Inkwell Institute

Eurasian Desk

There is so much more going on with the situation in Ukraine than we are privy to at this point….but a little research and there comes a picture that is not at all clearly focused.

We know those dastardly Russians have taken the Crimea without firing a shot…..and the reports are that the army is poised on the border waiting for orders to invade Ukraine…..is that about the news as you have heard it?

Then let’s look at the situation……we do not want to provoke Russia………or do we?

Source: Global Post

Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday approved a series of joint military exercises with NATO countries that would put US troops in direct proximity to Russian forces in the annexed Crimea peninsula.

“This is a good opportunity to develop our armed forces,” acting defence minister Mykhailo Koval told Verkhovna Rada lawmakers ahead of the 235-0 vote.

The decision came as NATO foreign ministers gathered in Brussels for a two-day meeting dominated by concern over the recent buildup of Russian forces near Crimea that US officials estimate had at one point reached about 40,000 troops.

NATO has sought to reinforce its eastern frontier after Russia’s takeover of Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula and amid concerns about Kremlin’s emboldened foreign policy.

Russia on Monday reported pulling back a battalion of about 500 to 700 soldiers from the border region in a move that German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called “a small sign that the situation is becoming less tense”.

Read More…

So we are basically trying to call a bluff, right?

We have NATO commander Gen. Breedlove stoking the embers……….

The Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and the US Air Force General Philip Breedlove described the situation at the border as “incredibly concerning”.

“This is a very large, very capable and very ready force” Mr Breedlove told The Wall Street Journal.

The Russian force has aircraft and helicopter support as well as field hospitals and electronic warfare capabilities – “the entire suite that would be required to successfully have an incursion into Ukraine should the decision be made,” Mr Breedlove warned.

“We think it is ready to go and we think it could accomplish its objectives in between three and five days if directed to make the actions,” he said.

The general is making the case for the provocation of Russia with the NATO military exercises……so are we on the cusp of a military action?

Is Russia waiting to launch an attack on Ukraine?  Maybe there is more to the reports than we are getting………

NBC News has debunked reports that Russia was building up troops in order to invade Ukraine. That doesn’t mean that it won’t happen at some point in the future. But it does mean that fears of a possible Russian invasion of East Ukraine or Moldavia have been blown out of proportion. NBC News went into the territory and found no evidence of an impending invasion. They interviewed local villagers on both sides of the border; most of them said there was no such evidence. In many places, the border is completely open so that you can cross it at will; if Russia had wanted to invade Eastern Ukraine, they would have done so by now.

The recent troop buildups reported on in the news, placed as high as 50,000 by the Wall Street Journal, were filmed on Interpreter. However, it turns out from NBC’s reporting that Russia was telling the truth when they said that they were conducting military exercises. There was a purpose behind the exercises — they were there as a show of force in an effort to influence events in Kiev. Since reports of these buildups hit the news, Kiev special forces shot and killed one of the nationalist ringleaders who had been committing political violence to further his aims. And the threat of a Russian attack persuaded his supporters to back down from surrounding the Parliament building and the Right Sector issued a statement saying they would pursue their aims only through lawful means. And elements emerged, as RT lamely admitted, that want to outlaw the far right or at least curb their activities.