Seems like the old Ukraine:
"Ukraine adopts law to purge government officials" Associated press October 10, 2014
KIEV — Ukraine’s president approved legislation Thursday to purge government bodies of officials linked to the rule of the country’s previous leader, Viktor Yanukovych.
The law is aimed at restoring public trust in authorities and building ‘‘a new system of government in line with European standards,’’ President Petro Poroshenko’s office said in a statement.
Meaning they have lost it. The E.U.-U.S.-installed junta lasted what, less than a year?
Yanukovych was overthrown in February after months of sometimes violent protests ignited by widespread discontent over corruption and poor administration. Poroshenko was elected president in May on the back of pledges he would usher in ambitious reforms — promises that his critics charge he is failing to enact swiftly enough.
The prime minister says around 1 million people could be affected by the law, which lays out the terms for checks on officials in national and local government. Government workers employed for at least one year during Yanukovych’s four-year tenure could be barred from state service for a period of five to 10 years under the regulations.
Similar initiatives were pursued in many former Soviet bloc nations in the early 1990s as post-independence governments sought to overturn the legacy of decades of communist rule.
We are a long way from that as the agenda-pushing press tries to justify this?
Critics of Ukraine’s law say the public nature of the purge amounts to a political witch hunt.
Imagine if the Obummer came out tomorrow and said all Republicans are purged from government. How would that go over?
Ukraine’s top prosecutor has warned the legislation may be unconstitutional and lead to unforeseen circumstances.
Must be following US orders.
Opponents of Poroshenko’s government say firing leftovers of the Yanukovych era is an attempt at suppressing political opposition.
Poroshenko has said the legislation may in the future be revised on the recommendations of international legal experts.
--more--"
"Clashes erupt outside Ukraine’s parliament in Kiev" by Peter Leonard | Associated Press October 15, 2014
KIEV — Clashes broke out Tuesday between demonstrators and police in front of Ukraine’s Parliament in Kiev as deputies inside repeatedly voted down proposals to recognize a World War II-era Ukrainian partisan group as national heroes.
Thousands of Svoboda nationalist party supporters rallied earlier in the capital in celebration of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, whose struggle for independence for Ukraine was tainted by its collaboration with the Nazis.
Same as now.
Later, masked men attacked and threw smoke grenades at lines of police outside Parliament as lawmakers met inside. The Interior Ministry said 36 people were detained by police.
Meanwhile, at least 14 people, including seven civilians and seven servicemen, were killed in fighting between pro-Russian separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine. A cease-fire has been in place since early September but violations are reported daily.
The fire never really ceased, and the rebels have rolled back the Ukraine Army. That's why pre$$ coverage has greatly diminished. This has become a loss.
Svoboda said its members were not responsible for the unrest in Kiev, which police said was orchestrated by a small group of people.
Most everything is.
The unrest overshadowed the passage of laws that the government hopes will contain the galloping corruption that has long hindered Ukraine’s economy.
People don't like being purged, huh?
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"Putin orders troops away from Ukraine border" Associated Press October 13, 2014
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered thousands of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border to return to their usual bases, according to his spokesman.
Once again, Putin has avoided war!
He's the one deserving of a Peace Prize. First Syria, now this!
Dmitry Peskov told Russian news outlets late Saturday in Sochi that Putin had ordered approximately 17,600 troops to return home from Rostov, a southern region that borders east Ukraine, where pro-Russia insurgents have been battling government troops since April.
The Kremlin has said that troops stationed in Rostov were participating in drills, but Ukraine and the West have repeatedly accused Russia of fueling the insurgency with arms, expertise, and fighters, and have slapped Moscow with sanctions in response to its moves in the region.
Previous Russian claims of troop withdrawals have been countered by NATO.
The withdrawal may be a sign of good will ahead of Putin’s trip to Milan on Thursday, where he is set to meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and European Union leaders.
What of Petroshenko cuts a deal? Where will the West be then?
As EU and US sanctions against Russia begin to bite and economic growth falters, Moscow may also hope that a troop withdrawal will bolster the chance Western nations will revoke those measures.
Pfffft!
Late last month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the European Union was still not considering removing the sanctions because of ongoing fighting in east Ukraine. That's why Germany's economy is going into the toilet.
The sanctions are hurting them worse than Russia.
In Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, the city center was quiet but explosions rang out in the direction of the airport, where fighting between government troops and pro-Russia forces has been waged despite a cease-fire declared Sept. 5.
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"NATO says no sign of Russian withdrawal near Ukraine" Associated Press October 16, 2014
THESSALONIKI, Greece — NATO’s top military commander said Wednesday that the alliance would welcome the withdrawal of Russian troops from a Russian region bordering Ukraine but that it has seen no ‘‘major movement’’ so far.
On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered 17,600 Russian troops to return to their bases from Rostov. The region in Russia borders east Ukraine, where pro-Russia insurgents have battled government troops since April.
‘‘We would welcome withdrawal of troops on that border, and we are anxiously watching what is happening,’’ US Air Force General Philip Breedlove, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, said on the sidelines of a NATO conference in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.
‘‘We have not seen major movements yet,’’ he said. ‘‘Now we will watch to see if there is delivery on the promise.’’
I don't believe you, war-monger.
Russia has denied Ukrainian and Western charges that it has supported the insurgency in eastern Ukraine with weapons, expertise, and fighters, saying that troops are participating in drills.
Breedlove noted it was important for the West to comprehend the possible motives for Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Putin has repeatedly accused the United States, the EU, and NATO of stonewalling Moscow’s economic and security concerns and trying to pull Ukraine into the Western orbit.
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Related: Putin's Hokey Pokey in Ukraine
He's still dancing.
Boston reporter detained in Russia
Old Russia?
New Russia: "Kyrgyzstan, an impoverished, mostly Muslim Central Asian nation on China’s mountainous western border, has cultivated close ties with Russia and aspired to become a member of a Moscow-led economic bloc."
That's the threat!
