FIRE IN THE SKY: Bright Meteor Streaks Over Black Sea Near Ukraine! [VIDEO]

© YouTube/asteroid457

March 11, 2016 - UKRAINE - Bright meteor streaks over Black Sea caught by video observation stations in Mayaki and Odessa, Ukraine on 9th March 2016.


WATCH: Bright meteor over Black Sea.

- YouTube.

 

MONUMENTAL SOCIETAL COLLAPSE: Ukraine Collapse Is Now Imminent - Ruthless Clan Of Oligarchs Create Atmosphere For New Wave Of VIOLENCE AND CHAOS, IMF And European Companies Are Leaving The Country, As Situation Becomes "UNMANAGEABLE"!

A view of a house destroyed in an air strike carried out by Ukrainian armed forces in the village of Stanitsa Luganskaya (AFP Photo)

March 1, 2016 - UKRAINE - Two years have passed since Yanukovich was deposed and, as it turns out, another ruthless clan of oligarchs has taken power. No wonder then that Ukraine is heading for a new wave of violence and chaos.

Oligarchs are fighting each other, the IMF is pulling out of the country, officials issue laws and regulations only to see them repealed within a day or two by others, and raided European companies are leaving the country after being robbed by the so-called pro-Brussels oligarchic elite.
It was evident from the beginning that the US and NATO-sponsored power transition was doomed to fail. Prime Minister Yatsenyuk made no secret on his personal website about his principal partners, NATO and Victor Pinchuk’s foundation. Victor Pinchuk is a link between the Ukraine corrupt oligarchic establishment and the Western political elite. In 2005, the BBC depicted him as a paragon of Ukraine’s kleptocracy:

“Ukraine’s largest steel mill has been bought by Mittal Steel for $4.8bn (£2.7bn) after an earlier sale was annulled amid corruption allegations.

The Kryvorizhstal mill was originally sold to the son-in-law (Mr. Pinchuck) of former President Leonid Kuchma for $800m.

It was one of the scandals that sparked the Orange Revolution and propelled President Viktor Yushchenko into power.")

Directly after the power transition, European leaders understood that the situation in the Ukraine was unmanageable, which we know from a confidential telephone conversation between Minister Paet (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia) and Mrs. Ashton (High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) that became public. Both politicians understood that the Maidan protesters had no trust in the politicians who formed the new coalition. Mr Paet said, “there is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind snipers it was not Yanukovich, but it was somebody from the new coalition." Their conversation makes it clear that both European politicians understood that, contrary to the official statements coming from Brussels, Europe has no solution for Ukraine’s problems and no trust in its new leaders.

Petro Poroshenko, one of the oligarchs, became the fifth president. In line with his predecessors, he had amassed an astonishing personal wealth by mixing politics and business on behalf of the Ukraine population. He started his career under the notorious President Kuchma and served as a minister under deposed President Victor Yanukovich. One can hardly imagine a more troubled new president for a country that has to reform itself and get rid of corruption.

In 2014 Brian Bonner, the Kyivpost chief editor, wrote: “Allowing prosecution of Kuchma (concerning the murder of a journalist) is acid test for whether Poroshenko will put national interests above his own.". Asking Poroshenko to “kill” his close friend and crony, former President Kuchma and the father-in-law of the powerful Pinchuk is a dramatic plea by the chief editor aimed at forcing President Poroshenko to show whose side he takes. Poroshenko’s answer came quickly: he rewarded Kuchma with a top position in the Minsk negation team.

Within months after the power transition, investigative journalist Tetiana Chornovol, who lead an anti-graft body, quit, calling her time in the government “useless” because there was no political will to conduct “a full-scale war" on corruption.

In the two years that followed rumour of ongoing corruption has not ceased. For Poroshenko and his fellow oligarchs, the biggest threat is not Putin and the separatists in the East, but the pro-Ukraine militia that only on paper were merged with the Ukraine army.

The militia regards the Western-backed oligarchs as the second biggest threat to the Ukrainian nation. We believe the oligarchs are the primary cause of the rot in Ukraine’s government.

Meanwhile, the Brussels elite is trying to sell the Ukraine 2014 power grab and the resultant association treaty as a way to help Ukraine to overcome its political corruption.

The Dutch government wrote in its communique to its citizens: “This cooperation gives Ukraine a chance for a better future. The country wants to become a genuine democracy, without corruption and with a wealthy population. The European association treaty is the foundation for the national reforms.”

Maybe this is the intention of many naive European politicians, it is not the intention of the Ukrainian elite who under Poroshenko consolidate their power. The Swiss-based company Swissport, a leading airport service company, and its French investors learned this the hard way.
In 2012 the UK-based logistic website the “theloadstar” wrote:

“Swissport, the Swiss ground handler stands to lose some $8m in assets in the Ukraine while other foreign investors could shun Ukraine, following an attempt to forcibly strip the company of its majority stake in Swissport Ukraine.

In a move alleged to be ‘corporate raiding’, an increasingly common phenomenon in the country, 30% shareholder of Swissport Ukraine, Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), has claimed that Swissport International (SPI) violated its minority rights – a “baseless” allegation, according to the handler. During interim court proceedings the judges were changed twice – at the very last minute – before the hearings.”

During the reign of Yanukovich, Kolomoisky (Poroshenko ally) try to strip Swissport from it assets. It did so by forcing the company to sell its multi-million majority stake for 400.000 Euro, using the corrupt Ukraine administration and the justice system. We cannot blame the company that it believed its problem was solved in 2014. The Washington and Brussels elite presented the new Kiev government as a tool in the fight against inherited Ukrainian corruption. During 2014 Swissport seems to have fought a successful battle against injustice. But at the end of 2014, the highest judicial body in Ukraine ruled that the company had to sell its multi-million investment to Kolomoisky for 400.000 dollars. The company said that it never received the 400.000 Euro from Mr. Kolomysky.

Ihor Kolomoiskyi is the oligarch President Poroshenko installed as governor of Dnepropetrovsk. That Kolomoisky enjoyed the full protection of Poroshenko became apparent as he was not prosecuted after he had orchestrated an armed raid on UkrTransNafta Ukraine state-owned oil firm. To spare President Poroshenko the embarrassment, Kolomoyskyi offered his resignation.

Ihor Kolomoiskyi is the founder of the Brussels-based European Jewish Parliament that served to increase his influence in Brussels. A worrisome sign that Ukraine’s political rot is spreading into the European Union.

Swissport raid and forceful eviction from Ukraine was an embarrassment for those who try to uphold the illusion Ukraine was in the process of becoming a genuine democracy free of corruption.

It could hardly be a surprise that a year after Kyivpost publication that Swissport had left Ukraine, Aivaras Abromavi?ius, Minister of Economics in Poroshenko’s cabinet and one of Washington’s principal allies in Kiev resigned.

After Abromavi?ius it was Deputy Prosecutor General that resigns due to unstoppable corruption. 15 February Deputy Prosecutor General Vitaliy Kasko wrote in his resignation letter:

“…This desire is based on the fact that the current leadership of the prosecutor’s office has once and for all turned it into a body where corruption dominates, and corrupt schemes are covered up. Any attempts to change this situation at the prosecutor’s office are immediately and demonstratively persecuted.

Lawlessness, not the law, rules here…..”

A day later General Prosecutor Victor Shokin, who analysts say, is an ally of President Poroshenko, has to quit. Viktor Shokin agrees to step down after President Poroshenko asked him to leave office Western leaders and reform-minded Ukrainian officials have long been calling for Shokin’s resignation.

