The Kerch Straits: What’s Really Going On

Several days ago, the Russian coastal fleet fired on and captured three Ukrainian vessels. One was a tug boat, the other two were armed. This incident took place in the Kerch Straits, a narrow body of water which connects the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

For those who don’t know, both the Russian and Ukrainian governments signed an accord in 2004 in which the territorial waters of both would be respected (this was 10 years before the annexation of Crimea). The protocol that was established was for all foreign vessels to contact the Russian naval base on the Russian side in order to ensure safe passage. This protocol has been followed by the Ukrainian navy and fishing vessels literally thousands of times since then without incident.

As for the Sea of Azov itself, its primary resource is fishing. This is mainly due to the fact that it’s 7 meters at its deepest point thus making it too shallow for most naval vessels (which have draughts of at least 10 meters). Strategically however, Ukraine’s two main sea ports are located on it. If the Kerch Strait is ever closed off, Ukraine would be under an effective naval blockade.

The Ukrainians know that. All you have to do is look at a map and see for yourself. So why did they decide all of a sudden to risk confrontation with Russia, a confrontation which they knew they would lose?

Clearly, something has changed. The Ukrainian government, for whatever reason, had decided on this date to ignore the agreed-upon treaty and –worse–to ignore the Russian ships which tried to escort them back to their side.

In the video below, Alex Christophorou of The Duran interviews Mark Sleboda, an American military affairs analyst who lives in Russia. Long story short: this was a provocation by Poroshenko –possibly at the behest of the State Department. Word on the street was that one of the Ukrainian ships was armed with a low-yield nuclear weapon which was supplied by the British. If true, the goal was to blow up the Kerch Bridge (which connects the Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland). This of course would be nothing short than an act of war.

While this is hard to prove, there is no doubt that it was a bid by the Poroshenko government to boost its popularity going into the March election. Presently, Poroshenko has an 8 percent approval rating. His most serious rival, Yulia Timoshenko (a former president of Ukraine herself) clocks in at about 18 percent. Poroshenko used this incident to stoke nationalist tensions in his favor and to instill martial law in the eastern parts of Ukraine. Why would he do this? For this reason: if his popularity doesn’t rise as a result of this incident, then martial law will permit him to postpone elections until a more suitable time.

In the meantime, cooler heads have prevailed. Despite Ambassador Nikki Haley’s hysterical speech at the UN yesterday, nobody (who is sane) wants war. The Germans for one, are besides themselves with fury because of this and are now completely committed to vetoing Ukraine’s admission into NATO.

Clearly, Poroshenko overplayed his hand and is being left hanging out to dry.

I’m curious however: did Patriarch Batholomew release his latest diktat regarding the dissolution of the Russian Exarchate in Western Europe in anticipation of this latest Ukrainian provocation? Its clumsy roll-out caught everybody by surprise –his Russian communicants especially. Usually, when the Phanar issues a new directive and/or takes a new position, it floats trial balloons, which usually last for months at a time. This of course is normal and prudent, after all nobody likes being blindsided. Especially your friends.

This latest thunderbolt-like ruling regarding Constantinople’s Russian Exarchate violates every ecclesiastical and diplomatic protocol. My speculation therefore is that Patriarch Bartholomew was under the gun, that is to say his hand was forced by the Globalists. (I choose not to believe that he was in on this from the outset. I could be mistaken however.)

We’ll probably never know the full story. In any event, if you would like to know more about the Kerch Strait Incident, please take the time to view the following video from The Duran.

Monomakhos

Comments

  1. Thinking about false flags; how they are used to evoke an emotional response to gain support for an action that has little to nothing to do with the event.
    Politicians really aren’t very clever. They seem to use formulas that history has shown to be successful.
    As has been said many times, “follow the money”.

  2. Beryl Wells Hamilton says
    • Antiochene Son says

      http://euromaidan

      Stopped reading right there.

      • riddler: before you stand two slavs one always lies the other always tells the truth

        monomakhos: oh i know this one which one is the ukrainian and which is the russian the ukrainian always lies

        riddler: wait what that is not how the riddle works

  3. I just don’t see how the demise of the Rue Dark and Ukraine are connected. It almost seems an afterthought. Fr. Andrew Phillips implies that it has been a long time coming so this may be nothing more than coincidence.

