Ukranian Crisis

[Feanor]

Update.

A video of Right Sector btln Donbass. Note their attitude towards the Ukrainian government. The unit gets money from donations, and doesn't depend on the government. No background checks, or anything else of the sort is conducted. The recruiting is done over facebook. One of them mentions that "he's already done his work in Kiev". Note some of the older looking rifles. This gives us a good look at both the pro and anti Kiev militias.

When they go into the police station note how they treat the local cops as enemies. This is different from the rebels, who in most cases have left the police alone as long as the police didn't interfere. Interestingly enough, most of their accusations towards the police are accurate.

The taking down of one flag, and replacing it with the other is sometimes the extent of "control" that either side has over a given population point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KFGgKPrWfY

Video from Donetsk. Note the rebel BTR-70, with Battalion East stenciled on it. Despite the many pretty photos of rebels in fancy gear with the digi green cammies, you can see the reality here. They're quite ragtag. Note the kneepads and forearm and elbow pads. That's anti-riot gear from the local police. And in addition to the BTR, the bus is also a rebel transport vehicle.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svsVgswTayo"]БТР, Ополчение ДÐР, пл.БакинÑких комиÑÑаров, Донецк. 20.05.2014 - YouTube[/nomedia]

An exchange of fire between a rebel 120mm mortar, and a government mortar battery. The result is damage to the government side, and a slow an ineffective counter-fire.

Ð”ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÐœÐ¾ÐºÑ€ÑƒÑˆÐ¸Ð½ - Про работу артиллерии

A statement from Strelkov says that after a night-time mortar and artillery duel, one Ukrainian SP Arty was damaged. During the day the Ukrainian troops attacked between Semenovka and Vysokoivanovka. The rebels fought off the attack damaging on BTR, that allegedly burned down later (after retreating). After dark an attack came from Semenovka, supported by BMPs. Artillery was fired into the city, with duds (non-explosive shells), and an Su-27 did some overflights.

They have reports of MLRS, and lots of troops, arriving at Karachun mountains.

u_96:

In Krasnoarmeysk the Ukrainian flag is flying again. In Artemovsk the headquarters of a military unit were shot up by unknown men.

jerry24-it.livejournal.com/102066.html

Slavyansk. The artillery piece is a museum one, the ZiS-2.

jerry24_it:

Most of the photos (except the last few) are out of Slavyansk.

tutuskania:

Rebel forces in Gorlovka.

jerry24_it:

The top two photos are rebels in Lugansk, the rest are government troops near Donetsk.

u_96:

Weapons captured by the SBU from the rebels.

u_96:

Right Sector is out for a recruiting drive.

u_96:

Ukrainian government is looking to upgrad BTR-70s and 80s.

Вооруженные Ñилы Украины получили воÑÑтановленные бронетранÑпортеры БТР-70 и БТР-80

Head of the Lugansk People's Republic has declared that he intends to sabotage Ukrainian presidential elections in his region.

Íîâîñòè NEWSru.com :: Ãëàâà "Ëóãàíñêîé íàðîäíîé ðåñïóáëèêè" ïîîáåùàë ñîðâàòü âûáîðû ïðåçèäåíòà Óêðàèíû â ðåãèîíå

Meanwhile the Donetsk People's Republic appointed a health minister without telling the man. Who then promptly refused the post upon finding out.

Íîâîñòè NEWSru.com :: ÄÍÐ ïðîäîëæàåò "òåðÿòü" ðóêîâîäèòåëåé - îò ñîòðóäíè÷åñòâà îòêàçàëñÿ ìèíèñòð çäðàâîîõðàíåíèÿ, óçíàâøèé î ñâîåì íàçíà÷åíèè èç íîâîñòåé

Russian troops move away from the Ukrainian border.

Íîâîñòè NEWSru.com :: Ïóòèí îáúÿñíèë îòâîä âîéñê îò ãðàíèöû ñ Óêðàèíîé ñîçäàíèåì "áëàãîæåëàòåëüíûõ óñëîâèé" íà âûáîðàõ ïðåçèäåíòà ðåñïóáëèêè

It looks like Crimean water-independence is only possible short term.

Íîâîñòè NEWSru.com :: Äîáû÷à ïðåñíîé âîäû èç ñêâàæèí â Êðûìó ìîæåò ïðèâåñòè ê îñîëîíåíèþ âîäíûõ ãîðèçîíòîâ

The SBU will hand over the captured RT journalist, to the British embassy.