At the same time, Ukraine headed for a standoff between its two most powerful politicians after Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk had defied President Petro Poroshenko’s call for his resignation and defeated a no-confidence motion in parliament.

The current chaos in Kiev makes it for the IMF extremely hard to keep Ukraine funded. Brazil’s IMF Director already in 2014 urged not to bend rules for Ukraine. Ukraine had failed the IMF twice before. There is now a sense of panic in Kiev, and so Ukraine leaders start to issue opposite orders. The Central Bank Governor’s ban on money exchange was repealed immediately by Yatsenyuk.

The situation of the population deteriorates rapidly as Ukraine’s currency devalues fast and bond yields spike. Companies start to understand that direct investment can disappear overnight as raided foreign companies are forced to leave the country. Protesters take over Hotels in Kyiv and return to Maidan to demand the resignation of the Ukraine rulers who came to power with the support of Washington and Brussels. Yatsenyuk now becomes a liability for its partner NATO.

It is a just matter of time before the Ukraine nationalistic militias will take power, resulting in a definite split of the country. Poroshenko can postpone the people final verdict by reviving the war in the east, but in the end, he can not escape the day of reckoning. - Zero Hedge.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Fireball Meteor Disintegrates Over Lviv, Ukraine!

January 25, 2016 - UKRAINE - The sky of the largest city in western Ukraine was visited by a disintegrating bright white fireball on January 23, 2016, local time.

The entry of this space rock must have been impressive and has most probably created a loud sonic boom.


WATCH: Ukraine fireball - Part 1.

Here another video from the same event... From another camera of the network:


WATCH: Ukraine fireball - Part 2.

- Strange Sounds.

ICE AGE NOW: Global Cooling Continues Relentlessly - Heavy Snowfall Wreaks Havoc In Odessa, Ukraine! [VIDEO]

January 20, 2016 - ODESSA, UKRAINE - Heavy snowfall is wreaking havoc in Ukraine's port city of Odessa.

At least two homeless people have died after a snowstorm hit the southern city.

Three others are in the hospital after suffering from hypothermia and frostbite.


WATCH: Snowfall wreaks havoc in Ukraine.

Local authorities are now deploying tents that provide heating for the homeless and those caught up in the snowstorms.

The freezing weather saw heavy snowfall forcing the international airport to cancel over a dozen flights this week.

- Ukraine Today.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Comet, Meteor Or Space Junk - Mysterious Space Object Filmed Over Ukraine, Belarus And Russia?!

What was this mysterious flying object spotted over Ukraine, Belarus and Russia on January 3, 2016?

January 9, 2016 - UKRAINE, BELARUS, RUSSIA - A mysterious flying object was observed in the sky of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia on January 3, 2016.

But nobody knows what it is. Here maybe a clue...

Cameras of the Ukrainian observation network recorded a burning meteor-like object striking the sky of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia at around 9:40 pm local time.

The strange flashing object was travelling at an altitude of ~ 77 km and a speed of about 6 km/s, from the southwest to the northeast.

Its disintegration created a long, wide, slightly glowing orange-red trail resembling a slow-burning gases.

Was it a comet? A meteor? Space junk?


WATCH: Matt Taylor on SophieCo.

Well it was most likely the Soviet satellite Cosmos-1763, launched on July 16, 1986 from Plesetsk, Russia and which re-entered Earth atmosphere on January 3, 2016.

- Strange Sounds.

GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN: Ukraine Officially Defaults On $3 BILLION DEBT To Russia - Moscow To Sue Kiev In London Court!

© Lee Jae-Won / Reuters

January 1, 2016 - UKRAINE - Russia’s Finance Ministry is filing a lawsuit against Ukraine for failing to pay off its $3 billion debt to Russia before the December 31 deadline. This means that Ukraine is now officially in a state of default, the ministry added.

“Ukraine has not made the payment of $3.075 billion in repayment and servicing of external bonds owned by Russia during the grace period, which expired on December 31, 2015. Thus, Ukraine is in a state of default now,” the ministry said in a statement.

The lawsuit will be filed in the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).

“The Finance Ministry contacted ‘The Law Debenture Corporation plc’ [which acts as the principal creditor to bond issue documents] and initiated legal procedures that are required for an immediate lawsuit against Ukraine. The lawsuit will be filed in the British court [London Court of International Arbitration],” the statement said.

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov stressed that Russian will still be willing to work with Ukraine to solve the problem, even after the lawsuit is filed.

“Russia has always been willing to consider options to assist Ukraine in line with the IMF [International Monetary Fund] program. Russia intends to carefully examine any significant offer from Ukraine, but also believes that the court proceedings do not preclude a constructive dialogue in order to reach an acceptable settlement of the debt,” the statement read.

Ukraine’s sovereign debt to Russia dates back to a deal between President Vladimir Putin and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich that was struck in 2013 and envisaged Moscow buying $15 billion worth of Ukrainian bonds. Russia bought $3 billion worth on December 20, 2013, and the debt was supposed to be repaid by December 20, 2015.

Earlier in December, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Finance Ministry to file a lawsuit against Ukraine if Kiev failed to repay Russia’s $3 billion Eurobond loan within the 10-day grace period following the December 20 deadline.

Back in August, Ukraine agreed to a restructuring deal with a creditor committee led by Franklin Templeton (which owns about $7 billion worth of Ukrainian bonds) providing a 20 percent write-down on about $18 billion worth of Eurobonds.

Russia refused to participate in the debt restructuring, claiming its bond purchase was a state loan, not a commercial one.

In November, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a three-year restructuring plan for Kiev’s debt, provided that loan guarantees were made by the US, the EU or the International Monetary Fund. Under that offer, Russia would have forgone payment in 2015 and Kiev would have repaid $1 billion a year for the next three years.

The deal fell through, however, as Ukraine’s Western backers were unwilling to provide such guarantees. - RT.

GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN: Precursors To A Global Financial Collapse - The Global Financial Order Could UTTERLY COLLAPSE On December 21!

December 19, 2015 - GLOBAL ECONOMY - The world is entering a chaotic phase. There have been recent claims that the US has begun to create «manageable chaos» globally. But events in the Middle East have dispelled the illusion that the instigator of this chaos is capable of managing it. And that unmanageable chaos may very soon overtake the world of international finance. The US is once again guilty of having ushered in unmanageable financial chaos, and Ukraine’s $3 billion debt to Russia will serve to detonate the process.

It is no coincidence that problems are mounting around that debt. Washington is deliberately exploiting the debt to try to inflict damage on Russia. The final destruction of the global financial order that was established during the international conference at Bretton Woods in 1944 could end up as collateral damage of the anti-Russian policy.

The US devised the Bretton Woods monetary system, then inflicted the initial damage on it during the 1970s when Washington stopped exchanging dollars for gold. Gold was demonetized, the world transitioned to paper money, and fixed exchange rates were eliminated. The financial markets, as well as financial speculation, began to expand at a frantic pace, which significantly reduced the stability of the global economy and international finance. Financial chaos was already at hand, but at the time it was still at a manageable level. The International Monetary Fund, which was created in December 1945, remained the tool for managing international finance.

Yet today we are eyewitnesses to the IMF’s destruction, which threatens to magnify the instability of global finance in the midst of global financial chaos. The IMF’s role in maintaining relative financial order in the world not only consisted of issuing loans and credits to specific countries, but also in the fact that it acted as the final authority, writing the rules of the game for global financial markets. After the United States – the IMF’s main shareholder (controlling approximately 17% of the voting power within the fund) – dragged the IMF into the games it was playing with Ukraine, that international financial institution was forced to break its own rules that it had developed and honed over the course of decades. The fund’s recent decisions have created a precedent for a game played without rules, and it is almost impossible to calculate the consequences for international finance.

