Ukraine forces kill 5 rebels, Russia starts drill near border

Ukrainian forces killed up to five pro-Moscow rebels on Thursday as they closed in on the separatists' military stronghold in the east, and Russia launched army drills near the border in response, raising fears its troops would invade.

The Ukrainian offensive amounts to the first time Kiev's troops have used lethal force to recapture territory from the fighters, who have seized swaths of eastern Ukraine since April 6 and proclaimed an independent "People's Republic of Donetsk".Ukraine's acting president accused Moscow of supporting "terrorism at the state level" against his country for backing the rebels, whom the government blames for kidnapping and torturing a politician found dead on Saturday."The window to change course is closing," United States Secretary of State John Kerry warned in a hastily arranged appearance in the State Department, where he cited President Barack Obama's comments earlier on Thursday that Washington was ready to impose new sanctions if Moscow did not alter its policy.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said its forces backed by the army had removed three checkpoints manned by armed groups in the separatist-controlled city of Slaviansk. "During the armed clash, up to five terrorists were eliminated," it said in a statement, adding one person had been wounded on the side of the government forces.

A rebel spokeswoman in Slaviansk said two fighters had died in a clash in the same area, northeast of the city centre. Slaviansk's separatist self-proclaimed mayor, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, quoted on a local news site, said one man was shot dead and another badly wounded on the northeastern outskirts of the city. He said the dead had been unarmed.
The Kremlin, which says it has the right to invade its neighbour to protect Russian speakers, has built up forces on Ukraine's border – estimated by NATO at up to 40,000 troops.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced Moscow had launched military drills near the border in response to "Ukraine's military machine" and NATO exercises in Eastern Europe. Kiev demanded an explanation within 48 hours of action on the border.

Ukraine Army moves to retake Sloviansk

Commandos have moved on the separatist stronghold of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine days after a new "anti-terrorist" operation was announced.A number of casualties were reported among the separatists as the commandos, backed by armour, cleared barricades near the town.

Separatists are occupying key buildings in at least a dozen eastern towns.Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of "consequences" if Kiev used the army against its own people.

Speaking on Russian TV as news of the Sloviansk operation was coming in, Mr Putin said: "If the regime in Kiev has begun using the army against the population inside the country, then this is undoubtedly a very serious crime."It appears that pro-government forces have regained control of the city hall in another eastern town, Mariupol.
In another development, the funeral is taking place of a pro-Ukrainian politician, Volodymyr Rybak, who was abducted and killed in Donetsk region.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has accused Russia of flouting a deal on Ukraine reached in Geneva last week, under which illegal armed groups, including those who have seized public buildings, would return home.Mr Obama told a news conference in Japan that Moscow had failed to halt actions by militants in the region and warned that the US had further sanctions against Russia "teed up".

A contingent of US troops has begun landing in Poland for military exercises amid concerns among Nato's eastern members about Russian intentions.Moscow has said it will respond to any attack on its interests in Ukraine.Unrest began in Ukraine last November over whether the country should look towards Moscow or the West.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27138300

Ukraine submits proof of Russian covert action

The Mission of Ukraine to the EU made available today (16 April) information supporting what appears to be obvious: that Russian special forces are behind the actions of the paramilitary taking control of several cities in eastern Ukraine, whose uniforms have no national insignia. EurActiv publishes the information obtained, without edits.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has valid proof of Russian special-ops troops being deployed on Ukrainian territory. Officers of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU), currently based in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, directly coordinating insurgents, providing them with financial, material and technical support. Militants are also being coordinated via special communications equipment from the the Russian Federation. For example:

• Mr. Igor Strelkov a.k.a “Strelok”, identified as GRU staff, directly supervised the militant group on Ukrainian-Russian border on 12-13 April. On 11 April, in vicinity of Slovyansk this group conducted a ferocious and unprovoked attack on two vehicles with civilian license plates, killing one SBU officer and wounding three. During the Crimea crisis Mr. Strelkov worked as assistant on security issues to Sergey Aksionov, the puppet prime-minister of Crimea. In early April, he was relocated for further special operations to continental Ukraine. On multiple occasions he visited Russia’s Rostov-na-Donu and Moscow for instructions.