Íîâîñòè NEWSru.com :: ÑÁÓ ïåðåäàñò âíåøòàòíîãî êîððåñïîíäåíòà Russia Today ñîòðóäíèêàì ïîñîëüñòâà Âåëèêîáðèòàíèè â Êèåâå

 

[gazzzwp]

USS Vella enters the Black Sea.

Wonder what the US are up to for a start and also can they expect further harassment from the Russian Air Force?

http://rt.com/usa/160496-vella-gulf-black-sea/

 

[Twain]

Looks like the secessionist movement is losing momentum:

''For over a month now, we, a small group of volunteers from Russia and Ukraine, responding to calls for help, came to Donbas to counter the Ukrainian army,'' he said. ''If men are not willing, we have no other option than to call up women. ''I would have expected there would have been at least 1000 men willing to risk their lives not just in their home towns but on the front lines.''
With just a week to go before a presidential election that the rebels claim will not proceed on their territory, a secessionist rally drew just a few hundred in Donetsk on Sunday.


Russians now lead secession drive in Donetsk

The elections Sunday could be bloody too:

The 38-year-old mother of two insisted on meeting in a nondescript courtyard on the outskirts of Ukraine's eastern city of Donetsk. Once there, she sat down and burst into tears.

"Please don't mention my last name," she begged. "I, my family, we have received death threats. They told us they know all our names."

The woman is not a mafia turncoat or a government whistleblower but a Ukrainian schoolteacher named Antonina. She is among thousands of teachers appointed to local election boards in Ukraine

Threats aim to derail Ukraine's presidential vote

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this whole mess is being driven by a small minority and by non ukrananians. They even "elected" a russian citizen PM of the People's Republic of Donetsk.

Here's another quote from one of the rebel militia leaders.

He further undermined claims about the strength of anti-Kiev sentiment in the east, saying: ''The [secessionist] militia is, of course, strongly sprinkled with volunteers from other regions,'' before saying as many as two-thirds of the rebel fighters were not locals.

Read more: Russians now lead secession drive in Donetsk

They do seem to be losing momentum though and it looks possible that Putin is going to leave them hanging now. I doubt the armeed rebellion will last long at all if Putin walks away now.

 

[dprijadi]

a short comment regarding the politics :

the current western mass media pointing finger to russia's fault for ukraine mess is unfair to the russians, when the western media also hide the US involvement in ukraine maidan coup and the blatant support for kiev goverment.

i personally shocked at how crude and blatant the move by US State department in their support to kiev junta , and the unfairness of western medias in reporting the problem.

when the whole western media saying the same 'putin=hitler, russia=bad' then it is time for me to seek out different news outlet to get more info..

so again i appreciate Feanor for giving ukraine news links from other non-western sources.. please keep updating the sitrep as you see fit thanks

 

[Feanor]

They do seem to be losing momentum though and it looks possible that Putin is going to leave them hanging now. I doubt the armeed rebellion will last long at all if Putin walks away now.

Not really. They've repeatedly defeated government troops, dealt them painful blows, and it looks like the Ukrainian military isn't even learning any lessons. Look at the next news post I'm about to make.

No offense Twain, but you seem to have a very black and white view of this conflict. Not only is your view a false dichotomy, it's very unhelpful if your goal is to understand. Remember, this is an internet forum. It ultimately doesn't matter whether you're on the right or wrong side here. The goal here is to learn.

Leaving aside questions of right and wrong, please try to see that this is a very multi-faceted issue. The anti-Maydan, the rebels, the euro-Maydan, the right wing extremists, and the current government in Kiev are all different forces at work. They overlap, and they frequently work together but they also work against each other in the strangest ways. I think I've written this far too many times, but I'll write it again. There are very few (practically none) actual separatists in the east. This is a label slapped on by Kiev, and taken up by the rebel leadership for self-preservation. This doesn't however mean that everyone or even the majority there are enamored with Kiev or with the euro-Maydan. The driving force behind the unrest in the east is an anti-Kiev sentiment, not a pro-independence one. And Kiev has done very little to endear itself to the people there. Quite the opposite.

