Ukraine Crisis 2014
In one respect, I agree with RR.
The Russians have a next door neighbor with whom they have close relationships and financial and commercial ties.
Things get a bit messy over there, the Russians are going to act in such a way as to protect their interests and ensure that their neighbor does not become a problem, or a bigger problem, for them.
Nations look out for their self interests.
However, style counts.
The criticism that Putin's style draws is not unwarranted. (And to avoid the charges of chauvinism, to my view the style used by our leaders in Washington frequently leaves a bit to be desired ... )
The Russians have a next door neighbor with whom they have close relationships and financial and commercial ties.
Things get a bit messy over there, the Russians are going to act in such a way as to protect their interests and ensure that their neighbor does not become a problem, or a bigger problem, for them.
Nations look out for their self interests.
However, style counts.
The criticism that Putin's style draws is not unwarranted. (And to avoid the charges of chauvinism, to my view the style used by our leaders in Washington frequently leaves a bit to be desired ... )
If Yanukovych had not been ousted there would almost certainly not be a separatist uprising in the east.
Very few locals were interested in starting a war, as the Russian leaders admitted. Most of the volunteer Russian forces have been wiped out, which is why Russian regular troops are now fighting, dying and being captured.
Ukrainian MoD Galetey: We have captured a lot of soldiers of regular Russian Army today
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Ronald is either a troll or a propagandist for the Russia, there's lots of them about.
The facts (as resonable as you can get) are there. The big thing in this, is public opinion mainly in Russia, and to a lessor extent outside. We know they had to import a large amount of outside fighters due to lack of significant uprising.
The tactics the Russians are using here, are not dissimilar to the Serbian issue. The Russians are happy to engage in Rape, and mass murder and intimidation if it suits them and they have an excuse.
One wonders if and when the Ukrainians manage to get back their territory what war crimes will have been carried out in Russia's name.
I still amazed that the Ukrainians are able to do so well, its seems to be unsustainable, where do they get their major weapons systems from? It seems their old supplier isn't supplying, and the west aren't helping because they don't want to escalate tensions.
One theory could be once they are extended enough and some of their capability (what little they have), then Russia can come in with regulars with less opposition and annex the east. It could also be trying to drag it out to winter, where gas is more of a weapon and other fatcors on the ground may be favorable.
The facts (as resonable as you can get) are there. The big thing in this, is public opinion mainly in Russia, and to a lessor extent outside. We know they had to import a large amount of outside fighters due to lack of significant uprising.
The tactics the Russians are using here, are not dissimilar to the Serbian issue. The Russians are happy to engage in Rape, and mass murder and intimidation if it suits them and they have an excuse.
One wonders if and when the Ukrainians manage to get back their territory what war crimes will have been carried out in Russia's name.
I still amazed that the Ukrainians are able to do so well, its seems to be unsustainable, where do they get their major weapons systems from? It seems their old supplier isn't supplying, and the west aren't helping because they don't want to escalate tensions.
One theory could be once they are extended enough and some of their capability (what little they have), then Russia can come in with regulars with less opposition and annex the east. It could also be trying to drag it out to winter, where gas is more of a weapon and other fatcors on the ground may be favorable.
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What a wicked web we weave.
I wonder how she would feel if Russia openly conducted air strikes in Ukraine to protect its interests?
To be honest, the sudden expansion of ISIS just as the Ukraine thing hotted up, makes me wonder if they had a little guidance from Russia. It sure has the Yanks tied up in a bit of a not. Though the ISIS bit does give Obama a excuse to not get to involved in the Ukraine issue.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Monday. Asked specifically whether the U.S. would have permission to act in Syria, she said: "I think when American lives are at stake, when we're talking about defending our own interests, we're not looking for the approval of the Syrian regime."
To be honest, the sudden expansion of ISIS just as the Ukraine thing hotted up, makes me wonder if they had a little guidance from Russia. It sure has the Yanks tied up in a bit of a not. Though the ISIS bit does give Obama a excuse to not get to involved in the Ukraine issue.
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I agree with you rh200! One rule for Washington, another for everyone else.
Going back to my earlier post about British reporter Graham Phillips who is in Lugansk, he also has a youtube channel.
www.youtube.com/user/gwplondon
Going back to my earlier post about British reporter Graham Phillips who is in Lugansk, he also has a youtube channel.
www.youtube.com/user/gwplondon
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Well, ain't that the case now that Putin's decided that 'I might as well play that game, too'.
The only difference being that he doesn't have as much experience.
