BREAKING NEWS: Russia Invades Ukraine

Russia is now openly invading Ukraine with regular military forces.

You can track developments at LIVEUAMAP and The Interpreter.

Notably this comes just after the U.S. stock market reached what I've been warning means the 'peak of Western Civilization' at the 2000 mark on the S&P 500 index:

Over the past two days the S&P 500 index closed at 2000.02 and 2000.12, respectively.  This is eerily similar to when the DJIA closed two days in a row at 2999.75 on July 16th and 17th of 1990 just before Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the associated Persian Gulf Crisis that year:

As in July 1990, investors and society-as-a-whole are at an apex of manic optimism just before a depressing collapse, except this time around the breakdown will be of Grand Supercycle scale.

Meanwhile...

When will sanity be found?

Russia's 'casus belli' for war on Ukraine: Blowing up gas pipelines?

Yesterday's "invasion" of Ukraine beyond Crimea was a false alarm.

Russia is claiming that "Crimean self-defence personnel" carried out a limited incursion in Kherson, just outside of Crimea, to prevent "an act of sabotage on a gas pipeline":

Crimean self-defence units prevented an act of sabotage on a gas pipeline on Saturday, March 15. Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov said the saboteurs had identified themselves as Ukrainian Border Guard Service officials.

“Crimean self-defence personnel prevented an attempt to block the gas pipeline to Crimea at the Arbatsky Spit. To prevent such attempts [in the future], the gas distribution station was put under protection. The persons who tried to damage the equipment – up to 40 people, according to preliminary information – and who identified themselves as Ukrainian Border Guard Service officials left the station in a hurry,” Aksyonov said.

He asked Russian Black Sea Fleet Commander Alexander Vitko to take the gas transportation system in this area under protection “in order to ensure energy security of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and uninterrupted operation of crucial facilities.”

This whole notion of Ukrainians blowing up gas pipelines may be what Moscow is planning to use for a 'casus belli', i.e., a cause for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine beyond Crimea. The Ukrainian "Right Sector", which looks to be some sort of controlled opposition the Kremlin is using, is threatening to blow-up oil pipelines carrying Russian gas to Europe:

The head of the Ukrainian nationalist movement Dmitry Yarosh has threatened to explode the gas pipeline through which the Russian gas is supplied to Europe, aiming to deprive it of its financing source.

Yarosh voiced his threats as part of his "address to the Ukrainian government and his compatriots" in which he is accusing Moscow of having plans to seize Ukraine . The text of his address was cited by the UNN news agency.

"We are well aware of the fact that Russia is earning money by transporting its oil and gas to the West through our pipe. Therefore, we'll destroy this pipe in order to deprive Russia of its financing source."

Of course, it makes no sense for Ukrainians to sabotage the gas pipelines traversing their nation since:

1. More than half of their own gas supply comes from Russia.

2. Europeans would be upset with the Ukraine for disrupting their gas supplies.

Nevertheless, this is the nonsensical tale that Russia appears ready to tell, and my guess it's because Russia wants a pretext for invading the rest of Ukraine since:

The Soviets never start a war. By definition, the United States or, more generally speaking, "imperialism is the source of all antagonistic conflicts of the present day world, the source of war danger." [General Major A.S. Milovidov, quoted in Soviet Strategy For Nuclear War, p.98]

Reports: Russia now invading southern Ukraine (beyond Crimea)

3/16 UPDATE: Russia's 'casus belli' for war on Ukraine: Blowing up gas pipelines?

Російський виправданням для війни з Україною: саботувати газопроводів?

Best coverage I've found thus far is here (Alexander Yanov related site!):

http://www.interpretermag.com/ukraine-liveblog-day-26-has-the-war-already-started

More here:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/ukraine

Ukrainian report: http://dpsu.gov.ua/ua/about/news/news_3579.htm

На Арабатській стрілці висадився російський десант
15 Березня 2014

Прес-служба Державної прикордонної служби України повідомляє, що 15 березня близько 13 години прикордонний наряд, що виконував завдання з контролю режиму на адміністративному кордоні Херсонської області та АР Крим в районі населеного пункту Стрілкове спостерігав висадку з 4 вертольотів 60 військовослужбовців Російської Федерації. Прикордонники спільно з військовослужбовцями ЗС України (близько 20 осіб) змушені були відійти до перехрестя, що веде у напрямку Генічеська та зайняти оборону. Російські війська, на допомогу яким підійшло 3 БТР, розпочали інженерне облаштування позиції. Близько 15.30 у цьому ж районі з 6 вертольотів висадилися ще 60 військовослужбовців РФ. Крім цьому відомо про колону БТРів, що рухається в район села Стрілкове вздовж Арабатської стрілки з населенного пункту Камянське.

Водночас в ході переговорів командування Бердянського прикордонного загону з військовослужбовцями РФ встановлено, що метою їх висадки є, нібито, «охорона від можливих терактів» газонасосної станції «Чорноморнафтогазу», що розташована у цьому районі. Наразі силове протистояння відсутнє. Деталі уточнюються.

Statement from the Ukraine foreign office on the Russian incursion:

Statement of the MFA of Ukraine with respect to assault landing of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kherson region on March 15

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong and categorical protest against the landing on March 15, 2014 near the village Strilkove, Kherson region of troops of the Russian Federation Armed Forces in a number of 80 military personnel, and seizure of the village Strilkove with the support of 4 helicopter gunships and 3 armored combat machines.

Ukraine Foreign Ministry declares the military invasion by Russia and demands the Russian side immediately withdraw its military forces from the territory of Ukraine.

Ukraine reserves the right to use all necessary measures to stop the military invasion by Russia.

Meanwhile CNN is busy covering the missing Malaysian airliner. That bubble is about to burst IMHO...

Korea

June 25th is the 60th anniversary of North Korea's surprise invasion of South Korea. Is history about to repeat itself? That's one of the possible directions the historical cycles, and even the stars above, are possibly pointing at the current juncture:



What the West completely fails to realize is that Russia and China never stopped the Cold War struggle with the West for global control, they simply have changed strategy in recent decades. Both nations are currently run by rabidly anti-Western nationalist regimes who represent prior generations of leaders dating back to the reign of Stalin and Mao. Korea, in this light, represents the final battle line between East and West, Communism and Capitalism, past and future. That the synthesis of these opposing elements will begin with a siege on "Seoul" makes some tragic sense.

What is unfolding other than the struggle of the collective soul through time? There are almost seven billion human points-of-view on this planet all of which are different. How does God form a common perspective? I don't know, but I'm certain God can...