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Ukraine Central Bank Conned Into Swapping Its Gold For Lead Bricks
Just when one thought the story of Ukraine and its (now non-existant) gold could not get any more surreal, it did.
As a reminder, it was about a month ago when we learned courtesy of an interview on Ukraine TV with the country's central bank head Valeriya Gontareva, that Ukraine's gold was virtually all gone, when she made the stunning admission that "in the vaults of the central bank there is almost no gold left. There is a small amount of gold bullion left, but it's just 1% of reserves."
That in itself would have been sufficient to explain why just a few short days later, the Netherlands shocked the world when it announced it had secretly repatriated 122 tonnes of gold from the NY Fed, and had the story of Ukraine's missing gold ended there (or even with the criminal probe launched by Ukraine whether the central bank head had abused her power and misused her office when she "intentionally committed an extremely unfavorable transaction for the gold and forex reserves of Ukraine"), it still would have been one of the most bizarre, surreal stories of 2014.
Luckily, the story just got far better, and far, far more bizarre and surreal.
As Bloomberg reports, Ukraine opened a criminal probe after several gold bars at the central bank’s storage in the southern city of Odessa turned to be painted lead.
"The management of the central bank’s branch in Odessa asked us to investigate fraud by their employee," Volodymyr Shablienko, head of the Odessa police’s press office, said by phone today. "We are conducting a forensic audit now."
As Bloomberg explains, the latest gold fraud involved a central bank employee passing lead bars covered with golden paint to the storage unit, registering them as gold, the Vesti newspaper reported today, citing an unidentified person with knowledge of the matter in Odessa’s police department.
According to additional information from RT, the central bank was actually conned into buying the gold-plated lead.
Yes lead, not even tungsten.
RT adds that the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has confirmed the theft of several kilograms of gold in the Odessa region. The cashier involved has apparently fled to Crimea, Vesti Ukraine reports. Criminal proceedings began on November 18, even though the scam apparently took place between August and October.
In other words, when Ukraine still, allegedly, had some gold left. Now it has no more gold, but at least it has some very expensive lead.
A preliminary investigation suggests the gang had someone working for them inside the bank that forged the necessary paperwork to allow the sale of the fake gold bullion. It’s also been discovered that bank staff were not regularly checked when entering or exiting the premises.
Altogether some 11 kilograms of gold worth about $420,000 are missing.
And while one can laugh at the stupidity of a central bank duped into believing gold-plated lead is the real deal, the real stunner is that according to the First Deputy Central Bank Governor Oleksandr Pysaruk, the central bank “took a principal decision that we will not buy gold any more from the population. We are making conclusions internally, including changing our procedures."
In other words, until December, the central bank would buy any gold-plated lead, or tungsten, without any authenticity tests from any member of the population, or in other words, exchanging its existing reserves, i.e., gold (which it no longer has after converting most of it into dollars), into lead.
There is a potential silver lining here in that whoever ended up getting the bulk of Ukraine's gold reserves, is now also the proud owner of a few hundreds kilograms of gold-plated lead.
One really couldn't make this up, which is perhaps the point. Better for the public to be focused on the stupidity of its central bankers, than on their criminality for selling out the people's gold (or worse, giving it away for free in exchange for political favors of the current class of US State Department muppets) to unknown buyers in exchange for a few pieces of green paper.
h/t Marco
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going long paint remover.
Stupid fucking humans ...look even monkeys are smarter (not that I ever doubted that)
but heres a little proof of how really fucked up humans are
http://rt.com/news/216727-monkey-saves-friend-india/
Conned, my ASS!!! Inside job.
The only people being conned are the serfs.
And they don't even know it!
"In other words the Ukraine central bank got conned into buying lead instead of gold".
Sure it did.
despite the "Borat" quality news production those bars look off. gold paint rubs off on clothing wook etc. U can test without even trying. There would be gold paint rubbed off n the surface the set them down on. Yo uhave to go out of you rway to not notice gold paint smudges when moving stil lconsiderably heavy lead bars. There is some desperate propaganda going on here.
A 3 year old would be able to spot the difference between gold paint and the real stuff, even if it was only plated.
This was robbery, not a con.
Whoever was in charge at the time should be....
any suggestions?
Goldman Sachs exec?
was referring to consequences, but you could be right!
Syria. Definately.
Nah, N. Koreans. First NK hackers, now NK stackers.
"There will be consequences"
Sent back to Washington with a stern note to do better next time ?
Take him to Detroit.
http://youtu.be/Ny4a-oxOndo
Too funny...
I can see Greenspan and Bernanke with their gold tipped paint brushes, producing these .9999 fine lead gold ingots. Yellen popping in now and again for quality control....
Ill take that lead off their hands.
Wouldn't someone have noticed that some of the 1-kilo gold bars in the vault were almost twice as large as the other 1-kilo gold bars? Or were all of Ukraine's reserves lead?
