[h=1]Ukrainian army closes in on Donetsk as rebel fighters call on Russia for help[/h] Advances by Ukrainian army lead to intense fighting as separatists renew calls for Moscow to send troops

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/03/ukraine-army-advance-donetsk-russia-rebels

 

[h=1]Ukrainian soldiers cross border into Russia[/h]
MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian border security official said more than 400 Ukrainian soldiers crossed into Russia, according to a report from the Interfax news agency. It wasn't immediately clear why the soldiers entered Russia, with both sides giving conflicting accounts.


The Russian official said the soldiers deserted the Kiev government and the Russian side opened a safe corridor, while a Ukrainian military official said the soldiers, without giving a number, were forced into Russian territory by rebel fire after running out of ammunition.


Vasily Malayev, head of the Federal Security Service's border patrol in the Rostov region, told Interfax that 438 Ukrainian soldiers had reached Russia on Monday. He said the Russian side had allowed the soldiers to safely enter the country.


Russia's Defense Ministry couldn't immediately be reached for comment.


The Ukrainian military confirmed that part of a brigade had most likely crossed into Russian territory, although it disputed Russia's version of events and wouldn't say how many soldiers went over.


A spokesman for the Ukrainian military operation in the east, Oleksiy Dmitrashkovsky, said troops from the army's 72nd brigade were penned into their position and came under a sustained barrage of fire from separatist forces. Rebel fighters used tanks, mortars, artillery and Grad missile launchers over four hours, Dmitrashkovsky said, and eventually the brigade was forced to divide up into two sections.


"One was meant to break out and join forces with a support unit. The other unit had the task of providing fire cover," Dmitrashkovsky said. "In doing that they fired their weapons until no ammunition remained, after which they abandoned their position and reached a place near a border crossing on Russian territory."


Dmitrashkovsky said it was too early to confirm how many soldiers had crossed into Russia.


"We do not have such information. The Russians are capable of claiming anything they want," he said.


Earlier Monday, Interfax reported that Russia's air force began military drills in central and western regions of the country, a move that could spark further fears that Moscow is ready to flex its military muscle in Ukraine.


The drills will start Monday and last through Friday, air force chief Igor Klimov was reported as saying, and will involve more than 100 fighter jets and helicopters.


Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have been battling the Kiev government since April, a conflict that has claimed at least 1,129 civilian casualties, according to a U.N. estimate. Ukraine and Western countries have accused Russia of providing the rebels with equipment and expertise, a claim that the Russian government has repeatedly denied.

 

[h=1]NATO says Russia could be poised to invade Ukraine[/h]
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia has amassed around 20,000 combat-ready troops on Ukraine's eastern border and could use the pretext of a humanitarian or peace-keeping mission to invade, NATO said on Wednesday.





Stating the conflict in Ukraine was fueled by Russia, NATO said in a statement that the troop build-up had further escalated "a dangerous situation".


"We're not going to guess what's on Russia's mind, but we can see what Russia is doing on the ground – and that is of great concern. Russia has amassed around 20,000 combat-ready troops on Ukraine’s eastern border," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in an emailed statement.


NATO was concerned that Moscow could use "the pretext of a humanitarian or peace-keeping mission as an excuse to send troops into Eastern Ukraine", she said.


Moscow denies Western accusations that it has armed and supported rebels who are fighting Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine. It announced new military exercises to take place all this week, involving bombers and warplanes on Monday in a show of strength near the border with Ukraine.


Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday the threat of a direct intervention by Russia's military in Ukraine has risen over the last couple of days.

View gallery



Armed pro-Russian separatists inspect wreckage near a damaged building following what locals say was …



NATO said early this year that Russia had amassed some 40,000 troops close to the Ukraine border. By June, the number had dropped to less than 1,000, but then Russia started building the force up again.


A NATO military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that early this month Russia had significantly increased the number of troops near the Russian border.

