by Stephen Lendman

Sergey Lavrov calls it fratricidal war. "The West tried to use Ukraine not as a uniting link on the European territory, but as a watershed," he said.

"Those who advocated such policy did not worry about it that much."

"The elections in Ukraine should put an end to violence and serve as a start of dialogue."

Russia wants Eastern regions provided humanitarian aid. Its urgently needed.

Its Foreign Ministry said Moscow is "receiving urgent requests from individuals and organizations based in the conflict zone in the eastern Ukrainian regions, where hostilities led to human casualties and multiple injuries, asking to provide immediate humanitarian aid, primarily medications and medicinal drugs."

"Given the emergency nature of the current situation, (it wants) the swiftest possible reply from the Ukrainian side."

"It was emphasized that the Russian side is ready to provide the population in these regions with the required assistance and therefore proposes to the Ukrainian side that necessary measures be taken within the shortest possible period to ensure the immediate delivery of Russian humanitarian aid to the regions affected by the conflict."

"Specific itineraries and transportation conditions for such humanitarian aid…could be agreed upon on a routine basis between the relevant Russian and Ukrainian government departments," it stressed.

On May 28, RT International headlined "Reports of shooting in Donetsk, as city braces for third day of fighting."

It's ruthless. It targets civilians. Claims otherwise are false. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki regularly twists truths irresponsibly.

On Monday, in response to a question on Ukraine violence, she said:

"In terms of the events over the weekend or the reports of violence, we certainly have been watching those events closely."

"We remain concerned about the actions of Russian separatists against civilians in eastern Ukraine."

"We support the efforts of the Government of Ukraine to maintain calm and take steps to maintain order in their own country, and we remain in close contact with them as well."

A follow-up question asked:

"Well, so you believe that this violence is the responsibility entirely of pro-Russian separatists?"

"Is that - I mean, do you have any words of caution or advice of restraint to the Ukrainian Government?"

Psaki: "Well, certainly to all parties. But I would remind you - and obviously there are a range of reports out there about events that have happened over the course of the past couple of days."

"There are some involving the airport. There are some involving the fact that a special monitoring mission is missing."

"So there are a range of different reports, different - and I guess I could speak to all of those."

"But my point I was making is that the Ukrainian Government and the Ukrainian authorities have every right to certainly take steps to maintain calm and order where they see fit."

Question: "Right. But you don't have any concerns about whether they are acting - that they’re going too far?"

"You don't have any concern that - do you believe that everything the Ukrainian authorities have done to this point in trying to maintain law and order has been reasonable and appropriate?"

Psaki: "I'm not expressing a concern about the events over the course of the weekend, no, in terms of the Ukrainian authorities, no."

Question: "So in the view of the State Department, view of the Administration, is that what is happening on the ground in the east right now, in Donetsk and other places where there are clashes, where there's fighting, that is all the fault of the separatists?"

"They are the instigators?"

Psaki: "Obvious - they are - certainly, we believe they're the instigators, yes."

"And we believe - and I think there's broad reporting on their involvement in what's happening at the airport or what happened at the airport over the course of the weekend."

Question: "Well, but there are a lot of reports from my news organization, from others as well, that this isn't entirely one-sided, that - and I mean, the separatists - some of the separatists leaders say that they've been - that the Ukrainian authorities have been shooting at civilians."

"But you don't - you haven’t seen that?"

Psaki: "But that's not where we are at this moment."

Question: "(I)s there any evidence that Russia's hand is still in - is part of any of this fighting that's going on from the separatists' side?

Psaki: "Well, I think there's been evidence all along that there has been a Russian hand in the activities that have been happening on the ground, whether it's the - how equipped the militants have been, what their equipped with, kind of a trend that we've seen from Crimea that has carried forth to parts of eastern Ukraine."

So we've seen a great deal of evidence on the ground of their engagement."

Question: "And today (Monday) Russian President Putin called for an immediate halt to the Ukraine's military operations…"

"And he said that he called for Ukraine to talk to the Russian separatist leaders."

"Would you support that kind of dialogue to try to resolve this? Or I mean, there's a possibility this could just escalate, so how is the US seeing this being resolved?"

Psaki: "Well, as you know, our primary goal here has been de-escalation from the beginning."

"But I would remind you that there are a range of calls that President Putin and others have been made that have not been backed up by action in terms of taking their own de-escalatory steps."

