{"id":113607,"date":"2014-04-21T07:40:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-21T07:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/?guid=ddc47cc46fa832abb25730e82e107fba"},"modified":"2014-04-21T19:58:58","modified_gmt":"2014-04-21T19:58:58","slug":"unacceptable-kiev-sonsored-murder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/editorials\/unacceptable-kiev-sonsored-murder\/","title":{"rendered":"Unacceptable Kiev-Sponsored Murder"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\"><b>Unacceptable Kiev-Sponsored Murder<\/b><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">by Stephen Lendman<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Fascist thugs operate this way. Moscow denounced them. Slavyansk Mayor Vladimir Ponomaryov asked Russia to send peacekeepers for protection. More on this below.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">A companion article said Kiev putschists pledged no Easter weekend Eastern Ukraine attacks. Straightaway they occurred.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Earlier deployed Right Sector neo-Nazis murdered 4 Slavyansk activists. They did so in cold blood.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Other gunmen attacked central city residents. Two victims were injured. They remain hospitalized. Expect more Right Sector initiated violence ahead.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They bear full responsibility for Maidan killings. Clear evidence proves it. Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych had nothing to do with what happened.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet&#8217;s leaked conversation with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton confirmed it.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He visited Kiev. He commented on what he learned. It&#8217;s polar opposite mainstream propaganda. He explained what&#8217;s vital to know.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed, he said. &#8220;(T)here is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovyich, but it was somebody from the new coalition.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;The Russian side is enraged by the militant provocation which is an indication of the reluctance of the authorities in Kiev to bridle and disarm nationalists and extremists.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">On March 12, 2014 former Ukrainian Security Service head Aleksandr Yakimenko confirmed Paet&#8217;s assessment. He blamed putschist official Andrey Parubiy. He&#8217;s a neo-Nazi Svoboda party leader.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;Shots came from the Philharmonic Hall,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Maidan Commandant Parubiy was responsible for this building.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;Snipers and people with automatic weapons were &#8216;working&#8217; from this building on February 20. They supported the assault on the Interior Ministry forces on the ground who were already demoralized and had, in fact, fled,&#8221; he added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;When the first wave of shootings ended, many have witnessed 20 people leaving the building.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They were carrying military-style bags used for sniper and assault rifles with optical sights.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Many witnesses saw them. Foreign elements may have been involved. Perhaps CIA, US special forces, and secret service operatives.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">What happened was well planned in advance. &#8220;These were the forces that carried out everything that they were told by their leadership &#8211; the United States,&#8221; Yakimenko stressed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Maidan leaders practically lived at Washington&#8217;s embassy, he added. As security chief, he was ready to order Ukrainian troops to enter the building and remove the snipers, he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He needed approval from Parubiy to do it, he explained. Otherwise, so-called &#8220;self-defense&#8221; elements would have attacked him, he believes.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;Parubiy did not give such consent,&#8221; he said. He controlled access to weapons used in Independence Square.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Moscow expressed outrage over Slavyansk killings. A Foreign Ministry statement said:<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;The Russian side is enraged by the militant provocation which is an indication of the reluctance of the authorities in Kiev to bridle and disarm nationalists and extremists.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;It is surprising that the tragedy occurred after the signing on April 17 in Geneva of the final statement of the four-sided meeting of representatives of Russia, the USA, EU and Ukraine which calls for refraining from any violent actions, intimidation or provocations.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;The Russian side insists on the strict fulfillment by the Ukrainian side of its commitments concerning the de-escalation the situation in southeast Ukraine.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;The Eastern ceasefire was violated in Slavyansk on April 20. As a result of an armed attack by the so-called Right Sector innocent civilians died.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;Local residents seized the vehicles of the attackers in which they discovered arms, aerial maps of the area and Right Sector paraphernalia.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Slavyansk Mayor Ponomaryov wants protection. He asked Russia for help. City residents are vulnerable. Right Sector thugs target them.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;They kill our people,&#8221; said Ponomaryov. &#8220;They don&#8217;t talk to us but just kill. The town has actually been besieged by the Right Sector.