Minsk-forbidden arms used by (pro-)#Russians in eastern #Ukraine over the last 24 hours.
1 Ukr KIA, 6 WIA.
Russian "vodka moment".........
#Basurin reported on UA attempted breakthrough near #Arkhanhelske, UA controlled 20km away fr/DNR positions
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Minsk-forbidden arms used by (pro-)#Russians in eastern #Ukraine over the last 24 hours.
1 Ukr KIA, 6 WIA.
Russian "vodka moment".........
#Basurin reported on UA attempted breakthrough near #Arkhanhelske, UA controlled 20km away fr/DNR positions
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-d...?trk=prof-post
THIS is really worth reading as the writer was a Swedish sniper who fought in the volunteer Azor BN and then setup their on basic training course for all new BN members....
How the death of a senior Lieutenant unraveled the Russian support in East Ukraine
Published on July 13, 2016
Mikael Skillt
Quote:
During 2014 while being deployed in the ATO zone with my unit I was an active user of social media trying to show the world what was happening in Ukraine, which wasn't easy with the massive Russian propaganda machine working on full power. It was during this time that I came into contact with Dima, he was an senior Lieutenant with the 76th VDV but had recently been discharged and got an contract with one of the Russian PMCs that sent him and his six man team to sector M (Area between Donetsk and Mariupol). Me and Dima used to argue all the time presenting what we considered to be the truth in all of this, we never were rude towards each other but rather had a mutual respect.
This continued all thru the operations of Marinka, Ilovaisk and some kind of an friendship grew between of us. When I was deployed at Shyrokino, Dima sent me an warning. In this private message he told me that a major attack would be launched against Shyrokino and that his group would take part in it. At the time I didn't believe him, but time would tell that his warning was real and Im not sure if it helped my group or not, but still the gesture was appreciated.
Dima and me made an agreement that if the two of us would survive the war we would meet up on neutral ground and share an ice cream, sadly only one of us would made it out alive. Dima went quite for a while and life passed on as normal for me, when I suddenly was contacted by a friend of Dima asking for a favor. The contact with Dima had been lost for a while and his family couldn't get in touch with him, so they were afraid that he was captured by the Ukrainians and asked me to find any information about this.
I was given his rank, full name, date of birth and all the other data I needed to ask my friends within the Ukrainian structures. After a week the answer came, there was no prisoner that would match Dima, and I informed his friend. One week passed and his friend contacted me again, telling me that Dima and 4 of his soldiers had been killed in an ambush just outside Zorya, the ambush was considered an accident committed by the separatist group ’Oplot’ but it happened just after Dima refused to follow orders. Apparently Dima wanted to defect to the Ukrainian side, he was tired of the war and the killings, this I didn't know of until I received the messages from his friend. Dima left a wife and two small children behind when buried in an unmarked grave north of Stila in Donbas.
I asked his friend to send my regards to Dimas wife and went on with my life until one day I get the most peculiar email, where one of the contractors for LNR contacts me and wondering why some officers from GRU wanted him to contact me. I reply that I had no idea and that I wanted no part in whatever schemes Russia was trying to play, the next email that comes from ”Ivan” explain a bit more on why he contacted me and it turns out that Dima had a lot of friends within the Russian army that didn't approve of how Russia have handled the matter. For a couple of emails we try to establish some kind of feeling for each other and then ”Ivan” starts explaining how Russia where sending equipment into Ukraine, how they set up training camps in Rostov and how Russian special forces where sent into Ukraine.
The email dating from December 2014 explaining how most of the PMC contractors had left Ukraine and behind was parts of the regular army and the volunteers from Russia, mostly being hardcore socialists, drunks or ex prisoners given a choice to fight and be free. Specialists from the Russian army where frequently sent into Eastern Ukraine to support the Russia backed separatists trying to build an army with the equipment Russia sent them thru the parts of uncontrolled border.
In order for Russia to send equipment and personel into Ukraine they used Rostov as an FOB and all personel would have to sign up there, while being in Rostov their passports and phones would be taken from them and stored in Rostov, then they would be given documents showing that they where properly enlisted in the Luhansks Peoples Republic, once their formal affairs was finished they would be sent by bus to the Ukrainian uncontrolled border and pass into occupied Ukrainian territory where they would be met by an officer from the local separatists. Ivan was assigned as an military advisor in May 2014 and got to oversee a lot of the operations planned by Russia and executed by the local separatists, one of these operations where to ship equipment from Russia into occupied Ukraine.
In the very early events, Russia didn’t supply anything, they were just sending the Cossacks to secure the elections, they were accompanied by a few volunteers, most of them carried their own (light) equipment, there was very few given to the locals
This would soon change as resistance grew and Russia understood that this would require a lot more help, massive amounts of small arms and ammunition where sent to LNR, most of it would be leftovers from the Georgian conflict. During this time the Cossacks grew in numbers and so did the volunteers, all of them were trained by Russian or by Russia appointed instructors, some of them were trained outside of Rostov in special weaponry such as tanks (T-64), GRAD or handling of manpads, while infantry training was carried out inside the territory of LNR by several nations from within the Russian federation.
