A video is posted to YouTube on January 2, 2017, titled “President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko Together with US Senators Under Shirokino” and by the account name of “Office of the President of Ukraine.” The video shows John McCain and Lindsey Graham meeting with Petro Poroshenko and a Ukrainian military unit, encouraging them to war with Russia.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch also appear in the video.
Lindsey Graham cheers:
“Your fight is our fight, 2017 will be the year of offense. All of us will go back to Washington and we will push the case against Russia. Enough of a Russian aggression. It is time for them to pay a heavier price.”
John McCain follows:
“I believe you will win. I am convinced you will win and we will do every-thing we can to provide you with what you need to win.”
A cursory search of the word “Shirokino” appearing in Poroshenko’s video title, reveals a war-torn city in the Donbass region of Ukraine that was hit hard by the Azov Batallion two years prior to the video.
In May 2015, the following observation of Shirokino was made:
(…) Empty streets. Apricot trees are in bloom in the front yards of war-disheveled houses. Torn wires, crooked lamp-posts, burned military machinery, wooden cartridge crates. Broken glass and slate fragments crack under one’s feet. From what used to be the road here and there mine “tails” are protruding. People have left their houses, and their hungry abandoned dogs follow you about and imploringly look into your eyes. But the emptiness around is misleading. What used to be a house became a firing point. As you are walking in the street you can always sense that someone is watching you, you look around and you notice silhouettes moving among the ruins. Before the war, Shirokino had 1500 inhabitants, and twice as many in the summertime — because of the holiday-makers. Now few dozens are waiting for the firing to stop in their house basements. So who remains? Old folks for whom to leave means to give up everything — to start life anew, and they are not ready for it. They don’t want to be a burden for anyone and they are not asking for any help. This is the third month of severe fighting in Shirokino, during all that time they have been sleeping in basements, drinking rainwater and burning candles in the evening (there’s no electricity, gas or water in the village — nor has been for a very long time). They remain to watch the shells destroy everything that was part of their life and wait for all that to be over.” (BirdInFlight, 5/12/2015)
OSCE representatives talk to a local woman. Many inhabitants of Shirokino come back to their village when they hear of the OSCE observers’ arrival. Shooting usually stops during such visits. (Credit: Petr Shelomovsky)