Srila Bhaktivedanta Vana Maharaja in Kharkov. Ukraine (2011) Part 3
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By: Ajay Krishna das
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Srila Bhaktivedanta Vana Maharaja in Kharkov. Ukraine (2011) Part 3 - Video
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) After Crimeans voted to leave Ukraine and join Russia, a man in a black raincoat turned up at the gate of the Belbek Air Base to demand that Ukrainian forces holed up inside surrender to Russia.
The Ukrainian commander of the base came out wearing his cap decorated with gold wings and refused.
The Russian visitor persisted: "From yesterday, you are located on the territory of a foreign state. So I'm giving you your chance to keep your honor as an officer."
"As an officer with honor, I tell you I will stay," retorted Air Force Col. Yuliy Mamchur.
That act of defiance against the overwhelming force of Russian troops that had put Belbek under siege created a new Ukrainian national hero. Today, Mamchur is hailed as an officer who stood up to the Russian juggernaut, remained true to his oath as a soldier and held out with his beleaguered unit in Crimea for as long as he could.
After Mamchur refused to cave, Russian forces overran Belbek with irresistible force and numbers.
Mamchur stood calmly with his men. He led them in singing the Ukrainian national anthem, which begins with the lyrics "Ukraine's glory and freedom are not yet dead."
Russian forces then arrested Mamchur and took him away for questioning.
He withstood five days of sustained intimidation and pressure to defect from his captors and he was released on Wednesday after that pressure proved futile.
"They tried to get me to renounce my military oath to Ukraine and switch to the Russian army," Mamchur said in a televised interview shortly after his release. "Then they applied psychological pressure, they didn't let me sleep, banging with their rifle-butts on the door."
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The crisis in Ukraine has added an extra dose of uncertainty to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's biggest domestic project: shifting the country from nuclear to renewable energy sources.
Merkel launched the drive to transition the country away from nuclear after Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster. Since then, the "Energiewende" roughly, "energy turnaround" has created increasing headaches.
Now, the tensions with Russia could complicate the plans further.
Germany, other European countries and the U.S. have slapped some sanctions on Moscow and threatened to impose more. The problem, however, is that Germany and several European economies depend heavily on Russian energy. Germany gets about a third of its natural gas and crude oil from Russia.
Merkel is still pushing ahead with the plan to shift away from nuclear energy. But if the situation with Russia escalates and Germany decides to try and reduce its reliance on Russian gas, there could be problems staying on track.
WHAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR?
Deciding to switch off nuclear reactors by 2022 was popular in Germany. But readying Europe's largest economy to switch power sources has proven complicated and, at least until Merkel's new "grand coalition" of right and left took office in December, a recipe for political gridlock.
Germany's coast and flat northern plains offer plentiful wind power, but planning the ugly lines to get that electricity to the southern industrial heartland is hitting resistance. A subsidy system meant to build up renewable energies is causing mounting problems.
"Make no mistake: the world is watching with a mixture of incomprehension and curiosity whether and how we will succeed in this energy turnaround," Merkel told lawmakers in January as she set out her priorities for the next four years. "If we succeed, then I am convinced that it will be another German export hit."
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
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BERLIN (AP) The crisis in Ukraine has added an extra dose of uncertainty to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's biggest domestic project: shifting the country from nuclear to renewable energy sources.
Merkel launched the drive to transition the country away from nuclear after Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster. Since then, the "Energiewende" roughly, "energy turnaround" has created increasing headaches.
Now, the tensions with Russia could complicate the plans further.
Germany, other European countries and the U.S. have slapped some sanctions on Moscow and threatened to impose more. The problem, however, is that Germany and several European economies depend heavily on Russian energy. Germany gets about a third of its natural gas and crude oil from Russia.
Merkel is still pushing ahead with the plan to shift away from nuclear energy. But if the situation with Russia escalates and Germany decides to try and reduce its reliance on Russian gas, there could be problems staying on track.
WHAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR?
Deciding to switch off nuclear reactors by 2022 was popular in Germany. But readying Europe's largest economy to switch power sources has proven complicated and, at least until Merkel's new "grand coalition" of right and left took office in December, a recipe for political gridlock.
Germany's coast and flat northern plains offer plentiful wind power, but planning the ugly lines to get that electricity to the southern industrial heartland is hitting resistance. A subsidy system meant to build up renewable energies is causing mounting problems.
"Make no mistake: the world is watching with a mixture of incomprehension and curiosity whether and how we will succeed in this energy turnaround," Merkel told lawmakers in January as she set out her priorities for the next four years. "If we succeed, then I am convinced that it will be another German export hit."
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
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Are Ukraine and Detroit all that different?
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