president of Russia, many of us in the Mars Society wanted a joint venture to send humans to Mars. The Mars Society still has members in Russia. The Energia rocket is wonderful. The core module is manufactured in Russia, the strap-on boosters are manufactured in east Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine would have to get along for that to happen. If Russia is willing to end this conflict, I would still use what influence I have to establish peaceful relations between Russia and Canada. But to do so, first Russia has to end the conflict in Ukraine. Tell pro-Russian insurgents to just escape to Russia. They won't ever be able to go back to Ukraine; to do so would result in grave charges. Possibly execution. So just run away, escape to Russia. Leave Donbass to Ukraine.

Once normal relations are restored, Ukraine will do business with both Russia and the West. Ukraine will join the EU. Russia can try to convince them not to join NATO, but this isn't how to do it. After Vlad Putin stated he wanted Ukraine to just be neutral, I made that suggestion on the CBC website. The reporter Evan Soloman raised that point with the ambassador from Ukraine. The ambassador said no, that just isn't working. So the more Russia supports the rebels, the more Ukraine is convinced they have to join NATO. I'm sure Mr. Putin wants Ukrainian made weapons, but this isn't how to do it.

As for space, we in Canada helped NASA get to the Moon in the 1960s. NASA promised the first human mission to Mars would leave Earth in 1981. They launched a space shuttle instead. In 1989, the 20th anniversary of Apollo 11, President George H. W. Bush promised a human mission to Mars. That didn't happen either. I'm tired of waiting. I have proposed a Canadian led international mission using Russia's big rocket. This would include Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the European Space Agency, and Australia. To keep cost under control, all US military contractors would have to be excluded. I don't know how to do that without telling the entire US they're not invited.

Would you like that? So here is a "carrot". We'll help Russia, but the condition is you have to back off from Ukraine. Minister Baird talked about Crimea, but polls from an American polling company show 90% of people in Crimea want to join Russia. They didn't believe the referendum, so the Washington Post hired an American company to conduct a poll of their own. The result was 90%, not 97%, but that's still overwhelming support. Result for the rest of Ukraine is quite different. So my argument is let Russia keep Crimea, but not a single square centimetre more. If you want my "carrot", that's the condition.

[Winnipegger]

CBC: Ukrainian shell fire kills 1 near border, Russia says

$1:

Russia's foreign ministry claimed Sunday that a Ukrainian shell hit a town on the Russian border, killing one person and seriously injuring two others.

A ministry statement labelled the incident a "provocation," and warned of the possibility of "irreversible consequences, the responsibility for which lies on the Ukrainian side."

Russia says the shell hit the courtyard of a residential building in the Russian town of Donetsk early on Sunday. The town borders Ukraine's restless east, where a pro-Russian separatist insurgency has waged a three-month long battle with the Kyiv government.

Ukrainian officials denied that any Ukrainian shells had fallen on Russian territory. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, was quoted by Interfax as saying that Ukrainian forces "do not fire on the territory of a neighbouring country. They do not fire on residential areas." He placed blame for the attack on the rebels themselves, and condemned the shelling as a "provocation."

[Winnipegger]

CBC: Ukraine says plane shot down by rocket from Russia

$1:

A Ukrainian military transport plane was shot down Monday along the country's eastern border with Russia, the defence minister said.

Rebels in conflict-wracked eastern Ukraine immediately claimed responsibility for downing the Antonov-26 but Ukrainian Defence Minister Valeriy Heletey said the rocket may have been fired from Russia.

Heletey said the plane was flying at an altitude of 6,500 metres, which he said was too high to be reached with the weapons used by the separatists fighting government troops.

Ukrainian authorities say plane may have been carrying around 20 people but there was no immediate word on casualties.

[Winnipegger]

CBC: Ukraine airstrike kills 11, demolishes apartment block in separatist area

$1:

An airstrike demolished an apartment block in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, killing at least 11 civilians, regional officials said. The attack adds to the steadily growing number of civilians killed over four months in a dogged pro-Russian insurgency.

The devastation bore signs of a strike by several missiles and left only a mountain of smoking debris. The four-story apartment block appeared to have been hit in two separate spots, causing the collapse of several tiers, and a nearby house was also destroyed.

Health officials in the rebel-dominated Donetsk region, where Snizhne is located, said 11 people were killed in the strike. Rescue workers managed to pull one small child with broken legs alive from the rubble, as grieving residents sifted for belongings. An Associated Press reporter counted six large impact craters.

Government officials denied local resident claims that the Tuesday strike was carried out by Ukraine's air force, but did not say whom they blame. Rebel forces are not known to have access to airpower.

Ukraine's Defence Ministry insisted the bombing could not have been carried out by the air force as none of its planes were on sorties at the time of the strike. Security Council spokesman Andrei Lysenko called the incident a "cynical and bloody provocation" aimed at discrediting the armed forces.

[Winnipegger]

CBC: Why dashcams are growing in popularity

$1:

Now, Jang says, sales of the cameras are brisk and their popularity is growing, as more and more drivers seek out the device to give them video evidence for insurance claims in case of an accident.

"It gives you ammunition. It’s like a silent witness," said Steve Kee, a spokesman with the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

This is a product that Russia could export to Canada and other Western countries. But to sell Russian products, stop invading Ukraine.

