Posted on 04/16/2014 12:09:40 PM PDT by kronos77
(Reuters) - Separatists flew the Russian flag on armored vehicles taken from the Ukrainian army on Wednesday, humiliating a Kiev government operation to recapture eastern towns controlled by pro-Moscow partisans.
Six armored personnel carriers were driven into the rebel-held town of Slaviansk to waves and shouts of "Russia! Russia!". It was not immediately clear whether they had been captured by rebels or handed over to them by Ukrainian deserters.
Another 15 armored troop carriers full of paratroops were surrounded and halted by a pro-Russian crowd at a town near an airbase. They were allowed to retreat only after the soldiers handed the firing pins from their rifles to a rebel commander.
The military setback leaves Kiev looking weak on the eve of a peace conference on Thursday, when its foreign minister will meet his Russian, U.S. and European counterparts in Geneva.
Moscow has responded to the overthrow of its ally Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich in February by announcing its right to intervene militarily to protect Russian speakers across the former Soviet Union, a new doctrine that has overturned decades of post-Cold War diplomacy.
Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula last month, and its armed supporters have now taken control over swathes of Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland.
It has massed thousands of troops on near the Ukrainian frontier. A Reuters reporting team that visited the border area late last week and again on Wednesday said Russian military activity had increased markedly over the past few days, with more troops and vehicles on the roads.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Screams of “Putinista propaganda!!!!” in 3... 2... 1...
As we saw the crowds gathering round the Ukrainian armoured personnel carriers parked near the railway tracks in Kramatorsk we thought we might encounter a hostile crowd.
But in fact the atmosphere was peaceful. “We don’t want war” said a man called Ruslan who spoke English. “That’s why we don’t want them to come into the town.”
They were keen to show us a white Opal saloon car that had been partially crushed by an APC. As we were filming it we heard the roar of another armoured vehicle hurtling along towards us.
The people started whistling and shouting. When the vehicle stopped they linked arms to prevent it from proceeding any further.
One man said to me: “Look they’re pointing weapons at us.” But in fact the soldiers seemed more bemused than aggressive.
They clearly did not want to aggravate the people. Some people started to talk to them, asking “Why are you here? What are you doing?”
We looked over at the crushed saloon car and saw that two policeman in blue uniforms were making a routine report as if there had been a minor traffic accident. Nothing can stop bureaucracy, not even the threat of war.
Another four APCs roared up, one flying the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag. They too, were blocked by the growing crowd of people.
Some people were keen to explain to me that they were all Ukrainians, soldiers and civilians alike, they did not want to be in conflict.
Eventually the soldiers took the magazines from their weapons. Everybody cheered and clapped.
- See more at: http://blogs.channel4.com/lindsey-hilsum-on-international-affairs/bread-bullets-ukraines-locals-soldiers-war/3795#sthash.XPkPWx6L.dpuf
Russia doesn’t have to invade. Eastern Ukraine may fall into Moscow’s lap without a shot being fired.
Exit question: where the mysterious men in green we’ve been hearing so much about?
If Putin asked for Alaska back, would the taxpayers there cheer his bid?
Majority of the Ukrainians do not want to fight for junta in Kiev.
South Vietnam anybody?
I noticed your tag line. It could read: Crimea Is The Russian Jerusalem. No Russia Without Crimea.
And a lot of Serbs would no doubt agree.
Not too sure if the Serbian example is accurate, but one could claim “Sudetenland is . . . .”
Ukraine is never going to be a reliable Western asset. The country can’t or won’t defend itself, so it stands to reason why any one should die for Ukraine?
What the West doesn’t want is to get sucked into a Ukrainian Vietnam.
Alaska is one of the United States. Ukraine isn’t.
Oh, yeah. Serbian “sadness” is visible in most of the things you post.
True, but my question remains unanswered...
Ukraine isn’t part of the Russian Federation either, what’s your point?
“Exit question: where the mysterious men in green we’ve been hearing so much about?”
Though not much is clear, they appear to be pro-Russian Cossacks, some were in Crimea, too. Financial Times has done some looking in to this.
Some are undoubtedly from Russia, but officially or not is a very different question. They have unofficial militias, just like we do, especially in the South, and a lot of recent combat veterans. The borders are wide open, and ethnic Russians wanting to “help” coming in are widely reported.
If you recall, many American Citizens did exactly the same thing during the “Arab Springs”.
As far as Uniforms go, I can walk in to the Army/Navy surplus store 15 miles from me and buy the civilian versions of the latest kits brand new. (For deer hunting purposes, doncha know)
As far as AK-100’s go, no one has been able to confirm that, but given the huge Black Markets, and large criminal gangs in that area, getting ahold of more recent versions of AK’s isn’t impossible.
My impression was that the units defected from EU/NATO puppet junta. There was no discord or conflict. Also the soldiers were hungry as they hadn’t been fed for some time. Perhaps I missed something.
To everyone but a Russian, that's actually a good thing.
And they would sound like a broken record. Any time the Globalists want American rubes to expel blood and treasure for their latest plot they paint their intended target as the new Hitler. That BS doesn't work any more. Russia is not a threat to the US or Europe. The Globo-Marxists in the White House and Brussels are.
Never quite figured you out. You dislike American (and other) globalists—which is ok, but Russian globalists give you no trouble at all.
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