History has a way of revealing how idiotic your assessments of any situation are. Goodness, Putin could go all the way to Lviv in a
week if he wanted to. He's supposed to be afraid of Obama? Any other president we had even Carter would have kept Putin in line!
I yearn for the days when Nixon actually pushed Krucshev to make a point and when he trimmed poor old Breshnev of whiskers &
hope. This Obama is so unequipped that Hollande, Putin, Porky & Merkel kept him in the dark about their Minsk Peace Initiative.
OUCH
http://www.businessinsider.com/over-20-percent-of-russian-banks-at-risk-of-collapse-this-year-2015-1
The Russian banking sector is facing an annus horribilis with as many as 20% at risk of folding as the country's economic crisis takes its toll.
The Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting estimates that as many as 200 banks face collapse this year as a combination of bad loans and falls in the value of the ruble punish small- and mid-sized firms, Russian business daily Vedomosti reports.
With the Russian economy forecast to contract by around 3.5% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as the impact of the collapse in crude oil prices and international sanctions against the country over its role in the ongoing Ukraine crisis bite, businesses face a steep challenge to stay afloat.
For the country's banking sector the problems are even more severe. They hold a total $192 billion of external debt, around 70% of which is dollar-denominated, and that bill is getting ever larger as the ruble continues to slide against major currencies. Over the past year the ruble has fallen almost 50% against the dollar
Yesterday Russia's sovereign debt rating was downgraded to junk by Standard & Poor's in a move that is likely to raise the cost of refinancing for these companies. To compound the problem, the move sent the ruble tumbling again to below 67 rubles to the dollar.
Below is the ratings agency's rationale for the downgrade — they think worse is to come for the banking sector:
S&P on Russia.
russian media?.... stay focused on Ukraine......
http://www.businessinsider.com/over-20-percent-of-russian-banks-at-risk-of-collapse-this-year-2015-1
The Russian banking sector is facing an annus horribilis with as many as 20% at risk of folding as the country's economic crisis takes its toll.
The Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting estimates that as many as 200 banks face collapse this year as a combination of bad loans and falls in the value of the ruble punish small- and mid-sized firms, Russian business daily Vedomosti reports.
With the Russian economy forecast to contract by around 3.5% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as the impact of the collapse in crude oil prices and international sanctions against the country over its role in the ongoing Ukraine crisis bite, businesses face a steep challenge to stay afloat.
For the country's banking sector the problems are even more severe. They hold a total $192 billion of external debt, around 70% of which is dollar-denominated, and that bill is getting ever larger as the ruble continues to slide against major currencies. Over the past year the ruble has fallen almost 50% against the dollar
Yesterday Russia's sovereign debt rating was downgraded to junk by Standard & Poor's in a move that is likely to raise the cost of refinancing for these companies. To compound the problem, the move sent the ruble tumbling again to below 67 rubles to the dollar.
Below is the ratings agency's rationale for the downgrade — they think worse is to come for the banking sector:
russian media?.... stay focused on Ukraine......
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has said war with neighbouring Ukraine is "unlikely", in an interview for Russian television.
In his interview, Mr Putin was asked if there was a real threat of war, given the situation in eastern Ukraine.
"I think that such an apocalyptic scenario is unlikely and I hope this will never happen," he said.
It seems his apocalyptic scenario is his veiled threat of nuclear conflict. He appears to becoming more unhinged by the day.
Remember what he said August 2014
Aug 29 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia's armed forces, backed by its nuclear arsenal, were ready to meet any aggression, declaring at a pro-Kremlin youth camp that foreign states should understand: "It's best not to mess with us."
Sunday 4 January 2015 18.00 GMT
A widening rift between Moscow and Washington over cruise missiles and increasingly daring patrols by nuclear-capable Russian submarines threatens to end an era of arms control and bring back a dangerous rivalry between the world’s two dominant nuclear arsenals.
Tensions have been taken to a new level by US threats of retaliatory action for Russian development of a new cruise missile. Washington alleges it violates one of the key arms control treaties of the cold war, and has raised the prospect of redeploying its own cruise missiles in Europe after a 23-year absence.
On Boxing Day, in one of the more visible signs of the unease, the US military launched the first of two experimental “blimps” over Washington. The system, known as JLENS, is designed to detect incoming cruise missiles. The North American Aerospace Command (Norad) did not specify the nature of the threat, but the deployment comes nine months after the Norad commander, General Charles Jacoby, admitted the Pentagon faced “some significant challenges” in countering cruise missiles, referring in particular to the threat of Russian attack submarines.
