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Enthusiasm about the annexation of Crimea among Russians has dropped in the past few months, according to a Lebada Center poll. The news was reported by the opposition’s Dozhd news–a report that contrasts with the reports of official Russian government news outlets, which have reported that Russians are becoming more accepting of the annexation of Crimean into the Russian Federation.

Russian media outlets have been reporting the poll as showing that more Russians support the annexation–citing a number of 73 percent up from 64 percent. However, Dozhd has reported that this figure shows merely that 73 percent of Russians consider Crimea to be part of Russia, up from 64 percent.

The poll asked Russians about the joy they experienced as a result of the annexation of Crimea as well as approval of the nation’s leadership and the willingness of Russians to reduce personal spending to finance the new region of Russian territory.

Joy about the annexation has dropped from 23 percent to 16 percent. Approval of the actions of the Russian government regarding Crimea dropped from 47 percent to 40 percent. Pride in Russia as a result of the annexation dropped from 37 percent to 30 percent.

Commenters have seen a connection between rising criticism of the Russian government and the recent formation of “anti-Maidan popular militias,” called druzhinniki, which will begin work in several regions of Russia this month, including Crimea.

The officially stated purpose of the druzhinniki militias is to monitor the situation, prevent anti-government opposition, acts of provocation and non-systemic opposition that may threaten the constitutional order, and otherwise assist police.

The poll was taken August 22-25 in 134 Russian cities and towns and 1,600 Russian participants.

By Day Blakely Donaldson

 

The families of the Russian soldiers recently captured in Ukraine are pleading with the Russian government to return their children from what Russians are increasingly referring to as an “undeclared war” in Eastern Ukraine. The families appealed directly to the Russian president and military leaders to return the soldiers alive and well, and asked for those in power to “help them.”

“Dear President, Minister of Defense, military commanders, my child, Yegor Potchoyev, is now a captive of the territory of Ukraine,” said the mother of the soldier in a plea to the Russian government. “In the name of Christ, I beg you: give me back my child, return him alive, and all the other boys who are with him in captivity.

“Son, boys, we are with you. Whatever happens, we’ll get you out of this fix. If the military leaders won’t do it, then we will, your mothers.”

Read more: Head of Russian Soldiers’ Mothers Group Denounces Putin for Sending Soldiers to “the Bloody Battlefields” in Undeclared War 

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied Russia’s involvement in Ukraine since its military mission in Crimea in late February and March, the first news of the deaths of Russian soldiers’ has reached the Russian public. The news reached Russians through Russian independent media and Ukrainian channels.

The Ukrainian government televised the capture of 10 regular Russian soldiers, paratroopers apprehended in Eastern Ukraine.

Other Russian soldiers were missing and some killed, reportedly.

The prominent Russian group Soldiers’ Mothers has been loudly declaiming Putin and the government for its actions in Ukraine–which the group has called an “undeclared war.”

“Two days ago everything was different,” said another captured soldier’s family member. “I’m a patriot of my country and if the president and the minister of foreign affairs say none of our troops are in Ukraine, they’re only at the border, how can we not believe him? I love our president, honestly.

“But now we’ve all changed our opinion, because of this case. Now, of course, I believe our troops are taking part in a war.”

The families of the captured soldiers asked for the safe return of their children, and pled, “Save them. Help us. Return them home alive and well.”

By Day Blakely Donaldson

Russian soldiers families in video published by Telegraph.uk

 

Over the weekend, the Italian Navy picked up nearly 4,000 migrants trying to reach Italian shores from North Africa.

The Italian Navy uses helicopters, patrol boats and frigates in its Mare Nostrum operation, which was launched last October after 360 migrants drowned off the coasts of Sicily, and is reported to cost $12.5 million per month.

The purpose of the operation is to rescue would-be refugees while arresting human traffickers.

Refugees travelling to Italy by boat continue to increase. The refugees come from Syria, Iraq and the Middle East, in addition to North African nations, and are often fleeing conflict areas.

In 2014, so far nearly 110,000 would-be refugees have been rescued, according to the UN’s refugee agency, but nearly 2,000 migrants have died making the journey.

Many of the human traffickers’ boats are launched from Libya, where an ongoing civil war continues to rage between Islamist forces and their opponents.

Mare Nostrum is being considered for expansion to an international level.

By Sid Douglas.

In recent weeks, Russians have been attempting to demonstrate against the Russian war in Ukraine–an action that has been difficult because the Russian government has recently passed laws limiting free assembly in Russia. In Moscow Sunday night, Russian protesters attempted to demonstrate against Russia’s undeclared war and were arrested by Russian police.

The protesters attempted to hold a candlelight vigil composed of 2,249 candles–equivalent to the number of civilians already reported killed in Eastern Ukraine, but were prevented from doing so by Russian police.

“Respected citizens! Extinguish the candles. This is forbidden in a public place!” police announced before extinguishing the candles.

Protesters questioned the law prohibiting candles in a public place, and were arrested by police.

Dmitry Kartsev, an employee of Gazeta.ru and a participant in the aborted vigil, was arrested after saying, “I have come to remember those who have died on both sides of the conflict taking place in Ukraine.”

“I’m not an activist at all. I’m a person who is bitter, that people died–died due to stupidity,” said another participant. “People died who don’t even know the truth about what is happening. I have a friend who went to Donbass as a volunteer. And died. That’s it, the man is gone.”

The number of 2,249 was reported by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights last week. A later number, tallied by UNOHCHR and reported by Reuters, was 2,593, excluding Malaysia Airlines MH17 victims.

Another participant, who also took part in an extension of the demonstration in another, less public locale, said of the further action, which was seen by very few, “That was useless, even laughable. “But something had to be done. You don’t want to lose the remnants of your human face.”