Please let it be all... please let it be all...
It's not like those that night-flighted the gold knew what gold looks like. There hasn't been gold in Ft Knox in decades...
On the bright side they can make batteries.
"This stuff is great but it's like lead, BABOOM!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxGxk0y5aVA
Look. At least the bars weren't filled with chocolate.
Blame Putin. Maybe North Korea as well.
Looks like the National Bank of Ukraine just got lead on.
Just amazing...really wonder how much is out there in central bank vaults that are fake. THe price would probably be close to $2000...
Ukrainian says, "Hey, at least we got lead. You Americans got empty vaults."
Ukraine is a nation of total ass-clowns. The smart ones left years ago.
They had 25 years to try and build an independent nation, but the result is lead bricks in the treasury.
Please don't assume Africans have a monopoly on fucked up government. And NATO is supposed to go to war for these idiots?
Not for the Ukrainians, no - for the new Zionist masters of the land.
I have a very low opinion of the Ukraine.
Ennis Cosby, Bill Cosby's son was killed by a Ukranian. In the 90's. IT was a hate crime against blacks.
They have been RACIST before Victoria Nuland and these US cronies got involved to exploit their mess and just give Kiev Nazis $5 BILLION of US tax dollars.
This is our money they're giving to a vile, proven violent hate group of thugs whom some American ambassador to Ukraine with a hedge fund has obviously been exploiting.
The fact that they can just pop up unapologetically to exploit them is just something I would never have the balls to do.
When people jump on a hate bandwagon like this, there is almost always drugs (probably meth) and corruption infiltrating production that is expected of them which they blame people of other races for. It always seems like meth is affiliated with the swastika.
Racism is never pragmatic for anything else.
If you don't believe me, look at how a few small Asian countries recently rose up from 3rd world status. They don't have a KKK, Stormfront, NAzi or the like.
They study hard and work diligently. The last 3 morons in office are trying to turn the US into another Ukraine.
When Poles tell Ukrainian jokes its saying something....
especially since the western ukrainians are pollacks...west ukraine is former Polish lands
Ukraine is a nation of total ass-clowns. The smart ones left years ago.
Ukraine is a bunch of ass clowns. Yeah I agree. But I'd rather live with ass clowns than thieves.
They let the USA get away with STEALING THEIR GOLD.
But I guess that you think stealing is smart.
Yeah, right....The wise guys left with the Gold and all that remains is lead ingots.
To take advantage of the stupid and lame is a very bad action. It will be avenged.
For all the attention there has [not] been on Eastern Ukraine [not = since the junta began slaughtering civilians and talking openly about genocide, the MSM has, oddly, stopped covering Ukraine at all]...
There's a decent chance that the Ukrainian nationalists are going to realize, perhaps after a few more are killed or disappeared by the real rulers of the country, that they've been fucked.
Of course, even the Ukrainian nationalist parties aren't necessarily controlled by Ukrainians, any more than Ukrainians hold the offices of prime minister, president, or chair of parliament. So the "right" might start expunging the street Nazis that were good enough to do the dirty work at Maidan [and Odessa.... another memory holed story of junta/oligarch atrocity]
Full Metal Orwell.
"Right-Wing Ukrainian Leader Is (Surprise) Jewish, and (Real Surprise) Proud of It"
Wow, just when you think it can't get any more surreal.
The Pravy Sektor is full-on Nazi (or neo-Nazi for the non Galician members).
Jesus Christ
My LCS was conned into paying $10k for a junk gold necklace last month. A guy walked in and asked what he could get for it/. The dealer tested it and saw it was the real deal.
The guy was quoted a price and told the guy at the counter that he would shop around. When the guy came back a different employee helped him but the original guy saw him and said that he had already checked it out and it was good.
The LCS gave him $10k for the necklace and the guy left.
Problem was the guy who sold the necklace did a switcheroo when he came back and the dealer never verified it the second time.
All these lies and deceptions for a barbarous relic.
It's tradition I guess.
that is brilliant!
Never trust, always verify!!!
Soap: Something about assumptions being the brother of all fuck ups.
Bacon: It's mother of all fuck ups.
Soap: Brother, mother or any other sucker.
My thoughts exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not one aspect is remotely possible much less believable.This has to be a gullibility test.
you OBVIOUSLY have overlooked the word NEWS at the bottom left corner and BUSINESS at the upper right. trust me they're accredited.
If you break open each bar you'll find a one-year membership to the Jelly of the Month Club.
"Clark, that's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year through."
"That it is, Edward."
And 3 lucky bars have a golden ticket! a golden ticket to Philly(Fed) Wonka's Treasury Factory!
The word tungsten contains an anagram of the word "stung" in the middle.
I was wondering where the gold for todays COMEX dumping came from.
So pretty much a handful of people stole most of the gold on the planet.
What are they going to do with it all? sell it? eat it? build a gold plated space ship to survive a radiation storm about to vaporize the planet?