Those submarines, which have been making forays across the Atlantic, routinely carry nuclear-capable cruise missiles. In the light of aggressive rhetoric from Moscow and the expiry of treaty-based restrictions, there is uncertainty over whether those missiles are now carrying nuclear warheads.
In his interview, Mr Putin was asked if there was a real threat of war, given the situation in eastern Ukraine.
"I think that such an apocalyptic scenario is unlikely and I hope this will never happen," he said.
It seems his apocalyptic scenario is his veiled threat of nuclear conflict. He appears to becoming more unhinged by the day.
Remember what he said August 2014
Aug 29 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia's armed forces, backed by its nuclear arsenal, were ready to meet any aggression, declaring at a pro-Kremlin youth camp that foreign states should understand: "It's best not to mess with us."
Sunday 4 January 2015 18.00 GMT
A widening rift between Moscow and Washington over cruise missiles and increasingly daring patrols by nuclear-capable Russian submarines threatens to end an era of arms control and bring back a dangerous rivalry between the world’s two dominant nuclear arsenals.
Tensions have been taken to a new level by US threats of retaliatory action for Russian development of a new cruise missile. Washington alleges it violates one of the key arms control treaties of the cold war, and has raised the prospect of redeploying its own cruise missiles in Europe after a 23-year absence.
On Boxing Day, in one of the more visible signs of the unease, the US military launched the first of two experimental “blimps” over Washington. The system, known as JLENS, is designed to detect incoming cruise missiles. The North American Aerospace Command (Norad) did not specify the nature of the threat, but the deployment comes nine months after the Norad commander, General Charles Jacoby, admitted the Pentagon faced “some significant challenges” in countering cruise missiles, referring in particular to the threat of Russian attack submarines.
Those submarines, which have been making forays across the Atlantic, routinely carry nuclear-capable cruise missiles. In the light of aggressive rhetoric from Moscow and the expiry of treaty-based restrictions, there is uncertainty over whether those missiles are now carrying nuclear warheads.
"It's best not to mess with us."
LMFAO. Needed a good laugh beets, had a nutty day at the office, emergencies galore,...................
can you imagine that this chap controls approx 8000 nuclear warheads? planet earth has THIS GUY as a leader. ...............mankind has come a long way, eh?
Putin, stop with your threats-- ............ start blowing up planet earth...........
LMFAO. Needed a good laugh beets, had a nutty day at the office, emergencies galore,
...................can you imagine that this chap controls approx 8000 nuclear warheads? planet earth has THIS GUY as a leader. ...............mankind has come a long way, eh?
Putin, stop with your threats-- ............ start blowing up planet earth...........
What a fucking moron this fat loser who started this thread is:
Regarding the return of any territories, such things are of revengeful nature, and it is not about return of some territories somewhere," Putin said
"Crimea will remain Russian, Ukrainian, Tatar, Greek, and German -- it will be a home to all these nations. With regard to its nationality, Crimean people made their choice, which we must respect."
On the streets of Moscow, many Russian point their fingers at the United States for the Ukraine crisis.
The latest polls show 81% of Russians have a negative view of the U.S. -- the highest number since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/24/europe/ukraine-russia-conflict/index.html
Regarding the return of any territories, such things are of revengeful nature, and it is not about return of some territories somewhere," Putin said
"Crimea will remain Russian, Ukrainian, Tatar, Greek, and German -- it will be a home to all these nations. With regard to its nationality, Crimean people made their choice, which we must respect."
On the streets of Moscow, many Russian point their fingers at the United States for the Ukraine crisis.
The latest polls show 81% of Russians have a negative view of the U.S. -- the highest number since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/24/europe/ukraine-russia-conflict/index.html
'The latest polls show 81% of Russians have a negative view of the U.S. -- the highest number since the collapse of the Soviet Union'
hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Fantastic display of successful brainwashing.
Want specific proof? from the article Acebb linked;
"My attitude to America is bad," one woman said. "The way I watch the news, I realize the Americans want to get a hold of half of Russia."
i ask all, could you make that shit up?
hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Fantastic display of successful brainwashing.