The roughly 20,000-strong troop presence included tanks, infantry, artillery, air defense systems, as well as logistics troops, special forces, and various aircraft, the officer said.


Previously, Russia has used military exercises as cover for intervention, military analysts say.


The European Union and the United States last week agreed tough new sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, marking a new phase in the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cold War.


The conflict worsened dramatically after the downing of Malaysian flight MH17 over rebel-held territory on July 17 by what Western countries say was a Russian-supplied missile.

 

[h=1]Putin Readies Retaliatory Measures Against Sanctions[/h]

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday the Kremlin is readying retaliatory measures against the Western sanctions imposed on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday.





"This must be done very carefully, to support domestic producers but not harm consumers," he was quoted as saying in Interfax, and continued:

Political tools of economic pressure are unacceptable, they contradict all norms and rules.
In that connection, the government of Russia has already proposed a series of retaliatory measures against the so-called sanctions of certain countries. I think that in current conditions, with the goal of protecting the interests of domestic producers, we could certainly think about that.
​

The European economic sanctions imposed last week forced the country to close Dobrolet, an airline that was flying into Crimea.
The U.S. has also imposed tough sanctions, including ones that target some of the country's most profitable companies, Russian officials, and individuals close to Putin himself:

• Gazprombank, Russia's third largest bank
• Vnesheconombank, bank with close ties to Putin
• Novatek, largest supplier of natural gas in Russia
• Rosneft, energy company with ties to Chevron and Exxon Mobil

President Barack Obama had said the sanctions were "significant but also targeted" to prevent "spillover effects" on U.S. businesses.
"I have repeatedly made it clear that Russia must halt the flow of weapons and fighters into Ukraine," he said last month. "We have to see concrete actions and not just words that Russia is committed to trying to end this conflict along the Russia-Ukraine border."
RELATED: U.N. Sounds Alarm As 117,000 Refugees Flee Eastern Ukraine
Obama has found support from European Union leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In a press briefing Tuesday, Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, explained that members of the American military remain in Kiev to help with the Malaysia Air Flight 17 investigation. "They will not leave Kiev," he said.

 

[h=1]Ukrainians flee besieged Donetsk as fighting closes in[/h]
Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) - The once-bustling leafy boulevards of central Donetsk are now deserted but one place where there is almost certain to be a crowd is the rebel-held city's ornate Stalin-era railway station.





As the boom of mortar fire rocks the mining hub of one million daily, ever more residents are packing up and fleeing a tightening government blockade.


"They are bombing -- that's why we are getting far away from here," said Lyubov, a grey-eyed woman with her hair in a bun, who fled her home in a nearby town.


"We left everything and ran away," she said, adding that she was headed for the government-held city of Dnipropetrovsk, some 200 kilometres (124 miles) to the west, where her son and sister are.


Nearby families huddled around piles of bags and even a canary in a cage as they waited anxiously to make their escape.


"Our house burnt down and our neighbour's too. The whole street was bombed. We are going to Moscow, to my daughter's place," said Yury, a tired-looking moustachioed man, who had arrived with family and neighbours from the town of Shakhtarsk.




- Worse every day -





Once a favoured spot for teenage lovers or family strolls, the manicured avenues in the city centre are now eerily quiet despite the baking hot summer weather.


Many shops and flats have "X"s of tape on the windows to prevent the glass from shattering in case of an explosion, and notices hang on the doors of apartment buildings with instructions on how to reach the nearest bomb shelter.


Stores, shopping malls and libraries are almost all closed and shuttered.


A rebel in a stripy army vest scarf swaggered down the deserted main boulevard, pointing his Kalashnikov from side to side.


"The situation is worse every day," said Olga, a 32-year-old travel agent, one of the few people out on the streets.


Wearing sunglasses, she said her family had fled their home near Donetsk airport to stay with friends in the centre of town after three weeks under heavy bombardment.



