http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2014/08/ukraine-sitrep-by-gleb-bazov.html
The Shrinking Cauldron - The Surrender of the 72nd Brigade
The Southern Cauldron has entered the final stages of its existence; the agony of the units deprived of provisions has begun.
The Surrender of the 72nd Brigade
Original: Colonel Cassad LiveJournal
Translated from Russian by Gleb Bazov
Today, the remnants of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade fled into the territory of the Russian Federation. According to Russia Today:
Four hundred and thirty eight Ukrainian servicemen have requested asylum in Russia and moved into the Russian territory. According to ITAR-TASS, this was announced by the Border Guard department of the Federal Security Service ("FSB") of Russia.
Map: Operational information from the Cauldron.
No agreement with respect to the surrender of all the surrounded has been reached yet (the negotiations that were reported earlier are still ongoing). Accordingly, the Cauldron is starting to break up into parts. The 72nd Brigade for all intents and purposes has ceased to exist due to ammunition and food rations running out. They held on while they still had resources and then began to exit into the territory of the Russian Federation – at first in separate groups, followed by the surviving remnants of the once full-fledged brigade.
The hardware was all abandoned at their positions, which continue to be controlled by Junta troops that have not yet surrendered. When militiamen would drive up on tanks as close as 400 metres away from the positions of the Junta, there was no return fire – there is simply nothing to fire back with. Some of the soldiers of the 72nd Brigade had no rounds left during the surrender; others had 1-2 magazines per automatic rifle.
There is also information that among those who did not surrender there are Polish mercenaries, which essentially explains the stubbornness of the resistance (a serious international scandal is possible).
Those who remain in this part of the Cauldron were given an ultimatum to surrender and exit to Russia and not to touch the hardware. Otherwise, the Grads will start working again. Strained arguments are ongoing there now; military commanders are reasoning that the potential for resistance has been exhausted and that they must surrender so as not to kill people in vain. Pravoseki [Note: Praviy Sector militants], mercenaries and the political zealots are demanding that the resistance be continued at all cost. As a result, a complete surrender is likely impossible – the majority of the military personnel will surrender and others will be leveled [with Grad MLRS], particularly in view of the fact that they have nothing to respond with.
I expect that this group will cease to exist in the course of 2-3 days, following which the Cauldron will shrink in half, and the Militia will start dealing with the remnants of the 24th and the 79th Brigades.
Map:
Predicted Retreat Routes for the Troops Surrounded in the Southern Cauldron.
In order for you better to understand what has happened, those who surrendered were the remnants of the 72nd Brigade that were driven from Izvarino and Sverdlovsk toward the border with the Russian Federation. At the same time, the Cauldron continues to exist in the gap between Marinovka and Birukovo, where the remnants of the 79ths Separate Aeromobiles Brigade and the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, as well as the various reinforcement units and punitive formations, continue to hold defensive positions.
Overall, the Southern Cauldron now has truly entered the final stages of its existence; the agony of the units deprived of provisions has begun.
Photograph: Ukrainian Troops After Crossing into the Russian Territory.
And this note by Russia Today is specifically about those who intend to cross the Russian border in the nearest future. They simply face the same problems as the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade (“OMBR”).
One more group of Ukrainian servicemen intends to cross the border into Russia after almost 440 soldiers and officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces crossed into the territory of the adjacent country in the night of August 4th. As reported by ITAR-TASS, quoting the head of the press service of the Border Guard department of the FSB in the Rostov region, the exact number of servicemen that intend to cross into the Russian Federation is still unknown.
The Junta’s Version
A group of servicemen of the 72nd Motorized Brigade was forced to retreat into the territory of the Russian Federation because they ran out of ammo during a battle with the terrorists. This was announced to RBK-Ukraine by Alexey Dmitrashkovskiy, a representative of the press-centre of the antiterrorist operation in Donbass.
According to Dmitrashkovskiy: “Servicemen of the 72nd Brigade divided into two units. The first unit broke through the ring of terrorists, and the second unit covered these servicemen. After that, one of the units had their ammo and provisions run out. Military hardware that was on the battlefield was damaged. After that the personnel was forced to transport into the area of the border crossing checkpoint in Russia. According to latest information, the servicemen are in the territory of Russia. The number of the servicemen is being confirmed.” According to his statements, reinforcements have already arrived to assist the servicemen that covered those who were breaking through the ring of terrorists.
Earlier, the Russian Federal Security Service (“FSB”) stated that more than 400 Ukrainian soldiers have requested asylum in the Russian Federation. As it was clarified, a humanitarian corridor was opened for the Ukrainian military and they were allowed to cross into Russia.
The remnants of the 79th Aeromobile and the 24th Motorized Rifle Brigade and Battalion Shakhter continue to remain in the Southern Cauldron. Just south of this grouping is Battalion Azov.
The 72nd Brigade
Original: El Murid LiveJournal
Translated from Russian by Gleb Bazov
Negotiations with respect to the surrender of one more group of the punitive forces are ongoing. The identity of the specific unit involved has not been disclosed.
