Asked yesterday about his refusal to publicly support Russia's moves on the peninsula, Lukashenka told reporters in Minsk: "As for recognition or not recognition, Crimea is part of Russia today. You can recognize it or not recognize this, but this will not change anything." Lukashenka added, however, that he thought Russia’s annexation of Crimea had set a "bad precedent."
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On the topic of Yuriy Mamchur and Belbek, well worth watching the latest dispatch from VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky reporting from the base during the storming by Russian troops. Good footage of Mamchur in action.
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Crimea's pro-Russian PM Rustam Temirgaliev calls on Russians to be patriotic and vacation in Crimea this year...
EU sells out Ukrainian gays, withdraws gay rights requirement in visa talks with Ukraine. via Justice Min Petrenko http://t.co/pDuaJexjm4
— Maxim Eristavi (@MaximEristavi) March 24, 2014
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A grainy recording has been posted on YouTube that appears to catch Yulia Tymoshenko using salty language and calling for all Russians remaining on Ukrainian territory to be killed with an atomic weapon.
The publisher, "Sergiy Vechirko," alleges the call took place on March 18 -- two days after Crimea's referendum calling for reunification with Russia. He also identifies the speakers as Tymoshenko and the former deputy secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Nestor Shufrych.
As Shufrych bemoans the state of affairs in Crimea, Tymoshenko brusquely cuts him off, saying, "Screw it, we should take up arms and kill the goddamned katsaps" -- a derogatory word for Russians -- "along with their leader."
She adds, "I'm sorry I'm not there right now -- there's no way they would have gotten Crimea away from me."
Shufrych goes on to say that a mutual acquaintance, "Viktor," asked what Kyiv should do about the 8 million Russians still living on Ukrainian territory.
"We should hit them with an atomic weapon," Tymoshenko answers back.
Tymoshenko has ackowledged on Twitter that the phone call was real but that the content was edited to appear virulently anti-Russian. Regarding the 8 million Russians, Tymoshenko claims her actual statement was "Russians in Ukraine are Ukrainians themselves." She added: "Hi FSB.: )"
The sudden appearance of the recording YouTube is reminiscent of last month's scandal in which two high-level diplomatic calls were recorded and leaked on social media, including one in which Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Victoria Nuland was caught saying, "F**k the EU."
Tymoshenko's disclaimers aside, the video is certain to play into Russia's hands by further amplifying the notion that Ukraine's ethnic Russians are in imminent danger of attack.
Russia's Foreign Minister said sanctions were being imposed on the 13 in retaliation for the Canada's sanctions against Russia. Canada imposed its sanctions after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
Canadian media has noted Canada has the third largest population of ethnic Ukrainians and was the first Western power to recognize Ukraine's independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Might be time politicians in Ukraine just stopped using the phone. #tymoshenko
— Andrew (@amgilmore) March 24, 2014
In 2006 when asked if he could help with the "Crimean Tatar problem", Putin said they cannot interfere with the affairs of another country
— Посольство США в РФ (@USEmbRu) March 24, 2014
Sergey #Lavrov and John Kerry's meeting in Hague @RusEmbUSA pic.twitter.com/4OphBGKZek
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) March 24, 2014