"And we certainly feel there are a range of steps that they could take in order to show they’re going to back their words with action. We eagerly await that."

"I would also point you to the fact that President-elect Poroshenko made clear that his number one priority after taking office will be to restore order in eastern Ukraine by increasing dialogue with citizens of that region, traveling to the area soon after his inauguration, increasing transparency of the ongoing constitutional reform process."

"And so we believe that's a positive step and the right approach to return stability to the area."

Fact: Eastern Ukrainian activists aren't separatists.

Fact: They're federalists.

Fact: They want Ukrainian unity.

Fact: They want local autonomy.

Fact: They want the right to elect their own officials.

Fact: They want fundamental human and civil rights.

Fact: They're not aggressors.

Fact: They're self-defense force freedom fighters.

Fact: They're not attacking civilians.

Fact: They're defending them.

Fact: From willful Ukrainian military attacks.

Fact: They're targeting residential areas.

Fact: Reliable video images prove it.

Fact: So do ID'd bodies in morgues.

Fact: Claiming Kiev forces try to "maintain calm" turns truth on its head.

Fact: Heavy weapons target self-defense forces and civilians.

Fact: They include tanks, artillery, mortars, helicopter gunships, warplanes, and chemical weapons used earlier.

Fact: Blaming victims is longstanding US policy.

Fact: So is turning a blind eye to perpetrator crimes.

Fact: Claiming Russian involvement in what's ongoing doesn't wash.

Fact: Saying Washington's "primary goal here has been de-escalation from the beginning is polar opposite truth.

Fact: In mid-April, CIA head John Brennan visited Kiev.

Fact: He held secret talks.

Fact: He plotted war strategy.

Fact: He wants Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters eliminated.

Fact: He wants them slaughtered in cold blood.

Fact: He wants challengers to Washington's imperium crushed.

Fact: After his visit, coup-appointed president Okeksandr Turchynov announced a northern Donetsk region "anti-terrorist operation."

Fact: To "protect the citizens of Ukraine," he claimed.

Fact: To be conducted "stage-by-stage."

Fact: Vice President Joe Biden visited Ukraine after Brennan.

Fact: He praised his new friends.

Fact: He pledged more US help.

Fact: He supported war without mercy to crush Eastern Ukrainians wanting fundamental rights everyone deserves.

Fact: Poroshenko OK'd it against Eastern freedom fighters.

Fact: He did so straightaway.

Fact: After his electoral victory.

Fact: Before taking office.

Fact: Doing so shows his real agenda.

Fact: He deplores democratic freedoms.

Fact: He supports fascist extremism.

Fact: He's ideologically over-the-top.

Fact: He's polar opposite what Ukrainians deserve.

Fact: What they expected.

Fact: They'll learn soon enough what they got.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian military attacks continued. Donetsk city center was targeted. Residents were told don't "come close to the windows."

Don't "step out onto the balconies or go outside" unless necessary.

A Slavyansk school was shelled. With students inside. According to an unnamed male teacher:

"Around midday, there was a loud explosion in the school, and I fell to the floor taking cover," he said.

He rushed to the corridor, he explained. He assembled all teachers and students. He took them to a safe place. Clouds of dust were visible.

The shell exploded right above the school hall. Where students gather for special events. Part of its roof was blown away.

Luckily no students were assembled at the time. Many might have been killed or injured.

Rossiya-24 TV reported nine people injured overall. Including a four-year-old boy.

The channel's crew narrowly escaped injury or death by mortar fire. A shell exploded "literally next to (its) car," they said.

Kiev forces blamed Slavyansk freedom fighters. Their commander, Vladislav Seleznyov, said:

"Currently, we are confirming the information on the terrorists’ shelling of the residential quarters and the territory of the school in Slavyansk."

Kiev forces targeted residential buildings, a city college dormitory, power lines and water pipeline.

Right Sector thugs want heavy weapons. They asked Kiev to supply them.

Putschists violated their Geneva agreed on obligation to disarm regional paramilitary groups. Including the Dnepr battalion, National Guard, Right Sector extremists and likeminded groups.

They're being used. They're waging war without mercy. They're murdering civilians in cold blood.

They're blaming their crimes on freedom fighters. They want hardline rule enforced.

They want fascist governance. They want democracy prevented at all costs.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

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