The rebels do receive volunteers and weapons from Russia, though the volume is unclear. But even if that were to stop, the Ukrainian forcewielders are basically incompetent. Soldiers don't want to fight, and act as if they're not in a war zone. Their equipment is quite old, training is bad, and on top of it all they have to tread lightly, lest they give Russia an excuse for a full scale intervention. Finally the fighting is killing civilians almost daily, as well as causing destruction and property damage. The more this continues, the more grass roots support the rebels will have.

I don't think that this conflict will end simply because Russia will stop sending weapons across the border. Not to mention that are serious questions of agency. At least some of the weapons and volunteers are clearly not state-sponsored, meaning that even if Putin wanted to pull the plug it would be hard to.

 

[Feanor]

Update.

A set of attacks on Ukrainian army checkpoints and columns occurred all over Donbass. In at least two incidents, large numbers died.

Ð’ результате Ð½Ð°Ð¿Ð°Ð´ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ Ð½Ð° украинÑкий блокпоÑÑ‚ погибло 9 Ñолдат и офицеров

At Volnovakha rebels destroyed a Ukrainian army checkpoint. Helos then showed up and, from the looks of it, shot up an empty checkpoint because they had no comms. They also may have blown up a civilian van possibly used by the rebels, and wounded one friendly soldier. The government troops lost 13-15 dead, and about 30 wounded.

There is some info that the attackers were not militia, but instead were the militia of a private oligarch. However it's not clear.

Strelkov however claims that the Privat Bank car was captured by rebels in Gorlovka, was damaged, and was abandoned, before the helos showed up. So he does take credit for the attack.

Ð”ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÐœÐ¾ÐºÑ€ÑƒÑˆÐ¸Ð½ - Видео штурмовки под Волновахой
ПоÑвилиÑÑŒ первые верÑии причин ÑƒÐ½Ð¸Ñ‡Ñ‚Ð¾Ð¶ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ Ð²Ð¾ÐµÐ½Ð½Ð¾Ð¹ колоны под райцентром Волноваха Донецкой облаÑти
Ð”ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÐœÐ¾ÐºÑ€ÑƒÑˆÐ¸Ð½ - Об "атаке" вертолетов
Ð”ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÐœÐ¾ÐºÑ€ÑƒÑˆÐ¸Ð½ - КаÑательно Ñобытий под Волновахой
Ðа блокпоÑту в Донецкой облаÑти раÑÑтрелÑли более 30 украинÑких военных. Информационное агентÑтво УкраинÑкие Ðациональные ÐовоÑти (УÐÐ)
u_96:

Weapons allegedly captured from government troops.

u_96:

Photo and video of the checkpoint destroyed. I see 3-4 BMPs burned down, and at least one truck, possibly more. Also a ZU-23-2 is destroyed.

u_96:
u_96:

A video of the checkpoint near Volnovakha that was later destroyed. Note the exposed nature of the checkpoint, lack of situational awareness. Most of the soldiers are reported as being mobilized reservists.

Ð”ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÐœÐ¾ÐºÑ€ÑƒÑˆÐ¸Ð½ - ХалатноÑÑ‚ÑŒ

Government troops have decided to counter-attack after their checkpoints were hit. There are reports of significant casualties from the rebels side, due to Mi-24 airstrikes.

Ополченцы ДонбаÑÑа неÑут Ñерьезные потери
УкраинÑкие влаÑти принÑли решение о штурме позиций ополченцев поÑле атаки на блокпоÑÑ‚Ñ‹

A Ukrainian troop column was ambushed in Lugansk. It was stopped by a crowd of civilians, then shot up. One service member is dead.

Ð’ результате Ð½Ð°Ð¿Ð°Ð´ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ Ð½Ð° военную колону военноÑлужащих на Луганщине, один Ñиловик погиб

Photos of the defense of Slavyansk.

u_96:

Just for you Twain, Strelkov claims that 90% of his fighters are local volunteers. He may be lying, but you can't say that the rebels themselves don't claim to be local.

Personally I've also read accounts that state that a lot of locals are more willing to come out and fight at night, in masks, so that nobody would know who they are in case the city falls.

u_96:

Photos of Ukrainian Air Force exercises.

u_96:

Ukraine plans to return a few T-80UDs to service.

УкраинÑкие военные вернули в Ñтрой танки Т-80УД

The Ukrainian Navy will get 4 new corvettes, giving it an advantage over the Russina Black Sea Fleet.

Personal comment... do these people live in a parallel universe?