Most likely, the sonderkommando Azov and Shakhter will not be surrenedering. Other than that, the shattered units of the 3rd Spetsnaz Regiment also continue to remain near Izvarino. Accordingly, it is too early to talk about the Southern Cauldron being liquidated. According to all indication, it will likely shrink in size and the Militia will continue to blockade it. In principle, as it is, this grouping has been sitting there quietly, only occasionally shooting. When we drove from Krasnodon to Sverdlovsk, we passed through the territory formally controlled by the grouping – without any problems whatsoever.
It appears that the only benefit that can be gained from the fact of the surrender of the punitive forces is the shrinking of the frontlines and the freeing up of a relatively small part of the Militia forces. It looks like this reserve (if it is at all created) will be redeployed to Snezhnoye and Shakhtersk to reinforce the positions there.
Now, I know Berezin raises a lot of eyebrows and his statements here certainly will. I leave it to your discretion what to do with this, but sending anyways. GB
[Note by the Saker: I concur with Gleb, the Ukies have already declared THREE partial mobilizations, where does all that manpower go? The real casualty figures on the Ukrainian side must be staggering and absolutely horrible. The Saker]
-----------
Three Statements by Fyodor Berezin (Strelkov's Deputy)
Preamble: Provided for you in reverse chronological order are three recent statements by Fyodor Berezin, Igor Strelkov's Deputy, with respect to the Ukrainian army's losses at the front in Donbass. His statements will appear to many to be controversial. The writer of this note, for one, has no difficulty believing Berezin, who bases his reports on concrete information received from the battlefront.
August 3, 2014 - Video: Fyodor Berezin, DPR Deputy Minister of Defence Speaks About the Ratio of Forces at the Front
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yjx2HGdiis
Reporter: So, not too long ago, a resource called “The Free Information Zone” published an article comparing the weaponry of the Militia with that of the Ukrainian army. And so, we were hoping to have this information either confirmed or denied and, in general, to obtain some kind of commentary. According to this article, the Junta’s advantage in terms of military hardware is six hundred to five. In other words, where we have five tanks, the Ukrainian Junta has six hundred. The advantage in personnel is ten to one. In other words, the Junta has about thirty five thousand men, while we have five to seven thousand. This is according to various information. What can you say about this article by an allied resource?
Fyodor Berezin: It is elementary. It is understandable that Ukraine has hoarded a lot of tanks dating back to the days of the USSR. Right? And all of them have been concentrated here, against the Donetsk Republic. And if some Romania attacked now, it would occupy the entire Ukraine – it would be that easy. There are no tanks and no Grads left there, and probably no soldiers too. Unless they call up the disabled.
With respect to the ratio of the forces – it is obvious that a whole bunch of regions of Ukraine will exceed two regions, considering, particularly, that they are incomplete. Accordingly, there do possess superiority – it is there – but so what? In whose favour is the real ratio of losses at the front? In other words …
Reporter: Well, thirteen thousand Ukrainian died – the Junta’s soldiers – so we can see …
Fyodor Berezin: I do not know how many of them died [in total]. I know that this night and the previous night, just in the area of Shakhtersk, there is approximately a thousand dead on the Ukrainian side. That is an ocean of blood. A sea of dead Ukrainian soldiers. And they keep crawling and crawling here. And conscription centres keep recruiting them; they keep crying that they are forcibly conscripted. So what is it? They are forced to go to war to their death, and they do not resist? Do not join this army that sends you to your death!
First it is forty of them, then it is one hundred and twenty five, then one hundred, and so on – I mean just tanks, BMPs, and other armoured vehicles. Whole columns of them are destroyed; every night we destroyed several of them, and it is all left burning there. And inside them are people, all these Ukrainian guys that decided to come to fight here, to demonstrate their patriotism. They perform their so-called duty to their Ukie motherland – to Poroshenko’s fascist motherland.
Ukrainian mothers, please take your children back. Wives take back your husbands. Children take back your father, while they are still alive. Or the entire Western Ukraine soon enough will lose its gene pool. Otherwise all of them will find their death here. Despite everything, we will expel them all. If they resist too much, we will escort them further. They should leave before it’s too late and leave the hardware here, while it is still functional. Give it another few days, and it will all be destroyed.
Be it one to a hundred or one to ten, there is no difference. Understand, they burn and burn regardless.
15:29 – July 3, 2014 – Commentary from Fyodor Berezin (Strelkov’s Deputy)
And nevertheless.
Judging by the reactions to my previous posting (with respect to the enemy’s armoured vehicle losses, totaling 125 units, near Shakhtersk) nobody believes anything.
No wonder. I would not have believed it myself. Even in my books I have always tried to make losses fifty-fifty. However, today the situation is different. Here is something, just for your information.
On average – on regular days – the Kiev Junta loses between 30 and 40 armoured vehicles a day. The main area where they suffer losses is Shakhtersk and Snezhnoye. Now also added to that is Maryinka and one more direction near Donetsk.