A funny thing about demand, when you take something out of supply long enough, the demand for it tends to vanish over time as people find alternatives to what they can not find.
If all the corn disappeared from the face of the earth overnight, you would have a few months of crazy corn prices, then people will just forget about it . . . and move on to something else as a substitute, then when corn returns (the thief goes to sell) no one really wants it anymore.
When you successfully start growing gold in your garden like you can corn, let us all know. In the meantime, read something that challenges you mentally and learn from it. A wise man once told me, "Nobody knows how stupid you are until you open your mouth."
well most of the masses are placated with gold plated steel from china now.
But Mr. T wouldn't be ok with that now would he there DREWOLF? Dont be a fool!
Learn u sum historez dawg!
unless you actually wear corn around your neck then ur cool. nevermind.
You'd do well to listen to a wise man.
Hey...Cunt Hair is back.
That is what your name means.
Check out the Urban Dictionary...
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=minge
Sarcophagi
bury it
leave it for the archeologists.
They are saving it for the return of my people:.the Anunnaki. That's why they first came 10000 years ago
they better put it in space warp drive; if they don't hurry up, they're likely to miss the whole party.
monochromatic gold ?
That shit in Fort Knox is probably the same. When did they notice, when they looked and their hands were gold after offloading the pallet. lmfao.
There's never just one cockaroach
The US sure can pick 'em!
you mean pluck em. the low hanging fruit. hmm, piles of gold with some unibrow sittin top of them. Mayby retards shouldnt own gold?
OUR ALLIES !! t hey all have exceptonallissmm !!
Awww no
The last few bars they had have been turned into lead by a tarded alchemist! An alchemist working for Dr. Evil (Faber, no doubt). Sound the general alarm! WhhooOP WhhooOP
He said the magic words with a mouthful of skittles and the shit turned gray.
This is the funniest story I ever read on here, I can't stop chuckling to meself.
lolz
I'll always give the Devil his Due:
Nice One, Lloyd - now that was impressive... very impressive!
Even saved on the price of tungsten, eh - you ol' scoundrel!
(Hey - if I can be of assistance in lighting the Wall St Synagogue menorah this bless-ed Hannukah Season - don't hestitate to ask ;)
Well by golly this means war.
Hello ZH. First post! Just got my wings.
I must say - this site has really advanced my understanding of what is really going on in the world by leaps and bounds. For that, I'm thankful. Add another US citizen to the ranks of people that have seen the light. It's a beautiful thing to find a site where a logical person; with half an ability to read between the lines of macro/micro current events, can feel like they found a community of like minds. Posting comments on other sites about how I see geopolitics panning out (and my path is logic based; not mainstream news parroting) and getting laughed out of the room was getting sort of old.
As you were. Carry on.
Welcome to the loony bin. It's a good loony bin, though.
The sixth rule of Fight Club- if this is your first night of fight club you have to fight.
Just a healthy bit of advice. Make statements and assertion based upon facts as much as you can. Otherwise it's going to be rough. First week or so your ass will be a wad of cookie dough. By the third week you'll be carved from stone.
It's just too bad you weren't here full the ultimate troll phonestar
peddling his shitcoin and sucking some Asian guys dick who he worshiped.
Slide.
fonestar is still here,
he's got a new name and doesn't talk his book no moar.
Ursula or something like that is his handle now.
He claimed to stack argentum so he had some shit together.
I think he's now AnalOG, and I doubt fonestar is the nut that he pretends to be, but damn that boy likes bitcoin.
Sorry my predictive text didn't correct phonestar. It figures the word anal is in his name. Haven't seen the real MDB ( Million Dollar Bonus) in a while either. There was max fisher as well who disappeared too.
Miss the hell out of Fonzanoon. Brought so much to the debate but I understand why he tapped out. If your out there fonz Merry Christmas.
And Merry Christmas to all you goofballs in Fight Club.
Did that guy become goat trader or whatever the fuck he calls himself? What shit bird that guy was. Bitcoin, bitcoin, bitcoin. Oh hey did I mention shitcoin and shiitake Fukushima or whoever the hell his hero was.
I'd like to know his new handle so we can fuck with him.
fonestar then
ghoatrider, then
bangalorian equity trader (maybe?), now
theAnalOG
You will be well received if you are a collapse-a-tarian.
You will lose your shirt if you follow most of the finacial advice. Be warned.
If you play in this rigged market you will lose your shirt anyway.
Those banksters have the access to the data and will move the markets to trigger your stop losses.
And you don't think that they do that wil the S$P 500 also?
Gold and Silver are small amrkets and they rob where the money is at.
It is like when Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks..."That is where the money is."
So knock yourself out and invest in this crooked market if you please. That is how you will LOSE YOUR SHIRT.
Stack On
They'll be getting an invoice from Tel Aviv for the lead.
LATWTTB!
So like, you feed the beast, it will eventually eat you.
