RT @TarasKuzio: EU pressuring Ukraine to give autonomy status to Donbas. Ukraine should pressure France to do same to Provence, Alsace, Normandy & Brittany.

RT @TarasKuzio: EU pressuring Ukraine to give autonomy status to Donbas. Ukraine should pressure France to do same to Provence, Alsace, Normandy & Brittany. Source:

EU pressuring Ukraine to give autonomy status to Donbas. Ukraine should pressure France to do same to Provence, Alsace, Normandy & Brittany.

— Taras Kuzio (@TarasKuzio) June 24, 2015

June 25, 2015 at 12:41AM
via IFTTT

"The photograph was taken on Thursday, June 18, outside a hip Moscow bar called...

"The photograph was taken on Thursday, June 18, outside a hip Moscow bar called 'Redaktsiya.' That same evening, and for several days to follow, the 'selfie with Borodai' would fuel a heated debate on the RuNet, where reporters, activists, and intellectuals have growled at one another and pontificated about ethics, the definition of terrorism, and the role journalists should play in society.

"But the debate about the photo with Borodai is more than just a hipster gladiator spectacle; it also reveals how contentious journalism in Russia is today. Whether you blame it on the war in Ukraine, the Putin regime, or a thousand years of Slavic history, the decision to pose for a picture with the former leader of the Donetsk rebels has forced many of Moscow’s “opinion-makers” to say exactly what they think a journalist should be."


A Picture Worth a Thousand Russian Expletives · Global Voices
globalvoicesonline.org
Last week, eight of the most prominent journalists working in Russia posed for a controversial group photo with the former leader of Donetsk's separatists. Here's what happened.

Earlier today, Representative Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed...

Earlier today, Representative Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, addressed the issue of America's strategic priorities, and the national security challenges we face, including those brought upon by Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

While the President has threatened to veto the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes funding for the Pentagon, Russia's defense budget is increasing, and its military is conducting provocative maneuvers "rarely seen even at the height of the Cold War."

We support the authorization included in the NDAA for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which builds upon the congressional support Ukraine received in 2014 with the passage of the Ukraine Freedom Support Act by including much needed new military assistance to Ukraine. Without critical legislation like the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the credibility of the U.S. commitment to uphold the postwar order stands in doubt.


A Strategy for America

A STRATEGY FOR AMERICA An Address by Rep. Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee Please join the Atlantic Council's Brent Scowcroft Center ...

RT @MFA_Ukraine: У #МЗС відбулося XХVІ засідання Національної комісії з питань закордонних українців http://t.co/31GcRxIYht http://t.co/afvSQG1c1W

RT @MFA_Ukraine: У #МЗС відбулося XХVІ засідання Національної комісії з питань закордонних українців http://t.co/31GcRxIYht http://t.co/afvSQG1c1W Source:

У #МЗС відбулося XХVІ засідання Національної комісії з питань закордонних українців http://t.co/31GcRxIYht http://pic.twitter.com/afvSQG1c1W

— MFA of Ukraine (@MFA_Ukraine) June 23, 2015

June 23, 2015 at 10:43AM
via IFTTT

Thornberry will also blast the administration's refusal to provide Ukrainian for...

Thornberry will also blast the administration's refusal to provide Ukrainian forces with lethal weapons, which a number of Republican and Democratic lawmakers support.

http://ift.tt/1GlDbJT


House Armed Services chairman: Russia is an 'existential threat' to US
thehill.com
Rep. Mac Thornberry is urging Obama to sign defense bills he's threatened to veto.

"Russia now controls a large amount of Ukraine's energy potential, which means U...

"Russia now controls a large amount of Ukraine's energy potential, which means Ukraine will continue to be dependent on Russia for its energy needs," Biersack said. "And asserting control over the Black Sea Fleet's bases means Russia may now develop their forces without Ukrainian approval."

http://ift.tt/1JgbKaw


Geographers study link between Russia's western military action, eastern gas deal
m.phys.org
As the U.S. military considers positioning equipment along Russia's western border, geographers at the University of Kansas are studying how Russia's increasing military presence and conduct in the west connect to the country's actions in the east.

Despite Russia's attempts to intervene in Ukraine and the collapse of its own de...

Despite Russia's attempts to intervene in Ukraine and the collapse of its own democracy rating, Ukraine managed to spur a big jump of four notches in its rating, thanks to the collapse of Viktor Yanukovych’s corrupt presidency and two rounds of well-administered, competitive elections, the report found.

http://ift.tt/1FxKT1K


Russia Is Biggest Force Against Democracy In Eurasia, Report Finds
www.rferl.mobi
Russia saw its biggest loss of democracy in a decade last year, while it and other authoritarian states took aggressive action to block efforts to form new democracies elsewhere in Europe and Eurasia...