"I ran with the kids under a hail of bullets," she said, as she watched her two-year-old son play nearby. "It's like in a film, it's scary of course."
Her son interjected that he was afraid of the "bang-bang" of war.


Oleg was out on a bike ride with his 12-year-old son, Ivan, since his factory has closed due to a lack of deliveries.


"The situation in the city is shitty, to put it mildly," he said.


Asked if he would leave however, he shook his head. "I've lived in this city for 50 years. I have nowhere else to go."


For some people from nearby towns and villages, Donetsk was the only refuge they had.


On the outskirts of the city, more than a thousand people who had fled from the frontline towns of Shakhtarsk and Gorlivka, milled around in a concrete Soviet-era student hostel now run by rebels.


Children ran along the dark corridors playing football while women sorted donated clothes. There were almost no able-bodied men.


The men had stayed behind to look after family homes -- and to fight, said Pantelei, a 17-year-old rebel from Gorlivka assisting the refugees.


"We sign them up for the rebels, if they want," he said. "The buses are for women and children primarily."


Many women wore just cotton house coats and flip-flops. Many said they had fled straight from the vegetable patch and had no time to change clothes.


The hostel was a dubious refuge, as the rebels who ran it had a military base nearby and had put concrete blocks across the road outside, marking it as a target.


But refugees said they were glad to be living in better conditions after days of hiding from heavy bouts of fighting.


"Thank God: after my cellar, it's a penthouse," said Galina, a hospital nurse.

 

[h=1]Putin Hits Tipping Point as Ukraine Tightens Rebel Noose[/h] By Henry Meyer and Stepan Kravchenko Aug 6, 2014 8:23 AM MT 1 Comment Email Print

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• LinkedIn

Save



Photographer: Alexey Druzhinin/Ria Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin has made restoring Russia’s influence in the world the... Read More