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Only Russia can help, he said. He asked Putin to send peacekeepers to Eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Print US media scoundrels largely ignored Slavyansk killings. BBC and US television accounts misreported. Propaganda substituted. Fingers pointed the wrong way.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">On April 19, The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/04\/20\/world\/europe\/pro-russian-forces-work-on-consolidating-power.html?hpw&amp;rref=world&amp;_r=1\"><span style=\"color: #1255cc;\">New York Times<\/span><\/a> headlined &#8220;Pro-Russian Forces Work on Consolidating Power,&#8221; saying:<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They &#8220;paused what had been the daily expansion of their territory in eastern Ukraine.&#8221; They&#8217;re focusing on &#8220;consolidating political power over areas already under their control.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They &#8220;pressured\u2026dissenters and the media in ways that are commonplace in Russia but had not been in Ukraine until now.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Fact check<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Times editors support Kiev fascist putschists. They have no legitimacy whatever. They usurped power lawlessly. They represent mob rule.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are the best and bravest. They reject Kiev putschists. They want their inviolable rights respected.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They want local autonomy. They want democratic governance. They want what everyone deserves.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They&#8217;re putting their bodies on the line for equity, fairness and justice. They enjoy growing widespread support.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Russian democracy mocks America&#8217;s sham process. Kiev putschists blocked Russian males aged 16 from 60 from entering Ukraine.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Russian TV channels were shut down. Russian nationals and Jews are targeted. Don&#8217;t expect The New York Times to explain. Managed news misinformation garbage substitutes.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It claimed threatening Russian hoards massed near Ukraine&#8217;s border. It called courageous Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters &#8220;militants.&#8221; It did so in the worst sense of the term.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It said &#8220;Kiev had expressed some hope that a settlement was still possible.&#8221; It stopped short of explaining ruling putschists demand unconditional surrender.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It called &#8220;separatists&#8217; political grip&#8221; on cities they control &#8220;a setback.&#8221; The Times supports unchallenged illegitimate fascist rule.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It reported Kiev&#8217;s pledge to suspend Eastern Ukrainian attacks over Easter weekend. It ignored cold-blooded murder that followed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It blamed Eastern Ukrainian activists for struggling for their freedom.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;(I)t was clear all along that for (four-party agreement terms) to have a chance for success, the Kremlin would have to pressure the militants to loosen their grip on areas already seized,&#8221; it said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It&#8217;s &#8220;clear&#8221; that Ukrainian freedom depends on struggling for it. On replacing putschist rule with democracy. On turning East, not West.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">On maintaining sovereign independence free from US dominance. Don&#8217;t expect Times correspondents, contributors or editors to explain.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Or neocon Washington Post editors. On April 18, WaPo<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/europe\/after-russian-moves-in-ukraine-eastern-europe-shudders-nato-to-increase-presence\/2014\/04\/18\/7ab367c0-2e9d-47be-981a-a719ec00fe27_story.html\"><span style=\"color: #1255cc;\"> headlined<\/span><\/a> &#8220;After Russian moves in Ukraine, Eastern Europe shudders, NATO to increase presence.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It lied claiming Russia intervened in Ukraine. No evidence whatever suggests it. Eastern European countries aren&#8217;t vulnerable.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Washington pressured them to say so. At issue is expanding US-led NATO east. It&#8217;s encroaching closer to Russian&#8217;s borders. It&#8217;s targeting its heartland. It&#8217;s threatening its sovereignty.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">WaPo ludicrously calls NATO &#8220;a mutual defense organization.&#8221; It \u00a0was established for offense, not defense.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It&#8217;s a US-controlled killing machine. It&#8217;s expanding from an Atlantic to a global alliance. It aims to become a worldwide police force.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It wants all sovereign independent governments ousted. It wants subservient pro-Western puppet regimes replacing them. Don&#8217;t expect WaPo to explain.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Propaganda substitutes for truth and full disclosure. Readers are systematically lied to.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Alternative independent sources are the only choices for real news, commentaries and analysis. Growing numbers rely on them. They&#8217;re abandoning scoundrel media they don&#8217;t trust.