• On 11 April, Ukrainian citizen Gontaryov, a leading pro-Russian separatist who participated, among other things in occupation of Donetsk Regional State Administration, dispatched an agent to Russia’s Consul-General. Point of discussion: support of Donetsk and Luhansk separatists.
• On 13 April, a Russian citizen supervised training and redisposition of armed group of 30 militants from Luhansk to Donetsk region, who were instructed to provide armed resistance to Ukrainian law enforcement.
• On 13 April, a Russian citizen instructed separatists via phone to deploy defectors among local Ukrainian police to control administrative buildings in Luhansk, to set up checkpoints within city line, to prepare for proclaiming a “Luhansk Republic” and forming a local parliament. Another Russian citizen instructed one of the separatist leaders who occupied the Regional Security Service in Luhansk to prepare for an emergency session of Luhansk Regional and City Councils.
• Separatists held phone talks with Russian citizens regarding “a person who returned from Moscow headquarters”, “official” and “full Moscow support”, as well as plans of so-called “little green men” to appear in the respective regions on 13 April.
• On 12 April, a phone conversation was intercepted regarding “a comrade from the Russian general who is here and will be here till the end, and he claims that in case of a shooting, Russian armed forces would enter Luhansk in 40 minutes or 1.5 hours”.
• In Slovyansk, a professional GRU mercenary was identified who had earlier participated in Georgian events in 2008.
• Two intelligence and raiding groups of GRU, currently based in Sevastopol, plan to move shortly to Odessa to coordinate the occupation of local administrative buildings.
• Separatists who occupied administrative buildings in Donetsk region were armed with АК-100 rifles – a model used exclusively by Russian army and special-ops; their ammunition, combat training and tactics are also typical for Russian army and special-ops.
• As an example, the model of shoes worn by armed insurgents is one manufactured by Butex, Russian enterprise that supplied Russian security agencies and stopped production about 6 months ago.
• During the last month, 10 Russian spies and raiders who operated in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Odesa and Chernihiv regions were detained.

http://www.euractiv.com/sections/global-europe/ukraine-submits-proof-russian-covert-action-301601

China's military cooperation with Ukraine in jeopardy

The escalation of civil unrest in Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk and other parts of southeastern Ukraine may spell trouble for China's arms procurement because the region is where Ukraine designs and produces advanced weapons for both domestic and overseas markets, reports the Global Times, a tabloid under the auspices of the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily.

According to state-owned conglomerate Ukroboronprom — also known as the Ukrainian Defense Industry — the country's intercontinental ballistic missiles, tactical ballistic missiles, and radar and avionic systems are mostly designed in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk, while the cities of Kharkiv and Luhansk are production hubs for main battle tanks such as the T-34, T-64, T-80UD, and other types of armored vehicles. In addition, military aircraft engines are mostly designed and produced in the southeastern city of Zaporizhia.

The current pro-Russian civil unrest in Ukraine will likely slow down the development of Chinese helicopters, trainers, radars and tanks, according to the Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review operated by military analyst Andrei Chang or Pinkov. The report said that China is reliant on AI-222 engines produced by the Zaporizhia-based Motor Sich Public Joint Stock Company to complete the development of its L-15 trainer.

The 6TD-2 diesel engine produced by Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau in Kharkiv is also crucial for China to develop the MBT-2000 main battle tank of the People's Liberation Army, Kanwa said.

Despite the ongoing crisis, a Chinese military expert told the Global Times on Apr. 14 that the civil unrest in Ukraine will not bring major changes to the military exchanges between the two nations in the short term. He added however that some uncertainties may arise in the long term.


http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140417000136&cid=1101&MainCatID=0

Ukraine army's humiliations pile up as eastern push fizzles

Watch the word being used  pro-Russian rebels,  but we can see here are civilians.

NATO cannot and will not provide 'security'.






The humiliation on Wednesday of the Ukrainian army in its much-vaunted "anti-terrorist" push into separatist eastern territory makes an embarrassing string of failures even worse. Allowing pro-Russian rebels to seize six of its armoured personnel carriers and disarm its servicemen was evidence of a poorly planned and executed operation, analysts said.