[DrCaleb]

Winnipegger Winnipegger:

This is a product that Russia could export to Canada and other Western countries. But to sell Russian products, stop invading Ukraine.

http://gopro.com/

Just say'in. We use these all the time in racing.

[Winnipegger]

There are Western versions, and some from China. I'm trying to find something that Russia could sell, and we would actually buy. A carrot. Please tell Putin to knock off the Soviet style expansionism.

[DrCaleb]

Winnipegger Winnipegger:

There are Western versions, and some from China. I'm trying to find something that Russia could sell, and we would actually buy. A carrot. Please tell Putin to knock off the Soviet style expansionism.

An admirable cause, but Russian cams and North American cams, to paraphrase 'Armageddon' - "All made in Taiwan!".

There is very little the Russia makes that we don't already make ourselves or get from Asia. And the stuff they do make, I'd be hesitant to risk because of quality or corruption issues.

[andyt]

Winnipegger Winnipegger:

There are Western versions, and some from China. I'm trying to find something that Russia could sell, and we would actually buy. A carrot. Please tell Putin to knock off the Soviet style expansionism.

Are we going to have a govt edict to buy Russian products if Russia would only stop their expansionism? I'm sure it's possible right now for somebody to import Russian made stuff if they thought they could turn a buck from it.

Canada doesn't have much clout in terms of sanctions, but we don't even use what we have. Talk a good game, but no way we'll sanction anything or anybody that would hurt our oil industry. We're no different than other western countries here, except that our rhetoric is more heated, thus our hypocrisy greater.

[Winnipegger]

No, Andy, not any sort of government edict. Just regular people like you and me buying imported goods. We buy all sorts of stuff from the US, France, Germany, UK, Australia, and of course cheap crap from Taiwan, Malaysia, China, Mexico. I still find it ironic that I live in western Canada, where the governments of Manitoba and Saskatchewan compete over who has the lead for wheat. Yet, I buy an Australian kit for home brew beer. Cooper's has a great stout. Morgan's is Canadian but their options are: blond, pale, pilsner, lager, or light. A few years ago, the Russian federal minister of transportation came to Winnipeg trying to promote a regular trade route. He wanted Winnipeg to be their gateway to the entire North American market. He suggested ships from Murmansk to Churchill, then rail to the existing in-land customs port in Winnipeg. He even offered the services of their nuclear powered ice breakers to clear a channel through Hudson's Bay. He also wanted an air freight route to the Winnipeg airport. Winnipeg has greatly expanded freight services at the airport. We're all set, just need a product that people actually want to buy. There is Russian vodka in liquor stores, but I haven't seen any other Russian products. I heard about dashcams so thought that's something Russia could export.

As for the condition, again the government doesn't have to do anything. You tell me: would you be willing to buy products from Russia while this business in Ukraine is happening?

[DrCaleb]

$1:

Ukraine claims fighter plane shot down by Russian missile
A spokesman for Ukraine's security council says an air force fighter jet has been shot down by a missile fired from a Russian plane.

Ukrainian officials have recently accused Russia's armed forces of being directly involved in attacks on Ukrainian troops battling an insurgency near the Russian border.

Spokesman Andrei Lysenko said in a televised briefing that the pilot of the Sukhoi Su-25 jet was forced to eject from the plane after it was shot at on Wednesday evening. Pro-Russia rebels claimed responsibility on Wednesday for strikes on two Sukhoi Su-25 jets.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/j ... =wp-plugin

[PostFactum]

Well, I'm here for few minutes. So, for the last weeks we are in deep shit.
1. Special Russian forces invaded Donezk region.
2. Russians launch rockets from Russian territory to Ukrainian. When we ask "wtf?" They answer: "What? are you crazy? That's your sick imagination."
3. They shoot down our planes using their planes and rockets.
4. Russian special forces have been seen since yesterday without any signs at the uniform. The same forces as in Crimea.
5. From time to time they surround our forces on the border and kill them with rocket launching from Russian territory. Our soldiers can't do anything because they can't step to Russian territory.
6. We received 1000 body armors from US, but looks like they are made to defend from a stick and stones. Bullet 7.62 (Most of Russians use many kinds of AK-47) sew through like that's paper.
7. Russians got few new sanctions and rubl felt down. Money run from Russia but we still can't see any effects. Europe still don't want to use 3 level of sanctions.
8. During this war Ukraine lost near 400 soldiers.
9. Russians still send their forces, give money and weapons to terrorists.
10. Territory of operation has become twice shorter.
11. Russians are set in two large cities Donezk and Lugansk. For this time our army can't kick them out from this cities.
12. Few hours ago Russians shoot down passenger plane "Kuala Lumpur - Amsterdam" (Or another city, news say different versions about second city) with 280 passengers.

[DrCaleb]

PostFactum PostFactum:

Well, I'm here for few minutes. So, for the last weeks we are in deep shit.

12. Few hours ago Russians shoot down passenger plane "Kuala Lumpur - Amsterdam" (Or another city, news say different versions about second city) with 280 passengers.

Reports here are saying it's a Malaysian flight.

Killing uninterested civilians might just be what it takes for other countries to come into this fight against Russia.

[PostFactum]

The main Terrorist happily says that they just shoot down "Ukrainian plane". Russians started deleting all their recent posts about "Shooted down Ukrainian plane".