The most recent ruling of this type was issued on Dec. 8. It was timed to correspond with the final maturity date for Ukraine’s $3 billion debt to Russia – Dec. 20. Washington continues to urge the Ukrainian government not to repay its Russian debt. But if Kiev fails to pay back what it owes, this will almost automatically lead to a full-scale sovereign default, and thus the IMF, in accordance with the rules that have been in place almost since the fund’s birth, will no longer have the right to make loans to Ukraine. In order to continue transferring funds from the IMF’s loan to Ukraine (a loan agreement for $17.5 billion was signed in April 2015), Washington ordered the fund to rewrite the rules so that even if Kiev defaults on what it owes Moscow, the IMF could still lend Ukraine money. The fund – ever submissive – fulfilled this seemingly unfulfillable command.

Aleksei Mozhin, the IMF director for the Russian Federation, reported that on Dec. 8 the fund’s Executive Board approved reforms that would allow lending to debtors even in the event of a default on sovereign debt. Everyone knows perfectly well that the fund made such a revolutionary decision specifically in order to prop up the moribund regime in Kiev and to needle Russia. Speaking to reporters, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov stated, «The decision to change the rules appears hasty and biased. This was done solely to harm Russia and to legitimize the possibility of Kiev not paying its debts».

There have been few decisions of such a radical nature in the IMF’s history. For example, in 1989 the fund won the right to make loans to countries even if the recipients of those funds still had unpaid debts to foreign commercial banks. And in 1998 the fund was permitted to lend to countries with outstanding liabilities on sovereign bonds held by private investors. However, the repayment of debts to sovereign creditors has always been a sacred duty for the IMF’s clients. Sovereign creditors are the saviors of last resort, who come to the aid of states that are being turned away by private lenders and investors.

Under the IMF’s rules, a state’s liabilities to a sovereign creditor (i.e., another state) are just as «sacred» as liabilities to the fund itself. This is, in a manner of speaking, a cornerstone of international finance. And here we see how, at an ordinary meeting of the IMF’s Executive Board, this cornerstone has been hastily pulled out from under the edifice of international finance. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov drew particular attention to this aspect of the Executive Board’s ruling: «The rules for financing the fund’s programs have existed for decades and have not changed. Sovereign creditors have always had priority over commercial ones. The rules have emphasized the special role of official creditors, which is especially important in times of crisis, when commercial lenders are turning countries away, depriving them of access to resources».

The submissive posture of the fund and the audacity of its main shareholder (the US) can be seen in the way the Dec. 8 decision was quickly rubber-stamped, while for five years Washington has blocked efforts to reform the fund (to review the quotas of the member states and to double the fund’s capital). According to Siluanov, given the IMF Executive Board’s Dec. 8 decision, «America’s unwillingness to address the issue of the ratification of the agreement to replenish the IMF’s capital appears particularly egregious, especially when that capital would be very useful in solving Ukraine’s debt problems».

On Dec. 10, a 34-page report was published containing details of the reform that had been approved by the IMF’s Executive Board on Dec. 8. According to that document, some of those changes apply to debt to sovereign creditors that is not covered by the Paris Club agreements. However, a debtor country must meet a number of conditions in order to maintain its access to IMF funds, including «making good faith efforts» to restructure its debt.

The reference to «good faith efforts» raises a very interesting point. So far Kiev has made no efforts at all in its capacity as a debtor state. The statements by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk do not count. Those were not attempts at «good faith efforts,» but rather ultimatums made to Russia, a sovereign creditor: in other words, you will either join the restructuring talks we are holding with our private creditors or else we will not pay you anything at all. It’s also typical that these statements were not even made through the official channels of correspondence but were issued verbally on television. I found one statement by Yatsenyuk particularly moving, when he claimed that he had not received any formal proposals from Moscow regarding Ukraine’s debt.

This is something new, in intergovernmental relations in general and in international monetary and credit relations in particular. Almost since the birth of the IMF, a rule has existed (and still does), according to which: a) any initiative to alter the original terms of a loan must come from the debtor, not the creditor; and b) that initiative (request) must be issued in writing and sent to the creditor via official channels.

If Mr Yatsenyuk is unaware of these rules, perhaps the officials of the IMF could explain them to him. However, nothing like this has been done.

Let’s return to the Dec. 8 decision. Whether Kiev wants to or not, if it is to continue obtaining credit through the fund, Ukraine must at least show evidence of an attempt to negotiate with its creditor, i.e., with Moscow. It must provide evidence of «a good faith effort,» so to speak. And of what should that evidence consist? There must be at least three steps: a) a formal request to begin talks to review the terms of the loan must be drafted and sent to the creditor; b) the debtor must receive an official response from the lender; and c) if the creditor agrees – negotiations must be held to revise the terms.

Of course Kiev’s negotiations with its private creditors regarding the restructuring of its debt began almost immediately after the latest IMF loan agreement was signed, i.e., they lasted from March 2015 until late August 2015. The negotiation process lasted until October, which means that the debt restructuring dragged on for six months.

Don’t forget that the deadline to repay the debt to Russia (Dec. 20) falls on a Sunday. Kiev has very little time left to demonstrate «a good faith effort» and even in a best-case scenario could not possibly manage more than the first two of the three steps I have listed. There is no time for the third and most important step.

It will be very interesting to hear what the IMF has to say on Monday, Dec. 21. Where will it be able to find evidence of Kiev’s «good faith efforts»? Or will it wait for its cue from the main shareholder? Although that main shareholder is not renowned for its mental finesse, it makes up for its doltishness with sheer nerve.

Dec. 21 promises to be the most shameful day in the history of the IMF, which could be followed by the death of this international financial institution. Unfortunately, the IMF would still be capable of blowing up the global financial system before its own demise, using Ukraine’s debt to Russia as the detonator. Of course, Washington is the one really playing the game – the fund is merely a toy in its hands. But why would Washington want this to happen? Strictly speaking, it is not even official Washington that wants this, but the «money masters» (the Federal Reserve’s main shareholders), and every official connected with the White House, US Treasury, and other US government agencies is on their payroll. The money masters have been forced to defend the weakening dollar using proven tools – the creation of chaos outside America’s borders. Any kind of chaos will work – political, military, economic, or financial.

After the ruling by the IMF’s Executive Board on Dec. 8, 2015, which was made in order to prop up the bankrupt regime in Kiev and solely for the purpose of harming Russia, some financial experts have cautiously expressed their opinion that there will soon be little reason for Russia to remain in the IMF. I can only endorse their position, although Russia’s withdrawal from the IMF would be a necessary but insufficient prerequisite for bolstering Russian statehood. Russia must still create a reliable defense against global financial chaos, which, after Dec. 21, will quickly grow unmanageable. - SCF.

PARADIGM SHIFT & THE AGE OF PUTIN: "We See Syria Fundamentally Very Similarly" - Russia And The United States Agree On Critical Issues!

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) welcomes U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia December 15, 2015.

December 16, 2015 - RUSSIA - Russia and the US have agreed on a number of ‘critical’ issues, particularly with regard to Syria, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks in Moscow.

“The US stands ready to work with Russia,” Kerry told journalists after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lavrov on Tuesday. He added that the two countries’ officials had “a productive day” and the discussions had been “constructive.”

