Current Events and Links

See also:
War of Gog and Magog
The New Cold War

Russia and Iran Reported in Talks on Energy Deal Worth Billions

Apr. 30, 2014 -

The Obama administration’s strategy of punishing Russia with economic sanctions over the Ukraine crisis encountered a new complication on Monday with word that the Russians are negotiating an $8 billion to $10 billion energy deal with Iran.

According to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, Russia will export 500 megawatts of electricity to Iran via a transmission network. They will also construct new thermal and hydroelectric generating plants.

Source: NY Times

Prophetic Significance of Russia

Ukraine crisis: Pro-Russia activists seize Luhansk HQ

Apr. 29, 2014 -

A large crowd of pro-Russian activists has stormed the regional administration's headquarters in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk.

Source: BBC

Analysis: Vladimir Putin's veiled threats over Ukraine - BBC

Ukraine crisis: G7 'to intensify Russia sanctions'

Apr. 26, 2014 - The G7 commended Ukraine for acting with restraint while some of their pro-Russia citizens occupied a number of government buildings.

But the group, which includes the US, UK, Germany, Japan, France, Canada and Italy, condemned Russia's "increasingly concerning rhetoric and ongoing threatening military manoeuvres".

The group said they will intensify targeted sanctions and measures against Russia, possibly as soon as this coming Monday.

Source: BBC

USA declares readiness to impose targeted sanctions against Russia - ITAR-TASS

Putin Halts All Talks With White House - Before It's News

Russia wants to start third world war, says Ukraine

Apr. 25, 2014 - Ukrainian prime minister, Arseny Yatseniuk told his interim cabinet:

"The world has not yet forgotten world war two, but Russia already wants to start world war three. Attempts at military conflict in Ukraine will lead to a military conflict in Europe."

Source: The Guardian - UK

Ukraine helicopter hit by grenade taking off - Telegraph - UK

US: Russia has ‘days, not weeks’ to stem Ukraine crisis - Times of Israel

Putin is on the march - Wajiha Suboor - Opinion - Putin wants to rebuild the Soviet Union - - Hubub

Ukraine attack in Sloviansk draws stern Putin warning

Apr. 24, 2014 - When Ukrainian commandos cleared checkpoints at a separatist stronghold in Sloviansk, at least two rebels were killed.

Speaking on Russian TV as news of the Sloviansk operation was coming in, Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "If the regime in Kiev has begun using the army against the population inside the country, then this is undoubtedly a very serious crime.

Source: BBC

Ukraine alert as politician 'killed'

Apr. 22, 2014 -

Ukraine's acting president has ordered the relaunch of military operations against pro-Russian militants in the east after two men, one a local politician, were "tortured to death."

Oleksandr Turchynov said, "The terrorists who effectively took the whole Donetsk region hostage have now gone too far."

Vice-President Joe Biden is visiting Ukraine at this time.

Source: BBC

US Sending 600 Troops to Eastern Europe to Reassure Allies - NewsMax

'Provocative' Putin reacts to U.S. presence - WND

Make No Mistake: Russia Is Invading Ukraine - NewsMax

State Department cites photo 'evidence' purportedly showing Russian troops in Ukraine

Apr. 22, 2014 - Ukraine's government claims that some of the "pro-Russian" individuals who are demonstrating and occupying buildings are actually Russians.

The State Department is vouching for photographic "evidence" that purports to show Russian special forces in eastern Ukraine, despite Vladimir Putin's claims that his operatives are not behind the unrest.

A diplomatic agreement was made in Geneva that the pro-Russian militants must lay down their arms.

Source: Fox

US: Russia has ‘days, not weeks’ to stem Ukraine crisis - Times of Israel

Pentagon weighs deploying troops to Poland as militants snub Ukraine pact

Apr. 19, 2014 -

The Pentagon is exploring options for deploying U.S. troops to Poland to expand NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe because of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, as pro-Russian militants defiantly refused Friday to leave government buildings in eastern Ukraine.

