Ukraine accuses Russia of 'open aggression' as rebels advance

Reuters ^ | Mon Sep 1, 2014 6:11am EDT | Pavel Polityuk and Polina Devitt

[WhiskeyX]

(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia on Monday of "direct and open aggression" which he said had radically changed the battlefield balance as Kiev's forces suffer major reverses in the war with pro-Moscow separatists.

Ukraine's military said its forces had been ordered to pull back from a vital airport in the east of the country, near the city of Luhansk, where they had been battling a Russian tank battalion.

[elhombrelibre]

Well, Putin’s basically kept Ukraine from becoming a strong country. Now that the Ukrainians have had the temerity to break away from Russian hegemony, he’s going to kill a lot of them. This in the minds of his admirers proves he’s STRONG. Strength is a virtue. And so some will cheer.

[donozark]

Putin bragged to Barroso (EU) that he could be in Kiev in 2 weeks. Now that Luhansk airport has reportedly fallen he has and air base inside Ukraine to start such and op. Will he? I think that is the question....

[Chunga85]

My wife listens to the radio in the car and tells me the radio informed her that the Russians have full-scale invaded Ukraine practically every day for the past few weeks. Then she asks why can’t anybody see it since there is spy $hit all over the place.

Orlov weighs in on that...too funny!
How can you tell whether Russia has invaded Ukraine?

http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-can-you-tell-whether-russia-ha...

“Last Thursday the Ukrainian government, echoed by NATO spokesmen, declared that the the Russian military is now operating within Ukraine’s borders. Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t; what do you know? They said the same thing before, most recently on August 13, and then on August 17, each time with either no evidence or fake evidence. But let’s give them the benefit of the doubt.”

........

“You be the judge. I put together this helpful list of top ten telltale signs that will allow you to determine whether indeed Russia invaded Ukraine last Thursday, or whether Thursday’s announcement is yet another confabulation.”

.........

“1. Ukrainian artillery fell silent almost immediately. They are no longer shelling residential districts of Donetsk and Lugansk. This is because their locations had been pinpointed prior to the operation, and by Thursday afternoon they were completely wiped out using air attacks, artillery and ground-based rocket fire, as the first order of business. Local residents are overjoyed that their horrible ordeal is finally at an end.”

........

“7. The usual Ukrainian talking heads, such as president Poroshenko, PM Yatsenyuk and others, are no longer available to be interviewed by Western media. Nobody quite knows where they are. There are rumors that they have already fled the country. Crowds have stormed their abandoned residences, and were amazed to discover that they were all outfitted with solid gold toilets. Nor are the Ukrainian oligarchs anywhere to be found, except for the warlord Igor Kolomoisky, who was found in his residence, abandoned by his henchmen, dead from a heart attack. (Contributed by the Saker.)”

......

“9. There is all sorts of intense diplomatic and military activity around the world, especially in Europe and the US. Military forces are on highest alert, diplomats are jetting around and holding conferences. President Obama just held a press conference to announce that “We don’t have a strategy on Ukraine yet.” His military advisers tell him that his usual strategy of “bomb a little and see what happens” is not likely to be helpful in this instance.”

......

“Armed with this list, you too should be able to determine whether or not Russia has invaded Ukraine last Thursday.”

.....

[GeronL]

There are probably more Russian regulars than separatist fighters now.

[GeronL]

Yet another Russian Army tank battalion

[GeronL]

There is no doubt on Earth that Russia has invaded Ukraine.

[Paul R.]

The Baltics are definitely worried...

” ‘We told you so’ - Baltic jitters grow over former ruler Russia”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/01/us-ukraine-crisis-baltics-idUSKBN0GW2IT20140901

From the article: “One Lithuanian government official said they would use their talks to “kindle the fire” of his resolve to defend their region.”

Good luck, Baltics - Obama won’t even defend US borders.

I wonder if they have the nerve to tell Obama that Putin is making a fool of him (Obama)?

[goldstategop]

The Ukrainian reverses mean the future of Novorossiya is secured now that the military threat is lifted and in the long term it looks set to lead to the breakup of the country.

Ukrainian forces will probably be compelled to withdraw west of the Dnieper and will remain only in areas with strong pro-Kiev sentiment.