“Despite our countries’ differences, we demonstrated that when the United States and Russia pull together in the same direction, progress can be made,” Kerry said.

Calling the effort “good diplomacy,” the top US diplomat said that the whole global community benefits from such cooperation.

Moscow and Washington confirmed their previous agreements to work together to fight “the evil” of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria, Lavrov told journalists, adding that some “practical steps” to advance this effort had been agreed upon at the meeting.

“We confirmed the agreements reached by the Russian and US militaries, including the agreements that also apply to the US-led coalition working against ISIL, and in practical terms agreed on some further steps which will help make our parallel work more coordinated and effective,” the Russian foreign minister said.

"We see Syria fundamentally very similarly, we want the same outcomes, we see the same dangers, we understand the same challenges," Kerry said. He added that the two nations have been “honest with differences,” but in general agree that the crisis in the Middle Eastern country “requires political process.”

“Russia and the United States agree that you can't defeat Daesh without also de-escalating the fight in Syria,” the Secretary of State said, adding that both Moscow and Washington are “focused on political process” and that “Syrians will be making decisions on the future of Syria.”


WATCH: "No isolation for Russia, world is better when we cooperate." - US Sec of State Kerry in Moscow.

Kerry also said that Moscow and Washington have found “common ground” on which opposition groups should participate in the Syrian peace talks.

RT’s Ilya Petrenko confronted Kerry with a question asking him about threats to isolate Russia, which were repeatedly voiced by Washington in the past. The head of the US State Department replied that there was no such US policy in place.

“We don’t seek to isolate Russia as a matter of policy,” Kerry said. “But we have consistently said that the world is better off when Russia and the US find common ground and an ability to be able to work together.”

Meanwhile, Lavrov has confirmed that a meeting of world powers on Syria penciled in for New York on Friday would go ahead.

A project for a resolution on Syria is expected to be ready for presentation to the UN Security Council after Friday’s meeting, Lavrov said.

“We met here today not as Russia and the US behind the back of other members of the international group on Syrian support, but as co-chairs of this group,” Lavrov said, adding that only an “inclusive format” and the collective efforts of all the members of the Syria group can lead to success in solving the crisis in the region.

Russia and the US are seeking solutions to the most critical crises together, Putin said earlier at the start of the meeting, adding that he "is happy for the opportunity to meet and talk."

“Today you’ve had comprehensive talks at Russia’s Foreign Ministry,” Putin said to Kerry, referring to an earlier meeting with Lavrov. “Minister Lavrov has reported to me in detail on your proposals and on some issues that require additional discussions. I'm very happy with the opportunity to meet with you and talk."

‘Good discussion about Ukraine’

The crisis in Ukraine was also on the agenda, with both Russian and US officials reiterating their support for the Minsk agreements.

“There are concrete ideas on how to most actively implement” the peace deal in the region, Lavrov said, adding that Moscow hopes to remain in close contact with its US partners concerning the matter.

When obligations stated in the accord are met, “US and EU sanctions can be rolled back,” Kerry said, adding that he had had “a good discussion about Ukraine” with President Putin.

“It is always better to be able to sit down in person and spend the significant amount of time that we were able to do today to hash out details and not feel the pressure of another meeting at a multi-level event,” the top US diplomat told reporters after more than three and a half hours of talks with Putin and Lavrov, after thanking them “for the amount of time both of them have afforded.”

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland, the White House National Security Council's senior director for Russia Celeste Wallander and US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft were also present at the Kremlin meeting. On Russia's side, Sergey Lavrov and Putin's aide Yury Ushakov also attended.

This year, Kerry has already paid a visit to Putin in Russia. In May, the two met at the Russian president's Sochi residence. That meeting was originally planned for some 90 minutes, but lasted for over four hours.

Prior to the Kremlin meeting, Kerry was spotted wandering along the tourist hot-spot Arbat Street in central Moscow. The US Secretary of State did some souvenir shopping and was warmly welcomed by locals and fellow visitors who recognized him in the street. “I want to wish that the Russian people and the American people are good friends and that our countries come together in peace,” Kerry said when chatting to a group of people. - RT.

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: Ukrainian Civilian Helicopter Crashes In Slovakia - Seven People Dead!

The file photo shows the wreckage of a helicopter that crashed in a wooded area in Slovakia.

November 13, 2015 - SLOVAKIA - At least seven people have been killed in a helicopter crash in eastern Slovakia, with local authorities suspecting that the aircraft was smuggling refugees from neighboring Ukraine.

Slovakia’s Interior Ministry spokesman Ivan Netik cited police authorities as saying on Friday that the helicopter was believed to have been carrying illegal refugees over the European Union (EU)’s border, DPA reported.

He further said that the number of those killed during the crash is expected to rise.

Authorities initially discovered six bodies in the wreckage on Friday, and located the seventh corpse several hours later.

Slovakia’s Interior Minister Robert Kalinak had previously said that the doomed helicopter, identified as an MI-2, had originally been spotted on Wednesday while making an illegal flight over its border with Ukraine.

“As you can see, smugglers or human traffickers do not shy away from anything,” Kalinak said, explaining that the aircraft flew under the cover of the night and in foggy conditions while keeping low and making risky maneuvers in a bid to evade Slovakian border protection forces.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian border police also said they believe two of those on board the helicopter were Ukrainians, along with at least four people from South-East Asia, including two women. - Press TV.

 

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Massive 100-METRE Sinkhole Opens Up In Solotvino, Ukraine As Planetary Transformations Escalate Ahead Of The Celestial Black Event - Villagers Terrified After Reports That The Hole Has Swallowed Up Several Homes!

Swallowed up: This huge sinkhole measuring around 100m wide by 60m deep has appeared in the village of Solotvino in the Zakarpatska Oblast region of western Ukraine

April 30, 2015 - UKRAINE - Spanning 100 metres across and some 60 metres deep, this gigantic hole could be a meteor crater.

But it's understood to have been caused by something far closer to home - humble salt.

Terrified residents fear their homes will soon vanish after it suddenly opened up in their Ukrainian village, reportedly swallowing seven houses in the process.

Now they are demanding the government act to either stop the hole getting even bigger or move them to a new, safer location.


WATCH: Stunning sinkhole swallows up homes in Ukraine.

The abyss on their doorsteps: The remaining residents are demanding the government act to either stop the hole getting even bigger or move them to a new, safer location

Problems for the village of Solotvino in the Zakarpatska Oblast region of western Ukraine began 220 years ago when the first salt mines started to appear.

When they were closed down, the mine shafts left behind gradually collected water, which in turn has been slowly dissolving the underground rock formations.

The liquidized salty water then drains away, leaving a huge underground cavern which, when it collapses, brings hundreds of thousands of tonnes of earth crashing into vast pits like this one.

Villagers say there are at least five of the holes, although this one pictured is by far the largest.

It is creating what is known as a Karst landscape, formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks including limestone, dolomite and gypsum, and characterised by sinkholes.

Villager Leopold Uvarov, 38, said: 'This huge abyss formed near the village in just a day.

'It was around 60 metres wide and at least 45 metres deep, but it's growing all the time.'

Another villager, Ivan Prokop, 53, said they noticed the first sinkhole 11 years ago.

He claims it began by taking away roads, some gardens and had then started swallowing houses.

He added: 'The holes are getting closer to other houses all the time.'

The abyss on their doorsteps: The remaining residents are demanding the government act to either stop the hole getting even bigger or move them to a new, safer location

He said that the last salt mine was closed in 2007 in Solotvino, but it did not stop the Karst erosion processes.