Ten cents bet in Vegas says everybody can guess who would steal and scam like this. One apartheid country professes at the most evil and vile actions in the modern world to create more chaos for the empire as puppeteered to do. No surprise the beast bites the hand that feeds it right off and looks for moar!
A sucker is one who works for the beast. It is a loser path in life, but compassion allows for re-edumacation at the newly decorated in sun-flowers and roses FEMA camps.
~Not a corporation any moar!
~~Refuse to be a slave!!
Actually, theft of central bank gold began at least in the early 1990’s, under the guise of the gold carry trade.
This was also when central banks thru-out the world, as well as the US Treasury, changed the first item on their asset statements from “gold” to “gold and gold receivables”.
By 2000 several private newsletters, Barron’s, WSJ, the IMF, among others, reported that 30% to 80% of central banks gold had been “lost” to the carry trade at prices ranging around $400/oz.
In other words, by ‘carry trade’ central banks lent gold to bullion (private) banks who promptly sold it on the open market and invested the proceeds in US Treasuries to earn interest.
Thus, they are sitting on huge losses.
If the milk turns out to be sour, I ain't the kind of pussy to drink it! You know what I mean?
This is probably on a placard on Vladimir Putin's desk.
That sign should be above the cash register. Right next to the sign that says all disputed transactions will be settled with lead.
What is Lock Stock and Two Loaded Barrels, Alex
rootin' for putin?
You're darn tootiin!
Fed up with NATO's
Lootin' and shootin'
next we will see fake GLD shares.
fake treasury bonds
Boy are they ever.
Next news article: Netherlands demands replacement of repatriated gold, which turned out to be gold-painted lead.
Rootin' for Putin?
You're darn tootin'!
Fed up with NATO's
Shootin' and lootin'
So they are not going to a gold standard? sarc.
There are some good uses for lead...
Let's face it: it's easy to make yourself rich with paper when people are dumb enough to let you abuse it and use it as a contract to steal from you. Those fat lazy bastards weren't about to strap a pack over their ass and pick up a pick and shovel and go mine their own real money. They left that work to the average, trusting schmuck.
double post
sorrie!
No problem
Plenty of pollack schmucks western ukraine
good supply
Bwhahahahhaa Corzine Claus delivers bars of lead ... because coal is too expensive!
HO HO HO, suckerz
So, silver bullets stop the Wolfman, maybe gold bullets will stop the bankers?
Why work? Take your lead ingots to Maaco and walk out a BILLIONAIRE!!!!.....
'Altogether some 11 kilograms of gold worth about $420,000 are missing.' That is not even a lot of money. Well, maybe in Ukraine.
The USSA-installed President and Prime Minister of Ukraine ain't known as PORKY & RATZO for nothing...
I think they should look in the Chocolate Billionaire's basement. Just sayin.
Steve Spielberg's "Illinois Smith and the Vault of Bricks"
(if you know what I mean)
Scrap lead almost 50 cent a pound. That's almost a buck per kilo bar. So not a total loss. Could be worse.
Sell it to Grecian Formula Inc and the very same poison lead'll end up on the heads of half our readers.
Ukraine got Goxxed two times:
First -> A mysterious plane flee with nearly all Ukraine's gold reserve.
Second -> Not only they have only 1% of the original but it's fake as hell, it's lead, it's fucking lead !! o.O
Meanwhile Russia stabilized her Ruble (it's even appreciating now to 53-55) but the Hryvnia (Ukraine's currency) continue to fall like a rock (it's at 16 now).
Well done fucker with your shitty "Maidan" colored revolution, you just screwed yourselves.
Bonus point: maybe Kiev escort are cheap right now, time to profit from the "currency effect" bitchez.
I have some relatives there.
Recommended they take their cash out of the banks. Didn't listen.
Recommended they pick go buy some shotguns & slugs. Didn't listen.
Recommended they get out. Didn't listen.
People don't want to hear that bad things are going to happen. The world runs on self delusion.
recast the lead into bullets and fire the bullets into the banksters craniums...who said it ain't a precious metal?
precious mental
We screwed over some folks.
Vladimir: "We closed some McDonald's restaurants...."
Burger King and Pepsi having Coke and McDonalds for dinner...
http://windowstorussia.com/burger-king-and-pepsi-co-having-coke-and-mcdonalds-for-dinner.html
Dear Ukraine,
Your gold, along with that of the Swiss, Germany and Libya, has been Corzined.
More accurately, Zioned.
The banksters need to repay us.
dear Ukraine.....all your goid belong to us......hope that pile of lead gets you thru the winter and the next ECB payment---dont you dare default!
HehHeh, this is a lot better than anything that's on TV !
That;s true ! This is enormously entertaining. And it's all REAL; or something.
Your statement will prove false once "The Bachelor"returns to ABC on January 5.