The only difference being that he doesn't have as much experience.
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Putin And Poroshenko Handshake At 'Peace Talks'
"UBS said it had opened a criminal probe after soldiers from the 98th airborne division based in central Russia were detained near the village of Dzerkalne, around 30 miles (50km) from rebel-held Donetsk.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said the men were on a "special mission".
But Russian military sources quoted by state news agencies have claimed the soldiers crossed the border by mistake.
In footage posted on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian government's "anti-terrorist operation", the men were shown dressed in camouflage fatigues.
One of them, who identified himself as Ivan Melchyakov, listed his personal details, including the name of the paratroop regiment he said is based in the Russian town of Kostroma.
"I did not see where we crossed the border. They just told us we were going on a 70-kilometre march over three days," he said.
"Everything is different here, not like they show it on television. We've come as cannon fodder," he said in the video.
Ukraine's Defence Minister Valeriy Geletey said the soldiers were captured on Monday.
"Officially they are at exercises in various corners of Russia.
"In reality, they are participating in military aggression against Ukraine and their families know nothing about their true fate.
"I am addressing the relatives of Russian servicemen: find out immediately where your loved ones are. Take them out of Ukraine, where they are being forced to die."
"UBS said it had opened a criminal probe after soldiers from the 98th airborne division based in central Russia were detained near the village of Dzerkalne, around 30 miles (50km) from rebel-held Donetsk.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said the men were on a "special mission".
But Russian military sources quoted by state news agencies have claimed the soldiers crossed the border by mistake.
In footage posted on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian government's "anti-terrorist operation", the men were shown dressed in camouflage fatigues.
One of them, who identified himself as Ivan Melchyakov, listed his personal details, including the name of the paratroop regiment he said is based in the Russian town of Kostroma.
"I did not see where we crossed the border. They just told us we were going on a 70-kilometre march over three days," he said.
"Everything is different here, not like they show it on television. We've come as cannon fodder," he said in the video.
Ukraine's Defence Minister Valeriy Geletey said the soldiers were captured on Monday.
"Officially they are at exercises in various corners of Russia.
"In reality, they are participating in military aggression against Ukraine and their families know nothing about their true fate.
"I am addressing the relatives of Russian servicemen: find out immediately where your loved ones are. Take them out of Ukraine, where they are being forced to die."
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Being the even-handed cynic that I am, I don't find that one particularly convincing. Sorry.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Ukraine crisis: rebels seize key coastal town as they open new front near Russia
Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine seized a key coastal town on Wednesday in a move which opened a dangerous new front against the Kiev government. Separatist forces flying the flag of the rebel Donetsk People's republic entered the coastal town of Novoazovsk, depriving Ukraine of control of its southernmost section of border with Russia and putting the insurgents within striking distance of the centre of regional government in Mariupol.
The lightning advance took place in an area tens of miles from territory previously held by the rebels, suggesting that the troops originated at least in part from the Russian side of the border. Combined with a series of other defeats and the capture of Russian soldiers inside Ukraine on Tuesday, it increased speculation that – despite official denials – Russian regular forces have now entered the war alongside the separatists.
Kiev claimed that a vast column of "up to 100" tanks and heavy weapons from Russia was later spotted moving towards Temanove, a government-held town 20 miles to the north of Novoazovsk. "We believe that this is Russian equipment. You cannot buy 100 tanks at a market in Donetsk or Luhansk," a Ukrainian army source told AFP in reference to the column.......
Journalists also reported several armoured personnel carriers flying rebel flags that were manned by men in uniforms similar to those worn by Russian soldiers who overran Crimea prior to its annexation by Russia in March.
The advance puts the separatists just 25 miles from Mariupol, a key port town where Sergei Taruta, the pro-Kiev governor of Donetsk region, has been based since rebels took over Donetsk itself. If they can take Mariupol, the separatists would be poised to strike along the coast creating a corridor to link up with Crimea, the province Russia annexed from Ukraine in March – a nightmare scenario for Kiev that had until recently seemed impossible.
The claims follow mounting evidence that regular Russian forces are now fighting openly alongside the separatists who have been locked in a civil conflict with Ukrainian government forces since April. Ten Russian paratroopers who were captured inside Ukraine on Monday were paraded for a press conference in Kiev on Wednesday. Mr Putin and other Russian officials have not denied that the soldiers crossed the border, but said they had done so "by mistake" during a routine patrol.
