More in Ukraine and Moldova look to Putin; Crimeans overrun Ukrainian naval base; Dumping dollars?

Russian Leaders Signing Annexation of Crimea Legislation

Crimeans took over Ukraine’s Crimean naval base on the Black Sea today, while some others in Ukraine and Moldova are looking to Vladimir Putin:

March 19, 2014

Pro-Russian forces have taken control of Ukraine’s navy headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, a day after Russia signed a treaty with local authorities to make Crimea part of Russia.

Witnesses said at least 200 unarmed members of the co-called Crimean self-defense forces entered the base Wednesday and put up the Russian flag. There was no violence reported; Ukrainian service members are said not to have resisted the takeover…
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with leaders of Lithuania and Latvia on Wednesday, part of a quick trip to reassure Baltic allies worried about what an emboldened, aggressive Russia might mean for their nations. http://www.voanews.com/content/prorussian-forces-seize-ukraine-navy-headquarters/1874319.html

Donetsk Russians Say Only Putin Can Save Them

March 19, 2014

DONETSK, UKRAINE — It is a frigid evening in Donetsk’s Lenin Square, but the cold has not deterred a small crowd from maintaining a weeks-long protest against the new Ukraine government in Kyiv. They say they want to follow Crimea and break with Ukraine and join the Russian Federation.

Denis, 70, says the new government in Kyiv is making everyone poorer and the people of eastern Ukraine can’t live with the politicians of the capital anymore.

Vera, 62, says she’d like Donetsk to stay in Ukraine but that ethnic Russians are being forced to ask Putin to help because the politicians in Kyiv don’t care about the east of Ukraine and they just think of themselves.

Donetsk is in the heart of the Donbass coalfield and is one of Ukraine’s major industrial cities. The activists in Lenin Square are demanding the release of an activist who briefly proclaimed himself “people’s governor” of the region this month.

And they praise the actions of Russian separatists in Crimea, who stormed Wednesday a Ukrainian naval base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol. This is a day after Crimean leaders signed a treaty with Russia absorbing the peninsula into the Russian Federation after a disputed referendum.

Ukraine’s new leaders are becoming increasingly anxious about the protests in the eastern Ukraine cities that are home to large numbers of ethnic Russians. Protests have mounted, and over the weekend violence flared when more than 5,000 pro-Russian protesters roamed central Donetsk smashing doors and windows and forcing entry to government buildings.

Three have died in the recent protests in eastern Ukraine. http://www.voanews.com/content/donetsk-russians-say-putin-only-one-to-save-them/1874365.htmlWhile the world watches Crimea, Putin is still planning for the Republic of Moldova to join Russia’s customs union. Pressure from Moscow is high – and might be enough to scuttle Moldova’s EU Association Agreement…

As of February, the Gagauz, an ethnic minority, have been preparing a popular protest against the EU deal – and seem to be winning Moscow’s favor for their efforts.

Previously, Moldova had been considered a safe candidate for an EU Association Agreement. Located between Romania and Ukraine, it is supposed to sign the contract with the EU this summer – despite its “frozen conflict” in the separatist region of Transnistria.

That region is increasingly demanding to join the Russian Federation outright – or, at the very least, to join its Customs Union. One hundred kilometers (62 miles) south of Molodva’s capital, Chisinau, economic relations to Russia, it seems, are more important than EU trade…

“Our economy in Gaugazia needs another 10 years to become competitively viable in the EU. Only the Russian market can save us over the next ten years,” he told DW. That sentiment can also heard on the streets of Comrat…

Moldovans will vote on a new parliament in autumn. According to polls, the country’s communist party will win.

“Moldovans aren’t stupid,” said Inna Shapuk, a representative for the communist fraction in Moldova’s parliament. “They see on TV how anti-democratic politics are under the flag of the EU. We want to show the advantages Russia’s Customs Union would have.”