TO ALL THE RIFF RAFF in UKRAINE
'It'll be lonely this Christmas without you to hold
It'll be oh so COLD without you to hold this Christmas '
Puff and it's all fucking gone arseholes!
Each year, Transparency International surveys and rates the relative levels of perceived government corruption among 177 countries. The Index then scores them on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
The #1 position (i.e., least corrupt country) was shared by Denmark and New Zealand (score: 91), while Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan shared last place (each scored 8).
The United States scored 73.
Russia’s government corruption score? 28.
Yeah i'm all for the UK combating Transparency, doughnut!
Your score? -6 so far.
Lead bullion and gold bullets? I thought it was the other way around.
Bizarro Alchemy
Turning gold into lead
-
By Inna Shevchenko
December 19, 2014 11:57 GMT
Vladimir Putin [l] and Inna ShevchekoReuters/FemenIn 2000, Vladimir Putin became president of the Russian Federation for the first time. Not knowing much about him, Russians immediately welcomed this small, often shy man, especially because of the contrast with Russia's first president, Boris Yeltsin, well known for his grotesque behaviour and drunken appearances.
A few years later, Putin is no longer timid. In fact he has brazenly assured everyone that he will remain president of Russia's fading empire for a long time, and even now, we still can not guess for how long he will continue to lead the country.
From the western perspective, it makes sense to wonder why a president who is supporting and initiating international military conflicts, who has brought his country to the edge of an economic collapse, and who is rejected by the international community can remain so popular in his own country and will more than likely be re-elected.
But Russian reality is totally different. For a majority of the population, Putin is a unique man, who will save their nation and cares about it. This point of view is heartily endorsed by nearly all media, by Putin himself, even by the so-called government "opposition", which is tolerated by the regime. Putin created a carefully crafted alternative reality for the Russian people, a reality in which all Ukrainians are fascists and the only enemy is the West, which is to blame for all of the country's problems. This message is broadcast through all news reports that are supported by made-up documentaries and polemic TV shows.
During his press conference yesterday, Putin spent more than three hours answering questions about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as well as the Chechen attacks, Russian economics and media lies. A little more nervous than usual, but still very confident, he explained that the reasons for the economic problems in the country were external. Properly identifying the western enemy, he immediately pledged to stabilise the Russian economy, promising that it will be "not perfect but still strong" by 2015.
"We can do everything by ourselves", said Putin, garnishing his "alternative reality" for the Russian people. He skipped and did not answer the question from opposition journalist Ksenia Sobchak about the "poisoning" of the media, when she recalled a recent fake TV story made up by the federal Russian TV channel, which claimed that some children were being crucified by Ukrainians. Instead, Putin talked as if the Berlin Wall was still in place.
To me, it seems that for Putin the USSR never collapsed, and his activities in Ukraine reflect this.
People believe him
In his speech, Putin repeated that the West wants to destroy the Russian nation, "they want to chain our bear, break his nails, pull out his teeth and make a scarecrow from our bear". He promised to defend the country from the monstrous enemy. And you can be sure a majority of Russian people believed him.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow, December 18, 2014. Putin said on Thursday the government had to take additional measures to forge economic stability.ReutersThis is the kind of speech Russian people are used to. Putin's language is so well known for them, and somehow understandable, after the long term USSR propaganda in which everyone who travelled abroad was worse than judas, and everything coming from the West, from music to food was an element of destruction of the nation planned by an exterior enemy.
Putin did not invent his own new strategy, he reused the old one, the one that successfully fed the dictatorial regime in USSR, and does the same for Putin's regime. And unfortunately, there is not much right now to go against it inside the country.
Actually, the Russia "not allowed" by the regime is weakened and not as visible as in 2011-2012 anymore. Some, like the Pussy Riot girls, have stopped acting and criticising the regime for unknown reasons, whereas others have fled the country and many remain in jail or are silenced by juridical problems. The atmosphere in Russia is not about an uprising, it is centred around nationalism, and solidarity with Putin.
For this reason, he is even more dangerous now to the world than a year ago. He will not leave, and he will not stop the international conflict, as the escalation of this conflict is in his interests. He is initiating a second round of the Cold War against the historical "enemy" of the nation: the West. He will not go for a truce, as his regime is predicated on this conflict.
I believe that now it is the turn of "the enemy". It is the West that has to stop Putin by taking legal action against him personally for the long list of international crimes that he has committed. He should appear in front of an international court for Crimea and the war in the east of Ukraine, for Syria and Chechnya, for the killed and arrested journalists and activists.
When in 2013 in Hanover five topless Femen activists surrounded him, shouting "F*ck Dictator", he only had the opportunity to protect himself with a ridiculous smile and a teenager's thumbs up. At that exact moment he was again just a small shy man without his regime and instruments of power and manipulation. He was miserable.
I just wonder why five female protesters with no clothes can expose to the world, even for a short moment, how lost Putin is without his power, and how come dozens of political leaders with instruments of power cannot.
