generalspeaking

Accusation, Counter-Accusation and Escalation

"The shell went through the roof and exploded inside the building, setting off a fire, but we still don't know who fired it."
"Who needs this war? What are they fighting for?"
Dmitry Levonchik, 45, coal miner, Donetsk, Ukraine

"Of course it would be great to see Russian peacekeepers here: strong artillery units, tank brigades."
"This war would be over in a day, maybe two."
Pavel Gubarev, 'governor', Donetsk region

"What is Putin waiting for? He inspired us to fight."
"We had hoped for help from Russia, but we have been abandoned."
Ilya Sumyatin, 38, separatist fighter

"Donetsk has turned into a dark hole where you can be taken prisoner, robbed, killed or have your home destroyed."
"Now I see that nothing good will come of this. It's time to escape this nightmare."
Inna Statsenko, 52, bank employee, Donetsk

There is little doubt that people like Inna Statsenko and Dmitry Levonchik are uncomfortable with the presence in their city of a million residents -- the largest city in Donetsk region -- of the separatist guerrillas contesting the Ukrainian army for primacy in the region. All the more so that the separatist fighters have decided they have the right to confiscate any "strategically important resources" in support of their operations.

In a city besieged, with food supplies running short, food can be considered, most certainly as a strategically important resource. The residents can go hungry, but the fighters are required to have sustenance, after all.They needn't fret too much longer, since it appears likely that the rebels will be forced to abandon their positions in Donetsk as they did in Luhansk; encircled and threatened with a violent invasion by the Ukrainian military prepared to put an end to the uprising.

The Ukrainian army steadily advanced on the western outskirts of Donetsk, prepared to seize the last large rebel stronghold, as the separatists have responded by renewing their calls to Russia for troops to be sent speedily to their aid. No doubt, Moscow is considering the plight of their ethnic nationals and weighing whether they really plan to give orders to their border-massed battalions to proceed.

The food and vehicles that the ethnic Russian fighters have taken to confiscating from residents and businesses in Donetsk have given them great unpopularity from a populace whose majority may never have been entirely enthralled with the prospect of waving goodbye to Kyiv and welcoming Moscow. Alexei Dmitrashkovsky, speaking for the Ukrainian military operation, has stated that government soldiers were fighting to hold positions taken on the edge of Donetsk against stiff resistance.

A major trucking company ordinarily delivering to grocery stores in Donetsk, announced its suspension of operations after rebel fighters raided their warehouses, relieving the company, Deliveri, of goods to the value of about $840,000. That should keep hunger at bay for awhile. In a sign of escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia, Ukraine was accused by the Russian Foreign Ministry of moving Tochka-U ballistic missile systems and Smerch and Uragen rocket launchers toward Donetsk.

The implication clear enough, that Kyiv is preparing to use this heavy weaponry within the densely populated regional capital of Donetsk, despite Ukraine claiming their missile arsenal was destroyed in the 1990s. In response to this charge, the United States has officially claimed that Russia is shipping similar heavy-rocket systems to rebels, over the border. Ukraine denies it has possession of ballistic missiles, and Russia denies it is arming the rebels.

Labels: Aggression, Conflict, Russia, Secession, Ukraine

posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, August 05, 2014