He said: 'At first, we thought it might just be one hole and it would stop, but it's clear the entire region will eventually sink.

'This abyss isn't the last one we will see. There will be more. The water is gathering in the old mines, the salt deposits are dissolving and our land will continue to vanish.'

Expert Oleksandr Poshtuk, who was employed by the local government to shut down the mines, said that the solution was to fill the tunnels with soil.

But villagers argue that this process had slowed down and then stopped when they realised it would cost around £10million to fill all of the mines take at least seven years.

Teenager Irina Zhygun, 17, said: 'It was really scary to stand on the edge and hear how stones are falling into the void. The reality is our entire village can vanish at any stage.'

Local officials say some two dozen families have already been moved, but 130 families are refusing to leave, saying the new settlement is in an area that has contaminated water and they will be no better off if they agree to the move.

Villager Boris Gedz, 67, a former miner, said: 'I am scared that I will end up falling into the ground as well, but I can't leave my house. My parents, I and my children grew up here.' -  Daily Mail.

WORLD WAR III: "A Dangerous Game Of Military Brinkmanship" - U.S., Russian War Games Rekindle Cold War Tensions!

In this photo taken Wednesday, April 8, 2015, a U.S. military fighter jet participates in a NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission practice mission in the Tapa training
area, some 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of Tallinn, Estonia. Russia is so close that the F-16 fighter pilots can see it on the horizon as they swoop down
over a training range in Estonia in the biggest ever show of U.S. air power in the Baltic countries. The four-week drill is part of a string of non-stop
exercises by U.S. land, sea and air forces in Europe - from Estonia in the north to Bulgaria in the south - scaled up since last year to reassure
nervous NATO allies after Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

April 9, 2015 - AMARI AIR BASE, ESTONIA - Russia is so close that the F-16 fighter pilots can see it on the horizon as they swoop down over a training range in Estonia in the biggest ever show of U.S. air power in the Baltic countries.

The simulated bombs release smoke on impact, but the M-61 cannon fires live ammunition, rattling the aircraft with a deafening tremor and shattering targets on the ground.

The four-week drill is part of a string of non-stop exercises by U.S. land, sea and air forces in Europe — from Estonia in the north to Bulgaria in the south — scaled up since last year to reassure nervous NATO allies after Russia's military intervention in Ukraine. U.S. and Russian forces are now essentially back in a Cold War-style standoff, flexing their muscles along NATO's eastern flank.

The saber-rattling raises the specter that either side could misinterpret a move by the other, triggering a conflict between two powers with major nuclear arsenals despite a sharp reduction from the Cold War era.

"A dangerous game of military brinkmanship is now being played in Europe," said Ian Kearns, director of the European Leadership Network, a London-based think-tank. "If one commander or one pilot makes a mistake or a bad decision in this situation, we may have casualties and a high-stakes cycle of escalation that is difficult to stop."

With memories of five decades of Soviet occupation still fresh, many in the Baltic countries find the presence of U.S. forces a comfort rather than a risk.

In recent months, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have seen hundreds of U.S. armored vehicles, tanks and helicopters arrive on their soil. With a combined population of just over 6 million, tiny armies and no combat aircraft or vehicles, the last time tanks rumbled through their streets was just over 20 years ago, when remnants of the Soviet army pulled out of the region.

The commander of Estonia's tiny air force, Col. Jaak Tarien, described the roar of American F-16s taking off from Amari — a former Soviet air base — as "the sound of freedom."

Normally based in Aviano, Italy, 14 fighter jets and about 300 personnel from the 510th Fighter Squadron are training together with the Estonians — but also the Swedish and Finnish air forces. Meanwhile, Spain's air force is in charge of NATO's rotating air patrols over the Baltic countries.

"A month-long air exercise with a full F-16 squadron and, at the same time, a Spanish detachment doing air policing; that is unprecedented in the Baltics," said Tarien, who studied at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

In Moscow the U.S. Air Force drills just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the Russian border are seen in a different light.

"It takes F-16 fighters just a few minutes to reach St. Petersburg," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said, referring to the major Russian port city on the Baltic Sea. He expressed concern that the ongoing exercise could herald plans to "permanently deploy strike aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons at the Russian border."

Moscow also says the U.S. decision to deploy armored vehicles in Eastern Europe violates an earlier agreement between Russia and NATO.

NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero called those allegations "baseless" and said it is Russia that has breached the agreement through its actions in Ukraine.

She said NATO's increased military presence in Eastern Europe "is rotational and well below any reasonable definition of ?substantial combat forces. All our measures are defensive, proportional and in line with our international commitments."

Russia has substantially increased its own military activity in the Baltic Sea region over the past year, prompting complaints of airspace violations in Estonia, Finland and Sweden, and staged large maneuvers near the borders of Estonia and Latvia.

"Russia is threatening nearly everybody; it is their way," said Mac Thornberry, the Republican chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, during a recent visit to Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.

"They want to intimidate the Baltic states, Poland, Ukraine and Romania, country after country. And the question is, do you let the bully get away with that or do you stand up and say 'no, you can threaten, but we will not allow you to run over us,'" Thornberry said.

The Pentagon has said that some 3,000 U.S. troops will be conducting training exercises in Eastern Europe this year. That's a small number compared to the hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops that have been withdrawn from Europe since the days when the Iron Curtain divided the continent. But the fact that they are carrying out exercises in what used to be Moscow's backyard makes it all the more sensitive; the Kremlin sees NATO's eastward expansion as a top security threat.

During a symbolic visit to Estonia in September, U.S. President Barack Obama said that the defense of the Baltic capitals of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius is just as important as defending Berlin, Paris and London — a statement warmly received in Estonia, a nation of 1.3 million and with a mere 5,500 soldiers on active duty.

Welcoming the U.S. fighter squadron to Estonia, U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey D. Levine said the air drill was needed "to deter any power that might question our commitment to Article 5" — NATO's key principle of collective defense of its members.

On Wednesday, The Associated Press observed bombing and strafing drills at the Tapa training ground both from the ground and from the back seat of one of the two F-16s taking part.

On board the fighter jet, the pull of the G-force was excruciating as the pilot swooped down onto his target before brutally ascending to circle the range.

After dropping six practice bombs each, the two jets returned to Amari air base, flying so low over the flat Estonian countryside that they frequently had to gain altitude to avoid radio towers.

On the ground, Lt. Col. Christopher Austin, commander of the 510th Squadron, dismissed the risk of his pilots making any rash moves that could provoke a reaction from the Russians.

"We stay far enough away so that we don't have to worry about any (border) zones or anything like that," he said. "We don't even think about it." - Yahoo.

WORLD WAR III: Monumental Precursors To War - Russia Withdraws From Conventional Armed Forces In Europe Treaty "Completely," As The United States And NATO Continues To Use The Ukrainian Crisis To Advance Massive Troop Buildup Along Russian Border!

March 10, 2015 - RUSSIA - Moscow has announced it is "completely" ending activities under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE). Russia’s participation in the treaty was first halted in 2007.

"The Russian Federation has taken the decision to halt its participation in meetings of the [consulting group] from March 11, 2015. Therefore, Russia is ending its actions in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, announced in 2007, completely," a statement from the Foreign Ministry said.

Moscow has asked Belarus to represent Russia's interests in the group starting from Wednesday, the statement said.

