Posted on 01/22/2015 11:19:06 AM PST by tcrlaf
Fighting in eastern Ukraine is fiercer than ever in some locations, NATO's top commander in Europe said Thursday - adding that the weapons systems seen now in the region have in the past heralded a fresh incursion by Russian troops.
"Violence has intensified and changed character in Ukraine," U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove told a news conference at NATO headquarters. He said the fighting has re-escalated to levels seen before the Sept. 5 Minsk cease-fire agreement "and in some cases beyond."
Questioned by reporters, Breedlove, the alliance's chief commander in Europe, said he couldn't confirm Ukrainian authorities' statements that 9,000 Russian troops had entered the country.
"(But) what we do see is that the Russian-backed forces have renewed capability now to bring pressure on the Ukrainian forces, and have in several places moved the line of contact to the west," he added
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
All agree that there is heavy fighting from Donetsk to west of Lugansk, across most of the northern front, and that the UK front has been broken at, at least, west of Gorlivka.
Fighting is reported NE of Mariupol, as well.
Looks like Russia sent more “humanitarian” aid.
From one of the more reliable Pro-UK tweeters:
Ukrainian soldiers in Marinka received an ultimatum from Russians. Leave the town or it will be levelled to the ground.
This is west of Donetsk
From one of the more reliable Pro-UK tweeters:
Ukrainian soldiers in Marinka received an ultimatum from Russians. Leave the town or it will be levelled to the ground.
This is west of Donetsk
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Well, at least it puts the lie to the fact that the Russians are simply observing the hostilities without themselves being involved.
Or was the Russian statement simply a “humanitarian gesture”?
It’s a Ukie.
Rebels are all called either “Russians”, or “Terrorists” by them, taking Kiev’s lead.
Of course the Russians never had any intention of a cease-fire.
Everyone knows you cannot trust terrorists
and the Russian terrorists would have no pangs of conscience of destroying a whole town either
It should be noted Leonid Brezhnev, the late Soviet leader came from Dzerzhinsk.
Basically, all of this region is heavily Russian-speaking.
Russian TV Appeared To Show Russian Marines Inside A Contested Ukraine Airport
http://www.businessinsider.com/christophe-harress-russian-showed-russian-troops-inside-ukraine-2015-1
The motto on their badge:
Там, где мы, там — победа! (There, Where We Are, There is Victory!)
Notice how the French magazine murders were on 7th and Russia announced sending 120 trucks “humanitarian” convoy on 8th. I think it is possible Russia wanted to take advantage of the news being busy with the magazine shooting.
Well, the Olympics are too far in the future.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday his troops were holding the line against separatists and Russian forces after a sharp increase in attacks and the withdrawal of government defenders from Donetsk airport.
Poroshenko, who told the World Economic Forum on Wednesday that Russia had 9,000 troops inside Ukraine, met defense chiefs to work on a plan to “regroup and stop aggression”.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/22/us-ukraine-crisis-casualties-idUSKBN0KV0LL20150122
Guy is starting to sound like Baghdad Bob.
Russia. What does Russian have to do with it? LOL.
The rebels are increasingly being supplanted by Russian troops.
Russia is content to nibble up NovoRossiya through salami tactics than through outright invasion.
Its fighting a covert war.
One wonders how they afford to prosecute this was with declining oil revenues?
My goodness, “rebels”? We’re still arguing that point.
To rebel against something, requires that they were previously a part of it. From the start, Russian citizens made up, if not an outright majority than a very sizeable portion of the “rebels”. To continue calling them “rebels” especially after August, that’s just disingenuous
Are NATO troops actually fighting?
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