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">His new book is titled &#8220;Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">http:\/\/www.progressiveradionetwork.com\/the-progressive-news-hour<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div><b>Unacceptable Kiev-Sponsored Murder<\/b><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>by Stephen Lendman<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Fascist thugs operate this way. Moscow denounced them. Slavyansk Mayor Vladimir Ponomaryov asked Russia to send peacekeepers for protection. More on this below.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>A companion article said Kiev putschists pledged no Easter weekend Eastern Ukraine attacks. Straightaway they occurred.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Earlier deployed Right Sector neo-Nazis murdered 4 Slavyansk activists. They did so in cold blood.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Other gunmen attacked central city residents. Two victims were injured. They remain hospitalized. Expect more Right Sector initiated violence ahead.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They bear full responsibility for Maidan killings. Clear evidence proves it. Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych had nothing to do with what happened.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet&#8217;s leaked conversation with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton confirmed it.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He visited Kiev. He commented on what he learned. It&#8217;s polar opposite mainstream propaganda. He explained what&#8217;s vital to know.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed, he said. &#8220;(T)here is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovyich, but it was somebody from the new coalition.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;The Russian side is enraged by the militant provocation which is an indication of the reluctance of the authorities in Kiev to bridle and disarm nationalists and extremists.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On March 12, 2014 former Ukrainian Security Service head Aleksandr Yakimenko confirmed Paet&#8217;s assessment. He blamed putschist official Andrey Parubiy. He&#8217;s a neo-Nazi Svoboda party leader.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Shots came from the Philharmonic Hall,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Maidan Commandant Parubiy was responsible for this building.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Snipers and people with automatic weapons were &#8216;working&#8217; from this building on February 20. They supported the assault on the Interior Ministry forces on the ground who were already demoralized and had, in fact, fled,&#8221; he added.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;When the first wave of shootings ended, many have witnessed 20 people leaving the building.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They were carrying military-style bags used for sniper and assault rifles with optical sights.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Many witnesses saw them. Foreign elements may have been involved. Perhaps CIA, US special forces, and secret service operatives.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>What happened was well planned in advance. &#8220;These were the forces that carried out everything that they were told by their leadership &#8211; the United States,&#8221; Yakimenko stressed.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Maidan leaders practically lived at Washington&#8217;s embassy, he added. As security chief, he was ready to order Ukrainian troops to enter the building and remove the snipers, he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He needed approval from Parubiy to do it, he explained. Otherwise, so-called &#8220;self-defense&#8221; elements would have attacked him, he believes.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Parubiy did not give such consent,&#8221; he said. He controlled access to weapons used in Independence Square.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Moscow expressed outrage over Slavyansk killings. A Foreign Ministry statement said:<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;The Russian side is enraged by the militant provocation which is an indication of the reluctance of the authorities in Kiev to bridle and disarm nationalists and extremists.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;It is surprising that the tragedy occurred after the signing on April 17 in Geneva of the final statement of the four-sided meeting of representatives of Russia, the USA, EU and Ukraine which calls for refraining from any violent actions, intimidation or provocations.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;The Russian side insists on the strict fulfillment by the Ukrainian side of its commitments concerning the de-escalation the situation in southeast Ukraine.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;The Eastern ceasefire was violated in Slavyansk on April 20. As a result of an armed attack by the so-called Right Sector innocent civilians died.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Local residents seized the vehicles of the attackers in which they discovered arms, aerial maps of the area and Right Sector paraphernalia.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Slavyansk Mayor Ponomaryov wants protection. He asked Russia for help. City residents are vulnerable. Right Sector thugs target them.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;They kill our people,&#8221; said Ponomaryov. &#8220;They don&#8217;t talk to us but just kill. The town has actually been besieged by the Right Sector.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Only Russia can help, he said. He asked Putin to send peacekeepers to Eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Print US media scoundrels largely ignored Slavyansk killings. BBC and US television accounts misreported. Propaganda substituted. Fingers pointed the wrong way.