УкраинÑÐºÐ°Ñ Ð°Ñ€Ð¼Ð¸Ñ Ð¿Ð¾Ð»ÑƒÑ‡Ð¸Ñ‚ минимум 4 корвета, - Семерак - Политика - 112.ua

Right Sector registers as a political party. Officially.

Íîâîñòè NEWSru.com :: "Ïðàâûé ñåêòîð" çàÿâèë î ñâîåé ðåãèñòðàöèè íà Óêðàèíå â êà÷åñòâå ïîëèòè÷åñêîé ïàðòèè

Tsarev speaking at a political rally in Lugansk.

u_96:

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is protesting Ukraine's refusal to let OSCE observers in to see arrested journalists in Ukraine.

Íîâîñòè NEWSru.com :: ÌÈÄ ÐÔ âîçìóùåí îòêàçîì êèåâñêèõ âëàñòåé äîïóñòèòü íàáëþäàòåëåé ÎÁÑÅ ê çàõâà÷åííûì æóðíàëèñòàì

 

[dprijadi]

Feanor

Any hard confirmation on who really behind the attack of that Ukraine military check point that caused so many lives ? some of the news-sites said it is some kind of false-flag by the right sector / mercs because that ukraine unit was refusing order to attack civilians. Also that unit was reported to be in some kind of peace pact (truce?) with the nearest civilian (they dont attack them, the 'separatist' wont attack either).

at this point of time it is hard to see where things will go , especially as we get closer to the voting day.

i hope this wont escalate into a real shooting war via proxy or worse

 

[Feanor]

Feanor

Any hard confirmation on who really behind the attack of that Ukraine military check point that caused so many lives ? some of the news-sites said it is some kind of false-flag by the right sector / mercs because that ukraine unit was refusing order to attack civilians. Also that unit was reported to be in some kind of peace pact (truce?) with the nearest civilian (they dont attack them, the 'separatist' wont attack either).

at this point of time it is hard to see where things will go , especially as we get closer to the voting day.

i hope this wont escalate into a real shooting war via proxy or worse

Strelkov, the MinDef for the Donetsk Republic, and the de-facto on site commander for the defense of Slavyansk, confirmed that this was a rebel operation.

There has been an unofficial truce between certain army units, primarily air mobile units, and local rebels. However the rebels have complained that the army sets up checkpoints, doesn't fight, but then the SBU, National Guard, and Right Sector militias then use the checkpoint, and attack rebels. Strelkov also hinted that he wasn't happy with this attack but he knows who's work it is. This suggests that he may not have control over some of his own fighters.

This also suggests that the fighting will intensify.

 

[Feanor]

Update.

At Lugansk the rebels have captured 3 BMP-2s. How is unclear. Their equipment and positions, in the photos, look well prepared relatively speaking.

u_96:

Also total losses at the checkpoint are 3 BMP-2s, 1 ZiL-131, 3 UAZ vans, and 1 ZU-23-2. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Donetsk Rebel Leader "Bes", Igor' Bezler, from Gorlovka.

bmpd -

There is some evidence of this being a false flag operation, including the fact that the Ukrainian helos shot up some of their own soldiers, and that the wounded were sent to local hospitals, which would not be safe if they were attacked by rebels. There is also, apparently, a recorded conversation by the commander of the 51st Mech Brigade (this is his checkpoint) stating that it was done by mercs not rebels. If they were mercs, they may have belonged to this man: [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ihor_Kolomoyskyi"]Ihor Kolomoyskyi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

Interestingly enough there were allegedly some corpses of the attackers, that were rapidly removed from the scene by unknown Ukrainian government personnel. And some of the videos and accounts of witnesses claim that it was a false flag operation.

u_96:

And the Ukrainian government is purchasing 22 BTR-3Es. In addition to the 5 that the factory already "donated". I suspect these are surplus or partially completed vehicles intended for export.

bmpd -

 

[dprijadi]

Feanor

I too , find this latest attack a bit strange and seems outside the patterns so far exhibited by the eastern ukrainian guys.. usually they avoid hitting the ukraininan army formations and only hit the rightsector / SBU.

but it seem this is some kind of inside job, considering how the vans can get close to the formation and blast them at close range.. no way an armed group can get close to such checkpoint armed with soldiers and APCs without getting challenged at distance..

if this is really a false flag , i hope most ordinary ukrainian mlitary personell realized they have to make a choice fast, either with kiev or against kiev.. i hope they sided with the civilians