Source: Fox

Ukraine, US work to reduce tensions with Russia

Apr. 17, 2014 -

Ukraine is hoping to placate Russia and calm hostilities with its neighbor even as the U.S. prepares a new round of sanctions to punish Moscow for what it regards as fomenting unrest.

Meanwhile, Russia is pushing the West as far as possible, while trying not to provoke sanctions against its financial and energy sectors or a military confrontation with NATO.

Source: Business Week

Ukrainian troops secure airfield as operations against pro-Russian militants begin

Apr. 16, 2014 -

The Ukrainian military on Tuesday secured an airfield threatened by Russian sympathizers, signaling the start of a campaign to counter militants who have stormed official buildings in at least 10 eastern cities.

Analysts are concerned that the situation in Ukraine is similar to the events that led to Crimea’s annexation by Russia early this year.

Source: KYIVpost

Ukraine launches operation to drive out pro-Russian activists from police building in Slovyansk

Apr. 13, 2014 - Several law enforcement buildings in east Ukraine have been seized by pro-Russia militia who are in favor of joining Russia. Ukrainian forces have exchanged fire with some of the separatists. According to some reports, "There were dead and wounded on both sides."

Unrest has spread to several municipalities in eastern Ukraine, including the major industrial city of Donetsk, which has a large Russian-speaking population.

Source: Fox

Ukrainian Leaders Slam Russia for Attempt to ‘Tear Country Apart’

Apr. 7, 2014 - Ukrainian leaders claim that Russia is fomenting unrest in the eastern part of the country. Pro-Russian protesters have been occupying government buildings and calling for a regional referendum on independence.

Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov said he believed the recent events in the east represented “the second wave of Russia’s special operation against Ukraine, aimed at destabilization, toppling the current government, thwarting elections and tearing the country apart.”

Source: Wall Street Journal

Ukraine: pro-Russia activists proclaim independent republic in Donetsk - The Guardian

Ukraine: Vladimir Putin threatens to turn off the gas - Telegraph - UK

Moscow and Ramallah: The new alliance

April 7, 2014 -

Analysis: Palestinians may soon be the ones to threaten US (and Israel) by inviting Russia to the negotiating table as a partner and mediator.

The Palestinians have dared to resist U.S. pressure to make peace with Israel. One reason they may take the risk of losing American assistance is the fact that Russia is returning to its cold-war positions and needs friends. Russia sees the Palestinian Authority as an ideal bridgehead to the Arab world.

Source: YNET News

Ukraine creates buzz for end-times watchers

Apr. 2, 2014 - Chemi Shaley, a writer for Haaretz, the Israeli news source, said that many Israelis think that developments in the Ukraine could set in motion the conflict with Gog and Magog, one of the Bible’s heralds of the end times and the return of the Messiah. He said that Josephus, the Jewish historian identified the Scythians, who lived in the central Eurasian region until the 4th century, lived in the land of Magog. That could make Ukraine part of the Gog and Magog alliance that will attack Israel as a prelude to the End of Days. Therefore, they believe that "it is Vladimir Putin, aka Gog, aka King of the North, who has set things in motion."

Source: WND

FYI: Putin=Gog, Crimea=Magog, the apocalypse is here and the Messiah is coming - Chemi Shaley - Haaretz

Ukraine crisis: US-Russia deadlock despite 'frank' talks

Mar. 30, 2014 - After meeting for four hours of "frank" talks with his Russian counterpart, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that there was no breakthrough on the Ukraine issue. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia needed to protect the Russian-speaking population in Crimea. Kerry told him the U.S. considers Russia's annexation of the area was "illegal and illegitimate."

Source: BC

Ukraine crisis: Nato suspends Russia co-operation - BBC

Ukraine crisis: US and Russia set for Paris talks

Mar. 30, 2014 - Following an hour-long phone conversation between President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting was quickly arranged in Paris for talks today between the two countries regarding the Ukraine situation. Russia has annexed Crimea and has stationed military forces along the border between Russia and Ukraine. Some analysts think that Putin is demanding that Washington accepts Crimea's independence from Ukraine.

