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[XXSockXX]

(I liked the Schröder bit, by the way - he seems like the right guy for the job. He's probably to chummy with Putin, though :/ )

Yeah, Schröder has some credibility issues due to his Gazprom job. He's probably right about UN involvment. I think I said that when this thing started, that's the only way to involve Russia and find a solution acceptable to all sides.

I think that if the government SUCCEEDED with suppressing the protests, they would only make a much bigger problem for themselves because if terrorism is going to pop up, it's when there are no other options.

I'm more worried that this could also go the civil war route. In Eastern Ukraine offices of the opposition have been attacked, there seems to be some potential to tear the country apart.

I'm seeing lots of bad comments about the protesters being far-right radicals, which is.. true. I think they'd get more support from Europe otherwise.  Nationalism ain't popular in Western Europe.

I'm seeing that too. Correspondents try to point out how diverse the protesters are, but an awful lot of people seem to think they're just a bunch of Neo-Nazis. Some idiots are also talking about US warmongering, but that's how internet comments go.

[Sheb]

The thing is, the guys on the barricades seems to be mostly Svodoba and Right Sectors. (Although maybe it's just that we mostly hear from them thanks to Ukrainian Ranger). Again, not people I really like (no offense Ranger).

[XXSockXX]

The guys on the barricades look like that indeed. However there's also elderly women and other rather harmlessly looking people. Also a lot of church support, judging by the occasional chants/prayers. Generally the majority of the opposition around the Jazenjuk and Klitschko parties are not that radical, though the Right Sector seems to be driving the resistance on Maidan right now.

[Sheb]

Also, in our recurrent "The IOC is a bunch of assholes": they refuse to let Ukrainian athletes wear black armbands in condoleance.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

I still dream of International Brigades like in the Spanish Civil War - but it didn't work then, and it won't work now...

I know for sure about Belorussians, Russians, Georgians and Chechens. Additionally I heard rumors about Polish and Hungarian nationalist groups but those are rumors
Numbers are small, but that is more a symbolic stuff

I think that if the government SUCCEEDED with suppressing the protests, they would only make a much bigger problem for themselves because if terrorism is going to pop up, it's when there are no other options.

There are another question, what will they do with the Western Ukraine should they succeed in Kiev tonight. In Lviv every governmental building is captured. I mean every: all police stations, base of internal army including it's arsenal, local SBU(Secret Service) office.

The thing is, the guys on the barricades seems to be mostly Svodoba and Right Sectors.

That guys wouldn't do nothing without the help of common Ukrainians. Army can't fight without logistical support and supplies.  And I'd not say that even on barricades nationalists are majority, just a spearhead. Who else should be there? It would be strange if the most radical guys would be in any other place but on the barricades. Plus common sense, first line should consist of the best troops, we are not Berkut to do other way around

Also, in our recurrent "The IOC is a bunch of assholes": they refuse to let Ukrainian athletes wear black armbands in condoleance.

Well, in that way there will be more media attention then if they allowed it, so maybe IOC are good guys and that is a crafty plan?

[XXSockXX]

This could turn ugly real quick now. Apparently the army has issued a statement that they could join the secret service in the "anti-terror" operation.

Lviv has declared itself autonomous from Kiev. There are uprisings in other western cities too.

Also protesters have seized a lot of weapons and ammo.

[Sinistar]

Shit, this is bad.

Now the government actually has a valid "anti-terror" excuse to launch any sort of operation.

[XXSockXX]

In more positive news, Reuters is also reporting that Russia has delayed payment of a 2 billion $ credit to Ukraine for "technical reasons". If that is to be understood as a sign that Putin considers withdrawing his support, that would help much more than any possible EU sanctions.

The US wants to coordinate it's sanctions with the EU and the French and German Foreign Ministers are accompanying their Polish colleague to Kiev. So negotiations are still on the table.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Now the government actually has a valid "anti-terror" excuse to launch any sort of operation.