 

[BlueRose]

Feanor

I too , find this latest attack a bit strange and seems outside the patterns so far exhibited by the eastern ukrainian guys.. usually they avoid hitting the ukraininan army formations and only hit the rightsector / SBU.

but it seem this is some kind of inside job, considering how the vans can get close to the formation and blast them at close range.. no way an armed group can get close to such checkpoint armed with soldiers and APCs without getting challenged at distance..

if this is really a false flag , i hope most ordinary ukrainian mlitary personell realized they have to make a choice fast, either with kiev or against kiev.. i hope they sided with the civilians

I agree, the placement of their vehicles is odd. It's like they backed into each other out of confusion. There was a little bit to much footage just for one checkpoint attack also, like some sort of publicity stunt.

 

[BlueRose]

Well, Take a look at this video. I think it explains it all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osQmRUxhwVQ

 

[Feanor]

Update.

Another major strike by the rebels in Lugansk, a Ukrainian troop column was destroyed. No body count is available, but 2 BMP-2s, 1 BMP-1, and an Ural truck with a ZU-23-2 are destroyed. The Ural is full of metal frames for beds, so I'm assuming this was an administrative movement with no expectation of enemy contact. A couple of the turrets blew off and were thrown.

Ð”ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÐœÐ¾ÐºÑ€ÑƒÑˆÐ¸Ð½ - Бои под Рубежным

According to this source there were two columns, one of which surrendered their weapons, and was let go, the other refused. If this is true, this may be where the three BMP-2s sighted in rebel hands came from.

зри в корень - по Рубежному-Северодонецку-ЛиÑичанÑку

More photos of the weapons captured by the rebels.

Ð”ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÐœÐ¾ÐºÑ€ÑƒÑˆÐ¸Ð½ - И еще один штрих к бою под Волновахой

The area where the ambush occurred at Volnovakha is being investigated. The incident is being called a terrorist attack. Traffic is blocked. Note the photo shows the soldiers redirecting traffic, without flak or kevlar.

The list of those killed at the outpost includes the deputy commander of the 51st Mech Brigade, their head of recon, an SBU lt. colonel, a btln commander, and an arty btln head of HQ. None of them bothered to properly prepare the positions at the outpost.

Ð”ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÐœÐ¾ÐºÑ€ÑƒÑˆÐ¸Ð½ - Про грабли
Ð”ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÐœÐ¾ÐºÑ€ÑƒÑˆÐ¸Ð½ - СпиÑок потерь ВСУ под Волновахой
УкраинÑкие политики пытаютÑÑ Ð¸Ð·Ð±ÐµÐ¶Ð°Ñ‚ÑŒ ответÑтвенноÑти за гибель военных 22 маÑ

Right Sector btln Donbass was taking another police station, when it ran into rebel militia. The fighting was quite serious. Casualties are listed as either 5 dead and 7 wounded or 4 dead and 9 wounded.

Reports are that they were attacked by Donetsk btln Vostok (East).

Ð”ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÐœÐ¾ÐºÑ€ÑƒÑˆÐ¸Ð½ - Бой "ДонбаÑÑа". Реальный и виртуальный
u_96:
u_96:
u_96:

A few more photos of the Donbass btln. The photos are older.

tutuskania:

BBC Russia inside of a rebel camp.

jerry24_it:

US-Ukraine exercises, Rapid Trident, have been delayed.

СШРпеѵÑли ÑовмеÑтные военные ÑƒÑ‡ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ Ð½Ð° Украине

A Ukrainian BTR-4 has failed trials in Kazakhstan, and has been sent back to Ukraine for further work. I wonder if the plant can put out both the Ukrainian state order and an export contract for Kazakhstan. Not to mention that the quality control issues haven't been resolved.

Предназначенный Ð´Ð»Ñ ÐšÐ°Ð·Ð°Ñ…Ñтана БТР-4 отправлен на Украину на доработку

 

[Jeneral2885]

Well, Take a look at this video. I think it explains it all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osQmRUxhwVQ

It is a a good piece of information thanks read about it earlier in the news. I nevertheless would expect it to occur in any other situation as well--Syria, Libya.

Or is this a one liner as well? Is long enough?

 

[dprijadi]

It is a a good piece of information thanks read about it earlier in the news. I nevertheless would expect it to occur in any other situation as well--Syria, Libya.

