by Stephen Lendman

Fascist thugs operate this way. Moscow denounced them. Slavyansk Mayor Vladimir Ponomaryov asked Russia to send peacekeepers for protection. More on this below.

A companion article said Kiev putschists pledged no Easter weekend Eastern Ukraine attacks. Straightaway they occurred.

Earlier deployed Right Sector neo-Nazis murdered 4 Slavyansk activists. They did so in cold blood.

Other gunmen attacked central city residents. Two victims were injured. They remain hospitalized. Expect more Right Sector initiated violence ahead.

They bear full responsibility for Maidan killings. Clear evidence proves it. Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych had nothing to do with what happened.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet's leaked conversation with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton confirmed it.

He visited Kiev. He commented on what he learned. It's polar opposite mainstream propaganda. He explained what's vital to know.

Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed, he said. "(T)here is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovyich, but it was somebody from the new coalition."

"The Russian side is enraged by the militant provocation which is an indication of the reluctance of the authorities in Kiev to bridle and disarm nationalists and extremists."

On March 12, 2014 former Ukrainian Security Service head Aleksandr Yakimenko confirmed Paet's assessment. He blamed putschist official Andrey Parubiy. He's a neo-Nazi Svoboda party leader.

"Shots came from the Philharmonic Hall," he said. "Maidan Commandant Parubiy was responsible for this building."

"Snipers and people with automatic weapons were 'working' from this building on February 20. They supported the assault on the Interior Ministry forces on the ground who were already demoralized and had, in fact, fled," he added.

"When the first wave of shootings ended, many have witnessed 20 people leaving the building."

They were carrying military-style bags used for sniper and assault rifles with optical sights.

Many witnesses saw them. Foreign elements may have been involved. Perhaps CIA, US special forces, and secret service operatives.

What happened was well planned in advance. "These were the forces that carried out everything that they were told by their leadership - the United States," Yakimenko stressed.

Maidan leaders practically lived at Washington's embassy, he added. As security chief, he was ready to order Ukrainian troops to enter the building and remove the snipers, he said.

He needed approval from Parubiy to do it, he explained. Otherwise, so-called "self-defense" elements would have attacked him, he believes.

"Parubiy did not give such consent," he said. He controlled access to weapons used in Independence Square.

Moscow expressed outrage over Slavyansk killings. A Foreign Ministry statement said:

"The Russian side is enraged by the militant provocation which is an indication of the reluctance of the authorities in Kiev to bridle and disarm nationalists and extremists."

"It is surprising that the tragedy occurred after the signing on April 17 in Geneva of the final statement of the four-sided meeting of representatives of Russia, the USA, EU and Ukraine which calls for refraining from any violent actions, intimidation or provocations."

"The Russian side insists on the strict fulfillment by the Ukrainian side of its commitments concerning the de-escalation the situation in southeast Ukraine."

"The Eastern ceasefire was violated in Slavyansk on April 20. As a result of an armed attack by the so-called Right Sector innocent civilians died."

"Local residents seized the vehicles of the attackers in which they discovered arms, aerial maps of the area and Right Sector paraphernalia."

Slavyansk Mayor Ponomaryov wants protection. He asked Russia for help. City residents are vulnerable. Right Sector thugs target them.

"They kill our people," said Ponomaryov. "They don't talk to us but just kill. The town has actually been besieged by the Right Sector."

Only Russia can help, he said. He asked Putin to send peacekeepers to Eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Print US media scoundrels largely ignored Slavyansk killings. BBC and US television accounts misreported. Propaganda substituted. Fingers pointed the wrong way.

On April 19, The New York Times headlined "Pro-Russian Forces Work on Consolidating Power," saying:

They "paused what had been the daily expansion of their territory in eastern Ukraine." They're focusing on "consolidating political power over areas already under their control."

They "pressured…dissenters and the media in ways that are commonplace in Russia but had not been in Ukraine until now."

Fact check

Times editors support Kiev fascist putschists. They have no legitimacy whatever. They usurped power lawlessly. They represent mob rule.

Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are the best and bravest. They reject Kiev putschists. They want their inviolable rights respected.

They want local autonomy. They want democratic governance. They want what everyone deserves.

They're putting their bodies on the line for equity, fairness and justice. They enjoy growing widespread support.

Russian democracy mocks America's sham process. Kiev putschists blocked Russian males aged 16 from 60 from entering Ukraine.

Russian TV channels were shut down. Russian nationals and Jews are targeted. Don't expect The New York Times to explain. Managed news misinformation garbage substitutes.

It claimed threatening Russian hoards massed near Ukraine's border. It called courageous Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters "militants." It did so in the worst sense of the term.

It said "Kiev had expressed some hope that a settlement was still possible." It stopped short of explaining ruling putschists demand unconditional surrender.

It called "separatists' political grip" on cities they control "a setback." The Times supports unchallenged illegitimate fascist rule.

It reported Kiev's pledge to suspend Eastern Ukrainian attacks over Easter weekend. It ignored cold-blooded murder that followed.

It blamed Eastern Ukrainian activists for struggling for their freedom.

"(I)t was clear all along that for (four-party agreement terms) to have a chance for success, the Kremlin would have to pressure the militants to loosen their grip on areas already seized," it said.

It's "clear" that Ukrainian freedom depends on struggling for it. On replacing putschist rule with democracy. On turning East, not West.

On maintaining sovereign independence free from US dominance. Don't expect Times correspondents, contributors or editors to explain.

Or neocon Washington Post editors. On April 18, WaPo headlined "After Russian moves in Ukraine, Eastern Europe shudders, NATO to increase presence."

It lied claiming Russia intervened in Ukraine. No evidence whatever suggests it. Eastern European countries aren't vulnerable.

Washington pressured them to say so. At issue is expanding US-led NATO east. It's encroaching closer to Russian's borders. It's targeting its heartland. It's threatening its sovereignty.

WaPo ludicrously calls NATO "a mutual defense organization." It was established for offense, not defense.

It's a US-controlled killing machine. It's expanding from an Atlantic to a global alliance. It aims to become a worldwide police force.

It wants all sovereign independent governments ousted. It wants subservient pro-Western puppet regimes replacing them. Don't expect WaPo to explain.

Propaganda substitutes for truth and full disclosure. Readers are systematically lied to.

Alternative independent sources are the only choices for real news, commentaries and analysis. Growing numbers rely on them. They're abandoning scoundrel media they don't trust.

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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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