Also around April 2014 there was a temporally camp on the outskirts of Rostov where local volunteers where trained in the use of special equipment like ATGMs, MANPADS, tanks and artillery. Base was moved in August to near Kvaisi, outside of Russia
When the summer came in 2014 Russia was pouring in weaponry into the Ukrainian occupied territory including so called "volunteers" from Ossetia, Chechnya, Abkhazia and Buryatia with them came equipment painted with Ukrainian markings, all not to show the heritage of the equipment. Within Russia documents would say that the equipment passing thru belonged to the small states and was given to the separatists as support against an oppressive Ukrainian government. With the fake volunteers came full units of VDV- and GRU units that would oversee and commit covert operations within Ukraine.
All major operations, like the big attack on Airport (Donetsk) where carried out by these guys and some other experienced groups under GRU command in Rostov
As well as most tanks (exception are the captured ones). Yes they were really captured, or bought from Ukraine side, it was more than you’d expect in a civil war, so there’s some truth in that, problem is, it went to the local groups
To be able to move troops and to attack fairly unnoticed by the OSCE, officers would approach the OSCE and tell them that is wasn't safe to go into that area due to fighting and while OSCE was waiting for things to slow down they would bring in full battalions to attack and then retreat leaving only local separatists in the area, all of this was possible due to the fixed schedule of the OSCE drone patrolling the borders, a schedule everyone was aware off. During the late summer Russia kept sending equipment and even decided to send very unique equipment since they noticed that the west really didn't care even tho it couldn't be any question marks regarding who that was supporting the separatists. Now T-72 and RPOs started to flow cross the Russian/Ukrainian border.
In late summer we received more advanced equipment, even some T-72, lots and lots of RPOs, which were damn effective and I think more GRADs than the whole Ukraine ever had (not really but you get me I guess)
The volunteers turned out to be a complicated group to control and several fights broke out between regular Russian army and the local warlords wanting to go on an rampage against what they saw as growing fascism in Ukraine, they where considered to be a liability for the Russians since they refused to follow orders and caused more trouble then expected, they where behind a lot of the rising criminality in the area. By december most of the local warlords within LNR was dealt with either by force or by politics, meaning that those that didn't get killed ended up moving to Donetsk Peoples Republic, where they could have a more free reign under Motorola or Givi. Maybe the most infamous group to leave LNR for DNR was the battalion under Alexandr ”Batman” Bednov, within this battalion was the only known openly neo-nazi group fighting for a ”Novorossiya”
Now the majority of the fighting force in LPR are under Russian command, there’s still smaller groups of locals, which resist but they’re the minority
In November 2014 a surge of Russian soldiers was sent into Ukraine, but their main mission wasn't to wage war but to keep the separatists under control and provide them with enough weapons and equipment for the separatists to be able to fight on without winning, this mission have led to quite a few bursts of openly hostilities between Russian armed forces and local warlords, killing at least two commanders of the ”Novorossiya” forces. But the leadership within the two ”states” are under control and they control most of their forces without any trouble.
Well I met Motorola twice, he’s a charming guy, very entertaining but he has no real military experience as a leader and his group refused all orders to stop fighting...
Continued...
LNR-leak: majority of LNR are under Russian command. Some smaller groups of locals still resist but they’re minority
LNR-leak: Russian troops could move outside scope of @OSCE, because OSCE used fixed schedules for drone patrolling.
LNR-leak: most of the equipment Russia sent to 'separatists' in Ukraine were leftovers from Georgian war.
LNR-leak: Russian army personnel had their phones + passports taken in Rostov & given documents they enlisted in LNR
Russian party started later today....
20:50 #Marinka @hyeva_maryinka [vk] No silence. Small arms, booms. No special intensity. Now ceases then resumes
19:53 #Horlivka @_Camarade_ They started to boom along the line #Zaytseve-#Mayorsk somehow early today
19:13 #Toretsk @serg4er Booms are heard fr/#Mayorsk direction, sometimes AA-gun
Today 3 more tank wagons arrived to oil depot
.@PeterPomeranzev thinks that Russia's goal to not grab more land, but to destabilize #Ukraine psychologically. http://www.theatlantic.com/internati...a-isis/422085/ …
Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins
7th troll factory attack piece on Bellingcat today, with bonus misleading image
http://manzal.livejournal.com/423094.html
THIS is really going great for the UK FP ..........
'Britain has appointed a liar as its foreign secretary' - French foreign minister Ayrault
http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUKKCN0ZU0UI …
Bodes well for their EU leaving talks......
Reference Russian trolls and their bot networks being used in the massive Russian info warfare.......
Aric Toler @AricToler
To the 13 news sites that simultaneously posted articles bashing @bellingcat:
Thanks! We can now easily find other sites from Savushkina 55
Aric Toler @AricToler
All these sites use roughly the same design code and share the same bots, admins, and so on. So now it's easy to now map out their networks.