Or is this a one liner as well? Is long enough?

in that video there are 3 helicopters, 2 gunship and 1 troop carrier ?

those 3 are covering each other's back and the troop carrier is the QRF if there is someone on the ground firing at the helos ?

they are flying very very low (Nap of the Earth).. , to avoid missiles ?

 

[Bonza]

It is a a good piece of information thanks read about it earlier in the news. I nevertheless would expect it to occur in any other situation as well--Syria, Libya.

Or is this a one liner as well? Is long enough?

Let me put to you this way - we encourage people to add to the discussion by making detailed posts, which frequently means more than one or two sentences. I understand there may be times where a single line post is appropriate, such as thanking a person for information, and that's fine. But predominantly we prefer posts be detailed rather than multiple single line posts.

If you want to respond to multiple posts at once, you'll notice that on the bottom right hand corner of the post you wish to respond to, there's a multi-quote option. To use this simply click on it so that it turns green instead of red. Do this for all the posts you wish to quote, then hit reply on any of them, and it will give you all the selected posts in quotes, so you can respond to them all in a single post of your own. Does that make sense?

 

[ngatimozart]

wrong post

 

[Feanor]

Update.

CAST provides a nice summary of recent events.

The events near Rubezhnoe started with an attempt by local people to disarm and stop the soldiers. They were partially successfuly, and the rebels captured lots of weapons, disarming 60 soldiers, and taking 5 BMP-2 IFV and one ZU-23-2 (one BMP-2 they later burned down after it broke down). However then the Ukrainian command stepped in and refused to let the soldiers surrender. The result was a brief but violent battle. 8 Ukrainian soldiers are dead, 18 are wounded. 2 BMP-1s and 2 BMP-2s were destroyed, along with an Ural truck and a ZU-23-2. There is also info that an Mi-24 helo was seriously damaged, but managed to reach a temporary operating base.

Another column near Rubezhnoe was ambushed killing one and wounding 3. Finally the Donbass btln was ambushed by militia btln Vostok (East), killing 5 and wounding at least 7.

This mostly corroborates other sources, though the numbers are slightly different.

bmpd -

There's an interview with a Russian volunteer fighting in Slavyansk. He mentions difficulties crossing into Ukraine, from the Russian side.

u_96:

There is a rumor from family members of soldiers of the 51st Mech Bde that parts of the unit are surrounded, comms are down, and the brigade command is gone.

u_96: 51-

Photos of foreign aid sent to the rebels. On this vKontakte site. https://vk.com/juchkovsky

http://s27.postimg.org/xzj9wm57n/m9_P6_m_I1_YAI.jpg
http://s27.postimg.org/racqgljvn/E3tqz_Gv_OI1s.jpg
http://i63.fastpic.ru/big/2014/0524/bb/1209b349667541839a7b0463b8974dbb.jpg

There have been reports of large numbers of Russian journalists denied entry to Ukraine.

Íîâîñòè NEWSru.com :: Óêðàèíñêèå ïîãðàíè÷íèêè ìîãóò íå ïðîïóñêàòü ðîññèéñêèõ æóðíàëèñòîâ èç-çà "ñõîäñòâà ñ òåððîðèñòàìè"

 

[nkvd]

The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have merged in one state.The Donetsk People’s Republic’s twitter reports that the two republics have signed their merger in one state, Novorossiya.

One report claims rebels control as much as 1/3 of the 2 regions but i personally think the rebels only control where they stand for the time being anyway

 

[BDRebel]

Awry

Personally, I see the crisis unfolding in the Ukraine very similarly to that in Syria with the single difference that the Ukrainian government didn't actually butcher any citizens like Assad did.

One thing I noticed was that the Crimean militia and rebels were almost immediately organised (uniforms, command structure, weapons, communication systems) which only raises questions regarding how long was this planned for and whether any training was given to these militant prior to the annexation. I mean comparing this to Syria, the FSA started out as a band of army defectors who merely had their rifles and small weapons whereas the Ukrainian rebels seem very well armed and also effective considering they have only a few months of military experience and no doubt some may have never actually held a gun before.

From my perspective, I predict more direct Russian interference soon enough, maybe logistically or air support to the rebels. Ukrainian government may also deploy their own citizen militias/ paramilitary to the ground to counteract guerilla warfare by the rebels and before they realise it, the situation will turn into one big mess of a civil war.