Also over the weekend, in several Russian cities Russians protested against Putin and the denial of their constitutional rights to assembly, and were arrested.

A new phenomenon also occurred with regards to the protests. Lone protesters have begun protesting in the streets. The protesters are proceeding on the presumption that, unlike group protests, single protesters do not require permts for demonstration. However, five people were arrested by Russian police for solitary protests, including composer Aleksandr Manotskov.

By Day Blakely Donaldson

Manezhku for and against the war with Ukraine

Valentina Melnikova, the head of Russia’s famous Soldiers’ Mothers Committee, began receiving a barrage of telephone calls Thursday morning from Russian army leaders–including the deputy defense minister–after accusing the entire high command of invading Ukraine.

The callers reportedly wanted to meet with Melnikova.

Melnikova included Russian President Vladimir Putin in her accusation. The Russian high command had, Melnikova asserted, sent Russian soldiers to “the bloody battlefields” without declaring war.

The Russian high command had also not signed legal papers with servicemen regarding their participation in the war. And the Russian high command had not notified Russian mothers where there drafted sons were killed, Melnikova charged.

Melnikova cited “our expert analysis” and said that there were “over 10,000 Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine today.” Melnikova noted that few organizations have better information than hers.

Melnikova said that the Russians fighting in Ukraine were fighting in Novoazovsk, alongside pro-Russian separatists in that border city.

Melnikova is an active member of the Russian Defense Ministry’s public council. Soldiers’ Mothers have first hand information about military affairs, due to their relationships with Russian soldiers.

Soldiers’ Mothers has been receiving information over the past weeks about the deaths of their sons, reportedly. Their dead sons had served in the southern Rostov region of Russia.

Melnikova, who has been active in the organization for decades, said that she was “personally humiliated as a citizen of the Russian Federation by our commander-in-chief’s pure, direct crime.”

Melnikova said that Putin was “violating not only international laws, not only the Geneva Convention, [but also] breaking Russian Federation law about defense. And as for [commander-in-chief of the Russian airborne troops] Vladimir Shamanov, we should be too disgusted to even mention his name–he forces his servicemen to fight in a foreign state–Ukraine–illegally, while mothers receive coffins with their sons, anonymously.”

By Day Blakely Donaldson

TVRain

Fronda

Tenneseean

New Republic

 

[BRIEF] Approximately 100 wounded Russian soldiers arrived in St Petersberg Tuesday, according to a member of the Russian Presidential Council for Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights.

Ella Poliakova, a member of the Council and the chairman of the Soldiers’ Mothers of St Petersberg, reported the events to Dodj.

An aircraft arrived at St Petersberg’s SM Kirov Military Medical Academy with a large number of wounded soldiers–approximately 100, according to Poliakova. Poliakova reported that she was verifying how the soldiers had been wounded.

Poliakova and Serhiy Krivenko, another member of the Council, had sent a request earlier to the UK Military Investigation Committee to conduct an investigation into the deaths of nine soldiers in Russia’s 18th Motorized Brigade who were reportedly natives of Dagestan.

The deaths had come to the attention of human rights activists two weeks ago.

According to Russian officials, the Dagestanis died in the Rostov region on August 9 and 11.

By Day Blakely Donaldson

In recent battles between the South Sudan’s government army and opposition forces, the army has used child soldiers–a violation of South Sudanese and international law–and has drawn the condemnation of Human Rights Watch.

“South Sudan’s army has returned to a terrible practice, once again throwing children into the battlefields,” said the Africa director at Human Rights Watch, Daniel Bekele.

The government began using child soldiers in battles for control of the capital of Unity State this month. Child soldiers were also used in nearby Rubkona, according to Human Rights Watch.

Dozens of military-clad child soldiers were reported to have been fighting in the Bentiu and Rubkona battles.

Child soldiers in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) have been interviewed by Human Rights Watch in the past week, and have detailed their experiences being ordered to fire on opposition forces.

Child soldiers also told Human Rights Watch that the government had begun stationing child soldiers around Bentiu weeks ago.

Read more: UN Should Establish Peace First, Human Rights Later in South Sudan – Foreign Minister

The South Sudanese government has admitted to human rights authorities that they have used children under 18 in their army, but have justified this with claims that children have come to the government seeking protection and work since the fighting broke out.

Authorities have estimated that the government is currently using approximately 60 children in Bentiu and Rubkona. Child soldiers are also being used as government bodyguards, reportedly.

Opposition forces have also used child soldiers since fighting broke out in December of last year. Opposition forces have forcibly recruited hundreds of children from schools and other locations, according to authorities.

“Tens of thousands of children are living in hell inside the UN base because they are not safe outside from attacks on civilians or from being forcibly recruited,” Bekele said. “Both sides should urgently end their attacks on civilians and their recruitment and use of children as soldiers.”

South Sudan has legislation dealing with child soldiers, including a 2008 Child Act that forbids the use of child soldiers and a 2012 action plan signed with the United Nations committing South Sudan to end all recruitment of children under the age of 18 for war. The SPLA also issued a general order forbidding the recruitment of child soldiers last summer.

Rebel leader Riek Machar also signed a commitment in May with the UN to prevent harm against children, including recruitment.

Although recruitment increased upon the outbreak of fighting, the South Sudanese government in June made a new commitment to having a “child-free army.”

Under the international laws of war, also, the recruitment of children under 15 for war is a crime.

Shortly before the outbreak of violence in South Sudan last December, the UN secretary-general had reported that the nation had made tangible progress in ending its recruitment of child soldiers.

“Civilian and military leaders should immediately remove all children from their ranks and return them to their families,” said Bekele.

By Day Blakely Donaldson