White Phosphorus Attack on Donetsk

Civilian victim of white phosphorus attack on Donetsk Ukraine [by Ukraine government forces]  Source: https://twitter.com/rubenglez/status/562032371437142016/photo/1 "Ukrainian artillery is shelling Donetsk with white phosphorus munition."  Source:  https://twitter.com/sbobkov/status/562357560213131264/photo/1

LUGANSK (UKR) - LUGANSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC (LNR)

Self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic elects head, passes constitution Published time: May 19, 2014 03:56 The self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LNR) elected its head and passed its own constitution on Sunday. This comes after the region held a referendum on May 11 and proclaimed itself independent from Kiev. LNR’s state council – which acts as a temporary legislative body – has chosen Valery Bolotov as the head of the republic. The council also elected its speaker, Aleksey Karyakin, and Prime Minister - Vasily Nikitin. Bolotov was born in Russia’s southern port city of Taganrog in 1974. He has two university degrees. He also worked his way up from a manager to the director at a meat factory. Before being elected as the head of the self-proclaimed republic, he was serving as the “people’s governor” of Lugansk region. Deputies of the council who where elected earlier on Sunday on also adopted a temporary constitution of the Lugansk People’s Republic. The newly elected prime minister already identified what his first steps in the office will be. “As the prime minister I will form a new government. I will announce the specific candidates later. The members of the new cabinet will be determined in the second part of the day [tomorrow],” Itar-Tass quoted Nikitin as saying. Last weekend, Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk regions held referendums in which the majority of voters supported self-rule. In Lugansk region 96.2 percent of voters supported the region’s self-rule, according to final figures announced by the local election commission. Almost 90 percent of voters in Donetsk region have endorsed political independence from Kiev. http://rt.com/news/159840-lugansk-elects-head-constitution/

*Not sure if any changes to personnel since.

So there you go:  in referendum re self-rule overwhelming majority supported independence from Kiev.

UKRAINE - Shell postpones drilling Yuzivske field on grounds of 'Force Majeure'

Shell announces 'force majeure' postponement of Yuzivske drilling Journal Staff Report KIEV, Aug. 21 – Shell has postponed the start of work to drill a first wildcat on the Yuzivske field (Kharkiv and Donetsk regions) due to the force majeure situation on the field, the Ukrainian representative office of the company has told Interfax-Ukraine. "On July 15, 2014, Shell reported force majeure circumstances that hinder the fulfillment of some liabilities of Shell [restricted by time] under PSA due to events affecting the territory of the Yuzivske field," the company said. http://www.ukrainianjournal.com/index.php?w=article&id=19030

Force Majeure - wikipedia - here.

Common clause in contracts.  Frees both parties from obligations.  Refers to unavoidable/chance occurrences:  eg act of god, flood, earthquake ... strikes, riots, war etc.

Shell - US-based oil company - here. 

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Admonished on Twitter for not checking my facts.  Ooops.  Didn't read beyond 'US based'.

Wikipedia:  

The U.S. head office is in Houston, Texas. Shell Oil Company, including its consolidated companies and its share in equity companies, is one of America’s largest oil and natural gas producers, natural gas marketers, gasoline marketers and petrochemical manufacturers.

Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational "oil major" of Anglo-Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. 

The article doesn't specify if it was the parent company agreement to drill or if it was US-based subsidiary, so I'm going to guess and go with US because US has been plotting this Ukraine job for two decades.

Anyway:

"Shell Oil Company is a 50/50 partner with the Saudi Arabian government-owned oil company".  

While this relates to projects in the US gulf coast (I think), it would be fair to say that Saudi Arabia would then have a keen interest in the affairs of Shell.

So this goes right back to my original point:  US and NATO etc, are huffing and puffing and strongly 'condemning' for $$$$.  It's all about the dollars.

DONETSK, UKRAINE - CARNAGE

DONETSK, UKRAINE Source - Russian Gazette - here.

What's the bet that you won't see any of this on your evening news.

Why? 

Because your government supports this.

