Yesterday must have been a very frustrating day for the Russian military leadership --several of their newest pieces of military equipment were pin point destroyed and someone passed on the targeting info for a major DPR commander who is a pure Russian military officer in the GRU.
#Ukrainian army at #Debaltsevo captured Deputy Commander of Staff of "Donbas Republic", senior #Russian officer
http://news.liga.net/news/politics/3...evikov_smi.htm …
Seems like the Russian military is no giving up on getting some satisfaction ie a victory---another elite RF Brigade is spotted via social media inside the Ukraine---ie it seems they came but have not been pulled out according to Minsk 1 and 2 agreements.
#Recent pix: The 33rd mountain infantry brigade of the Russian Federation's armed forces is still in #Ukraine !
https://www.facebook.com/danylyuk/posts/725650777509087 …
pic.twitter.com/xBYxVOIQya
Mercenary truck carrying both the mercenary colors and the RF colors on the cab.
A militant truck in #donetsk yesterday
http://liveuamap.com/en/2014/10-octo...etsk-yesterday …
pic.twitter.com/RZ9AnaG9w6
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 10-10-2014 at 10:16 AM.
Now even NATO is sensing a big push by Russian troops and their mercenaries--probably tied to the 14 Oct RADA vote on ditching the Ukrainian non aligned status.
Conflict Reporter @Conflict_Report
#BRK @NATO Dep. Sec. Gen. A. Vershbow: "There may be a serious deterioration of the situation [in eastern #Ukraine] in the coming days." ...
The crisis in the Middle East has overshadowed, at least for now, the situation in Ukraine, There is a fragile ceasefire is in place but the violence still continues on a lower level. Could the Ukraine crisis turn into a frozen conflict?
I think that's a serious danger right now, and I think that is what Russia is trying to do in eastern Ukraine. From our perspective at NATO, and I think this goes even beyond NATO to the EU, we are all insisting that Russia live up to every aspect of the Minsk agreement and not allow it to be implemented selectively. The ceasefire was supposed to freeze the conflict in place of positions since September 19. But of course the separatists with continuous Russian military support that is flowing across the uncontrolled international border have been escalating their attacks on the Donetsk airport.
That is unacceptable. We need to see full implementation which includes Ukrainians getting the ability to control their own international border. Russia needs to make clear to the separatists that it does not support the elections that they are purporting to hold on November 9, which would have no legitimacy and are inconsistent with the Minsk protocol. It's a very fluid situation. The ceasefire is not holding in some areas and there could be a serious deterioration in the coming days.
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 10-10-2014 at 10:21 AM.
Interesting development from Putin--
1. is it a smokescreen in order to get his stock market and Rubel under control
2. is it a smokescreen because he is running out of money from oil sales
3. is it a smokescreen because he wants his French carrier
4. is it a smokescreen because actually his new UW military strategy failed because of moves by the Ukrainians to counter it militarily
OR is it exactly as this blog indicate--only temporary in order to gain time because he can move back in any time he wants to?
BUT notice not a single word was wasted on bringing out the Russian troops still inside the Ukraine.
Of course, one should never underestimate Putin's strategic thinking. May actually pullback troops (temporarily) to buy 'goodwill' & time.
No one should be getting excited or feeling optimistic about the news that Putin ordered troops home from "exercises in Rostov region."
BUT THEN is still going on--so really is it simply a smokescreen after all?
Please don't forget that Russia is still attacking Donetsk airport on a daily basis.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-1...e-not-met.html …
pic.twitter.com/PzUpF1q6x6
Sadly, barely a mention in the media that Putin is now moving Nuclear weaponry into Crimea.
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 10-12-2014 at 07:56 AM.
ss again if one judges Russian actions by their own words--Putin orders troops back to their bases but basically ignores these inside the Ukraine.
AND then yesterday Russian places roadblocks in the way of the very OSCE they pushed to monitor the "ceasefire".
Russia May Block Use of Drones To Monitor Ceasefire
17:47 (GMT)
Literally every day since the ceasefire was negotiated over one month ago it has been broken by Russian-backed separatists. The whole world is watching, and doing little to nothing, as the international airport in Donetsk, which has always been under the Ukrainian government's control, is attacked every day by Russian-backed militants. The Interpreter has documented many instances of separatist attacks killing civilians. The surrounded Ukrainian troops have desperately fired back. This week, evidence suggests that both Ukrainian and separatist rockets killed civilians in part of Donetsk.
Ukrainian President Poroshenko also warned that without a significant ramp-up of OSCE monitors, there was no way that the ceasefire could be properly monitored by the international community. According to Poroshenko, there are currently 270 OSCE monitors, only 90 of which are in eastern Ukraine, and there would have to be at least 1,500 to properly ensure all sides were complying with the ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland said that the ceasefire was being broken, and as long as that was the case the monitoring mission could not even occur, a statement that lives in the kind of diplomatic paradox which we have come to expect by watching this crisis unfold.
Germany and France have pledged to use drones to help monitor the ceasefire, but even those plans face substantial resistance from Russia. The Wall Street Journal reports:
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Friday that his government had submitted a proposal a day earlier that would allow for two drones to be in the air at all times to observe the truce between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia rebels.
But it was unclear whether the plan was viable, Mr. Steinmeier said, since both Berlin and Paris also want to send armed personnel to provide security for the teams operating the drones—a deployment that could prompt objections from Moscow and faces a possible legislative hurdle in Kiev. (More: Russian Rock Stars Run Afoul of Kremlin Over Ukraine)
“I don’t want to hide the fact that political and legal questions must still be resolved,” Mr. Steinmeier said.
This is the situation in which Ukraine has been stuck for the last month and a half. With conflicts raging in the Middle East, with ebola outbreaks in West Africa and, on occasion, elsewhere, and with American mid-term election season in full swing, the harsh reality of Ukraine is simply not catching the attention of Western people, Western media, or, as a result, Western leaders.
Appears that the Russian announcement to pull back troops to their home bases was actually a "smokescreen".
Here is the more honest reason.
Putin orders 17,600 troops "on training" in Rostov region nr Ukraine border to pullback, return to base. Why? October conscription rotation!
What is more interesting are the "contract Russian troops" since their "contracts expire mid November " and winter is coming.
There are some that are saying Putin is lulling the western media and leadership as the units are being swapped out have been scheduled for "winter training"--wonder where?
October is conscription cohort demob and replenish time. Expect 17.000 fresh troops back in Rostov for winter training
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 10-12-2014 at 11:10 AM.
For those here are SWJ that have "doubted" that Russian troops were in the Ukraine before say late July.
Brave Ukrainian detects and follows a Russian invasion army T-64 in #Luhansk city in June 14.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw5Sni6FtkY …
pic.twitter.com/m3W77jty21
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