Want specific proof? from the article Acebb linked;
"My attitude to America is bad," one woman said. "The way I watch the news, I realize the Americans want to get a hold of half of Russia."
i ask all, could you make that shit up?
The greeting of last week’s ceasefire deal with “pessimism laced with cynicism” was only to be expected, especially as the UK and US were not involved in the Minsk agreement. We can expect more of “diplomacy’s wrongheadedness” from London and Washington, unwillingness to pander to Putin’s insecurity, acting tough but exacerbating the problem.
1. Putin, Merkel and Hollande negotiate a truce.
2. Obama gets some flak for not being involved.
3. Britain organises military assistance for one side to destabilise the agreement
4. WW3?
1. Putin, Merkel and Hollande negotiate a truce.
2. Obama gets some flak for not being involved.
3. Britain organises military assistance for one side to destabilise the agreement
4. WW3?
British military personnel are to be sent to Ukraine in the next few weeks to provide advice and training, says Prime Minister David Cameron.
As he spoke, pro-Russian rebels said they were pulling back heavy weapons from the front line in eastern Ukraine as part of a ceasefire.
However, the government in Kiev has disputed the rebel claims.
Mr Cameron said he would push for more sanctions on Russia if the separatists failed to observe the truce.
The prime minister told a House of Commons committee that up to 75 British soldiers divided into four teams would go to an area well away from the conflict zone to provide medical, logistics, intelligence and infantry skills.
As he spoke, pro-Russian rebels said they were pulling back heavy weapons from the front line in eastern Ukraine as part of a ceasefire.
However, the government in Kiev has disputed the rebel claims.
Mr Cameron said he would push for more sanctions on Russia if the separatists failed to observe the truce.
The prime minister told a House of Commons committee that up to 75 British soldiers divided into four teams would go to an area well away from the conflict zone to provide medical, logistics, intelligence and infantry skills.
What a fucking moron this fat loser who started this thread is:
[h=1]NATO commander warns about deteriorating situation in Ukraine[/h]
In appearances on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon, Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, gave a decidedly pessimistic account of the Ukrainian conflict. He also predicted that Russia’s success in destabilizing Ukraine would embolden President Vladi*mir Putin to sow divisions elsewhere as part of a strategy to weaken NATO politically and expand Moscow’s influence in the region.
[h=1]NATO commander warns about deteriorating situation in Ukraine[/h]
In appearances on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon, Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, gave a decidedly pessimistic account of the Ukrainian conflict. He also predicted that Russia’s success in destabilizing Ukraine would embolden President Vladi*mir Putin to sow divisions elsewhere as part of a strategy to weaken NATO politically and expand Moscow’s influence in the region.
Obama has over-used the "incompetence" thing that everyone wants to pin on him.
I suggest he's quite adept at hiding his real agenda from the rest of the country too. Watch him.
The joint chiefs courageously ought to issue a clear statement that the "Commander In Chief"
is the greatest security threat this nation has ever faced.
I suggest he's quite adept at hiding his real agenda from the rest of the country too. Watch him.
The joint chiefs courageously ought to issue a clear statement that the "Commander In Chief"
is the greatest security threat this nation has ever faced.
Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead on Moscow street a day before first major anti-Putin protest in months
- Nemtsov, 55, was one of Vladimir Putin's fiercest critics
- He was shot four times in drive-by assassination near Kremlin while walking with a Ukrainian woman who was unhurt
- Nemtsov had publicly expressed concerns for his life earlier this month
- Known as an economic reformer during his time as governor of one of Russia’s biggest cities, Nizhny Novgorod
- He had been due to take part on Sunday in first big opposition protest in months in Russian capital
- Putin condemned murder, saying it may have been 'contract killing'
A leading Russian opposition politician and vocal critic of Vladimir Putin was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on the streets of Moscow this evening.An unidentified assassin shot dead former deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, firing four times while he was walking with a woman across a bridge.
He was shot in the back just metres from the Kremlin shortly after midnight local time. His female companion, a Ukrainian citizen, was unhurt.
President Putin condemned the murder and said it may have been a contract killing, according to Russian news agencies.
His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the shooting could also be a 'provocation' as the opposition has planned a big protest in Moscow on Sunday.
