Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister was quoted as saying "if this military machine is not stopped, it will lead to greater numbers of dead and wounded."
This is all in reaction to earlier reports that at least two pro-Russian separatist were killed by Ukrainian Commandos, in the process of recapturing checkpoints on the outskirts of the Eastern provincial town, Sloviansk.
Russia has called for a deescalation of Ukrainian aggression in the region, while they themselves increase their presence in the area by beginning new military training drills.
Ukraine's acting President, Olexander Turchynov, has called on Russia to stop the "blackmail" on Ukraine, referring to the Russian military presence at his nation's Eastern border, but possibly also a nod to the energy stranglehold Russia holds upon Ukraine that it has been reported is starting to become a major issue.
Interestingly it has been reported by the BBC's Natalia Antelava that the Ukrainian forces have retreated to their former positions of occupation, in spite of their modest gains. Pro-Russian forces have made it clear that they intend to reoccupy this territory after they can make sure it is indeed safe to do so.
The issues on the ground in Ukraine are liable to remain uncertain in the coming days and weeks, with discussions between Russia and Ukraine still at an impasse. The effect of the crisis on the wider European community is just as uncertain.
Russia's actions in Ukraine have been met with almost universal condemnation from leaders around Europe and the wider world. US President Barack Obama stated today that further sanctions would be imposed on Russia as they flagrantly continue to flout the few agreements that had been made between the two feuding nations. European leaders on the other hand have been far less cavalier in their declarations on the continuing crisis in the clouded context of the upcoming European elections.
A recent study by the Political Capital Institute (PCI), a Hungarian based foundation for the study of policy research, shows that support for Vladimir Putin could be exponentially increase by the upcoming European elections.
Far-right parties are expected to perform very well at next months elections for the European Parliament and therefore the PCI took some time to research the party line held by these groups on the Ukraine crisis. The research showed that these parties, often described as anti-European, believe that it is in fact the West that has provoked tension between Eastern Europe and Russia. A view in line with that of the Kremlin.
It was also noted by the PCI that several far-right politicians from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France and Hungary went to observe the Crimea Referendum on re-joining Russian and were in the minority in suggesting that the elections were completely fair and legitimate.
The study suggest that it is Russian President Vladimir Putin's goal of restoring Russia to the status of a world power that is most admired by the anti-EU parties, as they themselves hold strong reverence in the idea of the nation state.
Vladimir Putin's strength in Russia is built through control that his United Russia party have and it is thought that current Russian diplomacy centers around the idea of building "party families" in Europe around this idea.
The PCI cite numerous examples of far-right parties in Europe attending events organised by Russian policy makers. Hungary's Jobbik and Greece's notorious Golden Dawn party have both been invited to the years Russian National Forum, following a congress of far-right politicians from Belgium, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden meeting with Putin's United Front in December last year.
Admiration for Putin extends to the softer sections of Europe's right-wing, with UKIP's leader Nigel Farage calling the Russian President a "skillful operator" and the leader who he most admired, while agreeing with the majority Europe's far-right that the situation in Ukraine has left the EU with "blood on its hands".
Is a vote for anti-European parties a vote for Putin? While far-right success in the European elections will make the running and operation of the EU less effective, it must be said that whatever boost this would give Putin would be very limited. It would indicate however a growing tolerance for strong acts of aggression in the maintenance (and growth) of the idea of nation state.
While people may not personally agree with Russia's actions in Ukraine, they must be fully aware of the consequences of voting for a party that do.
These European parties, some of which that are destined to come to power in the upcoming European elections, make a difficult situation in the Ukraine all the more complicated.
As I said previously, this is a situation that is liable to remain uncertain for weeks and weeks to come.
Until Then.
Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27138300
http://euobserver.com/eu-elections/123887
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