generalspeaking

Ukraine Abandoned

"We're very happy to be here [Artemivsk, not far from Debaltseve]."
"We were praying all the time and already said goodbye to our lives a hundred times."
Exhausted, demoralized Ukrainian soldier

"[The troop pullout took place] in a planned and organized manner. We managed to show to the whole world the true face of the bandit-separatists backed by Russia."
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko

Ukrainian servicemen who fought in Debaltseve raise their unit flag before leaving for home, near Artemivsk February 19, 2015. Fighting raged in eastern Ukraine on Thursday despite European efforts to resurrect a still-born ceasefire, a day after pro-Russian separatists who spurned the truce forced thousands of government troops out of a strategic town. (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)

The 2,500 government troops ingloriously departed from Debaltseve, the railroad town in eastern Ukraine, whose defaulted handover to the separatist rebels will now give them the unimpeded and direct link between Luhansk and Donetsk that they had planned for, and established the month-long siege to accomplish. Ceasefire? Oh, was there a ceasefire? Well, it was meant to be recognized elsewhere, clearly not just there, in Debaltseve.

The exhausted, dirt-plastered Ukrainian soldiers who plodded their way out of the city on foot spoke of their forces having suffered heavy losses. How could it be otherwise, given that no supplies were able to breach the encirclement by the Russian-backed rebels; no ammunition, no food, no water. But the truce will go on, presumably, elsewhere. To preserve that possibility it was required that Kyiv once again make a sacrifice. Not that a real choice presented itself.

Cossack commander Nikolai Kozitsyn, foreground, a Russian national known to his fellow rebel fighters by the nom de guerre "Daddy," walks through a crossroads by the east Ukraine town of Debaltseve on Thursday, February 19, 2015. The town was captured by Russian-backed separatists this week after weeks of bitter battles around the area. (AP Photo/ Peter Leonard)

Ukraine's national army is no match for that of the Russian Federation, after all, even if Moscow has not interfered one iota in a match between the Ukrainian military and the rebel militias who on their own courageously faced off against a superior antagonist. Which, had that been the case, the situation would have been reversed, but not quite to Vladimir Putin's liking. It's entirely possible that Mr. Poroshenko partially believed that Mr. Putin's word could be trusted. But which of his words?

Now the transportation connections have been solidified to the satisfaction of Moscow and the separatists. "We had enough forces and means. The problem is the command and coordination. They are as bad as can be" wrote Semyon Semenchanko, a battalion commander and member of parliament who accused the military command of betrayal in Debaltseve. Weigh that against Denis Pushilin, a rebel official claiming that the rebels had overpowered the soldiers killing and forcing surrender.

A pro-Russia rebel holds a flag of the rebel-held city of Luhansk in Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015. After weeks of relentless fighting, the embattled Ukrainian rail hub of Debaltseve fell Wednesday to Russia-backed separatists, who hoisted a flag in triumph over the town. The Ukrainian president confirmed that he had ordered troops to pull out and the rebels reported taking hundreds of soldiers captive. (AP Photo/ Peter Leonard)

Verification of anything said by vested interests is not possible since neutral international journalists were blocked from accessing Debaltseve. Though Russian television ran videos of rebels raising the Novorossiya flag in Debaltseve, along with images of captured Ukrainian troops ushered along a village road by the rebels. The intense rebel shelling had made it impossible for the military to obtain basic supplies, not even food or water.

Ukrainian servicemen who fought in Debaltseve are seen near Artemivsk February 19, 2015. Fighting raged in eastern Ukraine on Thursday despite European efforts to resurrect a still-born ceasefire, a day after pro-Russian separatists who spurned the truce forced thousands of government troops out of a strategic town. (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)

Ukrainian soldiers spoke of sheltering in bunkers for hours on end because of the shelling. But, then, there is the Minsk ceasefire agreement to be considered for full implementation. Requiring Ukraine to pass laws giving some degree of autonomy, not yet fully delineated, to the newly-consolidated separatist regions. And yes, the issue of official status for the Russian language.

Ignominious capitulation imposed by the harsh reality of Vladimir Putin's diktat. The jackal's triumph.

And how is NATO reacting? Well, it is concerned that Mr. Putin's lust for expanding the Russian Federation has not been slaked. That he will now concentrate elsewhere, say for example, Estonia, some Baltic state or other. So NATO is preparing its rapid response force. In the latest NATO exercise before the turn of the year German soldiers used broomsticks in place of guns; equipment shortage the cause.

Soldiers from the mechanized infantry battalion hadn't 31% of their MG3 general-purpose machine guns, 41% of their P8 handguns and over 75% of the Lucie night-vision devices for their use on that occasion; so a pantomime performance took place. General Harold Kujat, former German chief of staff for the armed forces and chairman of the NATO military committee spoke of the occasion as a "huge embarrassment".

So there you have it, embarrassment on two fronts; strike one out for Ukraine, another for NATO.

Labels: Aggression, Capitulation, Conflict, Defence, NATO, Russia, Secession, Ukraine

posted by Pieface @ Thursday, February 19, 2015