Despite the blockade of Crimea (or maybe because of it, as Kiev is using it for blackmail), Russia is supplying Kiev with:
- 9 billion kW of electricity and
- 500000 to 1 million tonnes of coal, so that Ukraine won't freeze this winter.
All is done at Russian internal prices (in other words heavily discounted), and without demanding pre-payment (and we all know that Kiev does not pay - they steal, so this is a de-fact New Year present).
I am not exactly sure why Putin went to this step. On one hand he is showing to Malorossians (Novorossians are self-supplied with coal, while Galicians who are currently in control are beyond reasoning), who really helps Ukraine, and not just gives empty promises, like EU does. He also ensures that Malorossians and Russians in Ukraine do not freeze.
As Peskov said:
“Against all the odds as President Putin said earlier in the hard times he had never given up the consistent policy towards supporting the Ukrainian people and providing real and not eventual support, due to the critical energy situation Putin took a decision on such supplies regardless the absence of prepayment, which is the condition of making them,”
On the other hand, he prolongs the suffering - freezing people of Ukraine would have been more likely to rise against the Galician usurpers in Kiev. Those usurpers, as I said, are beyond any reasoning, and will only think that they blackmail works, and drive Ukraine even deeper into the gutter.
http://rt.com/business/218103-russia-coal-electricity-ukraine/
Meanwhile, USA plans to relocate their lethal forces from Afghanistan to Ukraine, which raises a few eyebrows:
http://rt.com/news/218067-us-afghanistan-ukraine-weapons/Kabul is against Washington's alleged decision to transfer weapons and machinery left from its military mission in Afghanistan to Ukraine, an Afghan presidential administration official told TASS. The issue will be discussed with Obama, he added.
American specialists in Afghanistan are currently preparing US army MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles to be transferred to Ukraine, according to the information obtained by the Afghan presidential administration. The US combat mission command refuses to discuss the issue with Kabul, saying the White House is in charge, a representative of Ashraf Ghani’s administration told the agency.
But, as everyone knows, in the end US always lies:
Washington has previously ensured Kabul that the US military equipment and weapons, used by its combat mission in Afghanistan, will stay in the country to be employed by the Afghan army and law enforcement, according to the official. He added the country planned to use it in strengthening its fighting capabilities against Taliban forces in the country's south.