Aric Toler @AricToler
.@LawrenceA_UK and I found a dozen or so last year, but then they changed their analytic codes. Now we can easily find newly created ones.
Aric Toler @AricToler
For example, this "news" site (#14) was used to spread the fake Azov Battalion terror threat video in January.
http://pohnews.org/17025-mozhno-li-d...llingcat#part1 …
✔ @RT_com URGENT: #Putin meets #Kerry in Kremlin, says looks forward successful talks
http://on.rt.com/7iw9
Putin & #Lavrov meet with #Kerry & Nuland in #Moscow. As Surkov is present, #Ukraine must be on the agenda as well:
Meanwhile daily terror in #Ukraine: 64 attacks by pro Russians yesterday, 152mm artillery was used e.g. on #Krasnohorivka
Tells me Kerry achieved nothing in Moscow as Russia will never implement any of the Minsk 2 security points BEFORE Ukraine caves on the political points....
On Ukraine @JohnKerry urged an acceleration of negotiations on Minsk implementation, especially security elements. http://m.state.gov/md260047.htm
What he states is exactly what the Ukrainian President and FM stated must be achieved before any elections take place in Russian occupied eastern Ukraine....
WAS this all for show?????
Russian FM is trying to workaround Kerry and isolate the US from the Normandy Four process...
MFA Russia
✔ @mfa_russia #Lavrov & Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed Minsk Package of Measures implementation 14/07 http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/...ent/id/2354172
Heavy Russian parties went on all night long and into this morning as of 0700...
Staromykhaylivka @hyeva_maryinka [vk]
23:59 loud again at the settlement
00:06 loud
00:06 oh, so loud
02:00 #Donetsk @rjpthjuljytwr [fb]
"#Marabushta at 01:55-02:00 has listened to a series of heavy rolling ones, approx fr/N-NW"
06:40 #Nyzhnya_Krynka @GirkinGirkin "since 05:30 they pound galley-west [at the range]"
06:55 #Donetsk @AkaDON12 The 4th night in a row, about 2am they pound about ~120mm 10 rounds fr/#Putilovka-#airport direciton, dunno where
Sanctions are no obstacle to trade. #Germany is supplying equipment to #Russia's defense industry.
http://intersectionproject.eu/articl...ssian-military …
Russian far right ideologue and Putin advisor.......
Dugin calls Nice a CIA plot to sow fear in the community & enhance American control over Europe.
http://katehon.com/ru/node/34805
Lately the UN cannot seem to get it right...even makes serious mistakes in Syria...
UN report finds killings on both sides in Donbas, yet misses Russian soldiers...
http://fb.me/GlD5IQiV
OSCE SMM Ukraine @OSCE_SMM
Orchestrated farce: Marshalled, encouraged & filmed by “DPR” members, people prevented monitors working in Horlivka
Largest ever frustration tweet by @OSCE on (pro-)#Russian sabotage of monitoring mission
OSCE SMM Ukraine @OSCE_SMM
OSCE Principal Dep. Chief Monitor Hug: No access for OSCE monitors = no monitoring = no verification = no trust = no disengagement! #Ukraine
OSCE SMM Ukraine @OSCE_SMM
OSCE’s Hug: Sides in e #Ukraine claim they are adhering to Minsk commitments, incl. withdrawal of all heavy weapons. This is simply not true
OSCE SMM Ukraine @OSCE_SMM
OSCE Principal Dep. Chief Monitor Hug: Many of the proscribed weapons we see are situated very close to residential areas in east #Ukraine
OSCE SMM Ukraine @OSCE_SMM
Shrapnel rips through first aid tent near Stanytsia Luhanska bridge.
OSCE SMM Ukraine @OSCE_SMM
Hug: Major rise in violence @ Stanytsia Luhanska (only crossing in Luhansk reg).This is reckless as 1000s of civilians put at risk every day
The OSCE's tweets appear to betray an increasing frustration with the "Donetsk People's Republic"
1 KIA, 4 WIA Ukrainian servicemen over past 24 hours
Ukraine #war updates: daily briefings as of July 15, 2016
highlights http://empr.media/news/conflict-zone...-july-15-2016/ …
The OSCE's tweets appear to betray an increasing frustration with the "Donetsk People's Republic"
Reference a new release of information on the shot down of MH17 by bellingcat....
Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins
New day, new troll factory article attacking me, bringing the total to 18 in the last 24 hours.Nice cover pic though
Russian S-400 "Triumph" will be sent to occupied Crimea after the test in August
http://www.interfax.ru/russia/518626
Russian parties are starting earlier than normal.....
14:09 #Avdiivka @tiamat007 After 14:00, there was some jarring launch from heavy weapon
14:15 #Donetsk #Schetinina @Dniproazotec Periodic rumbles along the line #airport-#Putilovka-#Scheglovka. No hush. Landings+rounds...