News from Ukraine Conflict

[bayonetbrant]

Hahahahaha
http://www.duffelblog.com/2014/08/russian-soldiers-ukraine/

Russia Claims Ukrainian Border Inexplicably Jumped Over Its Paratroopers

MOSCOW – In a surprising concession, the Kremlin announced Thursday that soldiers captured in Ukraine earlier this week were indeed from the elite First Airborne Division of the Russian Air-Landing Forces (VDV), but it was due to the Ukrainian border inexplicably jumping over them "out of nowhere," sources confirmed.

"This is all very simple misunderstanding comrades," Defense Minister Pyotr Rurikid assured reporters at a televised press conference. "Ukraine is very unstable country, no? Event at Chernobyl was fault of lazy Ukrainian serfs at helm of complicated machinery. Ever since border between Russia and Ukraine been fluid. Question?"

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the troopers were acting in a peacekeeping role with direct orders to remain on their side of the border, and that the Ukrainian border intentionally sneaked in behind them.

According to sources at a press conference in Moscow, a reporter from Russia Today, a known bastion of free speech and journalistic integrity which is in no way a Kremlin propaganda outlet, asked if the aforementioned paratroopers were indeed delivering humanitarian aid to the innocent orphans and adorable puppy dogs of Donetsk.

"These things happen all of times in former Soviet Bloc," said Rurikid, as his face lit up with a winsome smile while completely ignoring the question. "Subjects and verbs switched for humorous effect. Is slyly poke of fun at ponderous bureaucracy. I tell you other one. Why did road cross fat mother-in-law of dirty Ukrainian muzhik?"

At press time, the Kremlin had also announced that the Ukrainian border has further leapt over three Russian armored divisions and a corps of motorized infantry, who are at present speeding towards Kiev to right things with the nearest cartographer.

[endfire79]

That actually sounds like the sort of explanation I would really expect from the Russian government :)

[Gusington]

It's better than the 'whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis' that they are currently serving. BTW the crisis there has now become a war formany news outlets. I think the influx of hundreds of regular Russian troops was the deciding factor on what to call it.

[Airborne Rifles]

NATO released satellite imagery of Russian artillery and armored vehicles operating in Ukraine:

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/28/world/gallery/nato-images-show-russian-forces-in-ukraine/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

It seems for now, though, that the ongoing maskirovka of denying that Russian troops are in Ukraine has pretty well delayed any response from the west past when it could really be decisive. Hopefully the Ukrainians have been preparing for this if it escalates further.

Another interesting article with pictures, a CNN reporter photographed some Pro-Russian forces burying their dead:

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/23/world/europe/ukraine-donetsk-rebel-funeral/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

I found the photos interesting for a few reasons; 1) the men in the photos generally look older, bearing our partially at least one of the Russian claims that many of the rebels are retirees, not active military (of course, that is nowhere near the whole truth, but seems a clever use of a small truth to tell a big lie), 2) They seem to dress and carry themselves like soldiers, not 'guys with guns' like a lot of 'rebels' you see on TV. Several are wearing the distinctive blue and white striped undershirts of the Russian VDV. 3)There is at least one woman in uniform with the group. 4) What appear to be family members are at the burial.

All that to say that the Russians seem to be (unsurprisingly) mixing truth with lies in a sophisticated attempt to create enough confusion to forestall a western response...not that a decisive military response seems very possible right now.

[GDS_Starfury]

Well we seem to be sending over some M1s to east Europe for exercises.

[endfire79]

Roll out!

[Zulu1966]

Roll out!

#

So what happens if Ukraine now gets NATO membership and the Russians are still there. War ?

[Staggerwing]

Ukraine isn't likely to get NATO membership any time soon. The point of NATO is to have a strong united deterrence against aggression. Adding a member while it is in the midst of a civil war with active Russian participation would introduce a chink in the armor, so to speak. The threat of NATO involvement in aiding the Kiev gov't may be useful in countering Russian ambitions but actually adding Ukraine to the rolls of NATO members would automatically invoke Article 5.

And, yes, that would be War.

[pawelj]

Ukraine isn't likely to get NATO membership any time soon. The point of NATO is to have a strong united deterrence against aggression. Adding a member while it is in the midst of a civil war with active Russian participation would introduce a chink in the armor, so to speak. The threat of NATO involvement in aiding the Kiev gov't may be useful in countering Russian ambitions but actually adding Ukraine to the rolls of NATO members would automatically invoke Article 5.

And, yes, that would be War.

Unless things change within Russia itself and soon, sooner or later we will have a war with Russia. The sooner the West gets that and implements real preventive action the better.

[Gusington]

Not with nukes on both sides and definitely not over Ukraine.

[pawelj]

Not with nukes on both sides and definitely not over Ukraine.

If you want to avoid war with nukes better give the Russians a slap now over Ukraine. It the war is over something else (NATO country) the chances of nuke use increase.

[panzerde]

I think it may be now or never for the Russians in regards to Ukraine. Despite their assertions earlier I'm reading that the sanctions are really starting to bite in their economy.

[pawelj]

I think it may be now or never for the Russians in regards to Ukraine. Despite their assertions earlier I'm reading that the sanctions are really starting to bite in their economy.

Perhaps, but I don't think Putin cares that much about the state of the economy as it effects ordinary people in Russia. Unfortunately the decades of indoctrination have created a pliable populace easily impressed by visions of "Great Russia".

[JasonPratt]

What about Moldova? Mom, newstrolling around, thought she heard a twitch yesterday about movement on their border. (Don't know where she heard it.)

[panzerde]

Interesting commentary: http://mashable.com/2014/08/28/putins-endgame/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=rss