As the military endgame in Ukraine approaches, President Vladimir Putin must decide just how far he’s prepared to go to defend the pro-Russian insurgency.
His options range from an invasion under the guise of a peacekeeping mission to abandoning the rebels in order to avoid further sanctions from the U.S. and the European Union, said politicians, advisers and analysts from Moscow to the U.S.
With Ukrainian forces closing in on the remaining separatist strongholds in the eastern part of the country, military analysts say the revolt sparked by Putin’s annexation of Crimea in March is destined to fail without a sharp increase in aid from Russia. That means Putin must now decide whether to double down and risk further international isolation, which seems likely, according to Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a sociologist studying the country’s elite at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“Putin has a very difficult choice in front of him,” Kryshtanovskaya said by phone from Moscow. “He has to protect his position in Russia. He has to show that he’s successfully pursuing his goals. He can’t afford to look like a loser in the eyes of the people.”
Putin has made restoring Russia’s influence in the world the hallmark of his presidency and his Ukrainian gambit has sent his domestic popularity to near-record levels. That has come at a cost. Companies from OAO Rosneft, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company by output, to OAO Sberbank, the largest lender in eastern Europe, have been hit with sanctions, while the $2 trillion economy is on the brink of recession. Government bonds have fallen for nine of the past 10 days, while the Micex stock index has declined 10 percent in a month.
[h=2]Urban Warfare[/h] Ukrainian forces say they’ve clawed back more than half of the area seized by the rebels since they ramped up attacks last month and intensified operations after the downing of a Malaysian passenger jet over insurgent territory. Russia has responded by amassing thousands of troops and war materiel on the frontier and shelling Ukrainian military positions from its side of the border, according to U.S. and NATO officials.
With the bulk of what Ukraine estimates to be 15,000 separatists now mainly confined to the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk, they’ll need Russian manpower, weaponry and ammunition to carry on, according to Anton Lavrov, an independent military analyst in Moscow.
“A victory for the rebels is only possible if Russia puts boots on the ground,” Lavrov said by phone.
[h=2]‘Hybrid War’[/h] Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned of just that today, saying the risk of direct intervention by Russia is growing. His foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, said yesterday that any Russian incursion would be presented as a peacekeeping operation. On the same day, Russia’s Foreign Ministry called for humanitarian assistance to avert a “catastrophe” in the mainly Russian-speaking eastern regions.
Even without sending troops, though, Russia can keep the rebellion alive for a few more few months through ammunition shipments now that the militants have moved into the cities, where it’s harder to dislodge them, according to Lavrov.
“Ukrainian troops now have to learn how to fight in urban areas and that means lots of casualties,” said Lavrov, the independent military analyst. “The cities can be taken by infantry only -- artillery and tanks are almost useless there. That’s the weak point of Ukraine’s army, it lacks a trained infantry, while the rebels have lots of experienced fighters.”
Putin has so far been able to deny controlling the separatists by pursuing a “hybrid war” that his predecessors have practiced on the fringes of the czarist and Soviet empires for hundreds of years, according to James Sherr, an associate fellow at London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs.
[h=2]‘Adventurers, Criminals’[/h] This model relies on “informal networks” of operatives and fighters and aims to “erase the frontier between civil and interstate conflict,” Sherr said in a research note. “Its constituent parts are not only serving officers of Spetsnaz units and the Federal Security Service, but retired servicemen and deserters, the private security forces of oligarchs, Cossacks, Chechen fighters, adventurers and criminals.”
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, declined to comment on Russia’s policy in Ukraine.
President Barack Obama’s administration has threatened to broaden sanctions to include the entire financial and energy industries if Putin doesn’t alter that policy and help end a war that’s killed more than 1,300 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
[h=2]‘Decisive’ Weeks[/h] “The next couple of weeks are going to be very decisive,” said Chris Weafer, a founder of Macro Advisory in Moscow. “The Kremlin may overtly increase support for the separatists, which will then bring more sanctions and have an immediate and serious impact on the economy.”
Putin said this week that Russia is preparing its own penalties to retaliate against the U.S. and the EU, without being specific. One measure being considered is curbing or outright banning flights over Siberia by European carriers bound for Asia, the Moscow-based Vedomosti newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter it didn’t identify.
“Political instruments of pressure on the economy are unacceptable, they contradict all norms and rules,” Putin said yesterday during a meeting with Alexey Gordeev, the governor of the Voronezh region near Ukraine. Any retaliation “must be done extremely carefully to support producers and avoid harming consumers.”
[h=2]Troop Buildup[/h] Including in Crimea, Russia has 45,000 soldiers, 160 tanks and as many as 1,360 armored vehicles on the border, according to Andriy Lysenko, a Ukrainian military spokesman. Russia also has 192 warplanes and 137 military helicopters, as well as artillery systems and multiple rocket launchers, Lysenko said.
Russia has supplied the rebels with battle tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, rocket-propelled grenades and hand-held air defense systems, according to IHS Jane’s. Ukraine and the U.S. say the separatists also acquired Buk air-defense systems which they used to shoot down Malaysian Air Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, killing all 298 people on board. The rebels deny downing the plane and blame the Ukrainian military.
“The rebels have a lot of weapons, but they need more because the numbers are no longer sufficient to face the Ukrainian military,” said Konrad Muzyka, a military analyst at IHS Jane’s in Gdansk, Poland.
[h=2]‘Victory’ Assured[/h] Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Geletey said more than 65 towns and villages in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have been retaken in the past month in a counteroffensive that won’t stop until the rebellion is stamped out.
“Our forces are in an offensive phase,” Geletey said. “I am sure, 100 percent, just like every person in the Ukrainian armed forces, there will be victory, and very soon.”
Still, Geletey said it won’t be easy to recapture Donetsk and Luhansk, especially when Russia is “doing everything it can to provoke us.”
About half of Luhansk’s 465,000 inhabitants have already fled, according to the city council, which said the remaining 250,000 people are unable or unwilling to leave. All told, about 3.9 million of Ukraine’s 46 million people live in areas directly affected by the fighting, including Donetsk, which had a population of 1 million before the war, according to the United Nations. Russia estimates 600,000 Ukrainians from the southeastern part of the country are now in Russia.
[h=2]Putin’s ‘Character’[/h] Putin, whose approval ratings have soared to more than 85 percent since the Crimea annexation, will face a public outcry if he doesn’t defend Donetsk and Luhansk, said Sergei Markov, a political analyst who consults the Kremlin staff. As a result, the president and his inner circle have decided to stand by the rebels regardless of the consequences, Markov said.
“Any sign of compromise or restraint on the part of Russia is pointless because they will condemn us in any case,” Markov said by phone from Moscow. “It’s clear the U.S. and the EU don’t want a peaceful solution in Ukraine and are counting on a military victory by Kiev.”
Kryshtanovskaya, the sociologist, said Putin could quietly abandon the rebels and pursue other ways of maintaining influence in Ukraine, such as by extending a cutoff of natural gas flows into the winter, but he seems “absolutely resolute” on staying the course.
“It’s in his character,” Kryshtanovskaya said. “The more pressure on him, the more confident he is that he’s doing the right thing.”

