Russian Roulette: The Invasion of Ukraine (Dispatch One)
Russia has invaded the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine and taken over its civilian and military infrastructure. Not a shot has been fired so far, but Russia is using its superior force to intimidate Ukrainian troops in an attempt to get them to surrender.
Russia claims it wants to stabilize the situation on the peninsula, which has a large Russian population, but Ukraine’s new government regards the move as an occupation of its sovereign territory.
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Russia Is Tightening Its Grip on Crimea
A little more than a week after the Ukrainian Parliament ousted President Viktor Yanukovych and Putin’s Winter Olympics in Sochi came to an end, Russian troops are now in control over Crimea, a chunk of Ukraine a bit larger than Vermont.
Russian troops are consolidating their hold on the region, and Ukraine’s still-shaky interim government is trying to organize a coherent response. While Western attention over the last week had been focused on nearby Russian military exercises, those troops may not be the ones directly intervening in Ukraine.
On Saturday Reuters reported that newly-installed Ukrainian defense minister Ihor Tenyukh stated that the Russian military had recently brought some 6,000 additional personnel into Ukraine. This suggests, although does not confirm, that unmarked Russian troops (i.e. wearing no flags or unit identification) were brought into the Russian naval base at Sevastopol several days in advance. The forces may have then set up their operations and staged their maneuvers directly from the base. It’s possible that the subsequent incursions into Crimea proceeded from the naval base, rather than coming directly over the border.
There are reports throughout the pro-Russian eastern regions of Ukraine involving pro-Russian protesters who have seized government buildings and raised the Russian flag. Similar events unfolded just a few days ago when protesters in Crimea stormed local government buildings, raising Russian flags. This has led some to speculate that protests elsewhere in the nation will provide a pretext for Russian intervention there as well.
Revolution in Ukraine: A VICE News Dispatch
With protests in Ukraine turning deadly last week, VICE News went to Kiev’s Independence Square to document the Euromaidan movement’s struggle for the fate of the nation. In addition to the smoldering avenues littered with sniper fire, and protesters tending to their dead and wounded, our crew chronicled the toppling of Viktor Yanukovych. As Ukraine prepares for its future, here’s a look at how the revolution unfolded.
Pussy Riot Getting Whipped in Sochi
VICE News was with Pussy Riot in Sochi when group of uniformed Cossacks attacked members of the protest group with pepper spray and horse whips. Just moments earlier, Nadya Tolokonnikova, Masha Alyokhina, and a handful of other members headed out of a cafe toward the Sochi seaport, where they prepared to perform. As they were putting on their neon ski masks, about a dozen Cossacks descended on the group, thrashing them with whips, throwing them to the ground and kicking them as police officers stood by. The police allowed the mini-pogrom to continue for about ten minutes.
Read more about Pussy Riot and the events surrounding the attack
VICE UK’s news editor, Henry Langston, is on the streets of Kiev, Ukraine, where it's been reported that at least 37 people have been killed—mainly from police gunshots. He called us this morning to give us an update on the situation.
Why the Sochi Olympics Are the Most Expensive in History
The Olympics are as much about money as they are about sports. Between broadcasting rights, merchandising, sponsorships and construction of the Olympic venues themselves, there’s a lot of money to be made. In the case of Russia’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, there’s more money to be made than ever before, especially if you’re a friend of President Putin.
The 2014 Winter Games have cost Russia about $50 billion, making them the most expensive in history. Corruption watchdogs say it’s ordinary Russians who will end up footing the bill for this excess, not private investors as Putin has suggested.
We went to Sochi to investigate the claims of corruption and kickbacks, tour some of the most expensive Olympic venues ever built, and talk to Sochi residents who have been pushed aside to make room for Putin’s man-made mountains of money.
Pussy Riot Heads Back to Jail
The members of Pussy Riot shocked Russia when they performed their “Punk Prayer” in a Moscow church back in February 2012. The group was protesting the growing closeness between church and state under Russian President Vladimir Putin, but they became international celebrities when three of the members of the feminist, punk-rock protest group were arrested by the Russian authorities a few weeks later.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" and sentenced to two years in prison. With just two months of their sentence left, Nadya and Masha—as they’re known in Russia—were freed in a general amnesty by the Russian government. Most observers saw the move as an attempt to clean up Russia’s image before the 2014 Winter Olympic games in Sochi rather than a change in policy toward Putin’s opponents.
VICE correspondent Simon Ostrovsky met up with the band members in Moscow just a couple weeks after they were released to find out what they’re doing with their newfound freedom.
Russia’s homophobic legislation has led to a depressing rise in violence. Watch Part 3 of our new documentary Young & Gay in Putin’s Russia
When Russian President Vladimir Putin banned gay “propaganda” last June, Russia’s LGBT community went from being a stigmatized fringe group to full-blown enemies of the state. We traveled to Russia to investigate the effects of the country’s state-sanctioned homophobia.
Watch Part 2 of our new documentary Young and Gay in Putin’s Russia
Young and Gay in Putin’s Russia (Part 1/5)
Young and Gay in Putin’s Russia
When Russian President Vladimir Putin banned gay “propaganda” in June last year, Russia’s LGBT community went from being a stigmatised fringe group to full-blown enemies of the state. Homophobia becoming legislation means it’s now not only accepted in Russia but actively encouraged, which has led to a depressing rise in homophobic attacks and murders.
The main aim of the law, which essentially bans any public display of homosexuality, is to prevent minors from getting the impression that being gay is normal. Which means that, if you’re young and gay in Putin’s Russia, you’re ostracised and cut off from any kind of legal support network.
We travelled to Russia ahead of February’s Sochi Winter Olympics to investigate the effects of the country’s state-sanctioned homophobia. There, we met everyone from young members of Moscow’s LGBT community and core gay rights activists, to one of Putin’s spin doctors and the lawmaker behind the repressive anti-gay propaganda law.
Young and Gay in Putin’s Russia will air in full on VICE.com next week.