  4. with putins approval rating and the price of oil slipping kremlin gotta wag wag that dog

  5. Beryl Wells Hamilton says

    You may not like Euromaidan, but what is true is more important than what people want to believe. There is no evidence whatsoever that there was a “nuclear weapon” on one of those ships. There is evidence that the ships were taken and that at least one if not all of those who “testified” were under duress. I’m only guessing here, but now that a blockade has been put in place, how convenient for Russia. 82,000 people “like” the Euromaidan Press Facebook page. These people can think for themselves. They are not stupid, nor ignorant, nor are they “Nazis.” It’s a good thing the Russian missile that hit the boat did not hit that “nuclear weapon”!

    “First, several acts of aggression against Ukraine took place during one single day: not only cannonades and seizure but also ramming which, according to the resolution of United Nations General Assembly №3314 is an act of aggression as well.[…]

    Second, until this day all acts of Russian aggression happened on our [Ukrainian] territory. And this aggression happened not only on our territory but in neutral waters – beyond the 12-mile zone. This is also important.

    Third, Russian troops openly used their weapons against Ukrainian soldiers, not concealing the fact that they were shooting. And this is a new situation, this happened for the first time. Before, they at least attempted to hide.

    There are no more red lines left after this situation… I expect from our partners not only statements for support of Ukraine but that they will ‘communicate rigidly’ with Russia for the release of our captives,” Klimkin said, referring to the 24 Ukrainian sailors Russia has seized and put under trial in occupied Crimea… Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland were among the first countries which strongly condemned Russian aggression. Later France, Germany, the UK, Romania, and others expressed their strong support for Ukraine. They also demand that Russia immediately releases the captured sailors. As NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told during his press conference, “there is no justification for the use of military force against Ukrainian ships and naval personnel.”

    People can read the article for themselves, or not.

    http://euromaidanpress.com/2018/11/29/condemnation-and-ambiguity-world-reaction-to-russias-attack-on-ukrainian-ships/?fbclid=IwAR1520CNItJfHcNOL1ysaZ3oYP7ABtrCjTxGTeAEtTzGDpABtdMV5NJsjog

    • The thing about the illegal government in Kiev is its alignment. We can disagree continually about what happened between, for instance, Russia and Georgia or Russia and the Ukraine, etc. Actual facts on the ground are sometimes hard to prove and a subject of endless “he said, she said”.

      What each is fighting for is more clear and that is why I consistently take the Russian side on these things unless there is truly verifiable information to the contrary, unmanufactured by the Deep State or MSM. Russia is fighting for the existence of its government and culture in the wake of centuries of foreign invasion. The West is fighting for the right to spread the bile of Progressive Liberalism far and wide under the rubric of “our values” and “human rights” and “Western Democracy”.

      Russia is increasingly seen as a champion of traditional Christian values which abhors feminism and perversion and instead touts the patriarchy, family and decency. The Ukraine (and Georgia before it) is aligned with the Western minions of the devil. Moreover, there is a real and serious neo-Nazi contingent in Ukraine which was the spearhead that ousted the legitimate president (Yanukovich) and exerts influence on the government and the pseudo-church that the heresiarch Bartholomew is creating. One can see this from the Nazi symbols in the blasphemous icon venerated at the apostate Ukrainian “church” which George recently featured.

      So spare me the MSM details, the lies from the Russophobic crowd on the internet, etc. It would not matter at all to me, regardless. The sides are clearly committed to distinct causes and it is the Cause that the Russians represent to which I am committed. How we get there is a matter of God’s providence and patience.

      Lions are unconcerned with the opinions of hyenas.

  6. David Adrian says

    See “Why Putin’s Game Of Russian Roulette With Ukraine Is A Big Deal” in The Federalist at http://thefederalist.com/2018/11/29/putins-game-russian-roulette-ukraine-big-deal/.”

    “In a stunning sequence of events, the Russian military opened fire then seized three Ukrainian navy vessels in an unprovoked attack on the Black Sea last Sunday. In the melee, several Ukrainian sailors were wounded and 24 captured. Moscow followed up this flagrant act of war by parading the sailors on Russian television to give clearly coerced confessions of guilt.