[WhiskeyX]

“My wife listens to the radio in the car and tells me the radio informed her that the Russians have full-scale invaded Ukraine practically every day for the past few weeks.”

The Russians, Putin and Lavrov, have been falsely denying the Russian Armed Forces invaded the Ukraine every day for weeks, so naturally your wife is going to hear the news of the Russian invasion every day for weeks. The rest of your comments are obvious nonsense. The Russian Armed Forces have been in the Ukraine since before the Russian occupation of the Crimea, before the Maidan protests, and since the independence of the Ukraine; and many of them were Russian spies serving in the Ukrainian Government under the direction of their superiors in Moscow and Moscow’s puppet, President Yanukovych. Currently, the Russian Armed Forces are engaged in a general invasion of the Ukkraine with major components of several Russian airborne brigades, motorized rifle divisions, and tank divisions as a followup to the previous Speznaz and covert mercenary military operations.

[GeronL]

#Lavrov: We discussed the initiative of our President about creating space from Lisbon to Vladivostok

Maybe Europe should be more worried!!

[GeronL]

New Ukraine recruits

[GeronL]

“If I Want, I Will Take Kyiv in Two Weeks,” Vladimir Putin Warns EU’s Barroso

[GeronL]

Lamberto Zannier of @OSCE says monitors are not allowed into rebel-controlled areas, can’t monitor #Russia presence in East #Ukraine

[WhiskeyX]

“The Ukrainian reverses mean the future of Novorossiya is secured now that the military threat is lifted and in the long term it looks set to lead to the breakup of the country.”

“Ukrainian forces will probably be compelled to withdraw west of the Dnieper and will remain only in areas with strong pro-Kiev sentiment.”

On the contrary, this is the beginning of the beginning of the end of Russia as we know it today. Putin is destined to be removed from power by an internal action of his own supporters or by the general opposition in Russia. Russia is doomed to suffer the ruin of its economy until and unless the common Russian citizens rise up in an even greater revolt than before to demand an end to the corrupt Communist and former KGB control of the Russian government and society.

[Chunga85]

“There is no doubt on Earth that Russia has invaded Ukraine.”

That’s right! Not only that, but once the international experts are finished analyzing the MH17 flight recorder data, we’ll PROVE they were responsible.

Invading a long time partner and vital interest like Ukraine was not a good move.

[Grzegorz 246]

It depends who you call regulars... It all was started by a relatively small number of Russian operatives (mainly from GRU) who were organizing and leading the whole thing, soon later at least several thousand members of paramilitary formations (Chechens, Kozaks and other crap) joined them (as volunteers but under Kremlin's orders) as real local separatists were rather few and mainly made of criminal element, more interested in looting and raping than in actual fight. When Kiev started the offensive, these clowns were clearly not able to stop it, so more and more “ex” (or “on vacations”) Russian servicemen were showing up there but still mainly as a part of “improvised” units, in recent days they started sending in across the border the whole battalions of Russian army, so members of RF’s regular army units are in minority as Kremlin still don't want to make it a full scale invasion but Russian citizens, armed, equipped and coordinated by the Russian government, are the core of “separatists” since months.

[GeronL]

The 98th parachute guys who were caught were ordered in.

Volunteers don’t come with tanks and APC’s and heavy artillery, those are not their private property

[Paul R.]

This source asserts the Russians have taken a lot of prisoners and will use them as hostages (negotiation leverage.)

http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/maydan/updateaugust30.html

However, Ukraine’s Defense Minister appears to be attempting to prepare Ukrainians for worse, as he is warning of potential casualties in this ramped-up war in the tens of thousands:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/01/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSKBN0GS10C20140901

This goes back to a point I made months ago: Ukraine can win in the end, IF they are willing to sustain high casualties, and still kill some Russian troops even as Ukraine loses more. In effect, lose battles if necessary, but win the war. Ukraine has lost millions of its people in the past, and still ended up slaves. They can lose 100 thousand now, and be free of Russia for good. (Then Ukraine may have to work on the EU, but the EU is not going to invade w/ tanks and troops.)

IMO, Kiev must take the risk that Putin will not order the execution of 1000 or more Ukrainian prisoners.

[GeronL]

Nobody believes these are volunteers acting on their own