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Glazyev Exposes Fascist Outrages in Ukraine and Effects of Sanctions
26 March 2014
(EIRNS)—In a March 24 interview with Dimitri Simes of "The National Interest," Russian Presidential Adviser Sergey Glazyev described the fascist outrages which led to Putin’s request to the legislature for permission to use military force in Ukraine: "The application of Putin to the Council of the Federation to use force was a reaction to two things: the shooting at a delegation of Crimeans coming back from Kiev who were ambushed and shot at by neo-fascist paramilitaries that stopped the five busses of the delegation, shot several people who protested, and stripped and taunted the rest; and to further threats by Maidan activists to Russians and Russian-speakers. The paramilitaries burned the busses, and when Crimea learned of this disgrace, there was nothing that could stop its further course towards independence. "Should such events happen in other parts of Ukraine, people would obviously fight for their rights and safety, and call not just on Russia, but also on the international community, for help. This would be a direct consequence of the fact that, at present, neo-fascists in the South-East of Ukraine are committing outrages, resorting to armed violence, to lynch law, to the burning of houses of people they don’t like, and these aren’t just isolated cases. They began with the secret murder of an old woman on whom they put a sign, ’Jew and communist.’ Such murders have now evolved to square gunfire in open daylight. People are being intimidated and shot at with sub-machine guns, as arms have now been moved out of the barracks and kept in the suburbs of Ukrainian cities. Among the army forces stationed there are neo-fascists come from Western Ukraine who were readily accepted into the ranks. The situation is inching closer to civil war, and in a civil war, or in mass cases of armed vigilantes shooting people, regardless of whether the perpetrators wear a police or military uniform, it will be not just Russia, but also the international community that would protect people." On the U.S. sanctions, he said they would hurt the credit of U.S. firms in Russia. On the prospect for Iran-style sanctions joined by Europe, he said: "The extent to which the Russian economy will suffer will depend on the extent to which it is involved in trade with the NATO countries. We are not looking at potential sanctions from China, India, Brazil, the CIS, or Turkey. If sanctions are imposed on Russia by the NATO partners of the U.S. excluding Turkey, which leaves the European Union, we are talking about potential losses in the size of hundreds of billions of dollars. But these losses will have a boomerang effect. In other words, if Russian accounts in dollars and euros are frozen, this will mean that the Russian borrowers who have taken credit, mainly Russian businesses who have borrowed from the EU and partly from the U.S. and other countries, will not be able to make payments on their debt, and presently this debt is worth about $700 billion. Our financial reserves are half a trillion dollars, but our debt is larger still at $700 billion. We will of course lose hundreds of billions, but Europe will lose even more. We are therefore confident that Europeans, being rational and valuing business, will after all listen to their business sector when it explains to the politicians that these sanctions will hurt Europe more than Russia, and will in the long run weaken Europe because, after all, Europe cannot give up Russian gas." AP |