Regarding the detained journalists. Russia helped negotiate release of OSCE observers, now it asks OSCE to help release the journalists:
Moscow demands OSCE take measures to free journalists detained by Kievhttp://rt.com/news/159812-russia-journalists-ukraine-osce/ Reporter Sidyakin and cameraman Saichenko were performing their professional duties, covering events in southeastern Ukraine, when they “went missing,” the channel said in a statement.
The only thing Sidyakin managed to text was that “things look bad.”
After receiving the SMS message, the office immediately called Sidyakin, who accepted the call, but could not speak. He kept the phone connected, however, so that Moscow could hear that the journalists were being interrogated.
I wonder if OSCE will repay in kind or if they have any leverage over the Kiev nazis at all...
With this regard it very informative to read the interview with former presidential candidate Oleg Carev. I think this is one of the most important political statements of the past days:
Kiev Nazi authorities are only obstacle to peace in Ukraine – ex-presidential candidatehttp://rt.com/news/159800-tsarev-ukraine-crisis-election/He makes many very good points during the interview, here are some direct quotes:
With no candidate boasting support in both east and west Ukraine, any president elected on May 25 will be “a half-president,” he stressed.
“I called upon the current Ukrainian authorities to solve the country’s problems first; carry out a constitutional reform, disarm the militants, release over 400 of our activists from prison on amnesty, and organize an election after that,” the MP said.
...
“They gather their own representatives, who live in the southeast, and hold roundtables with them,” Tsarev said, adding that he and other actual leaders of protesters from the east aren't invited to take part in the discussions.
“They’re basically talking to themselves...There’s no real dialogue,” he added.
...
But the opposition leader stressed that protestors in eastern Ukraine aren’t looking for independence from their compatriots in the country's west.
“They just don’t want to be in the same country with the current authority,” he said.
...
“But it’s impossible to defeat the people by military means,” Tsarev stressed. “The army doesn’t want to fight against the people. In order to make the military obey orders, they deployed Nazis there, who shoot at self-defense forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic, and then fire at the soldiers, who refuse to fight.”
“The number of casualties in the ranks of the Ukrainian military has reached 1,000 people. And sooner or later...I think sooner rather than later, the Kiev authorities will be held responsible for the war crimes against their own people,” he added.
In the meantime, on to some light reading:
Dmitrij Rogozin and his tweets continue to be entertaining:
https://twitter.com/RogozinEвpoгoлyби и иx шeф - opeл-cтepвятник нepвнo кypят в oжидaнии, o чeм дoгoвopятcя китaйcкий дpaкoн и pyccкий мeдвeдь.
Eurodoves and their master - eagle-volture nervously smoke awaiting what the Chinese dragon and the Russian bear will agree upon.
A small hidden joke there: "Dove" in Russian is "golub'", which resembles "goluboj" - "blue", which in turn is a euphemism for "gay".