Situation heating up between Russia and Ukraine over Crimea

Ukraine with Crimea in Red

The situation between Ukraine and Russia over Crimea has gotten more tense as accusations fly and military steps are taken:

August 11, 2016

President Vladimir Putin says he’ll beef up Russia’s military force in Crimea, after Russia’s security service claimed that it thwarted a would-be terrorist incursion from Ukraine over the weekend.

The Federal Security Service, the FSB, said that teams of commandos from Ukraine’s defense forces made two attempts to enter the Black Sea peninsula, with the intention of sabotaging vital infrastructure. The FSB said Ukrainian forces attempted to cover the infiltration by directing heavy fire at the Russian side, killing two Russian servicemen.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko dismissed the Russian claims, calling them “fantasy” and a “provocation.” Poroshenko issued a statement saying that Ukraine would never use terrorism to regain its occupied territory.

The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, said the U.S. “has seen nothing so far that corroborates Russian allegations of a Crimea incursion.”

Russia’s President Putin accused Ukrainian authorities of resorting to terror, instead of seeking to solve problems through negotiations. “This news is very alarming, indeed,” Putin said. “Our special services have prevented a reconnaissance and sabotage group of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry from getting into Crimea.” …

The Russian defense ministry announced the Russian navy will conduct exercises in the Black Sea intended to protect Crimea from underwater saboteurs.

Putin said it would be “pointless” to hold another round of peace talks under the so-called “Normandy Format,” because Ukrainian leaders are not interested in searching for compromises. The Normandy Format brings together the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France. Russia had earlier agreed to attend a meeting of those leaders on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting next month in China.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations said his country fears that Russia will use the claims of attempted sabotage as a pretext for further military action against Ukraine. Russia has been building up its forces in Crimea in recent months.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March of 2014, after Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms took control of key government buildings. President Putin initially denied that Russia had deployed soldiers on Ukrainian territory, but later said the troops were necessary to protect people there whose primary language is Russian.

Russia claims that Crimean citizens requested to be part of Russia following a hastily-organized referendum. Few other nations have recognized the legitimacy of that vote, which was conducted without international monitoring. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/11/489586982/russia-accuses-ukraine-of-terrorist-attack-in-crimea

August 11, 2016

Ukraine’s president ordered the army to be on combat alert Thursday on the country’s de-facto border with Crimea and on the front line in eastern Ukraine following Moscow’s accusations that Ukraine sent in “saboteurs” to carry out attacks in Crimea. …

Russian President Vladimir Putin upped the ante when he directly accused the Ukrainian government of plotting the attacks and called a meeting of the country’s top brass on Thursday to discuss boosting security in Crimea following reports of the foiled attacks.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on his official Twitter account Thursday that the army will be put on combat alert not only on the de-factor border with Crimea but also the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, where both sides were supposed to have pulled back heavy weapons.

Like Putin, Poroshenko also held a meeting with the country’s top security agencies earlier on Thursday. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russias-putin-meets-top-brass-discuss-security-crimea-41292974

So, things have heated up in that part of the world. Jesus warned of a time of wars and rumors of war (Matthew 24:6). Hopefully, the situation between Ukraine and Russia will peacefully cool down.

About 2 1/2 years ago, Crimea voted to leave Ukraine and become part of Russia. Russia accepted the territory, which it had long wanted. Crimea has been a fairly poor region that felt neglected and discriminated against by the western portion of Ukraine. When Ukraine’s coup government took over in early 2014, one of the first things it did was to pass a bill (that ended up not being signed into law) to make Russian a second-class language in Ukraine. That incensed those in Crimea and various ones in the eastern portion of Ukraine, as many in those regions speak Russian as their native language.

Many of those in Crimea (other than the Tartars) seemed to believe that they would be better off with Russia who wanted them than Kiev who claims to want to keep them, but had not shown them enough signs that it would truly be able to help them.

The USA would not accept the vote by the Crimeans primarily because it seems to want to stop Russia from expanding. The European Union, who is very interested in getting Ukraine to join it, has not officially accepted the loss of Crimea to Russia.

Related to all of that, back on March 16, 2014, I posted:

However, while the European Union wants Crimea, it most likely will be satisfied with much of the remaining land of Ukraine and likely will allow the Crimean crisis to blow over in time.

That being said, I do believe that the situation with Russia and Crimea will embolden the Europeans to step up their desire to develop their own independent military deterrents so that they will feel that they can stand up to Russia on their own. (Thiel B. Crimeans vote: Many consider that Russia is an opportunity. March 16, 2014)

Was I right about that?

Well, sadly, yes. Notice the following:

Europeans Are Quietly Preparing for War with Russia

August 6, 2016

Whether referring to Russian aggression in the east or to the threat of Islamist terrorism in the West, Europe’s political, media and religious elite are increasingly using the word war to describe the continent’s security challenges. …

“The current security architecture in Europe, which relied on both the Helsinki Final Act and the Paris Charter, has now collapsed, following Russia’s aggression in Ukraine,” Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said in September 2014 as Russian tanks were blitzing across eastern Ukraine. …

War is a fact of life along the front lines in Ukraine’s southeastern Donbas territory, where government troops and paramilitary units have battled combined Russian-separatist forces since spring 2014.

“There is still a war on,” U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt told The Daily Signal in an interview. “There are 1.7 million [internally displaced persons]. The troops are mobilized. And most importantly, people are still dying.” …

Ready for War

Moscow’s seizure of Crimea and military intervention in Ukraine have countries throughout Eastern Europe preparing for war with Russia. http://www.newsweek.com/europeans-are-quietly-preparing-war-russia-487307

But while the Europeans are working on increasing their military capabilities to deal with Russia, they will ultimately attack the USA once they feel ready (see also ‘Europeans Are Quietly Preparing for War with Russia,’ but the USA will be eliminated).

Sadly, the situation in Ukraine and Crimea has heated up. The past few years have been difficult for those in Ukraine. And for various reasons, for many in Russia as well.

The Bible shows that war is in the prophesied future for some or all of Ukraine/Crimea (watch the video Ukraine in Prophecy?).

Those in Ukraine, Russia, and Crimea need our prayers and the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. 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? There is also a video sermon available: Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy and a video sermonette available: Ukraine in Prophecy?
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?
Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day? Is Ezekiel 38 about to be fulfilled? A related video is available titled Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now? Another could be Russia, Iran, Syria, & the Bible (Code).
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?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? You can also see a YouTube video sermon The Gospel of the Kingdom.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing.
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?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2024 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2016, 2017, or 2018? 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 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Can the Great Tribulation Start in 2016?
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.