    “This attack is but the latest escalation in the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine that has been churning since 2014. It’s also the first great test for the Trump administration regarding Russia and one that will have lasting consequences on the future of Europe and the world.”

  7. Daniel DeLorenzo says

    The bottom line in this scenario is the question, “did Ukrainian vessels comply with treaty, and notify Russian bridge authorities and request clearance for passage?”
    It appears, that Ukrainian vessels did NOT. There are military vessels, and their guns were unsheathed. Ukrainian Parliamentarians have called for, “blowing up the bridge”!
    No one takes any of that literally, but Russian authorities are obligated to protect their billion dollar bridge, and Ukraine is obligated to follow regulations.
    Pompeo met with Poroshenko two weeks ago, and this all stinks of Neo-con provocation to further drive wedge between US and Russia

    • Indeed. Unless I am mistaken, we have yet to hear a recording of the radio traffic requesting passage. If it existed, it would have been all over these news stories from the beginning.

      Oops. Why did I say that? Now it will be created out of thin air.

    • Beryl Wells Hamilton says

      The bottom line is the truth, and the truth is most certainly not based on what we want to be true, or on our opinions, or because we have our own agendas. Where there are documents, it behooves people to read the articles, and links, and documentation. I’m not going to sit here in my armchair and analyze the situation. I’m just going to post links to articles so people can read them if they want to read them. When people call other people “hyenas,” well, it gives one pause, or it should.

      Here’s a link to an article about what happened last September in the Kerch Strait.

      Ukrainian warships break Russian de-facto blockade in Azov Sea to create naval base”

      http://euromaidanpress.com/2018/09/25/ukrainian-warships-break-russian-de-facto-blockade-in-azov-sea-to-create-naval-base/

    • Beryl Wells Hamilton says

      Here you go, regarding the “unsheathed weapons.”

      However, it’s worth noting that according to an intercepted conversation of the Russian border guards proving that the Russian military leadership had ordered the attack, they rammed the Ukrainian ships at 6:35 and 6:44 EET, which constitutes an act of aggression. If the artillery barrels were indeed raised, which needs to be proven, could it have been a reaction to the aggressive ramming? However, the video of the Ukrainian ships in the Kerch strait a bit later that day published by the FSB shows that their artillery barrels were not raised.

  8. Polly Pollonium says

    You pollonium dawgs better plan on being deported real soon

  9. Please do not use the word “hysterical” when referring to a woman’s actions. It is derogatory. Thank you.

    • I disagree. Though common usage of hysterical has come to mean very funny, the origin of the word and its reference to the uterus and the effect that hormones can have on emotions I find to be clinically and anecdotally valid.
      I happen to be a great supporter of the word hysterical. I use it freely and with willful abandonment and enjoy myself immensely.

      • Monk James Silver says

        Exactly. Limiting the word ‘hysterical’ to the semantic field surrounding the mood swings associated with female sexual hormones is not only an impoverishment of our vocabulary, but a gap in logic called the ‘etymological fallacy’.

        This is an error in reasoning which insists that words can mean only what their constituent particles signify most literally. This mistake is often driven by political correctness, and in the present instance I suspect that a bit of feminist excess is at work.

        About forty years ago I took great exception to a similarly tortured (but even less well informed) usage when an op-ed piece appeared, suggesting that there be a ‘herstory’ as well as or instead of ‘history’. This was ridiculous, of course, and you can easily imagine my response.

    • Monk James Silver says

      If a man were described as ‘hysterical’, would that be derogatory?

    • Its is only hysterical if you deny that man can be hysterical. It is not gender specific. Men can be hysterical too.

    • Beryl Wells Hamilton says

      Oh my gosh, thank you! I got to remember Gene Wilder in the hysterical comedy The Producers!

      “I’m hysterical! I’m having hysterics! I’m hysterical!” Max’s logical solution is to throw water on Leo, at which point he responds, “I’m wet! I’m wet! I’m hysterical and I’m wet!” Max slaps him. Now? “I’m in pain! And I’m wet! And I’m still hysterical!”

      https://youtu.be/vWz0AWtwdoA

  10. Beryl Wells Hamilton says
  11. Dean Calvert says

    If what this guy says is true (the analyst)…the EP has been “played” big time!!!