" Just Whip it, Whip it Good !"
Putin has some awesome security, you know these CIA pukes have some pro Western puppet in line to try a coup if given half a chance.
Inna Shevchenko, is this cunt for real ? If anyone should be on trial its the USSA gangster leaders and their Zionist bosses for war crimes too numerous to list here. Oh well, spewing USSA/Zio propaganda probably pays OK and a compliant "reporter" like her won't wind up with her Mercedes being taken over and revved up to 200 mph with the doors locked and a palm tree straight ahead.
She has also been connected to the Heroin trade,-no wonder Amerkan Patriot loves her!
All Russia know Inna enabled by Soros NGo euros
only west can't grasp this fact
Dear Amerikan patriot; please get fucked; preferably to death, ASAP. Thanks, the readership.
Ironic, Putin more accessible to such a situation than any amerikan governing kapo.
If Obama gave a three hour press conference unplugged from the teleprompter 2 1/2 hours of it would be, " uummmm uuhhhh aaaaand uuuuhh aaaand you know uuuuuuum uuuuuuuuuuuuhhhh!?!?!?!?
I'll give Putin credit that he can talk unscripted with "facts" ( true or not) at length and answer questions with full confidence. Like him or not he is a true leader.
Unlike some people we know. God our president sucks ass!!!
If you tell the truth you dont have to remember anything -- Mark Twain
Go demostrate topless with Inna, AP...
Maybe you can get some tailings of the money she get from Soros
be off now....good luck and good riddance
Ukie Vault Clerk #1: "Poroshenko's office just called and said they're coming to pick up the gold to take for inspection, after which they will return it back to the national vault".
Vault Clerk #2: "Will we be able to identify the stamp marks?".
Clerk #1: "No, they say the assay tests will result in new I.D. markings".
Thursday, 18 Dec 2014 | 8:29 AM ETThe Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — Hundreds of Russian sailors pulled out of a French port Thursday, bearing perfumes for their loved ones but lacking the controversial bounty they came for: a 1-billion-euro, French-built warship that has become a hostage to the biggest East-West conflict since the Cold War.
The Vladivostok helicopter carrier is part of a strange and divisive arms deal now on hold — and perhaps on the verge of collapse — because of the conflict in Ukraine. France built it for Russia's navy but is now having second thoughts, notably amid heavy U.S. criticism of the deal.
After months training on the ship, the Russian sailors left the port town of Saint-Nazaire empty-handed. The ship, painted with Cyrillic letters reading "VLADIVOSTOK," floats in a dock, unused. A second ship meant to be part of the deal is there, too, an expensive diplomatic embarrassment.
A top French official involved in negotiating the sale in 2009, former Defense Minister Herve Morin, is now opposed to it. His change of heart reflects Europe's evolving relationship with Russia, a powerful neighbor, trading partner and energy supplier.
It also reflects divisions inside France.
Then-President Nicolas Sarkozy crafted the sale as much for domestic economic reasons as for geopolitical ones.
The contract saved a shipbuilder at risk of bankruptcy at a time when Sarkozy was trying to shore up the economy. "The Mistral-class deal was viewed as an unexpected lifeline" for STX France, 33 percent owned by the French state, Morin said.
It also fit with Sarkozy's policy of outreach to authoritarian leaders shunned by the West.
Russia's president at the time, Dmitry Medvedev, called it "a symbol of trust between our countries" as Russia sought to modernize its over-stretched and outdated military machine.
The sale of the ships — which could allow Russia to land hundreds of troops quickly on foreign soil — worried Russia's neighbors, including the three Baltic countries in NATO.
Morin, who took part in the negotiations in 2009-2010, told The Associated Press, "Some were for and against around the table. In the end, Sarkozy arbitrated, saying: 'We do it.'"
Today, Morin admits he has changed his mind. "It was a political gesture when we signed the deal, it is a political gesture, too, when we deliver it" — or not, he said.
The deal has become a liability for Sarkozy's Socialist successor Francois Hollande. In August he put it on hold, saying "conditions haven't been met" to deliver the ship. In November he said formalized the suspension "until further notice."
Hollande still hasn't taken a definitive decision on the contract that was supposed to be the biggest arms sale by a NATO country to Russia. The French president bound any potential delivery to the situation in Ukraine, insisting on the restoration of territorial integrity. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, and is accused of backing separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Some in France say Hollande should hand the ship over. Jean-Louis Bianco of Sarkozy's conservative party UMP was among several French legislators at a recent Russian Embassy event who decried the suspension of the deal.
"Can you imagine this happening under de Gaulle? That someone would lie down for the Americans like this?" he asked.
Russia agreed to wait until February for a final decision, while France risks having to pay over 1 billion euros for not fulfilling the contract, according to a top French official and a Russian diplomat. The French official said Russia has already paid a substantial part of the 1.2 billion euros ($1.48 billion) deal. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to disclose details of the deal.