 

I doubt when Clarise posted this she envisioned it being occupied daily by an obsessed member who cuts and pastes like a man possessed, oh wait....he is. Never mind.

 

[h=1]Ukraine crisis: Army pounds rebels in Donetsk[/h]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28732180

 

[h=1]Putin tones down rhetoric on Ukraine[/h]

http://news.yahoo.com/putin-tones-down-rhetoric-ukraine-185408930.html

 

Ukraine crisis: Rebel military chief Strelkov 'quits'

The military leader of pro-Russian rebels in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Igor Girkin - known as Strelkov - has resigned.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28792966

 

[h=1]Ukraine Signs Cease-Fire With Pro-Russian Rebels[/h]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/heavy-shelling-key-ukrainian-port-mariupol-25258685

 

Now if you look at this thread you will see the so called "conservatives" had lots of attacks on President Obama being "weak" when it came to dealing with Putin/Russia. So let's see what they have to say about Trump's response.

Ukraine president calls for Nato warships in Sea of Azov
Kiev asks for western presence in sea it shares with Russia, saying Putin is blocking ports

}

*Oh yeah that's strong and tough alright. Russia is trying to invade Ukraine and Trump sends out a tweet canceling a meeting.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/29/russia-blocked-ukrainian-azov-sea-ports-minister

 

Always telling to just look back a couple pages. Especially since its the US buckling under because Trump is compromised by Putin/Russia and doesn't dare stand up to him.

 

Well, but don't you see?
The general isn't looking for a solution, or even to see can Trump do a proper job of influencing events.

The general's goal is to attack all things Trump, and in the bargain try to offend deplorables.

The only solution is for someone to give the general a hug and a cookie.

 

This is just another one of Obama's messes he left for someone else to clean up. Obama was a complete idiot and failure when it came to dealing with Russia and foreign policy in general....

 

Obama was not an idiot, nor was he a failure...

Obama did what Obama and the progressive anti-patriotic leftists wanted...Turmoil and unrest in the world, while down grading the U.S. to the Socialist/one world governing/passive/UN sole authoritarian.

 

So where is tough guy Trump's tweet on this?

Russia ‘rejects’ Trump plan to cancel Argentina meeting and will summon president to meet Putin: report

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/11/ru...ting-will-summon-president-meet-putin-report/

 

Putin will "summon" trump?
Usual bullshit.
The general should be ashamed.
He won't be, he's delusional, but any normal human being would be ashamed to post that.

 

Putin not only summons Trump to meetings they also just openly mock Trump.

Russia Doesn’t Buy Trump’s Excuse For Canceling Summit With Putin

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/russia-questions-rationale-canceled-meeting