Nato's outgoing Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned on Sunday that Russia's government was "[flouting] the principle that every state is sovereign and free to choose its own fate".

In a related issue, Russia is considering their relationship with Trans-Dniester, a pro-Russian separatist region of Moldova on the south-western border of Ukraine. They complain that Ukraine and Moldova are "blockading" the area while the EU and the US stay silent.

Source: BBC

US, Russia to begin new round of talks over Ukraine - Fox

Russia could build a train that would connect New York to Paris

Mar. 29, 2014 - It might cost $100 billion and take a decade to build, but Russia has seriously considered constructing a railroad that would connect Russia to Alaska through tunnels under the Bering Strait. It would then stretch across three continents and ultimately connect New York to Paris. It would primarily be for transportation of oil, but could also serve passengers.

Source: Grist

Ukraine Security Official: 100,000 Russian Troops Mass on Border

Mar. 28, 2014 - Andriy Parubiy, chairman of Ukraine's national security council, expressed serious concern because Russia has stationed nearly 100,000 forces along all of Ukraine's borders.

Parubiy said any day "we might see a huge attack on the territory of continental Ukraine and we are getting ready for it."

He also asked for Ukraine's partners to hold a common military exercise to "show that the cooperation and partnership is still there."

Source: NewsMax

Russia buildup raises 'invasion' alarm

Mar. 27, 2014 -

Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday strongly urged President Obama to take a firmer stance against Russia in light of the Ukraine crisis and amid increasing disquiet on Capitol Hill about what Moscow's next move might be.

An estimated 30,000 Russian troops have been deployed along the border with eastern Ukraine.

Source: Fox

US, Allies Kick Russia Out of G-8

Mar. 25, 2014 - The world's seven leading industrial powers threatened further sanctions against Russia following Putin's take-over of Crimea. A meeting of the group with Russia had been scheduled to meet in Sochi, the site of the Winter Olympics, and it would have included Russia. Instead, the group will meet in Brussels in June, and will not include Russia.

Source: NewsMax

NATO Commander Warns of Putin Invasion Threat

Mar. 23, 2014 -

NATO's top military commander said on Sunday Russia had built up a "very sizable" force on its border with Ukraine and Moscow may have a region in another ex-Soviet republic, Moldova, in its sights after annexing Crimea.

NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe is U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlov. According to him the 28-nation alliance needs to improve its readiness for possible conflict.

Source: NewsMax

Putin and Ukraine: Reagan lessons for Obama - WND

Russia threatens to change stance on Iran because of Crimea sanctions

Mar. 20, 2014 - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov claimed that Russia didn't want to use the Iranian nuclear talks to "raise stakes," but may have to do so in response to the actions by the United States and the European Union.

Source: YNet News

Russia Warns the West it May Side with Iran - Israel National News

White House, EU sanction Russian officials after Crimea vote

Mar. 17, 2014 - President Obama announced sanctions against seven Russian officials in retaliation for Ukraine's Crimea region voting to join Russia. The European Union is making similar statements.

While stopping short of singling out Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, President Obama sanctioned several members of Putin's inner circle. The White House also announced sanctions against separatist leaders in Crimea and former president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.

Source: Fox

Ukraine activates reserves following Sunday vote - Washington Post

State television presenter warns Russia could 'turn the US into radioactive dust' - Prophecy Central's Coldwar Section

With Crimea Gone, Putin Now Prepares to Take Rest of Ukraine - NewsMax

Pro-Russian Forces Seize Ukrainian Naval Base - Time

Could Moldova Be The Next Crimea? Ethnic Russians In Transnistria Call On Moscow For Accession - International Business Times

Moldova's Trans-Dniester region pleads to join Russia - BBC

Russia now flexing muscles toward Georgia - WND

Opinion: Putin planning 'Soviet Union lite' - CNN

Ukraine crisis: US and Russia in key London talks

Mar, 14, 2014 -

US Secretary of State John Kerry is holding talks on Ukraine with his Russian counterpart in London, in an attempt to defuse tensions two days before a disputed referendum in Crimea.