According to the Ministry, the move does not mean that Moscow refuses to continue further dialogue on control of conventional armed forces in Europe - "if and when our partners are ready for it," the Ministry official said in the statement, adding that future work on the project should serve the interests of both Russia and other European states.

The original CFE Treaty, signed in 1990 by 16 NATO and six Warsaw Pact, set equal ceilings for each bloc on key categories of conventional armaments, with tanks, combat armored vehicles, artillery, assault helicopters and combat aircraft among them. For instance, under the treaty, each side is supposed to have no more than 16,500 tanks or 27,300 armored combat vehicles in active units.

RIA Novosti/Ramil Sitdikov

1999 saw an “adapted” version of the treaty signed. However NATO members refused to ratify it until Russia withdrew troops from Georgia and the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdnestria. Russia slammed the condition as an “artificial linkage.”

In December 2007 this led to Moscow imposing a moratorium on the CFE treaty. Moscow also said the treaty was “irrelevant” since NATO planned to increase its military presence in Eastern Europe.

Four years later, the North Atlantic bloc stated exchange of information on conventional weapons and troops with Russia would be stopped.

In November 2014, Moscow suspended the implementation of the CFE Treaty.

Joint Viking: Norway buzzes Russian border with biggest military drill since Cold War

Norwegian army soldiers attend a NATO military exercise "Saber Strike" ceremony in Adazi June 9, 2014. (Reuters/Ints Kalnins)

Unprecedented war games, involving 5,000 Norwegian troops and 400 vehicles, have started in Norway’s northernmost province, bordering Russia. The biggest exercises since Cold War days will last for a week, amid growing tensions between Russia and NATO.

Joint Viking, Norway's biggest military training exercise in nearly 50 years, is being held in the country’s far northeast Finnmark County, above the Arctic Circle. The region borders Russia’s Kola Peninsula.

The last time a similar military exercise was conducted in Finnmark was in 1967.

“Today the army will transport their vehicles and crews to Finnmark and begin exercise Joint Viking.

This is an operative exercise with all weapons and branches involved,” Norwegian Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Aleksander Jankov said. “To illustrate the magnitude of this, I can mention that if we put the vehicles one after another on the road it will stretch 6km.”

Apart from the ground troops involved, the exercise (which will last until March 18) has put Norway’s Navy submarines and surface vessels off the coast of Finnmark and Air Force fighter jets on alert. All types of weapons are promised to be put to use, reports the Barentz Observer.

The buildup of military activities next to Russian border does not promote restoration of confidence in Euro-Atlantic, acknowledged Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after meeting with his Spanish counterpart.

“We believe problems should be resolved through equitable and mutually respecting dialogue,” Lavrov said, stressing that Moscow reserves the right to “react adequately” to the drills in Norway.

The Russian Air Force staged military training of its own last week, when fighter jets from Monchegorsk Air Base on the Kola Peninsula trained intercepting enemy cruise missiles and aircraft.

Norway's improved CV90s start rolling off the production line.

Norway is planning a large joint air force exercise for May, in which more than 100 planes from eight NATO member states are going to take part in the Arctic Challenge Exercise in the skies of the Barents Sea region. The joint task force will be performing training lights from airfields in Luleå (Sweden), Rovaniemi (Finland) and Bodø (Norway).

Last October Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that in 2015 Russia will be ready to “meet unwelcome guests” coming from any direction, after completing a network of radar stations in the Arctic.

In December 2014, Russia’s Northern Fleet was announced as the backbone of the new Arctic Command, with an area of engagement including the high-latitude areas of the Arctic Ocean and the North Pole.

In February 2015, Shoigu confirmed that Russia may consider protecting its national interests in the Arctic with military means if necessary, pointing to the increasing interest in the region’s resources by countries with no direct access to the Arctic.

“The constant military presence in the Arctic and a possibility to protect the state’s interests by the military means are regarded as an integral part of the general policy to guarantee national security,” Shoigu said at a Ministry of Defense meeting.

Just a couple of years ago Norway and Russia, which share a Barents Sea coastline and an almost-200km border, used to hold joint military trainings. The last one, named Pomor, was held in 2013 and involved visits by Norwegian battleships to Russia’s port of Severomorsk and the Russian Navy calling to the Norway’s port of Tromsø in the north.

After the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine and reunification of the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, Oslo suspended all military contacts with Moscow, simultaneously promoting closer military cooperation with other Scandinavian capitals and NATO member states.

NATO is using Ukraine crisis to advance towards Russian borders - Defense Ministry

U.S. soldiers attend military parade celebrating Estonia's Independence Day near border crossing with Russia in Narva February 24, 2015. (Reuters/Ints Kalnins)

NATO is using the situation in Ukraine to push closer to Russia's border, according to the Russian deputy defense minister. He says the Alliance's activities have expanded considerably over the past years.
In their push, Anatoly Antonov says Allied forces are ignoring diplomacy.

"We've noticed that NATO member states are using the situation in southeastern Ukraine as a pretext to discard all diplomatic conventions, tricks and slogans and push forward, closer to the Russian border."

According to the minister, what NATO is doing is completely out of proportion with what NATO commanders call the build-up of Russian forces on its side of the border in Ukraine. "NATO's activities are many times greater than Russia's."

However, he added they aren't a threat to Russia's security.

WATCH: US armor arrives in Latvia for NATO exercise.

All of this is being done to restrain Russia and punish it for refusing to play along with rules set by the West, according to the official.

"Instead of uniting forces to fight evil, the worst of which is terrorism, Western nations are drawing new divisive lines, trying to realize containment schemes against unwelcome states. Today, Russia has been chosen as the target."

He added that NATO currently can’t be considered the pillar of world freedom and security it is cracked up to be.

All this doesn’t bode well for relations between the US and Russia, Antonov said.

"Throughout my military and diplomatic career, I haven't seen another period when Russian-American relations have been so difficult."

The activities he was referring to include massive wargames in Eastern Europe and naval exercises in the Black Sea. On Wednesday, warships from the US, Turkey, Italy, Canada and Romania started drills there.

Another example is the NATO military parade on February 24, held just 300 meters from the Russian border, in the Estonian town of Narva. About 140 pieces of armor and 10 times as many troops, including US soldiers, took part in that event.

Moscow saw it as a stab in its direction, but Estonia defended its right to host a parade, saying it can move military whichever way it likes on its territory - the same argument used by Russia when accused of military build-up along its borders.

The US is sending 600 paratroopers to Ukraine by the end of this week. US 173rd Airborne Brigade Commander Colonel Michael Foster announced this at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC on Monday.

The forces will stay there for six months, with the stated goal of training the Ukrainian National Guard.

However, the operation could grow bigger.

WATCH: NATO vehicles parade yards from Russian border.

"Initially, the plan is to go for six months,” said Colonel Foster. “There have been discussions on how to increase both the duration of that event and the scope, the other things the US can assist with from a military perspective."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Aleksandr Lukashevich, said on Thursday that 300 American troops are already in Ukraine, training local servicemen near the city of Lvov.

The Ukrainian Defense ministry has denied Russia’s claims of US military instructors already being in the country.

“We don’t confirm this. It is the news from 12 years ago. Today it’s a fake,” the ministry’s spokeswoman,Viktoria Kushnir, told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

The spokesman for a region Defense Ministry media-center in Lvov, Aleksandr Poronyuk, also said the information “doesn’t correspond with reality.”

When asked if the training program will be used to send lethal aid to Ukraine should the US decide to do so, Colonel Foster said a "secondary method" will be used for that.

