Posted on 04/28/2014 3:22:52 PM PDT by tcrlaf
A homemade bomb has exploded in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, killing one soldier and wounding another, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said Monday.
"When on duty, in the course of daily inspection of reinforcing obstacles, two contract soldiers of the armed forces of Ukraine were injured. According to preliminary information, the cause of injury was the explosion of an unknown improvised explosive device," the statement said.
The wounded soldier, a junior sergeant, is in intensive care and military doctors have said he is expected to live, the ministry said, adding that the injured man was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Kharkiv.
Federalization supporters in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Gorlovka, Slaviansk and Kramatorsk have refused to recognize the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian government and are urging interim authorities to hold referendums similar to the one held in Crimea last month, which led to the republic's reunification with Russia.
The Greystone/XE/Blackwater guys again?
In Russia, “contract soldier” means a professional soldier who volunteers as opposed to a conscript. That may be the case here. Presumably if a Blackwater mercenary were killed, they wouldn’t be eager to publicize it.
I don't think they have the money to pay Blackwater people, who make hundreds of thousands a year. They're having problems feeding their troops, which is presumably why they were sent a few hundred thousand MRE's. If any Blackwater people are involved, it's gonna be as unpaid volunteers or near-volunteers, who could get much better-paying and less-risky gigs stateside. In roughly the same vein, a number of former US servicemen went to the former Yugoslavia to help the Croats and Bosnians after they heard about the large-scale massacres perpetrated by the Serbs.
It would be amusing if it were legal to crowdfund the hiring and equipping of foreign mercenaries to train a Ukrainian resistance if the Russians invade and occupy Ukraine. I expect huge amounts of money would be forthcoming if donating were simply a matter of clicking a Paypal link, even from people who don't hang out with Ukie emigres.
The Greystone/XE/Blackwater guys again?
Nope. Al Qaeda in Ukraine IED.
Biden just handed the Kiev coup government $50 million. Do you really think from what we've heard of this gov that they'll use it for the welfare of the people?
Nope. He was driving one of those Monsanto “English speaking” APCs, according to reports.
I’ve always wanted to ask one of our Russian friends: how come what Yanukovych did wasn’t a “coup?”
Well it seems Kiev should invest that $50 mil in IED removal equipment. The kenyan should send them a fleet of MRAPs. They’re going to need them with Al Qaeda in Ukraine on the loose bombing, kidnapping and murdering.
Just when you think Al Qaeda in Ukraine can’t get any lower they set up booby trap IEDs. Then beat with metal bars and kidnap peaceful marchers in Donetsk. Truly the scum of the earth, that rabble.
Sounds like most of it consists of sending auditors and economists:
Besides, foreign aid doesn't have the power to change the essential characteristics of foreign governments. We handed billions in aid to the Russians to help them dismantle and destroy their old nuclear stockpiles. They used it to develop new and improved nuclear weaponry to kill tens of millions of Americans. It's hard to tell how any aid to Ukraine will be used, but it's a good bet that at worst, it will end up in foreign bank accounts rather than being used to more efficiently conduct mass killings of Americans. Who knows - some of it might even be used to prevent Russia from annexing Ukraine.The US has pledged an additional $50m assistance package to help Ukraine’s beleaguered government implement economic and political reforms.
US Vice President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian leaders in Kyiv on Tuesday in a bid to show solidarity and strengthen its partnership with the country’s interim government ahead of next month’s elections. He told Ukrainian MPs that US support for Ukraine was an urgent priority.
Ukraine has already received a $1bn loan guarantee from the US, an $18bn loan from the International Monetary Fund and €11bn in aid from the European Commission.
The White House said that, in the coming weeks, public debt management and macroeconomic advisors would be deployed to Kyiv as part of the US assistance programme. There are currently banking advisors in Kyiv and the US is also to provide technical assistance in the areas of budget and tax administration.
‘As these US, IMF and European funds begin to flow, we will have technical experts from the US Treasury department on the ground to help the Ukrainian government allocate them effectively to stabilise the economy and ensure all the regions benefit.’
The US package also includes a commitment to help Ukraine tackle corruption, which the White House said was an impediment to economic growth and damaged on public trust in government.
To that effect, the US will provide advice and assistance to help modernise Ukraine’s government procurement in accordance with international standards, including the creation of a vetted anti-corruption unit.
‘Specialist teams of prosecutors and investigators will help the Ukrainian government with other forms of technical assistance to put in place the proper legal and regulatory framework to fight corruption,’ said the White House.
‘The teams will also serve as a resource to ensure follow-through and effective implementation.’
Of the $50m, $11.4m will be used help conduct the May 25 presidential elections, including efforts to educate voters and ensure transparency in the administration and oversight of the poll.
By the way, at $200K a year per person, $50m (if it were being handed out as cash, which it is not) merely pays the salaries of 250 Blackwater personnel for 1 year. They also need weaponry. 250 people aren't going to stop a Russian invasion force numbering 100,000 men. In Iraq, there were more Blackwater-type personnel than there were actual soldiers. Ukraine cannot afford 1000 Blackwater people, let alone the tens of thousands necessary to hold back the Russians.
Is Uncle Scam going to give Al Qaeda in Ukraine the same high tech anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles that they give to the Christian slaughtering Al Qaeda foreign jihadis that are attempting to overthrow Syria?
No, because that would blow the Soros/EU/sodomite cover.
I keep getting the feeling they want a war someone else will fight so they don't have to have an election.
Armchair moral equivalence from the Paultards is always the same no matter the subject. And they are too dim to notice they are spouting the same anti-american claptrap the left loves.
Why would the entry of mercenaries drag Russia in, unless Russians were looking for any excuse to annex Ukraine? It's not as if a few hundred mercenaries would pose a threat to Russia's territorial integrity.
As to Ukraine wanting other people to fight their war, that's a given for any country in the world, including the US's treaty allies, most of which are incapable of doing much more than conducting a holding action against potential adversaries. Our NATO allies have cut their budgets to the bone precisely because Uncle Sam is obligated to come to their rescue. Ukraine actually has a pretty good excuse - it's dirt poor compared to our NATO allies.
Ultimately, Putin is staging these provocations because it wants to prevent an election, which might put the lie to Putin's contention that Ukrainians would prefer to become a Russian province. A mandate for Kiev would make clear to the Russian people that they are not wanted in Ukraine. This is why Putin needs to invade before an election can be held, to sustain the illusion that Ukrainians will welcome their invaders with flowers and kisses. Of course, once Russian servicemen start coming home in body bags by the thousands, that illusion will crack. But by then, Putin will probably have moved on to his next reason for the conquest of Ukraine - to keep a world-conquering Nazi regime from springing up in dirt-poor Ukraine.
” In Iraq, there were more Blackwater-type personnel than there were actual soldiers”
source?
You keep saying that Ukraine wants a war with Russia. I don’t really see why that would be the case. Could you please explain how or why Ukraine would benefit from having Russia invade it?
Very few were “blackwater types” i.e. former spec ops types.
Most were TCN’s slinging chow, some turned wrenches.
From the source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_military_company#PMCs_in_Iraq
PMCs supplied support to U.S. military bases throughout the Persian Gulf, from operating mess halls to providing security. They supplied armed guards at a U.S. Army base in Qatar, and they used live ammunition to train soldiers at Camp Doha in Kuwait. They maintained an array of weapons systems vital to the invasion of Iraq. They also provided bodyguards for VIPs, guard installations, and escort supply convoys from Kuwait. All these resources were called upon constantly.[8]
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