Kerry has already warned Russia's Sergei Lavrov of "very serious steps" if Russia annexes the region.

An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held yesterday. The Russian ambassador to the UN defended the right of Crimea, which is predominantly ethnic Russian, to decide whether or not to join the Russian Federation.

Source: BBC

Ukraine PM: Crimea 'was, is and will be an integral part of Ukraine'

Mar. 7, 2014 - Crimean lawmakers have voted to leave Ukraine and join Russia. They have scheduled a public vote to confirm it on March 16.

This act drew widespread condemnation, with Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk calling such a referendum "an illegitimate decision."
"Crimea was, is and will be an integral part of Ukraine," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the right to use military force in Ukraine if necessary to protect ethnic Russians during the crisis.

President Barack Obama weighed in on the issue. He said that the legitimate government of Ukraine must be involved in such a decision. He said, "In 2014, we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders."

Source: CNN

5 lessons for a new Cold War - Frida Ghitis - CNN

Ukraine crisis: 'Illegal' Crimean referendum condemned

Mar. 6, 2014 - The parliament of the Crimean Penninsula has set the date of March 16 for a national vote to separate from Ukraine and join Russia.

Russian troops took de facto control of Crimea, whose population is mostly ethnic Russian, in the wake of the fall of Ukraine's pro-Moscow president

Meanwhile, the European Union threatened "serious consequences" if Russia did not act to de-escalate the crisis.

Source: BBC

Obama calls Crimea independence vote illegal as U.S. destroyer sent on exercises in the Black Sea - National Post

Congress steps up action on Ukraine - USA Today

Russia test-fires Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

Mar. 5, 2014 - Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces launched an RS-12M Topol missile from a region near the Caspian Sea. It sucessfully struck its target in Kazakhstan. The test occured during the crisis with Ukraine, but was not directly connected to the conflict.

Source: Fox

How the Ukraine Crisis Ends - Henry Kissinger - Washington Post

The 160-Year Christian History Behind What's Happening in Ukraine - Phillip Jenkins - Christianity Today

Putin: Russia Reserves Right for Force in Ukraine

Mar. 4, 2014 -

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia reserves the right to use force in Ukraine to protect Russian-speaking residents there and called the toppling of former President Viktor Yanukovych's government an "unconstitutional coup."

In a television interview in Russia Putin claimed that the soldiers sent into the Crimea region were only there to protect the Russian military installation and he saw no immediate need to send forces into western Ukraine. If they did use force in Ukraine, he said it would be legal because it was requested by deposed president Yanukovych. Putin said that Yanukovych was the country's only lawful leader.

Source: Wall Sreet Journal

Russia, China unite over Ukraine - WND

Putin: No Need to Use Military Force in Ukraine for Now - NewsMax

Putin: Russia force only 'last resort' in Ukraine - BBC

Update 3/5/14 - EU to offer $15 billion in aid to Ukraine as talks kick off in Paris - The Globe and Mail

Putin defends his course on Ukraine, seeks to turn tables against the West - Fox

Russian admiral issues ultimatum in Crimea

Mar. 3, 2014 - Russian Black Sea Fleet Commander Aleksandr Vitkoi issued an ultimatum to Ukraine's military in Crimea to surrender. He said, "If they do not give up by 5 a.m. tomorrow, there will be a real storm of subdivisions and units of Ukraine's military forces all over Crimea."

Other Russian officials said that the crisis can be defused if the country agrees to take back its ousted pro-Moscow president.

Source: USA Today

Ukraine crisis live: 'Worst crisis in Europe in the 21st Century'

Mar. 3, 2014 - Read live updates from this very important development.