The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized the US push to give lethal aid to Kiev especially "in light of the rather successful implementation of ceasefire agreements reached on February 12."

“Weapon supplies may cause not only the failure of the ceasefire and a new escalation of violence in the south east (of Ukraine), but also pose a threat to Russia’s security,” Lukashevich stressed.

WATCH: NATO build-up in E.Europe boasts power to 'deter threat from Moscow'.

- RT News.

THEATRE OF WAR: Russia's Defense Ministry Launches Massive Military Exercises In Its Southern Region - With Over 2,000 Troops, Grad Launchers And Over 500 Items Of Weaponry!

RIA Novosti / Vitaliy Ankov

March 5, 2015 - RUSSIA - The Russian Defense Ministry has launched massive military exercises, involving over 2,000 troops and some 500 items of weaponry in southern Russia, including in the Caucasus.

The field-type exercises of the air defense forces will be taking place until April 10 in twelve military firing ranges, located in Russia's South, the North Caucasus and Crimean Federal Districts, as well as at Russian military bases in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Armenia.

“Over 2,000 troops have been involved into the battle drills, and over 500 items of weaponry and military hardware are being used,” Interfax quoted a statement of the Southern Military District.

The training day will last for 10 hours, and half of the drills will take place at night.

During the month-long drills, Russian troops will be practicing tactical, special and technical skills, alongside driving modern military equipment, shooting and fire control.

The drills involve self-propelled howitzers “Gvozdika”, multiple artillery rocket systems “Grad”, mortars “Podnos”, anti-tank missile systems “Konkurs”, and modern intelligence drones “Navodchik-2”.

“At the end of the field drills, tactical maneuvers are planned,” the statement said.

Combat units will repeal strikes from the aggressor’s tactical aircraft, drones and precision weapon projectiles.”

“They will also carry out operational reconnaissance of the air situation in conditions of the electromagnetic warfare”, it added.

On Wednesday, a NATO flotilla of six ships arrived in the Black Sea to take part in the exercises with the Bulgarian, Romanian and Turkish ships, the alliance said in a statement, stressing that the training will take course “in full compliance with international conventions”.

Russia carries out military exercises on a regular basis. The country’s south saw 1,700-strong drills of radiation resistance troops in February, and the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy is set to exercise in the sea of Japan. - RT.

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: Catastrophic Explosion At The Zasyadko Mine In Donetsk, Ukraine - "Presumably" Cause By Methane Buildup; At Least 32 Workers Killed; 1 Still Missing!

Wednesday’s early morning blast, believed to be caused by a build-up of methane gas, hit the Zasyadko mine
near the city’s bomb-scarred airport in what officials described as a ‘terrible tragedy’.

March 5, 2015 - DONETSK, UKRAINE - A catastrophic explosion at the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk has left at least 32 workers dead with 1 still considered missing and likely dead, according to the regional administration and emergencies ministry.

Regional emergency services confirmed that 32 victims, the bodies of whom have been found, are being recovered from the mine. Rescuers are still searching for the last missing person, RIA Novosti reports citing emergency official.

The local administration reported earlier, that “23 bodies of miners have been found,”adding that alongside the bodies recovered earlier, the total death toll could be as high as 33 people.

The Emergency Ministry and the independent miners’ trade union suggest that there were either 73 or 207 people underground at the time of the incident. According to Interfax, as many as 230 people were underground at the time of the explosion.

Ukrainian coal miners load the bodies of colleagues killed in this morning’s explosion the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 4, 2015.

Authorities suspect that the blast was caused by a methane buildup. Head of DNR emergency services Aleksey Kostrubitsky told journalists, “Presumably, it was a methane explosion.”

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has ordered a period of mourning be declared once the number of dead is established.

The head of the Kievsky district in Donetsk, Ivan Prikhodko, told LifeNews media outlet that there is no communication with the miners who are underground.

The mine’s administration hasn't confirmed the blast, TASS reported.


WATCH: Donetsk mine explosion with many feared dead.

The Zasyadko mine is known for fatal incidents, with over 200 miners having been killed over the past few years.

The biggest blast happened in November 2007, with 101 killed in the explosion. Two weeks later, two more explosions rocked the mine, leaving five more people dead.

In January, some 500 miners found themselves trapped underground after shelling cut the same Donetsk coalmine from power supply. - RT.

GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN: Ukraine On The Brink Of A Monumental Societal Collapse - Kiev Hike Rate To 30% To Avert Hyperinflation And Currency Plunge; Introduces Rationing As Hryvnia Causes Shopping Binge; Fourth Largest Lender Delta Bank Insolvent!

March 3, 2015 - UKRAINE - The following stories paint a dire picture of the current situation in Ukraine,  as extremely critical economic and fiscal conditions are pushing the country to the brink of a monumental societal collapse.

Ukraine hikes rate to 30%, to avert hyperinflation and currency plunge

Ukrainian hryvnia banknotes (Reuters/Konstantin Chernichkin)

The Central Bank of Ukraine is raising its benchmark interest rate to 30 percent from 19.5 percent, the biggest increase in 15 years. It reflects the bank’s attempt to save the collapsing economy from hyperinflation that some estimate at 272 percent.

The new refinancing rate becomes effective from Wednesday, Ukraine’s Central Bank said Tuesday.

This is the second rate increase this year, as the bank raised it in February to 19.5 percent from 14 percent.

The decision was taken because the bank saw the "threat of inflation had risen strongly due to negative consequences from currency market panic," the Central Bank chief Valeriya Gontareva said in a media briefing.

The bank also kept in place the requirement for companies to sell about 75 percent of their foreign currency earnings, which is also hoped, will stabilize the hryvnia. Gontareva hopes it will return the currency to a level of 20-22 to the US dollar "quickly".

Hryvnia Rallies To 1-Month Highs After Ukraine Raises Benchmark Rate To 30%

The domestic currency, the hryvnia, has lost about 70 percent since the start of the Maidan unrest a year ago. On Tuesday it was trading at 26 hryvnia to the Dollar, while a year ago a greenback bought 8 hryvnia.

This is pushing up inflation, with official numbers showing prices are rising by 28.5 percent in annual terms. However, separate research by Johns Hopkins professor Steve Hanke suggests the real inflation rate is 272 percent, the world’s highest, and well above Venezuela’s 127 percent rate.

​Kiev introduces rationing, as falling hryvnia causes shopping binge

Reuters/Eduard Korniyenko

Ukrainian supermarkets have imposed rationing of basic products after the drastic fall in the value of the hryvnia. The currency has lost 70 percent of its value causing people to stockpile food and buy electronics as a hedge.

Restrictions apply for goods such as cooking oil, flour and sugar, Ukraine’s news agency UNN reports Wednesday. Retailers may sell no more than two bottles of sunflower oil, and two packs of buckwheat per customer and, depending on the store, from 3 to 5 kilograms of flour and sugar.

Bread, rice, potatoes, meat and milk are not yet rationed, but are not so plentiful on supermarket shelves.

Stores have also see higher demand for household appliances, as people consider consumer electronics an investment as prices increase on a daily basis, RIA reports. Inflation in Ukraine is expected to reach 27 percent by the end of 2015.

Hryvnia’s fall

The rush to buy was triggered by the dramatic depreciation of Ukraine’s hryvnia which lost 70 percent of its value against other currencies in just a year. The conflict in Eastern Ukraine and international reserves only enough to last for two months, are among the key reasons for the hryvnia’s fall.

The devaluation accelerated after the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) let the hryvnia free float in early February.