On average, every one or two days, the Junta army sustains very serious losses. I.e. up to 100 units of military hardware and between 700 and 1000 soldiers killed. And these are not fairytales.
I do not know how much armour the Juntoids have left. Do not have time to engage in analytics. I presume, and there is information that confirms these speculations, that they are already using old tank stocks from the Warsaw Pact. We have evidence with respect to Polish hardware.
We catch mercenaries. Moreover, from very remote areas of the world. For now, not everything can be disclosed.
And, as usual, an appeal to the moms of the western regions. Take away your children from Donbass. Otherwise, every single one of them will burn in the “boxes” [Note: armoured vehicles] or next to them.
22:48 - July 29, 2014 – Briefing from Fyodor Berezin (Strelkov’s Deputy)
Yesterday [July 28, 2014], Shakhtersk witnessed the Prokhorovka of our times.
The total enemy losses of military hardware over the past day in Shakhtersk are 125 (one hundred and twenty five) vehicles, including tanks, BMPs, BTRs. Multiply this number by the size of their crews, and you get a very impressive result.
We warned them, did we not? Get the hell out of Donbass! And you did not believe us. Mothers, wives, sisters! Take your Ukie warriors back! Or you will completely lose the Ukie nation’s gene pool. Where are the Maidans protesting the mobilization? Poroshenko, my chocolate one, your own will soon tear you to pieces!
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/08/hundreds-ukraine-troops-cross-into-russia-2014841040589215.html
KIEV, August 04. /ITAR-TASS/. Andriy Parubiy, the secretary of the Ukrainian national security and defense council, allegedly submitted resignation two weeks ago, a Ukrainian online edition reported on Monday.
KIEV, August 04. /ITAR-TASS/. The Ukrainian government is preparing draft laws that will restrict entry to the country for certain officials and limit public purchases from Russia, Justice Minister Pavel Petrenko said on Monday.
“The lists will include cultural workers who supported the annexation of Crimea,” he said, adding that the decision whether the ban should apply universally or selectively would be made before Friday, August 9, when the lists are to be considered by the government.
MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2014
Ukraine SITREP by Gleb Bazov
The Shrinking Cauldron - The Surrender of the 72nd Brigade
The Southern Cauldron has entered the final stages of its existence; the agony of the units deprived of provisions has begun.
The Surrender of the 72nd Brigade
Original: Colonel Cassad LiveJournal
Translated from Russian by Gleb Bazov
Today, the remnants of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade fled into the territory of the Russian Federation. According to Russia Today:
Four hundred and thirty eight Ukrainian servicemen have requested asylum in Russia and moved into the Russian territory. According to ITAR-TASS, this was announced by the Border Guard department of the Federal Security Service ("FSB") of Russia.
Map: Operational information from the Cauldron.
No agreement with respect to the surrender of all the surrounded has been reached yet (the negotiations that were reported earlier are still ongoing). Accordingly, the Cauldron is starting to break up into parts. The 72nd Brigade for all intents and purposes has ceased to exist due to ammunition and food rations running out. They held on while they still had resources and then began to exit into the territory of the Russian Federation – at first in separate groups, followed by the surviving remnants of the once full-fledged brigade.
The hardware was all abandoned at their positions, which continue to be controlled by Junta troops that have not yet surrendered. When militiamen would drive up on tanks as close as 400 metres away from the positions of the Junta, there was no return fire – there is simply nothing to fire back with. Some of the soldiers of the 72nd Brigade had no rounds left during the surrender; others had 1-2 magazines per automatic rifle.
There is also information that among those who did not surrender there are Polish mercenaries, which essentially explains the stubbornness of the resistance (a serious international scandal is possible).
Those who remain in this part of the Cauldron were given an ultimatum to surrender and exit to Russia and not to touch the hardware. Otherwise, the Grads will start working again. Strained arguments are ongoing there now; military commanders are reasoning that the potential for resistance has been exhausted and that they must surrender so as not to kill people in vain. Pravoseki [Note: Praviy Sector militants], mercenaries and the political zealots are demanding that the resistance be continued at all cost. As a result, a complete surrender is likely impossible – the majority of the military personnel will surrender and others will be leveled [with Grad MLRS], particularly in view of the fact that they have nothing to respond with.
I expect that this group will cease to exist in the course of 2-3 days, following which the Cauldron will shrink in half, and the Militia will start dealing with the remnants of the 24th and the 79th Brigades.
Map: Predicted Retreat Routes for the Troops Surrounded in the Southern Cauldron.
In order for you better to understand what has happened, those who surrendered were the remnants of the 72nd Brigade that were driven from Izvarino and Sverdlovsk toward the border with the Russian Federation. At the same time, the Cauldron continues to exist in the gap between Marinovka and Birukovo, where the remnants of the 79ths Separate Aeromobiles Brigade and the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, as well as the various reinforcement units and punitive formations, continue to hold defensive positions.
Overall, the Southern Cauldron now has truly entered the final stages of its existence; the agony of the units deprived of provisions has begun.