    All an election gambit for a guy polling at 8%.

    You gotta believe the Russians tried to explain this to Constantinople!!!

    Uggh.

  12. I do not believe that Ukraine was planning to blow up the bridge with a nuclear weapon. Russia would wipe out Ukraine and nobody would defend them. Nobody.

  13. Bernie Henn says

    Did you see the MBS Putin high five? What more proff do you need that your Ochrafux Chercks is the satanic remnant of the evil empire that slew Jesus and stole his religion.

  14. John Sakelaris says

    There have been lots of really extreme comments on here on both sides of the issue. There was an eloquent, although exaggerated, defense of today’s Russia as a “champion of traditional Christian values” facing down the “bile” of the West. Overlooked in that posting was Russia’s high abortion rate; they were world record-holders in this activity as recently as 2010, also there is the high Russian substance abuse rate. It makes me recall the scripture “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,.”Romans 3:23.

    On the other side of this was the threatening comment, “You pollonium dawgs better plan on being deported real soon.” That was really ominous.

    With all this, is there any room for me in the middle? I want to be sympathetic to Russia’s stand on for its people in the Crimea and the Donbass, but I do want things to be resolved peacefully from this point on.

  15. Constantinos says

    Dear George,
    My priest told me to be at the church at 9a.m., for confession. It would take me twenty fours a day for a month to confess my multitude of sins. In any event, before I go I would like to share a couple of thoughts.
    I believe that the Orthodox Church is the one true Church, but, man, we have a lot of problems. It seems like we keep fiddling while Rome burns. St. Chrysostom really nailed it when he said,” the road to hell is paved on the skulls of bishops and priests.”
    How can Russia be in any sense when they are in possession of over five thousand nuclear weapons? How can two Orthodox nations be on the verge of war with each other? Is this not a repudiation of the gospel of love preached by our Savior?
    All Orthodox primates need to relinquish their fancy gowns and crowns. Instead of men of God, they act like imperial potentates. They also need to relinquish their pompous titles like His Eminence, His All Holiness, etc. After all, Orthodoxy is not supposed to be a replica of a masonic lodge. Every time I read this titles, I think of the freemasons, the only difference is the masons actually practice brotherly love and kindness.
    We need one autocephalous Orthodox Church in America, unbeholden to any foreign interests. I think the Orthodox Church should focus on evangelizing the Evangelical Christians. They would have a very salutary effect on the Orthodox Church.
    Also, what’s this nonsense about not being able to pray with the non Orthodox? Do you realize that if this canon is strictly followed, then no Orthodox Christian can be a member of Congress, or the President of the US? Also, does that mean I can’t pray with a non Orthodox person, and ask God to heal them of cancer or other such diseases, simply because they do not belong to my faith? The Orthodox Church suffers from utterly incompetent, and we, the laity, allow this abomination to continue. Anyway, that’s my two cents. My post will be ignored by the majority of people on this forum, but, to me, it makes sense, but, then again, I have a strange way of looking at things. Some people see things as they are, and ask why? I dream things that never were, and say better not go there. Thank you for your ever so kind indulgence and may God bless. Pleas pray for me, a sinner.

    • George Michalopulos says

      Technically speaking, Ukraine is not an “orthodox nation”. Ever since the Latins created the unia, it is a confused nation.

      Mark my words: the Orthodox church will lose this fight in Ukraine while the unia will be the last man standing.

      But that May have been the plan all along.

      • George Michalopulos: “Mark my words: the Orthodox church will lose this fight in Ukraine while the unia will be the last man standing.”

        This happened once after 1596 Brest Union, yet Orthodoxy survived, in large measure
        thanks to Khmelnitsky Uprising and later joining with Russia. In the end confessional borders returned more or less to what they were before.

        Huntington wrote about the “tectonic plates of humanity” expressed by civilizations and religions, crashing along the tectonic faults. One such fault persist across the Western Ukraine, another goes through the former Yugoslavia.

      • Antiochene Son says

        No doubt.

        The Russophobes in the Orthosphere frequently point to Russia as the poster child for why we have separation of church and state. But just look at what is happening in the Ukraine:

        – The state decides who gets to use monasteries and churches
        – The state decides what churches in a schism are legitimate
        – The state is signing religious agreements with religious bodies (the EP)

        And so much more. And it all goes back to an illegal coup in which the rightfully elected President was deposed and a cultish mob took over.