NATO - RASMUSSEN - WAR MONGERS FOR CORPORATE AMERICA

NATO chief urges Russia pull-back as shelling pounds Ukraine rebel city Placard Enlarge (Globalpost/GlobalPost) NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Russia to "step back from the brink" during a visit to Kiev on Thursday and vowed support for Ukraine as fears mounted that Moscow was preparing to send troops into the conflict-torn east of the country. His visit came as the centre of the main rebel bastion Donetsk was hit by sustained bombardment for the first time in four months of fighting, and a dozen civilians were killed around the region. [So that would be Ukraine government shelling Ukraine civilians.] An AFP journalist also saw a Ukrainian fighter jet shot down as it flew low over rebel-held territory. The plane crashed after an explosion in mid-air and the pilot was seen parachuting out. Amid heavy fighting and political maneuvring, Kiev scrapped a ceasefire around the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a day after international experts suspended work there due to ongoing clashes. Russia meanwhile struck back at punishing Western sanctions by announcing a "full embargo" on foods from the United States and the European Union and threatening to ban flights from crossing its air space.  [Oh, striking back at sanctions by Russia is really 'on the brink' according to NATO propagandists?] Rasmussen's visit to Kiev came just a day after NATO accused Moscow of massing some 20,000 troops on the border with its former Soviet neighbour.  [What is NATO massing around Russia's border?  War mongers and Hypocrites. ] After meeting with Ukraine's leadership on Thursday, Rasmussen assured them that "NATO stands ready to support Ukraine with advisers and assistance" against what he called "Russian aggression."  [What Russian aggression is that?  None to date.] "Today, Ukraine's freedom and future are under attack. Instead of de-escalating the conflict, Russia continues to destabilise Ukraine," he said. [NO, AMERICAN INTERESTS and CORPORATE PROFITS MUST BE ASSURED.] The West accuses Russia of supporting and instigating the insurgency in eastern Ukraine, sending tensions with Moscow soaring to their highest point since the Cold War.   [US instigated insurgency in Ukraine itself before installing a puppet government.] "I call on Russia to step back from the brink, to step back from the border. Do not use peacekeeping as an excuse for warmaking," Rasmussen added, calling on Moscow to "stop its support for separatists." [Rasmussen and NATO are the war mongers on Russia's borders.] NATO has warned that Russia could invade Ukraine under the pretext of a "humanitarian" mission, but Moscow has dismissed claims it has ratcheted up troop numbers.  [Wouldn't that be a typical USA tactic? ] - Retaking Donetsk - Fighting raged on in Ukraine's industrial east, where local authorities have warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe. Certain areas have been left without water or power and hundreds of thousands have already fled. In Donetsk, health authorities said one person was killed and two injured when a mortar hit a central hospital, as bombardments peppered the area around a key rebel base. [So this is the UKRAINE GOVERNMENT bombing its own people with US and NATO blessing and backing.] Two civilians were also killed by shelling in a western suburb of the city, the local administration said. Government forces have been gearing up to retake Donetsk in a bid to cut it off from the Russian border and the second largest rebel-held city of Lugansk. Heavy shelling of Gorlivka, another rebel bastion just north of Donetsk, killed five and wounded 10, adding to three more casualties overnight further south, local authorities said. So far, over 1,300 people have been killed and 285,000 have fled in four months of what the Red Cross has designated a civil war. The National Security and Defence Council said seven soldiers had been killed and 19 injured overnight. A military spokesman confirmed that rebels shot down a Ukrainian fighter jet and said a search-and-rescue operation was underway for the pilot. Ukrainian forces have lost a string of aircraft during the conflict. The plane came down some 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the crash site of the MH17 passenger jet. The US has accused rebels of shooting down the plane at an altitude of some 10,000 metres with a missile likely supplied by Russia. Despite the fierce fighting, diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the fighting were ongoing on Thursday. A spokesman for the German government said Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed "practical ideas" to help ceasefire efforts during a phone call with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko. The two also discussed the need for a resumption of the search around the MH17 crash site. - Sanctions and embargoes - Now Donetsk -- a pretty city of tree-lined streets and a population of one million people before the conflict erupted in April -- is set to become the next battleground of the war. There was a change in the leadership of the rebel-held city on Thursday, as the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Russian citizen Alexander Borodai, announced he was stepping down in favour of a local citizen. Moscow meanwhile announced a "full embargo" on most food imports from the EU, US, Australia, Canada and Norway in a tit-for-tat move against punishing sanctions by the EU and US. The sanctions, which targeted Moscow over its alleged support for the separatists, have already forced a low-cost airline to ground all its flights. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday that Moscow was also considering blocking overflights between Europe and Asia. bur-ssw/rh/rmb http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140807/nato-chief-urges-russia-pull-back-shelling-pounds-ukraine-rebel-city-0

How pathetic are these corporate American puppets looking to carve up Ukraine?

Business Insider - Russia blames Ukraine & Ukraine et al blame Russia

Business Insider Article

Putin Blames Ukraine For Downing Of Passenger Plane In Pro-Russian Rebel Territory

Russian President Vladimir Putin partially blamed Ukraine for the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane over pro-Russian separatist territory in the east on Thursday, saying it would not have happened if Kiev had not mounted a campaign against the rebels, CNBC reported.

“Without doubt the government of the territory on which it happened bears responsibility for this frightening tragedy,” Putin added, according to Reuters.

Malaysia flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in the rebel stronghold in Donetsk, just 25 miles from the Russian border. U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed the aircraft carrying 295 people was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.

Shortly after the crash, pro-Russian militants were caught on an audio recording reportedly discussing how they shot down the civilian airliner.

“Ukrainians are blaming the separatists and blaming Russia,” journalist Simon Ostrovsky, who has been covering the crisis in Ukraine for months, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday. “They say that Russia arms the rebels and Russia instructs the rebels.”

Indeed, Russia has funneled arms and support to the separatists for some time, including Buk-M1 missiles, which experts believe was what brought down MH17. Just last month, the U.S. State Department accused Moscow of sending tanks, heavy weapons and rocket launchers, and other military vehicles to the rebels.

“[Ukrainians] have no doubt in their mind this plane was shot down by the pro-Russian separatists,” Ostrovsky said.

SOURCE:  Business Insider - here.

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COMMENT

Don't know what to think.
Story starts off with Russia blaming Ukraine for having responsibility.
But the story is dominated by all parties blaming the East Ukrainians and Russians.

Nobody questioned why the aircraft was over a closed airspace, over a war zone.