Photograph: Ukrainian Troops After Crossing into the Russian Territory.
And this note by Russia Today is specifically about those who intend to cross the Russian border in the nearest future. They simply face the same problems as the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade (“OMBR”).
One more group of Ukrainian servicemen intends to cross the border into Russia after almost 440 soldiers and officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces crossed into the territory of the adjacent country in the night of August 4th. As reported by ITAR-TASS, quoting the head of the press service of the Border Guard department of the FSB in the Rostov region, the exact number of servicemen that intend to cross into the Russian Federation is still unknown.
The Junta’s Version
A group of servicemen of the 72nd Motorized Brigade was forced to retreat into the territory of the Russian Federation because they ran out of ammo during a battle with the terrorists. This was announced to RBK-Ukraine by Alexey Dmitrashkovskiy, a representative of the press-centre of the antiterrorist operation in Donbass.
According to Dmitrashkovskiy: “Servicemen of the 72nd Brigade divided into two units. The first unit broke through the ring of terrorists, and the second unit covered these servicemen. After that, one of the units had their ammo and provisions run out. Military hardware that was on the battlefield was damaged. After that the personnel was forced to transport into the area of the border crossing checkpoint in Russia. According to latest information, the servicemen are in the territory of Russia. The number of the servicemen is being confirmed.” According to his statements, reinforcements have already arrived to assist the servicemen that covered those who were breaking through the ring of terrorists.
Earlier, the Russian Federal Security Service (“FSB”) stated that more than 400 Ukrainian soldiers have requested asylum in the Russian Federation. As it was clarified, a humanitarian corridor was opened for the Ukrainian military and they were allowed to cross into Russia.
The remnants of the 79th Aeromobile and the 24th Motorized Rifle Brigade and Battalion Shakhter continue to remain in the Southern Cauldron. Just south of this grouping is Battalion Azov.
The 72nd Brigade
Original: El Murid LiveJournal
Translated from Russian by Gleb Bazov
Negotiations with respect to the surrender of one more group of the punitive forces are ongoing. The identity of the specific unit involved has not been disclosed.
Most likely, the sonderkommando Azov and Shakhter will not be surrenedering. Other than that, the shattered units of the 3rd Spetsnaz Regiment also continue to remain near Izvarino. Accordingly, it is too early to talk about the Southern Cauldron being liquidated. According to all indication, it will likely shrink in size and the Militia will continue to blockade it. In principle, as it is, this grouping has been sitting there quietly, only occasionally shooting. When we drove from Krasnodon to Sverdlovsk, we passed through the territory formally controlled by the grouping – without any problems whatsoever.
It appears that the only benefit that can be gained from the fact of the surrender of the punitive forces is the shrinking of the frontlines and the freeing up of a relatively small part of the Militia forces. It looks like this reserve (if it is at all created) will be redeployed to Snezhnoye and Shakhtersk to reinforce the positions there.
Now, I know Berezin raises a lot of eyebrows and his statements here certainly will. I leave it to your discretion what to do with this, but sending anyways. GB
[Note by the Saker: I concur with Gleb, the Ukies have already declared THREE partial mobilizations, where does all that manpower go? The real casualty figures on the Ukrainian side must be staggering and absolutely horrible. The Saker]
-----------
Three Statements by Fyodor Berezin (Strelkov's Deputy)
Preamble: Provided for you in reverse chronological order are three recent statements by Fyodor Berezin, Igor Strelkov's Deputy, with respect to the Ukrainian army's losses at the front in Donbass. His statements will appear to many to be controversial. The writer of this note, for one, has no difficulty believing Berezin, who bases his reports on concrete information received from the battlefront.
August 3, 2014 - Video: Fyodor Berezin, DPR Deputy Minister of Defence Speaks About the Ratio of Forces at the Front
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yjx2HGdiis
Reporter: So, not too long ago, a resource called “The Free Information Zone” published an article comparing the weaponry of the Militia with that of the Ukrainian army. And so, we were hoping to have this information either confirmed or denied and, in general, to obtain some kind of commentary. According to this article, the Junta’s advantage in terms of military hardware is six hundred to five. In other words, where we have five tanks, the Ukrainian Junta has six hundred. The advantage in personnel is ten to one. In other words, the Junta has about thirty five thousand men, while we have five to seven thousand. This is according to various information. What can you say about this article by an allied resource?
Fyodor Berezin: It is elementary. It is understandable that Ukraine has hoarded a lot of tanks dating back to the days of the USSR. Right? And all of them have been concentrated here, against the Donetsk Republic. And if some Romania attacked now, it would occupy the entire Ukraine – it would be that easy. There are no tanks and no Grads left there, and probably no soldiers too. Unless they call up the disabled.