Ukraine is currently in a deep political crisis reflected in its economy and budget. The country is balancing on the brink of default. Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk says Ukraine’s task for 2015 is “to survive” and that all people would face tough challenges no matter what their place in society. According to the NBU the country’s GDP plunged by 7.5 percent in 2014.

The minimum weekly wage in Ukraine is less than $43 (1,218 hryvnia) which is lower than in Bangladesh, Ghana and Zambia ($46.6)

The official exchange rate set by the National Bank for February 24 is 28.29 hryvnia to the dollar and 31.96 to the euro. Exchange offices sell the dollar at more than 40 hryvnia and the euro at about 50.

In an attempt to stop the currency’s free fall the National Bank of Ukraine stepped up its currency controls Wednesday, preventing banks from buying any foreign currency for clients this week and limiting what they could buy for themselves.

Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk criticized the decision saying it doesn’t add stability to the Ukrainian economy.

"This morning I learned that the NBU on its own, without consultation, decided to close the interbank market that surely doesn’t add stability to hryvnia," he said talking at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called for the head of the NBU Valeriya Gontareva to "stop messing with the exchange rate” and gave her a week to solve the issue, Ukrainian media reported Wednesday.

Ukraine’s fourth largest lender Delta Bank insolvent – central bank

Photo from facebook.com/deltabank

The fourth biggest bank in Ukraine, Delta Bank, has gone bankrupt after months of non-compliance, according to the National Bank of Ukraine. Two smaller banks in the Delta Banking group have also gone belly-up.

“The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) adopted a resolution on the assignment of JSC Delta Bank to the category insolvent on March 2,” says the NBU website on Tuesday. The failure of Delta Bank owner's to take timely, efficient and sufficient measures to restore the bank's financial health and viability and bring its operations into compliance with Ukrainian laws was given as the main reason for the NBU’s decision.

“The principal shareholder and the management team of Delta Bank JSC have opted for a high-risk strategy of rapid growth through the acquisition of poor-quality assets,” the statement said.

Ukraine's monetary authorities have appeared desperate and nervous in their attempts to try to save the country's ailing economy.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Central Bank announced an increase of its benchmark rate to 30 percent from 19.5 percent as part of a package of measures aimed at saving the collapsing economy and stabilizing the country’s financial system. The move came after the bank’s decision last week to end currency controls to stop the currency free fall. The Ukrainian hryvnia has lost half of its value in the last two months. However, the decision was overturned in less than 24 hours after criticism from Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and President Petro Poroshenko’s of the country’s Central Bank head Valeriya Gontareva.

On Monday, while revising the country’s budget for 2015 and introducing austerity measures, the parliament adopted a law which imposes greater responsibility upon bank owners and management for a financial institutions' performance. The move is aimed at enhancing the banking sector’s resilience and ensures the protection of depositors' and creditors' rights. "The process of purging the banking system aiming to wind up insolvent banks and address the problems that have piled up in the banking industry over the years is still under way,” Gontareva said while commenting on the decision to declare Delta Bank insolvent.

Kiev-based Kreditprombank and Omega Bank that form part of the Delta Banking group have been categorized insolvent along with Delta Bank. They have been experiencing deteriorating financials after involvement in risky activities, according to the NBU’s statement. In January, both were declared problem banks. On Monday the NBU declared them insolvent as they continued violating National Bank regulations, with their owners failing to take appropriate measures to provide the necessary financial support.

In September NBU issued $165 million worth of credit to Delta Bank to support liquidity, and after agreeing a bank capitalization program issued a stabilization credit of about $39 million secured by notes guaranteed by the government.

However, those measures have only temporarily stabilized the bank’s situation. Considering the poor quality of Delta Bank’s assets, the “regulator was compelled to approve the decision to declare the bank insolvent,” NBU stated.

Delta Bank was founded in 2006; it was ranked fourth among the 158 operating banks as of January 1, 2015, with total assets worth $247 billion.

- RT.

GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN: Precursors To A Global Financial Collapse - Ukraine Enters Hyperinflation; Currency Trading Halted; "Soon We Will Walk Around With Suitcases For Cash"!

February 25, 2015 - UKRAINE - Yesterday we summarized the most recent economic, political and social situation in Ukraine as follows:

"A year or so on from the last coup in Ukraine, Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Sergey Arbuzov told TASS, with growing popular discontent, "another state coup can’t be ruled out in Ukraine." As the cease-fire deal hangs torn and tattered in the Debaltseve winds, the nation is a mess: a new gas dispute looms as Gazprom demands upfront payments; capital controls have been tightened as the $17.5bn IMF loan may not be enough; and the central bank governor faces prosecution as the economy craters. All of these factors have driven massive outflows from Ukraine and the Hryvnia has crashed to over 33 to the USD - a record high (and 70% devaluation from the last coup)."

So as the Ukraine government watches its country go down in flames, with the blessings of the US State Department of course, it decided to take action. According to Reuters, with the hryvnia in free fall (see above) the central bank tried to call a halt on Wednesday by banning banks from buying foreign currency on behalf of their clients for the rest of this week.

Although banks could still trade with each other, by mid-morning there were no registered trades at any rate, leaving the currency in limbo. The previous day, the central bank rate based on reported trades had fallen 11 percent against the dollar.

Exchange kiosks on the streets in Kiev were selling limited amounts of dollars for 39 hryvnias, around 20 percent worse than the rates advertised in the windows of commercial banks where dollars were not available. This compares to the official rate of 33 USDUAH posted yesterday, a rate which will continue in freefall, now that the central bank has no more gold left to sell (it's mysteriously gone), and virtually no foreign reserves.

Following the closing of the FX market closing, the central bank has been able to artificially dictate the interbank rate, which it reduced from 32 to 24 hryvnias as of 12:45 p.m. local time. The artificial rate only affects exporters, who are forced to sell 75 percent of their foreign currency revenue to the National Bank at the rate.

Even the Ukraine government is shocked by what is going on: "I learned this morning on the Internet that the National Bank of Ukraine has, as usual on its own without any sort of consultations, made the decision to close the interbank currency market, which will absolutely not add to the stability of the national currency that the national bank is responsible for. This situation has a very complex and negative influence on the country's economy," Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said.

The Ukrainian National Bank chairwoman Valeriya Hontareva, however, contradicted the Prime Minister's statement. "We coordinate all administrative measures with the International Monetary Fund first, and only then implement them," Hontareva told reporters.

In short: total chaos, which is indicative of any country's collapse into the hyperinflationary abyss.
It gets better. According to RIA, on Tuesday, Ukrainian television channel Ukraina announced that with the new exchange rate, the minimum wage in Ukraine stands at around $42.90 per month, which according to the channel, is lower than in Ghana or Zambia. There are currently no plans to raise the minimum wage until December.

Behold hyperinflation: "Food prices among producers rose 57.1 percent, with the price for grains and vegetables rising 91 percent from January 2014 to January 2015, while the official inflation rate over the period totaled 28.5 percent. Meanwhile, Ukrainian consumers responded to economic difficulties by cutting their spending in hryvnias by 22.6 percent, which amounts to an almost 40 percent decrease in real consumption."

And the punchline: "A construction worker exchanging dollars at a kiosk in a grocery shop in return for a bag filled with thousands of hryvnia, laughed and told shoppers: "Soon we will have to walk around with suitcases for cash, like in the 1990s.""

Which is ironic, because the central banks of "developed world" nations, most of which are now facing over 300% debt to consolidated GDP, would define Ukraine's imminent hyperinflation with just one word: "success." - Zero Hedge.