Christophe Morel of STX, the company that built the warships, expressed concern about France's reputation as an arms exporter.
"If we don't deliver them, it's the entire French defense industry on the hot seat," he said.
France was the fifth-largest arms exporting country in 2009-2013, representing 5 percent of global exports — behind the U.S. (29 and Russia (27%), according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
In Saint-Nazaire port, the two impressive ships are visible but protected by barbed-wire fence and guards. The Mistral-class vessels can carry 700 troops, 16 helicopter gunships and up to 50 armored vehicles.
The second warship, ironically named the Sevastopol after a port in Crimea, is due to be ready in autumn 2015.
About 400 Russians — composing two crews for the two warships — arrived in Saint-Nazaire on June 30. They trained on the Vladivostok, on the ground and at sea, as part of the deal. They could be seen coming and going in uniform to their training, or practicing sport activities.
They used free time to go to the center of the city of 67,000 inhabitants.
"They are quite discreet," said Anne Montgeron, 22, a saleswoman in a cosmetic shop. When they came seeking French souvenirs, she said, "I help them choose some nice gifts for their wives," for example Chanel or Dior perfumes.
While on the French coast, the Russian sailors slept and ate on their own ship, the Smolny — which pulled out of port at high tide Thursday and is now sailing them home.
French are Scheiss.
So what's a contract signed by the French Government worth ? Less than the paper its printed on. Un-acceptable. For the four-thousandth time; Putin did not Annex anything; the citizens of Crimea voted to join the Russian Federation; which is their right. Jesus.
Hollande's contracts are equal to the value of Ukraine's "gold" deposits
This is where the rubber meets the road. After all the shit Putin has had to eat in the last year, if he doesnt yank on Holande's tits and demand immediate refund with penalties then he is nothing but a paper "bear"
you are an idiot, APee... when France has to refund the deposit to Russia, it will not watch billions of dollars of jobs go down the tube with 30% unemployment and crushing debt also-many EU countries will say FU to the US and cave by January
Dreadnaught, I appreciate what you are trying to do but I have been up against AP since 2007 and he came from MarketWatch pre-ZH where I also came from once ZH got going. I know my foe well. The more you insult him the worse it gets with him. You can beat him but you can't by calling names and this goes everyone, you can't beat him by telling him to fuck off. To do so only fuels him and he just gets worse and starts dominating every board.
Please don't think that I support him but he correct some issues and so very wrong on others. For as much shit as he throws at the wall one hope something would stick. It is the samething he did seven years ago. The guy or gal is not dumb and is rather intelligent. Unfortunately, AP craves attention on a psycopathic level. I finally figured it out with him and he knows that I know about him. I remember his Grandma's silverwear.
AmerikanPatriot do you remember me? I know you do. Do you remember when we talked some bad times we have both had? Remember we agreed on some things? On ZeroHedge this is same situation and you are making people angry and doing it on purpose. I do that too but I apologize but you are doing it more than I am. And sometimes yes, you are correct but if you make everyone hate you no one will listen. What good does this do? I know there is a heart in you because I have seen it before but I think you also know that I can only go so far.
AmerikanPatriot you need to realize that you have talents and limitations. Give this some thought and write your own statement and post this for other ZH's to see. If you will not do this then I am afraid that you will not be part of ZH for very long. I do not like wasting my time AmerkanPatriot.
It is a little late for that. He could write something from the heart and I would miss it as I just scroll right past anything he posts.
I am certain that I am not alone in that. The fun of troll bashing gets boring after awhile.
He can continue with his cut and paste jobs. Hell he can publish the entire transcript of Fox News and CNN for all that I care. (I am amazed that Tyler allows that...Copyright and all...)
I ignore him unless it is short and irratating enough. But other than that I am doing my best not to respond at all. Not even a Downarrow as he feeds off of attention.
Tall Tom. He is an idiot savant with a bad attitude. I do not blame you for just ignoring him. He is a special snowflake. There is one thing about AP that you need to know and that this is that he will not stop unless you acknowledge him. But after what I posted towards him did you see him say anything else? He will think about EVERY possibility of something he could say and it drives him nuts. He WILL say something but not so much right away. He is one of those folks who know every single thing about something and nothing about something else. Social skillls are non-existent. That is how you keep him busy.
What you finally realize is that the guy is correct on about many things and if you flip the script and find something else to debate then he does not know what to do. We shall see how it goes. He is only a troll because he wants attention and not because he is a malicious troll.
If AP can't stop what he is doing then the Tylers will do what they need to do. My Russian wife always asks why mental retards are always attracted to me. I would not call them retards and I have no idea why. She asked if I was retarded and I said that I was because I am Merican. Yeah right but it is true. I do not not know why this is. For some reason, I need to listen to them and I am not bothered by doing so.
If they kept their gold with the Fed, like the Germans, they'd be spared this embarassment.