With respect to the ratio of the forces – it is obvious that a whole bunch of regions of Ukraine will exceed two regions, considering, particularly, that they are incomplete. Accordingly, there do possess superiority – it is there – but so what? In whose favour is the real ratio of losses at the front? In other words …
Reporter: Well, thirteen thousand Ukrainian died – the Junta’s soldiers – so we can see …
Fyodor Berezin: I do not know how many of them died [in total]. I know that this night and the previous night, just in the area of Shakhtersk, there is approximately a thousand dead on the Ukrainian side. That is an ocean of blood. A sea of dead Ukrainian soldiers. And they keep crawling and crawling here. And conscription centres keep recruiting them; they keep crying that they are forcibly conscripted. So what is it? They are forced to go to war to their death, and they do not resist? Do not join this army that sends you to your death!
First it is forty of them, then it is one hundred and twenty five, then one hundred, and so on – I mean just tanks, BMPs, and other armoured vehicles. Whole columns of them are destroyed; every night we destroyed several of them, and it is all left burning there. And inside them are people, all these Ukrainian guys that decided to come to fight here, to demonstrate their patriotism. They perform their so-called duty to their Ukie motherland – to Poroshenko’s fascist motherland.
Ukrainian mothers, please take your children back. Wives take back your husbands. Children take back your father, while they are still alive. Or the entire Western Ukraine soon enough will lose its gene pool. Otherwise all of them will find their death here. Despite everything, we will expel them all. If they resist too much, we will escort them further. They should leave before it’s too late and leave the hardware here, while it is still functional. Give it another few days, and it will all be destroyed.
Be it one to a hundred or one to ten, there is no difference. Understand, they burn and burn regardless.
15:29 – July 3, 2014 – Commentary from Fyodor Berezin (Strelkov’s Deputy)
And nevertheless.
Judging by the reactions to my previous posting (with respect to the enemy’s armoured vehicle losses, totaling 125 units, near Shakhtersk) nobody believes anything.
No wonder. I would not have believed it myself. Even in my books I have always tried to make losses fifty-fifty. However, today the situation is different. Here is something, just for your information.
On average – on regular days – the Kiev Junta loses between 30 and 40 armoured vehicles a day. The main area where they suffer losses is Shakhtersk and Snezhnoye. Now also added to that is Maryinka and one more direction near Donetsk.
On average, every one or two days, the Junta army sustains very serious losses. I.e. up to 100 units of military hardware and between 700 and 1000 soldiers killed. And these are not fairytales.
I do not know how much armour the Juntoids have left. Do not have time to engage in analytics. I presume, and there is information that confirms these speculations, that they are already using old tank stocks from the Warsaw Pact. We have evidence with respect to Polish hardware.
We catch mercenaries. Moreover, from very remote areas of the world. For now, not everything can be disclosed.
And, as usual, an appeal to the moms of the western regions. Take away your children from Donbass. Otherwise, every single one of them will burn in the “boxes” [Note: armoured vehicles] or next to them.
22:48 - July 29, 2014 – Briefing from Fyodor Berezin (Strelkov’s Deputy)
Yesterday [July 28, 2014], Shakhtersk witnessed the Prokhorovka of our times.
The total enemy losses of military hardware over the past day in Shakhtersk are 125 (one hundred and twenty five) vehicles, including tanks, BMPs, BTRs. Multiply this number by the size of their crews, and you get a very impressive result.
We warned them, did we not? Get the hell out of Donbass! And you did not believe us. Mothers, wives, sisters! Take your Ukie warriors back! Or you will completely lose the Ukie nation’s gene pool. Where are the Maidans protesting the mobilization? Poroshenko, my chocolate one, your own will soon tear you to pieces!
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/08/hundreds-ukraine-troops-cross-into-russia-2014841040589215.html
Hundreds of Ukraine troops cross into Russia | ||
Military says soldiers forced into Russia by rebel fire, while other reports say the troops "abandoned Kiev".
Last updated: 04 Aug 2014 16:57
| ||
Each side has accused the other of cross border fire as the Ukraine conflict drags on [EPA]
| ||
| More than 400 Ukrainian soldiers have crossed the border into Russia and deserted the Kiev government, according to an Interfax news agency report quoting a border security official. Ukraine confirmed the crossing, which happened on Monday, but said the soldiers were forced into Russian territory by rebel fire.