While Russian citizens serve openly in rebel ranks as "volunteers", the Kremlin has consistently denied that regular troops are involved in the fighting there. However, doubt is growing amongst Russian press and public over official denials about involvement in Ukraine. Reports of secret military funerals and mysteriously wounded servicemen prompted Vedomost, a liberal broadsheet, to publish an editorial demanding asking "Are we fighting or not?" on Wednesday.
Russian journalists investigating reports of mysterious funerals of servicemen said name plates had been removed from the graves of two paratroopers from Russia's 76th airborne division, Leonid Kichatkin and Alexander Osipov, who were buried in a cemetery in the unit's home town of Pskov on Monday.
The suspicion that Russian forces are fighting an undeclared war across the border has drawn comparison on social media with the beginning of the first Chechen War in 1994, when Boris Yeltsin denied sending a column of tanks into Grozny......
Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine seized a key coastal town on Wednesday in a move which opened a dangerous new front against the Kiev government. Separatist forces flying the flag of the rebel Donetsk People's republic entered the coastal town of Novoazovsk, depriving Ukraine of control of its southernmost section of border with Russia and putting the insurgents within striking distance of the centre of regional government in Mariupol.
The lightning advance took place in an area tens of miles from territory previously held by the rebels, suggesting that the troops originated at least in part from the Russian side of the border. Combined with a series of other defeats and the capture of Russian soldiers inside Ukraine on Tuesday, it increased speculation that – despite official denials – Russian regular forces have now entered the war alongside the separatists.
Kiev claimed that a vast column of "up to 100" tanks and heavy weapons from Russia was later spotted moving towards Temanove, a government-held town 20 miles to the north of Novoazovsk. "We believe that this is Russian equipment. You cannot buy 100 tanks at a market in Donetsk or Luhansk," a Ukrainian army source told AFP in reference to the column.......
Journalists also reported several armoured personnel carriers flying rebel flags that were manned by men in uniforms similar to those worn by Russian soldiers who overran Crimea prior to its annexation by Russia in March.
The advance puts the separatists just 25 miles from Mariupol, a key port town where Sergei Taruta, the pro-Kiev governor of Donetsk region, has been based since rebels took over Donetsk itself. If they can take Mariupol, the separatists would be poised to strike along the coast creating a corridor to link up with Crimea, the province Russia annexed from Ukraine in March – a nightmare scenario for Kiev that had until recently seemed impossible.
The claims follow mounting evidence that regular Russian forces are now fighting openly alongside the separatists who have been locked in a civil conflict with Ukrainian government forces since April. Ten Russian paratroopers who were captured inside Ukraine on Monday were paraded for a press conference in Kiev on Wednesday. Mr Putin and other Russian officials have not denied that the soldiers crossed the border, but said they had done so "by mistake" during a routine patrol.
While Russian citizens serve openly in rebel ranks as "volunteers", the Kremlin has consistently denied that regular troops are involved in the fighting there. However, doubt is growing amongst Russian press and public over official denials about involvement in Ukraine. Reports of secret military funerals and mysteriously wounded servicemen prompted Vedomost, a liberal broadsheet, to publish an editorial demanding asking "Are we fighting or not?" on Wednesday.
Russian journalists investigating reports of mysterious funerals of servicemen said name plates had been removed from the graves of two paratroopers from Russia's 76th airborne division, Leonid Kichatkin and Alexander Osipov, who were buried in a cemetery in the unit's home town of Pskov on Monday.
The suspicion that Russian forces are fighting an undeclared war across the border has drawn comparison on social media with the beginning of the first Chechen War in 1994, when Boris Yeltsin denied sending a column of tanks into Grozny......
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
NATO confirms Russian troops in Ukraine
Senior NATO official, Brigadier general Nico Tak, speaks during a press conference focused on Ukraine crisis, on August 28, 2014 at the Shape (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Casteau, near Mons. He said that "well over a thousand" Russian troops were operating inside Ukraine. "They support separatists, fighting with them and fighting amongst them," the official said, adding that the supply of arms by Russia had increased in both "volume and quality".
Earlier there were images shown which provide evidence of Russian troops inside Ukraine. Nato released the images to "provide concrete examples of Russian activity inside Ukraine. The organisation adds they "are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the overall scope of Russian troop and weapons movements". “We have also detected large quantities of advanced weapons, including air defence systems, artillery, tanks, and armoured personnel carriers being transferred to separatist forces in Eastern Ukraine,” said Brigadier General Tak. “The presence of these weapons along with substantial numbers of Russian combat troops inside Ukraine make the situation increasingly grave,” he said......
