generalspeaking

Vladimir Putin Admonishing Petro Poroshenko

Fighting between the Ukrainian military and the pro-Russian rebels simply is not designed to cease. It would, needless to say, without Moscow's constant fomenting of unrest from among the rebels, and its dedication to sending in troops and military hardware, while continuing to deny any such charges.
Understandably, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is determined to restore to his country the territory that is its by legal right and international principle.


Starting with the reassertion of control over Ukraine's eastern regions left in turmoil by the Russian-backed Ukrainian, ethnic Russian secessionists. Home to a million residents before the separatists began their rampage against the government in Kyiv, the streets in Donetsk are now deserted, people cowering in their shattered homes, hoping they will survive the madness foisted upon them by the secessionist ambitions of the thugs among them.

Donetsk, which the rebels consider their stronghold along with Luhansk, was once again shattered by artillery fire on the weekend reflecting the battle raging for the Donetsk air terminal and areas surrounding the airport. The airport itself is a chaotic crumbling mess of what it once was; inoperative and ruined. Its possession represents a nominal but tellingly symbolic victory for whichever side manages to fully command it.

Although the rebels have continued on the attack, the Ukrainian military, marooned there, continue to hold on. Rocket fire continues along the front line of 350 kilometres. Regional authorities remain loyal to the government. West of Donetsk in other cities controlled by the rebels a handful of civilians have been killed and injured resulting from the rocket attacks.

Several thousand people gathered in the centre of Kyiv heard their president vow that Ukraine would not "give up an inch" of its land to the Russian-supported separatists. Who are, after all, only doing the work that Russia has assigned them. Signs reading "Je Suis Volnovakha" were held at the rally in Kyiv, honouring the tragic event of 13 people killed in the passenger bus leaving Volnovakha by fire from the rebels, as the bus came within a short distance of the troops.

A large area of the airport was in the hands of the separatists, although Ukrainian troops remain in position irrespective of the rocket attacks they've been on the receiving end of for months. Ukraine has cobbled together a desperation reinforcement of troops and heavy armoury. The separatists claim that Ukrainian forces had tried to break into Donetsk to liberate it from the rebels.

The Donetsk People's Republic 'government' claimed its forces had succeeded in repelling a Ukrainian advance to a bridge leading into the centre from the airport. The early December truce took one week to unravel, destroying international hopes a lasting settlement could be forged. Peace talks scheduled for Kazakhstan were postponed indefinitely.

And Russia's Foreign Ministry called for an urgent ceasefire, emphasizing the necessity for 'both sides' to honour the ceasefire, to pull back heavy artillery from the dividing line of contact. Moscow stated it was "ready to use its influence on the separatist fighters to convince them to accept this version". The response from Kyiv was continued shelling of Donetsk, Moscow claimed indignantly.

Russian President Vladimir Putin forwarded a message to President Poroshenko to urge respect for the ceasefire, perhaps forgetting that it is his underhanded work that has created this situation to begin with.

Labels: Conflict, Russia, Secession, Threats, Ukraine, Violence

posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, January 20, 2015