Finally - this answers why FED refused to ship gold to Germany...
Ask the zionist's Jews they seem to be running things into the ditches of Ukraine
Yeah, they're running everything. That's why they live smack in the middle of the shittiest part of the world on a sliver of land smaller than New Jersey and deal with psycho jihadis all day long... Jeenyus!
Russia faces a "full-blown economic crisis" next year that will trigger a series of defaults and the loss of its investment-grade credit rating, a respected former finance minister has warned.
Real incomes will fall by 2-5 per cent next year, the first decrease in real terms since 2000, said Alexei Kudrin, a longtime ally of President Vladimir Putin and widely tipped to succeed Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister.
His warning came as Russia's central bank was forced to prop up a mid-sized lender in a sign of the strains on the banking system.
"Today I can say that we have entered or are currently entering a full-blown economic crisis; next year we will feel it in full force," Mr Kudrin said in Moscow on Monday.
In unusually blunt comments for an establishment figure, he also called on Mr Putin to do what was necessary to improve relations with the west: "As for what the president and government must do now: the most important factor is the normalization of Russia's relations with its business partners, above all in Europe, the US and other countries."
His bleak forecasts for the Russian economy come after a week of high drama in which the ruble fell by as much as 36 per cent in one day, rattling popular confidence in the government.
On Monday, the ruble rose 5.1 per cent to 56.5 to the dollar following a series of measures announced in the second half of last week to shore up confidence in the banking system.
The central bank said it would inject 30 billion rubles ($530 million) into Trust bank, the country's 28th-largest lender by assets, "to prevent bankruptcy".
<p>Russia to enter &#039;deep recession&#039; in 2015?</p> <p>With China&#039;s foreign minister offering to help Russia if needed, Neil Shearing, chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, discusses how Moscow is fairing, saying 2015 will show a &quot;deep recession&quot; for Russia.</p>The wild gyrations in the ruble and on Russia's equity and bond markets last week have taken their toll on banking sector liquidity, with interbank interest rates rising to the highest level in nine years. The central bank and government have announced a series of measures to support the banking sector, including a 1tn rouble ($18bn) recapitalisation plan announced on Friday.
The central bank said the state deposit insurance agency would take over administration of Trust bank while a buyer was sought. "It is assumed that the investor will be one of the large Russian banks," the central bank said in a statement.
Mr Medvedev told the heads of Russia's big banks on Monday to make sure that during the new year holidays people had "an opportunity to relax without worrying about what is going on in the banking sector".
In another sign of pressure, the government said it would impose duties on exports of grain, which have boomed because of currency weakness, forcing prices up for domestic consumers.
Mr Kudrin said the economy would contract by at least 4 per cent next year if oil prices remained at $60 a barrel, echoing central bank forecasts of a 4.5-4.7 per cent contraction. There would "certainly" be a recession in 2016.
"Russia will have its rating downgraded, it will be cut to junk," he said. "Due to the economic disruption . . . payment discipline will fall significantly and we will see a series of defaults of medium-sized and large companies."
Mr Kudrin also predicted an increase in dissatisfaction among the population that could have a political impact. "There will be a fall in living standards, it will be painful. Protest activity will increase," he said.
He declined to comment on his own potential return to the government.
Boring. Crisis over. Go back to your barracks.
Their internal stability is a wild card that I think the American amateurs and the EuroTrash better keep in mind; miscalculations.
if wishes (daydreams) were horses 'patriot' you would have a herd the size of Texas. Russia is making out like a bandit these days-especially now that China is lending a hand-The US and EU are already starting to regret this embargo-Greece today signed a milti million contract to make spare parts for Russias military. France will cave, and build the warships it promised, when they have to refund Russias deposit on these-and the rest of the EU will follow-if only in order to get oil....while the US sits alone and shivering.......as the dollar collapses. I am an American, not an amerikan like you. I am the citizen of a country taken over by mobsters. You are a citizen OF the mobsters
We mislead some folks.
Ya think ! Day and night; night and day; it never stops; Putin annexed the Crimea; Putin is invading Ukraine. Jesus Christ. They follow Hitler's code of public manipulation to the letter; "tell a big lie, and tell it often; it will become the truth". What the hell is wrong with these reporters; everybody and their dog knows what the facts are. Crimeaa voted to become a part of the Russian Federation; in an impeccable vote, that met all UN Standards, and was approved at the UN ! But they keep lying to us everyday !. It's the same as the fucking planet getting hotter, global warming !; global warming !; global warming !"---BULLSHIT. OK. it's BULLSHIT, and I'm really tired of being reated like a six year old.
LONG TUNGSTEN!
Reminds me of the tugsten saga
will putin play naughty or nice this holiday season.
whats the price of gas going to be going into ukraine?
wonder if merkel made any securified calls to putin?
Valeriya Gontareva, I think she's Yellens first cousin.
True dat BlussMann her maiden name was Gonorrhea.