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On April 19, The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/04\/20\/world\/europe\/pro-russian-forces-work-on-consolidating-power.html?hpw&amp;rref=world&amp;_r=1\"><span>New York Times<\/span><\/a> headlined &#8220;Pro-Russian Forces Work on Consolidating Power,&#8221; saying:<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They &#8220;paused what had been the daily expansion of their territory in eastern Ukraine.&#8221; They&#8217;re focusing on &#8220;consolidating political power over areas already under their control.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They &#8220;pressured&hellip;dissenters and the media in ways that are commonplace in Russia but had not been in Ukraine until now.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Fact check<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Times editors support Kiev fascist putschists. They have no legitimacy whatever. They usurped power lawlessly. They represent mob rule.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are the best and bravest. They reject Kiev putschists. They want their inviolable rights respected.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They want local autonomy. They want democratic governance. They want what everyone deserves.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They&#8217;re putting their bodies on the line for equity, fairness and justice. They enjoy growing widespread support.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Russian democracy mocks America&#8217;s sham process. Kiev putschists blocked Russian males aged 16 from 60 from entering Ukraine.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Russian TV channels were shut down. Russian nationals and Jews are targeted. Don&#8217;t expect The New York Times to explain. Managed news misinformation garbage substitutes.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It claimed threatening Russian hoards massed near Ukraine&#8217;s border. It called courageous Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters &#8220;militants.&#8221; It did so in the worst sense of the term.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It said &#8220;Kiev had expressed some hope that a settlement was still possible.&#8221; It stopped short of explaining ruling putschists demand unconditional surrender.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It called &#8220;separatists&#8217; political grip&#8221; on cities they control &#8220;a setback.&#8221; The Times supports unchallenged illegitimate fascist rule.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It reported Kiev&#8217;s pledge to suspend Eastern Ukrainian attacks over Easter weekend. It ignored cold-blooded murder that followed.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It blamed Eastern Ukrainian activists for struggling for their freedom.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;(I)t was clear all along that for (four-party agreement terms) to have a chance for success, the Kremlin would have to pressure the militants to loosen their grip on areas already seized,&#8221; it said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It&#8217;s &#8220;clear&#8221; that Ukrainian freedom depends on struggling for it. On replacing putschist rule with democracy. On turning East, not West.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On maintaining sovereign independence free from US dominance. Don&#8217;t expect Times correspondents, contributors or editors to explain.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Or neocon Washington Post editors. On April 18, WaPo<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/europe\/after-russian-moves-in-ukraine-eastern-europe-shudders-nato-to-increase-presence\/2014\/04\/18\/7ab367c0-2e9d-47be-981a-a719ec00fe27_story.html\"><span> headlined<\/span><\/a> &#8220;After Russian moves in Ukraine, Eastern Europe shudders, NATO to increase presence.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It lied claiming Russia intervened in Ukraine. No evidence whatever suggests it. Eastern European countries aren&#8217;t vulnerable.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Washington pressured them to say so. At issue is expanding US-led NATO east. It&#8217;s encroaching closer to Russian&#8217;s borders. It&#8217;s targeting its heartland. It&#8217;s threatening its sovereignty.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>WaPo ludicrously calls NATO &#8220;a mutual defense organization.&#8221; It &nbsp;was established for offense, not defense.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It&#8217;s a US-controlled killing machine. It&#8217;s expanding from an Atlantic to a global alliance. It aims to become a worldwide police force.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It wants all sovereign independent governments ousted. It wants subservient pro-Western puppet regimes replacing them. Don&#8217;t expect WaPo to explain.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Propaganda substitutes for truth and full disclosure. Readers are systematically lied to.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Alternative independent sources are the only choices for real news, commentaries and analysis. Growing numbers rely on them. They&#8217;re abandoning scoundrel media they don&#8217;t trust.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>His new book is titled &#8220;Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>http:\/\/www.progressiveradionetwork.com\/the-progressive-news-hour<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1217,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[461],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-113607","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorials"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113607\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}