Forces clash with 'reconnaissance' group from Crimea
Ukraine said its forces had clashed with a reconnaissance group that had entered its territory from the Russian-controlled Crimean peninsula, AFP reports. The National Security and Defence Council said the fighting had flared on Wednesday in the Kherson region of Ukraine just north of Crimea, and accused the Russian military of "establishing positions" nearby in the peninsula.
The claims sparked fears that Moscow could be plotting an offensive towards the Black Sea peninsula after Kiev accused Russian troops of seizing territory along Ukraine's eastern border, some 450 kilometres (280 miles away).......
Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Ukraine
The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday on the Ukraine crisis following reports that Russia had sent hundreds of troops to shore up separatists in east Ukraine. The session requested by Lithuania will be held at 4pm GMT at UN headquarters in New York, diplomats said......
Senior NATO official, Brigadier general Nico Tak, speaks during a press conference focused on Ukraine crisis, on August 28, 2014 at the Shape (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Casteau, near Mons. He said that "well over a thousand" Russian troops were operating inside Ukraine. "They support separatists, fighting with them and fighting amongst them," the official said, adding that the supply of arms by Russia had increased in both "volume and quality".
Earlier there were images shown which provide evidence of Russian troops inside Ukraine. Nato released the images to "provide concrete examples of Russian activity inside Ukraine. The organisation adds they "are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the overall scope of Russian troop and weapons movements". “We have also detected large quantities of advanced weapons, including air defence systems, artillery, tanks, and armoured personnel carriers being transferred to separatist forces in Eastern Ukraine,” said Brigadier General Tak. “The presence of these weapons along with substantial numbers of Russian combat troops inside Ukraine make the situation increasingly grave,” he said......
Forces clash with 'reconnaissance' group from Crimea
Ukraine said its forces had clashed with a reconnaissance group that had entered its territory from the Russian-controlled Crimean peninsula, AFP reports. The National Security and Defence Council said the fighting had flared on Wednesday in the Kherson region of Ukraine just north of Crimea, and accused the Russian military of "establishing positions" nearby in the peninsula.
The claims sparked fears that Moscow could be plotting an offensive towards the Black Sea peninsula after Kiev accused Russian troops of seizing territory along Ukraine's eastern border, some 450 kilometres (280 miles away).......
Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Ukraine
The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday on the Ukraine crisis following reports that Russia had sent hundreds of troops to shore up separatists in east Ukraine. The session requested by Lithuania will be held at 4pm GMT at UN headquarters in New York, diplomats said......
just tweeted by Canada's NATO delegation; a little geography lesson for the Russian soldiers who keep getting"lost"
http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcomm...hy-lesson.html
http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcomm...hy-lesson.html
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The fact that Russia would want to set up a land bridge with Crimea was always going to be a no brainer. I see the White house are still stating he help is still concentrated on providing non lethal aid.
I don't think the land bridge is the main issue. I think Putin would have preferred this to go piece by piece, Crimea first as it has most Russian support within the populus. However, since the Eastern Ukrainians rose up too, he's supported them to avoid the long term problems from not doing so (viz. US -encouraged revolts in Iraq being abandoned). Unfortunately, they proved unable to win with minimal support, then he handed sophisticated weapons to them, but being a bunch of yahoo's they promptly shot down an airliner, and now as the level of support he's had to provide has risen to the 'bleedin' obvious' stage, he's up a gum tree. The Ukranians have steadfastly avoided giving him a legit excuse to "provide fraternal support" (i.e. invade), and the depth, cleverness and effectiveness of the economic sanctions were a surprise to him (and most of the rest of us, me included).
Stand by for plan 'B'..........
Stand by for plan 'B'..........
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Just for tactical dullards like myself.
The UKs Channel 4 news tonight seemed to think the Russian military push is down the western coastline of the Sea of Azov to take and capture wholly the Crimea. I kind of see the military logic and future political boundaries in this gambit.
1. Will the west intervene and strike?
2. Can we avoid intervention and war?
My two cents; 1.No. 2. Yes. No-one cares here (for better or worse).
Q. What's the picture stuck on the front of the turret of the tank? Christ? Also, what type of tank and why the shorter barrel?
1. Will the west intervene and strike?
2. Can we avoid intervention and war?
My two cents; 1.No. 2. Yes. No-one cares here (for better or worse).
Q. What's the picture stuck on the front of the turret of the tank? Christ? Also, what type of tank and why the shorter barrel?