Her first planned official act: simply scrapping the EU Association Agreement, if it were to be signed. http://www.dw.de/moldovas-gagauz-region-leans-toward-moscow/a-17504239

Vladimir Putin wants to restore as much of the territory of the old Soviet Union as he possibly can. Various groups in eastern Europe seem to feel that they have been betrayed and/or disappointed enough by the West, that they seem to prefer Russia and Vladimir Putin.

The Russian Customs Union is intended to become the Eurasian Union, and this has long been a plan of Vladimir Putin’s. The USA has imposed sanctions against some people in response to the situation in Crimea. The Russians have been considering their own response to the USA as they are one of the creditors of the USA:

As RIA reports, his advice is that “authorities should dump US government bonds in the event of Russian companies and individuals being targeted by sanctions over events in Ukraine.” Glazyev said the United States would be the first to suffer in the event of any sanctions regime. “The Americans are threatening Russia with sanctions and pulling the EU into a trade and economic war with Russia,” Glazyev said. “Most of the sanctions against Russia will bring harm to the United States itself, because as far as trade relations with the United States go, we don’t depend on them in any way.”

From RIA:

“We hold a decent amount of treasury bonds – more than $200 billion – and if the United States dares to freeze accounts of Russian businesses and citizens, we can no longer view America as a reliable partner,” he said. “We will encourage everybody to dump US Treasury bonds, get rid of dollars as an unreliable currency and leave the US market.” http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-04/putin-advisor-threatens-dumping-us-treasurys-abandoning-dollar-if-us-proceeds-sancti

Russia has long wanted to destroy the dominance of the USA dollar in world trade and could take steps to help do so. Yet, at this time it simply does not have the economic clout to do that–though it could take steps at times that could hurt the economy of the USA. But the Bible teaches that a time will come when foreigner creditors will take enough steps to eliminate the dollar and the USA (cf. Habakkuk 2:6-8).

While most do not consider that Russia’s economy or government is enviable, others in eastern Europe seem to believe that Russia’s economic opportunities are better than they can obtain from the West.

As reported yesterday, one region in Moldova appealed to Russia yesterday (see Putin declares Crimea is an inalienable part of Russia, while Moldova’s Trans-Dniester region pleads to join Russia). More in Moldova are now looking to Russia.

Of course, not everyone in Moldova supports this:

Reuters) – The president of ex-Soviet Moldova warned Russia on Tuesday against considering any move to annex his country’s separatist Transdniestria region in the same way that it has taken control of Crimea in Ukraine.

The president’s comments came one day after the speaker of Transdniestria’s separatist parliament, during a trip to Moscow, urged Russia to incorporate his mainly Russian-speaking region, which split away from Moldova in 1990.

Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti said Russia would be making a “mistake” if it agreed to the request for annexation from Transdniestria’s parliamentary speaker, Mikhail Burla. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/18/us-ukraine-crisis-moldova-idUSBREA2H16F20140318

As reported earlier, if the Communist Party wins in Moldova, it may go a different direction than that promoted by the current president of Moldova. Moldova’s geographic position is such that it could end up with the Europeans as the current leadership in Moldova wants. But if its ethnicity is mainly that of Median descent, then it will end up (eventually) supporting Russia as one of the kings of the Medes against the end time European Babylonian power (Jeremiah 51:11-32).

The Bible teaches that a Eurasian confederation with Russian leadership will arise. Preliminary steps for this are being laid.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy Is there a Eurasian union that will be formed? Is one being formed right now? Are any leaders working on that in the 21st century? Does the Bible teach that there will be a Eurasian union? If some type of Eurasian union is formed, who might it benefit and who will it destroy? A related video would be Is The Eurasian Union Rising?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?
Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?
Ukraine in Prophecy? What is happening in Ukraine? What is known and what is unsure about its future? What is the origin of those who live in Ukraine? What does the Bible teach about the role of the Medes in the end times? Will Ukraine split? Why might part of Ukraine end up in the European Union? Why might part of Ukraine end up in the Eurasian Union? Is war in the prophesied future for Ukraine? What is the ultimate destiny for nearly all Ukrainians?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2014, 2015, or 2016? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2013 o 2014? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language video The Great Tribulation Will Not Begin Before 2017.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.