+11
Leading Russian opposition politician, former deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, was shot dead on a bridge in central Moscow this evening. He was due to take part in a major rally on Sunday
+11
President Putin has condemned the murder and said it may have been a contract killing, according to Russian news agencies
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Medics carry the body of Nemtsov. The politician was highly critical of the government's inefficiency, rampant corruption and the Kremlin's policy on Ukraine, which has strained Russia-West ties to a degree unseen since Cold War times
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Nemtsov, seen here in December 2011 speaking at a rally against the parliament elections, was a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin
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Russian opposition leaders Ilya Yashin (left) and Ksenia Sobchak (right), soon after the death of Nemtsov. Yashin told Ekho Moskvy radio that he last spoke with Nemtsov two days before the killing
He said Putin had been quickly informed of the killing and that the president had expressed his condolences and ordered the security agencies to investigate.
Britain has said it will follow closely investigations into the killing.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: 'We are shocked and saddened by news that former Russian deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov has been shot and killed in Moscow.
'Our thoughts are with his family and we offer our condolences to them. We deplore this criminal act. Those responsible must be brought to justice. We will continue to follow the situation closely.'
US President Barack Obama has also condemned the 'brutal murder', the White House National Security Council said tonight on Twitter.
The White House called on the Russian government to conduct a 'prompt, impartial and transparent investigation' and to 'ensure those responsible are brought to justice.'
Obama said he met Nemtsov in Moscow in 2009 when the Russian was willing to 'share his candid views with me'.
'We offer our sincere condolences to his family and to the Russian people, who have lost one of the most dedicated and eloquent defenders of their rights,' he said.
+11
An unidentified assassin shot Mr Nemtsov (above, in 2010 at an anti-Kremlin march) four times while he was walking with a woman near the Kremlin, according to Russian-language news website Meduza
'SHOT 4 TIMES, ONCE FOR EACH CHILD HE LEAVES'
Chairman of the Human Rights Foundation and former chess champion Garry Kasparov last night tweeted: ‘Devastated to hear of the brutal murder of my long-time opposition colleague Boris Nemtsov. Shot 4 times, once for each child he leaves.
‘Boris’s quality no longer fit Putin’s Russia. He always believed Russia could change from inside without violence; after 2012, I disagreed.
‘When we argued, Boris would tell me I was too hasty, that in Russia you had to live a long time to see change. Now he’ll never see it. RIP.’
Journalist Anna Politkovskaya, also a critic of Putin, was shot dead in a lift in October 2006, and former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko is thought to have been poisoned by Russians in London and died a month later.
Some also believe that Boris Berezovsky, the Russian oligarch and another critic of Putin, may have been murdered after he was found hanged in the bathroom of his Ascot home in March 2013.
Police cars blocked the street where Nemtsov was shot, and an ambulance was also nearby.
'Nemtsov B.E. died at 2340 hours as a result of four shots in the back,' an Interior Ministry spokeswoman said.
The 55-year-old served as deputy prime minister in the 1990s and once was seen as a possible successor to Boris Yeltsin, Russia’s first elected president.
He had publicly expressed concerns for his life earlier this month and was outspoken in his opposition to Putin.
Nemtsov was highly critical of the government's inefficiency, rampant corruption and the Kremlin's policy on Ukraine, which has strained Russia-West ties to a degree unseen since Cold War times.
He helped organise street protests and wrote extensively about official corruption. He had been due to take part on Sunday in the first big opposition protest in months in the Russian capital.
The assassination also comes after Nemtsov criticised Putin in the Financial Times on Thursday.
The politician had said residents he met in a town northeast of Moscow had complained about the country’s economic problems.
He added: ‘They believed that the embargo on imported foods is America’s fault, and they were surprised when I told them no, that was not Obama, it was Putin.
‘This is what we need to make people aware of: the crisis, that’s Putin.'
Mikhail Kasyanov, a former Russian prime minister now also in opposition, said he was shocked by the murder.
'In the 21st century, a leader of the opposition is being demonstratively shot just outside the walls of the Kremlin!' Kasyanov told reporters as Nemtsov's body was placed in a plastic bag.
'The country is rolling into the abyss.'
Kasyanov said the rally organisers decided that instead of the planned demonstration on Moscow's southeastern outskirts, they will stage a demonstration in the centre of the capital to commemorate Nemtsov.
The murdered politician was known as an economic reformer during his time as governor of one of Russia’s biggest cities, Nizhny Novgorod.