He said the Russian side had opened a safe corridor for the soldiers into Russia. Late on Monday, Malayev said 180 of the troops had since been returned to Ukraine after consultations with Kiev while the rest were deciding what to do next. 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 would not say how many soldiers had crossed the border. 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 rocket attacks from separatist forces. Rebel fighters fired for four hours from multiple heavy weapons, including tanks, mortars, artillery and Grad missile launchers, Dmitrashkovsky said, and eventually the brigade was forced to divide up into two sections to break out. "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." Military drills 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 on Monday, Interfax reported that Russia's air force began military drills in central and western regions of the country, a move that could stir further fears that Russia is ready to flex its military muscle in Ukraine. The drills will start on Monday and last until Friday, Igor Klimov, air force chief, was reported as saying, and will involve more than 100 fighter jets and helicopters. Also on Monday, Russia accused Kiev of deploying tactical missile launchers and multiple rocket-launch systems near Donetsk. "The Ukrainian army keeps concentrating Tochka U rocket systems, as well as Smerch (Tornado) and Uragan (Hurricane multiple-launch rocket systems), near Donetsk," Russian Foreign Ministry said in a written statement. Meanwhile, Kiev's inhabitants are bracing for chilly morning showers after hot water in the city was shut off on Monday until October in a bid to save gas following Russia's decision to stop supplies. "All the thermal power plants have had their gas supply cut as of August 4," private firm Kievenergo, which is responsible for providing heating to Ukraine's capital city, said on Monday. 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 UN estimate. | ||
Source:
Agencies
http://rt.com/news/177856-missile-rocket-systems-ukraine/
Kiev deploying missile launchers, multiple rocket systems near Donetsk - Moscow
Kiev keeps deploying missile launchers, including SS-21 (Scarab) and multiple rocket systems Uragan and Smerch in Donetsk as it “wants to continue the war” in eastern Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The Ukrainian army continues deploy Tochka U [which NATO refers to as SS-21 or Scarab], Smerch [the BM-30 Tornado] and Uragan [the BM-27] missile complexes to Donetsk. How many more lives will this weapon take? However, the Kiev authorities, it seems, are no longer concerned about the lives of civilians, military and militias. Kiev wants to continue the war,”Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in its statement, which was posted on its website.
Representatives of the Donetsk self-defense forces have also said that the Ukrainian army is“trying to close in on Donetsk, aiming its strikes on Krasnogorovka and Mariynka, which remain under militia control.”
In July, Human Rights Watch accused the Ukrainian army of using Grad missiles to attack densely populated areas in Donetsk.
In its statement, issued July 25, the rights organization said that its “investigation on the ground strongly indicates that Ukrainian government forces were responsible for the attacks that occurred between July 12 and 21,” despite the fact that “Ukrainian government officials and the press service of the National Guard have denied using Grad rockets in Donetsk.”
The ministry stressed that Kiev’s “punitive operation,” which it is carrying out with “the Western regime sponsors’ incitement,” is claiming the lives of innocent civilians and leaving a “significant number of injured.”
“The humanitarian situation is deteriorating in the region,” the Foreign Ministry said. “Despite Russia successive appeals to the Ukrainian authorities and international organizations to take urgent joint action with regard to the humanitarian disaster and sufferings of the people in the southeast of the country, very little has changed there,” it added.
Kiev is also continuing its crackdown on Russian journalists who have come to the region to cover the situation in eastern Ukraine. The ministry was referred in particular to a recent case when Alina Eprimian, a producer for RT’s video agency Ruptly, was deported from the country.
“The reporter was accused of an attempt to destabilize the situation in the country while shooting [her story] at one of the protests against the mobilization [of the Ukrainian army] in Trans-Carpathia,” the ministry said in its statement.
The ministry has stressed the necessity of an “immediate” ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and the“start of negotiations to resolve vital issues of the further state structure of the country.”
The ministerial statement comes as violent clashes are continuing in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
In Ukraine, the town of Pervomaysk, one hotspot in the Lugansk Region, is running out of resources due to heavy shelling. One of the recent attacks, on August 2, left the town without gas and water supplies, and without mobile phone connections. Hospital and kindergartens buildings were also damaged.
On the same day a school in Donetsk was targeted, killing one man and one woman.
“In Donbass, an exchange of prisoners and bodies of killed took place between the militias and the Ukrainian security forces. According to militia representatives, the bodies of three out of 12 victims showed signs of torture. In addition, most of the prisoners from militia units had broken bones and all the internal organs were damaged,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Meanwhile, the number of refugees seeking asylum in Russia is growing.
According to information issued Saturday by Russian authorities, “there are 39,265 people, including 12,735 children, living in 537 temporary shelters.”
The UN has estimated that at least 100,000 people have been forcibly displaced since the conflict in Eastern Ukraine began.
The Saker.....
438 Ukrainian officers, NCOs and soliders have surrended to Russian forces
Russian news channels have just shown footage of 438 Ukrainian officers, NCOs and soldiers who have surrendered to Russian forces in the Rostov region. They had requested safe passage, which was granted to them, and they abandoned their weapons and crossed the border. They appeared exhausted and weak and they were immediately washed, given dry clothes and, when needed, provided medical treatment by the Russian military. Those who made the request (so far about 180) were then bussed back to the Ukraine while the rest have been given temporary accommodations in a tent city built by the Russian military. According to the Russian Border Guard Service, many more Ukrainian servicemen are currently negotiating their surrender in similar terms. The Russian side has already declared that every man will be given the choice to be returned to the Ukraine or remain in Russia and that nobody will be forcibly repatriated or detained.