      • “Mark my words: the Orthodox church will lose this fight in Ukraine while the unia will be the last man standing.”

        George,

        I would agree with you were the geopolitics different. I clearly see the hands of Rome and the Deep State behind these shenanigans. However, sifting through all the smoke and mirrors and assertions of nationality, jurisdiction and aggression, the fact remains that Russia is defending its near abroad from NATO and the EU (as well as neo-Nazis). This is the Elephant in the Room.

        Russia will defend its near abroad. Were any leader to fail to do so, he would be replaced by the military. Russians can be cutthroat that way. They all remember the pillaging during the Yeltsin years as well as centuries of Western invasions. None of them has any intention of answering to Brussels regarding Russian security and everyone there plays the long game. They look at how moves will play out over decades and longer.

        The plain fact is that every time that Russia has been attacked or threatened since Putin came to power, Russia has gained ground in such a way as to stymie its adversaries. I have no reason to believe that this little farce will end in any other way.

  16. Beryl Wells Hamilton says

    “According to an AFP release on 27 November at 16:41 CET the conflict started already on Saturday evening, when the Russian coast guard refused the passage of two unarmed Ukrainian navy ships through the Kerch Straits, the tug boat “Yani Kapu” and the supply ship “Gorlivka”. The small artillery boats “Nikopol” and “Berdyansk” were sent in their support from Odessa during the night of Saturday to Sunday. The “Gorlivka” left the area and the three other ships continued towards the Kerch Straits as described.
    The first action clearly came from the Russian side – this is missing in the account of the event and runs counter to the Russian narrative of a planned Ukrainian provocation.”
    https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2018/11/30/investigating-the-kerch-strait-incident/comment-page-2/#comments

  17. Beryl Wells Hamilton says
  18. Beryl Wells Hamilton says

    Whilst people are busy turning opinions into truth, here’s another article on “What REALLY happened in the Kerch Strait”:

    “Russian fighter jet blasted Ukrainian ships with unguided missiles in Azov Sea, SBU claims”

    “The helicopter pilots (call signs “9-47” and “9-49”) received the coordinates also within the period from 19:12 to 21:42. They were first told: “Enter within the weapons range, don’t use weapons until further advised,” later the instructions were changed.

    “9-47” reports four vessels spotted, two sitting and the other two moving toward them.

    No order to use weapons is heard in the record, but it becomes clear by the reporting of the “expenditure of karandashi” (“pencils,” a military slang word for unguided missiles) – the 47th had none, the 49th shot away two.

    The record ends at the question of the controller to the “9-47” helicopter pilot on how many “karandashi” they have left.

    “This communication between the crews of the Su-30 jet and Ka-52 helicopters disclosed using weapons against Ukrainian Navy ships. The conversations clearly point to the usage of two ‘pencils’ as by Su-30, as by a Ka-52,” Frolov explained to journalists.

    According to him, the aircraft purposefully used the weapons and returned to their places of permanent deployment.

    “These talks leave no doubt that the Russian military command deliberately ordered the use of weapons against Ukrainian ships,” Oleh Frolov emphasized.

    As reported earlier, during the attack on Ukrainian vessels in neutral waters near the annexed Crimea, Russian military and border guards fired for effect on Ukrainian Navy crews.

    The invaders took captive 24 Ukrainian servicemen.”

    http://euromaidanpress.com/2018/12/03/russian-military-jets-blasted-ukrainian-ships-with-unguided-missiles-in-azov-sea-intercepts-reveal/?fbclid=IwAR1SCU1fiiIVPtuVBhwXATEZ5_wGDXn6fllYVi_sRqSX2GbTUhjhs_uLE7M

  19. Beryl Wells Hamilton says

    Another article:
    “Seized Ukrainian naval commander refuses to give any testimony until Russia releases his men & recognizes them all as POWs”

    http://khpg.org/en/index.php?id=1544713687&fbclid=IwAR2-IaOrJi4cVu85T6QlpSv1EEdqdAXT-N7GBPZKW4UaIm2BOYXLZgHoyWE