Nemtsov, who was Deputy Prime Minister of Russia from 1997 to 1998 during Boris Yeltsin's presidency, was sentenced to 15 days in jail in January 2011 after being arrested at a New Year's Eve protest rally for 'disobedience towards police'.
+11
President Putin meets the leaders of the State Duma lower house of parliament, including Boris Nemtsov (far right) in 2002
+11
Nemtsov and Putin discuss the prospects of administrative reform at the Kremlin in July 2000
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Boris Nemtsov (right) with Presidents Boris Yeltsin (centre) of Russia and Geidar Aliyev of Azerbaijan (left) after a signing ceremony for a basic treaty of friendship, cooperation and security in the Kremlin in July 1997
One of Russia's most prominent opposition leaders, he was among 68 people arrested at an unsanctioned rally at a central Moscow square.
Nemtsov and other protesters had gathered on the opposite side of the square from an authorised protest.
He was sentenced for failure to follow police orders, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported at the time.
[h=3]NEMTSOV MURDER WAS 'POLITICALLY MOTIVATED'[/h]Boris Nemtsov was one of the organisers of the Spring March opposition protest set for Sunday, which comes amid a severe economic downturn in Russia caused by low oil prices and Western sanctions.
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Alexeyeva said Mr Nemtsov was walking with a female acquaintance, a Ukrainian citizen, when a vehicle drove up and unidentified assailants opened fire. The woman was unhurt.
Opposition activist Ilya Yashin told Ekho Moskvy radio he last spoke with Mr Nemtsov two days before the killing.
+11
+11
‘Boris Nemtsov was a stark opposition leader who criticised the most important state officials in our country, including President Vladimir Putin,' said opposition activist Ilya Yashin
Mr Nemtsov was working on a report presenting evidence he believed proved Russia’s direct involvement in the separatist rebellion that erupted in eastern Ukraine last year.
Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of backing the rebels there with troops and weapons.
Moscow has denied the accusations, but large numbers of sophisticated heavy weapons in the rebels’ possession has strained the credibility of its denials.
Mr Yashin said he had no doubt that Mr Nemtsov’s murder was politically motivated.
He said: ‘Boris Nemtsov was a stark opposition leader who criticised the most important state officials in our country, including President Vladimir Putin.
'As we have seen, such criticism in Russia is dangerous for one’s life.’
Political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky told the radio station that he did not believe that Mr Nemtsov’s death would in any way serve Mr Putin’s interests.
‘But the atmosphere of hatred towards alternative thinkers that has formed over the past year, since the annexation of Crimea, may have played its role,’ he said, referring to the surge of intense and officially endorsed nationalist discourse increasingly prevalent in Russia since it annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
very sad times in Russia.
Boris Nemtsov, a charismatic Russian opposition leader and sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin, was gunned down Saturday near the Kremlin, just a day before a planned protest against the government.
Speaking on radio just a few hours before his death, he harshly criticized Putin for plunging Russia into the crisis by his "mad, aggressive and deadly policy of war against Ukraine."
"The country needs a political reform," Nemtsov said on Ekho Moskvy radio. "When power is concentrated in the hands of one person and this person rules for ever, this will lead to an absolute catastrophe, absolute."
RIP
Boris Nemtsov, a charismatic Russian opposition leader and sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin, was gunned down Saturday near the Kremlin, just a day before a planned protest against the government.
Speaking on radio just a few hours before his death, he harshly criticized Putin for plunging Russia into the crisis by his "mad, aggressive and deadly policy of war against Ukraine."
"The country needs a political reform," Nemtsov said on Ekho Moskvy radio. "When power is concentrated in the hands of one person and this person rules for ever, this will lead to an absolute catastrophe, absolute."
RIP
Mikhail Kasyanov, a former Russian prime minister now also in opposition, said he was shocked.
"In the 21st century, a leader of the opposition is being demonstratively shot just outside the walls of the Kremlin!" Kasyanov told reporters as Nemtsov's body placed in a plastic bag was removed on a rainy and cold night, as the Kremlin bells chimed nearby. "The country is rolling into the abyss."
"In the 21st century, a leader of the opposition is being demonstratively shot just outside the walls of the Kremlin!" Kasyanov told reporters as Nemtsov's body placed in a plastic bag was removed on a rainy and cold night, as the Kremlin bells chimed nearby. "The country is rolling into the abyss."