As I have recently mentioned in a post, I strongly believe that these Ukrainians deserve to be treated with compassion and kindness as they were used as canon-fodder by the junta in Kiev. There is, of course, a sweet irony that the very same folks who recently were waving Ukie flags and promising to fight the evil Moskals are now seeking refuge with the very same Moskals, but the Russians are right not to rob it in. Let the Ukies draw their own conclusions. The Saker The Russian military is muddying the waters
First, there was the announcement that Russia’s Defense Ministry will hold drills for reservists in all of the country’s military commands in August-October. Now comes yet another announcement, this time that Russia's will be holding military exercises this week involving 100 aircraft in the west of the country near the Ukraine border. This kind of activity does not mean that Russia is saber-rattling or somehow threatening anybody, much less so getting ready for war with NATO. But, yes, Russia is definitely muddying the waters.
 Well, the preparations from some kind of military move, of course. Though I personally do not believe that Russia will move into the Donbass at this point. Also, this kind of activity could be used to increase covert aid and even covert intervention. Another option is to use this kind of "noise" to change the disposition of Russian forces. Whatever may be the case, we can be pretty sure that the Russians are trying to give the US/NATO somewhat of a headache and to make them wonder what exactly Russia is up to. The Saker |
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/743496
Ukraine's security chief submits resignation — media
August 04, 19:47 UTC+4
The secretary's press service said they had no information on his resignation
The secretary's press service said they had no information on his resignation
"Parubiy made this decision after he was proposed to announce a new stage of ceasefire in the counter-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine," ZN.UA said citing an unnamed source.
ZN.UA said that Parubiy refused to make this announcement and decided to step down.
The secretary's press service said they had no information on his resignation.
MOSCOW, August 04, 21:41 /ITAR-TASS/. The Kiev authorities are no longer concerned with the lives of civilians, Ukrainian troopers or militias, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in its statement on Monday.
"The Kiev authorities instigated by their western sponsors are carrying out a punitive operation killing and wounding civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure. A humanitarian situation in the region is getting worse,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army continues pulling the “Tochka U”, “Smerch” and Uragan missile complexes to Donetsk.
“All the aforesaid information confirms the need of an immediate ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine and talks to start urgent discussions on the country’s future state structure. Despite Russia’s consistent appeals to Ukrainian authorities and international organizations to take urgent measures in connection with the humanitarian disaster and human suffering in southeast Ukraine, very little is changing in this sphere,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
In this connection, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov wants to call global attention to the desperate situation of population in southeast Ukraine and address special messages to the leaders of several international organizations with an initiative to launch an immediate special humanitarian operation in southeast Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry gave several examples of how Ukrainian army killed civilians and violated human rights in southeast Ukraine.
“Ukrainian artillery shelled the town of Pervomaisk in the Lugansk region on August 2, destroying homes and causing casualties. The shells also damaged two substations. The city was left out of water and mobile communication. A hospital, a polyclinic and a nursery building were ruined. A gas pipeline was also damaged,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The same day, on August 2, the Ukrainian military launched mortar fire against a school in Donetsk. As a result, a man and a woman died. All windows in the building were smashed and the school was caught on fire,” the ministry went on to say.
Meanwhile, the militia fighters of the Donbas region and Ukrainian troopers have exchanged their dead and captivated fighters. The militias reported that the bodies of 3 out of 12 dead fighters had traces of torture. Most captives had their bones broken and internal organs damaged.
The Ukrainian army continues using aircraft and heavy weapons against populated localities in Donbas. A local power substation became the target of air strikes in a southern outskirt of Donetsk. Fighting was under way in Donetsk outskirts the whole night. The Ukrainian army actively used howitzers and Grad multiple rocket launchers. The Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that Ukrainian troopers had fired Grad missiles against the town of Gorlovka killing 40 civilians. That fact was confirmed by Human Rights Watch.
On August 3, a Ukrainian army mine went off near the Gukovo border post in the Rostov region where OSCE monitors were working. Luckily, no one was hurt.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Ukrainian authorities were practically sabotaging an investigation into the May 2 tragedy in Odessa.
“Those who are responsible for this tragedy have not been punished. Moreover, they feel very comfortable,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"Ukrainian law enforcers have been inactive to prevent the recent riots in Odessa where supporters of Ukraine’s European integration, fascist roughnecks from the Right Sector movement and the Svoboda party protested against a concert by a popular Ukrainian singer, Ani Lorak, who had given a concert in Crimea and had received a Russian musical award,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Ukrainian authorities continue hunting on journalists who objectively cover the events in Ukraine. On August 1, journalist Alina Emprimyan, a U.S. national who works for RT, was expelled from Ukraine for shooting a report about an anti-mobilization rally in the Trans-Carpathian region (Western Ukraine),” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“However, the Kiev authorities do not seem to be concerned with the lives of peaceful civilians, its military and militia fighters. They have introduced a new 1.5% tax on army maintenance,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.
Kiev draws up bills restricting purchases in Russia, entry to Ukraine
August 04, 18:54 UTC+4
The Ukrainian authorities are also drawing up “black lists” against Russian politicians and cultural workers who will be denied entry to Ukraine
The Ukrainian authorities are also drawing up “black lists” against Russian politicians and cultural workers who will be denied entry to Ukraine
The bills will also increase control over entities that have Russian capital, he said, adding that the European and US sanctions would be studied when drafting the bills.