They pointed out that the region, the Donbass, is hostile to Kiev's new, pro-EU leaders, and home to magnates and police reluctant to face down the separatists. "It was a mistake to launch an 'anti-terrorist operation' in the Donbass where the overwhelming majority is against the government. Targeted operations against armed groups is one thing, but when there are tanks in the street, people block them," said a Ukrainian political analyst, Volodymyr Fesenko. A military expert at the Razumkov think-tank in Kiev, Oleksiy Melnik, criticised the government for hesitating to use force and in the end sending in a smaller force than the one implied when it announced its "major operation" on Sunday.

"The arguments that 'We mustn't provoke Russia' are absurd in the current situation, because Russia needs no pretext to carry out its plan. The reason behind what happened is government inaction," he said. "The armoured vehicles were stopped by unarmed civilians, who they cannot shoot. That showed how badly thought-through the operation was, Melnik said. "These sorts of defeats are demoralising the army, whose fighting spirit has already been undermined by the events in Crimea," where Ukrainian soldiers ended up abandoning their units without offering any resistance to the Russian forces, he said.

Under-funded and possessing outdated weapons, the 130,000-strong Ukrainian army is easily overshadowed by the Russian one, which is six times bigger — and which currently has 40,000 men massed on Ukraine's eastern border, according to NATO.

Kiev asserts that the armed, pro-Russian rebels are being managed by Russian military intelligence officers on the ground. Several hundred trained military personnel carrying the sort of weapons used by Russia's elite forces and wearing uniforms stripped of any insignia can be seen in the region, but Moscow denies they are its soldiers.

Another military expert, Mykola Sungurovsky, said Ukraine has sent its best men and equipment to the border to protect it.

"But they are only capable of rebuffing a first assault. After that, they would need to turn to guerrilla actions because the balance of forces is not in our favour."

Several analysts observed that Ukraine's military is the main force loyal to Kiev's government in the east; the police, they said, did nothing to stop the pro-Russian assaults on public buildings and police stations in several towns in the region.

In Donetsk, the main city in the east, "the situation is very complicated," the interim first deputy prime minister Vitaliy Yarema acknowledged on Wednesday. "Some police officers are at the command of the separatists."

But Mykhaylo Kornyenko, a former deputy interior minister, said the police should not be blamed.
"Police stations were attacked by men with combat experience whereas they lack such experience. If they had used their weapons, the consequences could have been catastrophic." Olexandra Rudneva, an analyst at the Strategic Studies Institute, said, however, that many police are also bitter towards the new authorities for not punishing those responsible for the deaths of more than 100 people during the mass protests in Kiev early this year, and for being used as scapegoats for that bloodshed.

"In this situation, whoever is in power in Kiev would have a tough time exerting influence over the police, especially in Donetsk," she said.


Those "Russian Rebels" seem to be very friendly with locals. Russia has already won.

Ukraine: Defending the Homeland

Ukrainian Parliament Relieves Head of Defense Ministry on Second Vote

Ihor Tenyukh

The Ukrainian parliament relieved acting Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukha from duty following a second vote on Tuesday.Earlier in the day Tenyukha expressed his desire to be relieved of duty; however, the minimum required number of 226 votes was not met.In a second parliamentary vote later in the day, 228 deputies voted in favor of his dismissal.

All Ukrainian military units stationed in Crimea are now under the control of the Russian army.

All military units stationed in Crimea are now under the control of the Russian military, and remaining Ukrainian servicemen are departing the peninsula, the region’s first deputy prime minister, Rustam Temirgaliyev, said on Monday, March 24, 2014.

As Crimea’s reunification process began last week, a total of 147 military units in the predominantly Russian-ethnic region have replaced Ukrainian flags with Russian ones and applied to join the Russian armed forces.“All Ukrainian military personnel have either joined Russia or are leaving Crimea,” Temirgaliyev said.

Shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday to ratify the reunification treaty, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said those soldiers wishing to continue their service with the Ukrainian armed forces were free to leave Crimea and will receive the required assistance to do so.
The Russian Defense Ministry said over the weekend that only 2,000 out of 18,000 Ukrainian troops serving in Crimea decided to leave the peninsula.On Monday, Shoigu appointed the former head of Ukraine’s navy as deputy commander of the Russian Black Sea fleet during a visit to Crimea.

Rear Adm. Denis Berezovsky swore allegiance to the people of Crimea earlier this month two days after he had been appointed commander of the Ukrainian navy by the country’s Western-backed government.

After the death today of one Ukrainian soldier the conflict enters a military phase

A Ukrainian soldier digs a trench on a checkpoint not far of the border with Crimea near the village of Strilkove

Ukraine's government says Russian forces stormed a military base in Crimea and killed a Ukrainian officer, escalating tensions in the region

Tensions in the disputed region of Crimea reached new heights Tuesday as Ukraine said a military officer was killed shortly after Russia formally annexed the breakaway peninsula.Interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk blamed Russian forces—whom he said stormed a Ukranian military outpost near the city of Simferopol—for the killing, and warned the conflict is “shifting from a political to a military stage.”

“Today, Russian soldiers began shooting at Ukrainian servicemen,” he said, according to AFP. “This is a war crime.”His claim could not be immediately verified, but if true, it would mark the first fatality in clashes between the two countries’ militaries during the weeks-long crisis in Crimea.Russian President Vladimir Putin, delivering a televised address to the country’s parliament on Tuesday, defended his country’s decision to absorb the region after it voted Sunday to split from Ukraine.

Ukraine - Several 9K38 Igla SA-18 Grouse MANPADS man-portable missile systems stolen from Ukraine's 80th airmobile regiment

If you are in an international flight flying over THOSE troubled hotspots, it is better to start chanting God's name until the screen on your seat shows those countries have passed.

Earlier there were reports that ManPads were stolen from a military base in Benghazi, Libya. Last week Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are supplying ManPads to Free Syrian Rebels.  Just avoid flying and prefer video conferences or ask the airline pilot for an alternate short cut route over the north and south pole to Thailand.

Source Wikipedia

Man-portable air defense systems (MANPADs) – have gone missing from two Ukrainian military units, according to a high-ranking official in Kiev. Several dozen 9K38 Igla (Needle) air defense systems (SA-18 Grouse in NATO's classification) have been stolen.

The Igla MANPADs are designed to strike down low-flying targets. Their distribution is regulated by a number of international agreements since it’s highly undesirable that this type of weapon gets into the hands of terrorists. Russia and the US have an agreement on MANPADs’ distribution.

Kremlin sends signs that it has started preparing to Annex Crimea

The US and EU support self-determination but have opposed independence for regions in their own borders like Texas from US, Scotland from Britain or Catalonia from Spain.

Dear readers,

Understanding what is happening around the globe has become so easy nowadays with the help of maps and satellite images.

Here is a photo comparison of a satellite map on an ordinary day in Sevastopol Bay and one taken between 1st to 6th of March.

http://www.astrium-geo.com/en/19-gallery?img=32332


Google maps


Airbus Defense and Space/CNES- http://www.astrium-geo.com/en/19-gallery?img=32332

Image Information

• Title : Pléiades Satellite Image - Sevastopol, Crimea
• Location: Ukraine
• Image Type: Optical
• Resolution: 50 cm
• Date: 03/03/2014
• Copyright: CNES 2014
• Distribution Astrium Services/ Spot Image
• Imaging Mode: Pansharpened

Ukraine troop deployment approved by Russian parliament

Russia's upper house of parliament has approved President Putin's request for Russian forces to be used in Ukraine.Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based in the Ukrainian region of Crimea, where many ethnic Russians live.

Ukraine has reacted angrily to days of military movements in Crimea, accusing Moscow of trying to provoke the new government into an armed conflict.

Ukrainian officials and some Western diplomats said that a Russian military intervention is already well underway after heavily armed gunmen in unmarked military uniforms seized control of local government buildings, airports and other strategic facilities in Crimea in recent days.