Source: Telegraph - UK

Bolton: Kremlin 'laughing' at Obama - WND a name="140302a">

Ukraine Appeals to NATO for Help After Russia Approves Force

Mar. 3, 2014 - Soon after Russia's Federation Council approved the deployment of military forces in Ukraine, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrei Deshchitsa asked The North Atlantic Council (NATO) to use all possible measures to ensure its territorial integrity and protect its people. They also appealed for help securing their nuclear facilities.

Source: the Moscow Times

NATO meets on Ukraine; says Russia risks destabilizing Europe - The Globe and mail

Russian media on Crimea: “Putin will become the first person of world politics” - Raw Story

Ukraine News Update - BBC

Russian military moves in Crimea are declaration of war, says Ukrainian PM

Mar. 2, 2014 - Because Russian troops have surrounded a Ukrainian base just outside the Crimean capital, Simferopol, the acting prime minister of Ukraine said "We are on the brink of disaster." He urged Russia's Putin to honor the 1994 pact with Ukraine. He said,

"If he wants to be the president who started a war between two neighboring and friendly countries, he has reached his target within a few inches."

Source: The Guardian

President Obama, Vladimir Putin speak after Russia sends more soldiers to Ukraine - NY Daily News

Kerry Threatens Sanctions Against Russia - NewsMax

Russia Extends Reach in Crimea with Calls for Troops in Ukrainian Region

Mar. 1, 2014 - Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked for parliamentary approval to deploy military force in Ukraine.

Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament, had issued an appeal to Mr. Putin to “use all available means to defend the population of Crimea from disorder and violence.”

Source: Wall Street Journal

Ukraine accuses Russia of 'military invasion' as gunmen seize airports

Feb. 28, 2014 -

Armed forces were blocking the two main airports in the strategic peninsula of Crimea on Friday in what Ukraine's new government described as a takeover by Russian forces, as the country asked the U.N. Security Council to intervene in the escalating conflict.

Source: Fox

Russian troop movements near Ukraine raise concerns, U.S. official says - CNN

Source: Fox

Ukrainian ex-leader Yanukovych vows fightback - BBC

US warns Russia on war games as tensions mount in Ukraine's Crimea

Feb. 27, 2014 - Secretary of State John Kerry reacted to news that Russia had ordered 150,000 troops to test their combat readiness, and had taken control of government buildings in Ukraine's Crimea region.

"Any kind of military intervention that would violate the sovereign territorial integrity of Ukraine would be a huge, a grave mistake," Kerry told reporters in Washington. "The territorial integrity of Ukraine needs to be respected."

Source: Fox

Ukraine revolution: Putin puts troops on alert in western Russia

Feb. 26, 2014 - Following the overthrow of Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has put armed forces in western Russia 'on alert.' Russia's defense minister said that Moscow is monitoring the developments. He said measures were being taken ...

... to ensure the security of the facilities and arsenals of its Black Sea naval fleet, which is based in the fiercely pro-Russian Crimean city of Sebastopol.

Source: Telegraph - UK

Ukraine names Baptist pastor as acting president. Ukrainian evangelicals issue call for national prayer & reconciliation in wake of violence. - Joel Rosenberg

Ukraine Leader’s Flight Blocked as Opponents Take Power

Feb. 23, 2014 -

Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko returned to the political stage after leaving prison as Viktor Yanukovych was stopped from fleeing the country following the nation’s bloodiest week since World War II.

Ex-Premier Tymoshenko was released from a prison hospital. She looked frail, speaking from a wheelchair, but spoke with power, saying, “A new epoch has started -- an epoch of free people, of a free European Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, protesters took over the luxury estate of deposed President Yanukovych. Border guards kept his plane from leaving the country, but he escaped detention.

Source: Bloomberg

At stake in Ukraine's drama is the future of Putin, Russia and Europe - The Guardian - UK

Why Putin Wants Ukraine - Wall Street Journal

Putin still betting on Ukrainian President Yanukovich - Haaretz

Ukraine at crossroads as talks of split increase - USA Today