The Ukrainian authorities are also drawing up “black lists” against Russian politicians and cultural workers who will be denied entry to Ukraine, the interior minister’s adviser Anton Gerashchenko told a news briefing on Monday.
Gerashchenko also said that “the Foreign Ministry is compiling a list of persons supporting the policy of the president of Russia. It will include members of the Federation Council, State Duma deputies, and members of the Russian National Security Council”.
The Ukrainian government is also considering measures against Russian banks. If it decides that any one of them supports the militias, “the National Bank of Ukraine can take all measures, including license revocation”, the adviser said.
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140804/191719809/Russia-Says-NATO-Revives-Cold-War-Rhetoric-to-Justify-Military-Spending.html
Russia Says NATO Revives 'Cold War' Rhetoric to Justify Military Spending
UN building in New York City
© AP/ Osamu Honda
22:31 04/08/2014
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MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti) — The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that NATO has revived its 'Cold War'-type propaganda against Moscow to justify the alliance’s military buildup and defense spending.
In a Sunday interview with French newspaper Midi Libre, Rasmussen said the alliance would draw up new defense plans in the face of alleged "Russia's aggression" against Ukraine, and again encouraged NATO countries to increase their defense spending.
"It's all done to justify the alleged need to 'rally its ranks' in the face of an imaginary external threat to NATO, to increase military expenditure and to boost the demand for the alliance in the 21st century," the ministry said.
Rasmussen said last month at the Atlantic Council in Washington that NATO intended to step up cooperation with its Eastern partners, including Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova. He specified the alliance was not considering expansion, but was rather continuing "to take steps within our open door policy," welcoming "European countries that fulfill the necessary criteria."
The NATO chief said the threats, the alliance was facing, made increased defense spending a necessity in order to provide significant military assistance to Ukraine, likening the collective defense budget to an insurance policy for member states.
NATO has already been placing additional forces in the Baltics after the political crisis, erupted in Ukraine and Crimea, reunited with Russia in March. The representatives of the Baltic states said they were prepared to make the necessary investment.
In early June, US President Barack Obama called on all NATO members to step up their defense spending, citing the need to protect Eastern European countries and requested the Congress to approve a $1 billion plan to boost US military presence in Eastern Europe.
On April 1, NATO ended all practical cooperation with Russia over Ukraine, only maintaining contacts at the ambassadors' level and higher.
Russian Ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko suggested that the alliance was trying to use to its maximum the crisis in Ukraine in order to prove its relevance in the current security environment."
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140804/191718439/Russia-Should-Respond-to-Sanctions-With-Full-Import-Replacement.html
Russia Should Respond to Sanctions With Full Import Replacement – Russian Official
Topic: Sanctions Against Russia
21:57 04/08/2014
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MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti) - Russia should issue a response to western sanctions – full import replacement, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday.
“Sanctions, imposed against Russia, should be met with an appropriate response. The response is very simple – we should finally emphasize the development of our own industry and implement full import substitution to become completely independent in the context of unprecedented pressure on our country,” Rogozin said at a Government Marine Board session.
According to reports earlier on Monday, the German government canceled a joint project between Russia’s Defense Ministry and Germandefense equipment manufacturer Rheinmetall on building the Mulino combat training facility in Russia’s Western Military District. The move came amid the introduction of new sanctions against Russia by Western countries.
The United States and the European Union have already imposed targeted sanctions against a number of Russian officials and companies, accusing Russia of meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs. The list of sanctions targets has been growing since Crimeareunited with Russia in March.
Moscow has stated repeatedly that imposing sanctions against Russia will have a negative effect on the economies of countries that impose them and called the language of sanctions counterproductive.
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140804/191707161/Conflict-in-Southeastern-Ukraine-Sees-Over-500-Dead-in-Donetsk.html
Conflict in Southeastern Ukraine Sees Over 500 Dead in Donetsk People's Republic
Topic: Situation in the South-East of Ukraine
Ukrainian Soldier
© REUTERS/ Maks Levin
17:34 04/08/2014
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MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti) - Since the beginning of the Kiev-led military operation, 523 people have died with more than 3,000 injured in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, the republic's Moscow representative Andrei Rodkin said on Monday.
Rodkin, in an address to the committee for public support of citizens from southeastern Ukraine, said: “523 are dead, more than 3,000 injured. Most of the deceased were civilians."
Rodkin added that on the territories, not controlled by independence supporters, the number of deceased, including secret burials, is now more than 1,500.
“We are now talking about humanitarian catastrophe in southeast Ukraine,” said the representative, noting that residential areas are the most common targets of shellings and that 60 percent of homes in Slaviansk, Kramatorsk, Horlivka and Dzerzhinsk are destroyed.
Kiev has been conducting a military operation in eastern Ukraine against those unhappy with the February overturn of the political order since April. According to data obtained by the UN and the World Health Organization, 1,129 civilians were killed and 3,442 were injured between mid-April and July 26.
Moscow sees the military operation as punitive and has called for the Ukrainian government to stop it.
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