Results of the "Ultra" in Maidan: Key Issues and Nuclear Weapons

Today, in a leaked phone conversation recorded on March 18th, Yulia Tymoshenko, former prime minister of Ukraine (2007-2010) confirmed the worst fears southeast Ukraine has.

In a telephone conversation with former Minister of Security and Defense Shufrych, Mrs. Tymoshenko stated that the Russian annexation of Crimea would not have happened if she had been in Ukraine. She wants the responsible party to be shot.

She went on to say she wants to drop nuclear weapons on 8 million Russians and turn Russia into a desert. It might be noted in this connection that the new government in Kiev insists it can have nuclear weapons within 3-6 months time. 

When the conversation turned to southeast Ukraine, Tymoshenko said her choice would be to take automatics and shoot down the millions of Russians in Ukraine. I am sure she was actually referring to the millions of Russian-speaking people who live in Ukraine. Realizing that such a strategy is not feasible, however, she then expressed her desire to bomb the people in southeast Ukraine instead.

Former Minister Shufrych shifted the conversation by suggesting that Crimea be taken to trial at the Hague. He also declared that both he and his son had military experience and would not hesitate to pick up weapons. Mrs. Tymoshenko, for her part, was clear that she will make the world stand up for the new government in Kiev.

In other news, current Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk gave a press conference in Kiev after meeting with President Obama last week. What came out of it was that the Ukrainian government's ENTIRE BUDGET, which includes all money coming in from the EU and USA, will be allocated to the military. According to Yatsenyuk, the military needs to increase spending tenfold. Thus, instead of making the reforms the EU is demanding to modernize the country, the new Maidan Kiev government will allocate all funds to the purchase of weapons and military training.

During the new government's first month in power, most of Ukraine's armories have been robbed. The equipment taken includes military vehicles, thousands of automatic weapons, and anti-aircraft shoulder-fired missiles. This has prompted the US and many other countries to divert air traffic from entering Ukrainian air space.

While the Prime Minister was meeting with Obama, the Ukrainian government ordered a fitness report from the military to assess the combat readiness of its troops, because of the situation in Crimea. The report assessed the readiness at 6%. Most Ukrainian servicemen have not fired a weapon more than a few times during their entire service. They take classroom readiness tests instead. It should be kept in mind, however, that this information comes from Maidan-friendly Ukrainian news sources. The importance of that disclaimer will be apparent shortly.

Dimitri Yarosh

The Kiev government has diverted all military funding to forming the Ukrainian National Guard , which falls under the direction of Andrei Parubi. Mr. Parubi is one of the founders of the Svoboda Party and a former officer of Trizub, led by the ultra-nationalist Dimitri Yarosh. The purpose of the new National Guard is to quash protests, Russian sympathizers, and separatists. Mr. Parubi has gone on record stating that the over one-million Ukrainians working in Russia should be abandoned as "persona non grata," because they were not participants in the Maidan movement.

Dimitri Yarosh, for his part, wields enough power behind the scenes as an Assistant Minister to pose a viable threat to the new Ultra Fascist government, which is too moderate for his tastes. Mr. Yarosh may have only a junior cabinet position, but as the Ultra Nationalist leader of Trizub and Pravy Sector, his core men control every aspect of Ukrainian life at the Ministry level. At his command, Pravy Sector would refuse to join the national army if it meant giving up the weapons it has collected at most of the armories in the country. And why would Yarosh be willing to give those weapons up?

The Growing Threat of the Ultra-Right

The coup-imposed government says the National Guard will be tasked with law-enforcement duties--protecting the country's borders and fighting terrorism . This means one thing. Both Barack Obama's administration and the EU know they are delivering money for weapons and training to what may well become the new Ukrainian SS Galicia, an offspring of Hitler's Ukrainian allies in World War II. Mr. Yatsenyuk promised that, with Western help, the new National Guard will root out all dissenters and separatists. He promised to burn the ground beneath their feet. For the EU and US, this is their tax dollars at work.

Two days ago, Pravy Sector took over the Nemiroff Distillery in Vinnitsa Oblast by force, using flash-bang grenades and tear gas. Before the townspeople could retake the plant, Pravy Sector managed to steal the entire payroll, which supplies nearly all the income for Nimiriv, Ukraine. While it is true that Ultra Nationalists don't like vodka, I guess shaking down factory workers is fair game.

With these developments, a growing number of politicians in Europe are trying to put the brakes on support for the Ukrainian government and the imposition of sanctions on Russia. EU member Latvia had Nazi SS celebrations and parades on March 16th, and, in Hungary, a now toned-down Ultra Nationalist party is gaining predominance. Europe is starting to get scared as Ultra Nationalism begins its spread westward.

At the same time, however, the US is giving billions of American tax dollars to two men, Yarosh and Tyanhybok, who are unmatched in the world for the threat they pose as right-wing Ultra Nationalists.

Human Rights and Free Speech

Today in Donetsk and Lughansk (both are Ukrainian regional capitals), protest leaders are being arrested for separatism. Hundreds of supporters saw them being arrested and taken away. This story is so new that the location the leaders were taken to remains unknown.