Posted on 08/09/2014 1:57:15 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
The commander of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine was once fond of using social media to boast about his fighters' victories -- large or small -- over Ukraine's military forces.
But as Kyiv has moved to surround the last bastions of rebel control, Igor Girkin, known by his nom-de-guerre, Strelkov, or "Shooter," seems to have soured.
With Moscow placing as many as 20,000 Russian military personnel along the border with eastern Ukraine, but so far resisting his call for a full-scale "peacekeeping" mission, Girkin is now lashing out at his own supporters for the military losses.
In a post on Vkontakte, Russia's most popular social network, the former military reenactor, whom Kyiv accuses of working for Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), announced that Ukrainian forces had taken the strategically important town of Krasnyy Luch.
The self-proclaimed separatist republic of Donetsk is "fully surrounded" Girkin says, before tearing into a brigade of pro-Russian Cossacks.
"The Cossacks, keeping with tradition, ran," he says while facetiously congratulating them for recent defeats. "They are awaiting new great achievements. The brilliant Donetsk Cossack battle path has been marked by landmark achievements like [their] surrender of Krasnyy Lyman in one day, the surrender without a fight of Poposna, the surrender of Debaltseve, and the surrender without a fight of Fashchivka. Now Krasnyy Luch has joined the list. Hooray! We will wait for new achievements."
A map released by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council on August 9 shows the shrinking self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk now fully cut off from each other, but a Ukrainian military spokesman said he could not yet confirm that Krasnyy Luch is in Kyiv's hands.
And separatists, who have lost 75 percent of what they once occupied, appear increasingly desperate for assistance.
In a recorded video in late July, Girkin recorded an urgent call for volunteers, expressing dissapointment that so few had decided to take up arms against Kyiv.
Calls from the commander and his supporters for a Russian invasion have also taken on a tone of increasing urgency.
On the Russian side of the border, Russian military vehicles have been seen with peacekeeping logos and some suspect Moscow may send in troops under the pretense of a "humanitarian" operation to stave off a complete Ukrainian victory.
But while there is strong evidence that Moscow is already sending increasingly powerful equipment across the border, an invasion would likely lead to further sanctions from the European Union and the United States, which in July agreed to sharpen trade penalties following the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines flight that many have blamed on pro-Russian separatists.
Some separatists have expressed disappointment in the level of Russian support so far.
In a video uploaded to YouTube on July 9, an unidentified separatist supporter expresses dismay at the current situation.
"Stop placing your hope in Vladimir Putin," he says as he holds up his hands about 20 centimeters apart. "The promise was the ocean -- and this is the ocean [we got]."
From the article; “And separatists, who have lost 75 percent of what they once occupied, appear increasingly desperate for assistance.
In a recorded video in late July, Girkin recorded an urgent call for volunteers, expressing dissapointment that so few had decided to take up arms against Kyiv.”
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Well, if the separatists have lost 75% of their territory, and if indeed Donetsk and Lugansk are now cut off from each other, that could be the reason why Girkin and his pals are having trouble attracting volunteers to fight - and die - for his cause.
It’s a losing proposition - the psychology of war. Everyone wants to join up when they’re on a roll; once they start getting their keesters handed to them.....not so much.
In some way, look at ISIS in Iraq - the psychology of war is working in their favor; however, let’s say they suffer a major setback or a catastrophic defeat. Then the psychology of war changes. Suddenly, it’s not longer a matter of “God is on our side” but more a matter of “We done screwed the pooch.”
In both cases, I’m sure there will be die-hards who’ll fight to the last man and the last bullet, which they’ll presumably use on themselves, but once a side start getting it’s butt kicked, they suddenly don’t look so attractive anymore to their sympathizers.
In the case of Girkin, if he doesn’t skedaddle back to Moscow, I suspect he won’t allow himself to be taken alive.
Critical bit here is indeed public support.
If its not there they have nothing.
Doesn’t matter if Putin gets them more guns or not.
Sounds like what they most lack are recruits.
Uh-oh, our resident Putinista’s aren’t going to like this.
Looks like their darling “separatists” are falling apart - even with Russian weapons (including heavy anti aircraft batteries)crossing the border into their hands.
If this “separatist” movement were so popular with Ukrainian ethnic Russians, you’d think they’d do more. Perhaps they see plainly that this insurgency isn’t home grown at all - just a Russian intelligence/military creation to keep the Ukraine destabilized.
I wonder if our Putinista crowd is actively rooting for a Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine?
Russian leader of eastern Ukraine rebellion cedes fight to locals.
Reminds me of this guy.
With ISIS, I get the feeling they’re very much of the “do-or-die” mentality. For many of them, there’s no going back. Some of them might, to be sure, but my gut feeling is the average ISIS member would rather die than suffer the shame of defeat. They’d rather go down fighting then capitulate.
So be it.
The pro-Russian separatists can simply walk across the border to Russia and that’s that. In a way, they have a “home” they can do - a fallback position, such as it were. Like I said though, if Girkin doesn’t slink off back to Moscow in the event that the gig is up, I doubt very highly he’ll allow himself to be taken alive by Ukrainian forces.
I think that's called Ethnic cleansing. And it would be about half of Ukraine.
Ethnic cleansing is the Beneš Decrees - the forced repatriation of ethic Germans from Czechoslovakia, including the Sudetenland.
These pro-Russian separatists are Ukrainian citizens. They will have to choose their loyalties. I wouldn’t countenance anything like the Ukrainians pulling off a modern-day version of the Beneš Decrees - that really would be ethnic cleansing - but if the pro-Russian Ukrainians feel more aligned to the Kremlin than they do to Kiev, well...most likely, they’ll simply pack up and leave of their volition.
Interestingly, the Beneš Decrees are still on the books here in the Czech Republic as well as in Slovakia. I recall the EU asked both countries to remove those provision, and after getting a hearty laugh and a firm “No” in response, the EU relented and accepted both countries into the Union.
I prefer he end his days as a lamp post decoration.
‘’’about half of Ukraine’’’’
Buuuull,,,Wel how come the polls show most in the east
want to stay with UKR, before and now, One rebel
said only half the terrorists are locals.Rest from russia.
So if terrorists are 20,000 and half, 10,000 are local
out of 6 million in that part of the country, it
seems your math is as out of whack as your politics...
Are you one of the terroruss who says to Ukranians,
we are your brothers, come to us, not to the n——r,
even though he is mostly on putlers side.........
He's probably there already.
What polls. The ones the Kiev Post puts out.
The separatist voted to secede from Ukraine and Ukraine Junta is bombing them back into submission. What country bombs there own citizens.
It's all fake propaganda by Soros/neo-cons/IMF/NWO/Monsanto Nazis, RT says so !!!1111
“What country bombs there own citizens.”
Nazi russia ?
Wasnt the evil Strelkov in Dr. Zhivago
What polls
Independent poling companies run from outside UKR,
And Kyiv Post was happy to run them.
ER, will you type Kyiv instead of terroruss spelling
if putler looses........
OR IF HE LOOSES PAY DRIES UP AND YOU BE UNEMPLOYED...
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