........... It's not a valid reason if your crackdown is the one causing the people to fight back.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

In more positive news, Reuters is also reporting that Russia has delayed payment of a 2 billion $ credit to Ukraine for "technical reasons".

https://twitter.com/maxseddon/status/436191906955931648

Of cause he doesn't want to pay. It is obvious that they have a deal : "you clear Maidan, I give money." Who knew that they fail yesterday?

[Sinistar]

Now the government actually has a valid "anti-terror" excuse to launch any sort of operation.

........... It's not a valid reason if your crackdown is the one causing the people to fight back.

"Valid" as in no longer "we must conduct anti-terror operations because stuff" but instead "we must conduct anti-terror operations because LOOK! THEY STOLE OUR WEAPONS! THEY SEIZED CONTROL OF THE CITIES! THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY DANGEROUS TERRORISTS BENT ON DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY AND WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO DESTROY THEM INSTEAD BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!!"

I'm not saying their cause is JUST, only that it's even easier for them to actually do that now.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

So... Yanukovich removed the commander of Land Forces of Ukraine from his position and put another guy on his place

I guess former commander refused to follow some order so was hastily  replaced

[MetalSlimeHunt]

That's....not a good sign. Old guard commanders being replaced with new loyalists has a tendency to precede atrocities.

[Guardian G.I.]

The coverage of the fighting in Kiev by Western and Russian media is clearly divided. Russian news bulletins on channels like Rossiya 1 blame the opposition for starting the battle in Kiev. Interviews with Berkut troopers were shown: they demonstrated pistol, rifle and shotgun ammunition casings and bullet holes on their equipment and said that Berkut has nothing to fight back the opposition gunmen except guns with rubber bullets and rubber batons. Meanwhile, Western television channels like Euronews put the blame for starting the violence exclusively on the government troops: correspondents interviewed opposition members at the Maidan who said that they have no guns, they didn't provoke the police in any way and won't do it and that the violence was started by government provocateurs.

This could turn ugly real quick now. Apparently the army has issued a statement that they could join the secret service in the "anti-terror" operation.

Lviv has declared itself autonomous from Kiev. There are uprisings in other western cities too.

Also protesters have seized a lot of weapons and ammo.

At today's session of the Crimean parliament, Nikolai Kolesnichenko, an MP from the Party of Regions declared that the Crimean parliament should be ready to raise the question of seceding from Ukraine and becoming a part of Russia if the confrontation between the opposition and the government continues (link in Russian).

[XXSockXX]

The coverage of the fighting in Kiev by Western and Russian media is clearly divided. Russian news bulletins on channels like Rossiya 1 blame the opposition for starting the battle in Kiev. Interviews with Berkut troopers were shown: they demonstrated pistol, rifle and shotgun ammunition casings and bullet holes on their equipment and said that Berkut has nothing to fight back the opposition gunmen except guns with rubber bullets and rubber batons. Meanwhile, Western television channels like Euronews put the blame for starting the violence exclusively on the government troops: correspondents interviewed opposition members at the Maidan who said that they have no guns, they didn't provoke the police in any way and won't do it and that the violence was started by government provocateurs.

I don't know, my main news sources seem relatively balanced. The government is mostly blamed for letting it come that far, but there are reports about violence committed by protesters too and reports about protesters shooting policemen. At least part of the public is worried - as we mentioned earlier - about the violence on the protesters side and especially about the political affliation of the protesters. Some of the coverage I've seen is simplistic/sensationalist/one-sided, but most coverage does an ok job about reporting facts and separating opinion pieces from the actual reporting.
A lot of the German coverage is pretty Klitschko-centric, I guess mostly because he's very popular from his boxing days, even among people who know barely anything about Ukraine. This has sparked some criticism though, because there is less coverage about the more radical protesters.

Lviv has declared itself autonomous from Kiev. There are uprisings in other western cities too.

At today's session of the Crimean parliament, Nikolai Kolesnichenko, an MP from the Party of Regions declared that the Crimean parliament should be ready to raise the question of seceding from Ukraine and becoming a part of Russia if the confrontation between the opposition and the government continues (link in Russian).

That's worrying stuff there. Might tear the country apart if this goes on for much longer.