Military buildup ahead of referendum

Where The Russian Troops Are - The Full "Pre-Takeover" Infographic

Zero Hedge,

13 March, 2014

-As we reported yesterday, Crimea is last week's story. Now it is all about east Ukraine. In that vein, moments ago John Kerry's latest stand up comedy routine hit the tape which contained, besides the usual laugh lines, this particular pearl:

• KERRY SAYS RUSSIA DOESN'T YET HAVE FORCES FOR UKRAINE TAKEOVER

Is that so? We provide this map showing the latest distribution of Russian military forces on the Ukraine borders so that readers can make up their own mind.

And here is another map compiled by Dmitry Tymchuk, a former Ukrainian military officer, who has established an organization, the Center of Military and Political Research on Kiev, to effectively collect and gather data about military-related facts.

Kerry concluded:

• KERRY SAYS `CONTINGENCIES' IF RUSSIA MOVED INTO EAST UKRAINE

We'll know just what those are by Sunday night. The only question: will Referendum Sunday be the new Lehman Sunday...

Russia deploys 8,500 troops for artillery drills in south

Russia’s Defense Ministry has launched massive artillery drills in the Southern Military District involving some 8,500 troops and a large amount of hardware. It coincides with war games conducted by the country’s Airborne Troops.

RT,

13 March, 2014

Artillery units are to be deployed in 10 ranges as part of the training, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. They will demonstrate their tactical, technical and special skills and will carry out more than 50 field maneuvers.

“The event involves some 8,500 artillery troops and a large number of rocket artillery systems, military and special hardware, including Grad-M, Uragan and Smersh multiple rocket launchers, Msta-S 152-mm caliber self-propelled howitzers, Nona artillery systems and Rapira 100-mm caliber anti-tank guns,” the statement said.

About half of the shooting practice exercises will be carried out at nighttime. The drills are focused on inter-service cooperation between artillery units and motorized, armor, airborne and amphibious troops, the ministry said.

The artillery exercises coincide with large-scale war games by Russian Airborne Troops currently under way in the south and west of the country. On Thursday, some 1,500 airborne troops have been transported to a range in the Rostov Region for a massive simultaneous deployment.

Those drills, involving a total of 4,000 troops, 36 transport aircraft and 500 military vehicles, will continue through Friday.

Russia transfers nine warplanes to Belarus to ‘counter massing of forces on the border’

RT,

13 March, 2014

Six Russian Sukhoi-27 fighter jets and three transport planes have been deployed at Bobruisk airfield in Belarus. Earlier this week Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko invited Russian forces to fend off potential NATO threat.

“In case of continuing build-up of military forces in countries bordering Belarus, the country will take adequate response measures,” says a statement from the country’s Defense Ministry in Minsk.

NATO is sending 12 F-16 craft in Poland, in the wake of the Crimea crisis, and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has asked for an even greater US presence. Baltic states have also requested military assistance from NATO.

Just like their NATO counterparts, the Russian aircraft in Belarus will participate in a joint training exercise.

“The joint air defense system [between Russia and Belarus] is intended to guarantee collective security in Eastern Europe,” the Belarusian Defense Ministry said.

Russian army's chief of staff Valery Gerasimov informed chairman of NATO's Military Committee, Knud Bartels, of the developments in a phone conversation on Thursday evening.

According to previous military agreements, Russian and Belarusian troops can move freely throughout both countries, though it is unusual for them to be stationed abroad for any prolonged period of time.

Aleksandr Lukashenko has expressed repeated concern about NATO’s eastward expansion since his ascension to the presidency of the 9-million-strong state in 1994, and has been one of Russia's staunchest allies.

All the same, following the emergency of a possibility of Crimea joining Russia following a referendum on March 16, the Belarus leader has spoken out in favor of “maintaining Ukraine’s territorial integrity”.

From the western, liberal press

Russia deploys 10,000 troops near Ukraine border

Ukraine prime minister accuses Russia of carrying out a 'military aggression' as Crimea crisis deepens

the Guardian,

13 March, 2014



Ukraine prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has accused Russia of demonstrating unacceptable "military aggression" which has "no reason and no grounds".



Moscow has deployed 10,000 troops along its border with Ukraine, deepening the crisis in Crimea ahead of a last desperate effort by the US secretary of state, John Kerry, to broker a deal with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in London on Friday.



Yatsenyuk told the UN security council on Thursday he is convinced Russians do not want war. He urged Russia's leaders to heed the people's wishes and return to dialogue with Ukraine. "If we start real talks with Russia, I believe we can be real partners," Yatsenyuk said.



He said Ukraine gave up the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal in 1994 in exchange for guarantees of its independence and territorial integrity. After Russia's recent actions, Yatsenyuk said, "it would be difficult to convince anyone on the globe not to have nuclear weapons."



Russian troops now control the Crimean peninsula, where voters will decide on Sunday whether to become part of Russia.



Western diplomats have expressed little optimism ahead of the London talks, scheduled to begin on Friday . Nothing resembling a peace plan has been sketched out between the two sides, one said.



Kerry warned on Thursday that Russia could face "a series of serious steps". Both the US and the EU say that if the referendum – which they have declared illegal – goes ahead, Moscow will face the prospect of fresh sanctions being imposed.



Russian troop deployments were spotted along the Ukrainian border on Wednesday but Russia initially refused to confirm their presence. The defence minister announced on Thursday that 8,500 troops, along with armoured vehicles, helicopters and artillery, had been ordered to several border regions. In addition, 1,500 paratroopers are to be dropped into the Rostov region near the border.



The defence ministry claimed the troops were only involved in a training exercise that would last two weeks. The ministry said: "The main goal of the ongoing events is to comprehensively assess the units' teamwork and subsequently tackle combat training tasks on an unfamiliar terrain and untested training ranges."



The Russian deployment coincided with a vote in the Ukrainian parliament to create a 60,000-strong national guard. Ukraine's national security chief, Andriy Parubiy, said the force would "ensure state security, defend the borders and eliminate terrorist groups".



US state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Kerry would reaffirm US support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity without interference or provocation by Russia. The secretary of state had previously declined a Russian invitation to Moscow and his decision to go to London prompted speculation the Kremlin may have offered concessions to ensure he would not leave empty-handed. Other diplomats expressed scepticism.



Kerry and Lavrov spoke by phone on Thursday, and Russia said the two discussed "taking into account existing Russian and US proposals to normalise the atmosphere and provide for civil peace".



Before leaving Washington for London, Kerry warned Russia that the EU was planning to join the US in imposing more sanctions on Moscow if the referendum went ahead. The sanctions would include a travel ban and a freeze on bank accounts.



German chancellor Angela Merkel, backing up Kerry in the strongest language she has employed so far, told the Reichstag that the consequences for Russia would be huge if it failed to enter into negotiations. She ruled out military force. but warned sternly that the crisis would cause "massive damage to Russia, economically and politically".



Reuters reported that the German vice-chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, warned that Germany would not hesitate to go beyond a second round of European sanctions planned for Monday if the referendum goes ahead.



David Cameron and foreign secretary William Hague will meet Kerry before his meeting with Lavrov. A Foreign Office spokesman said Hague had phoned both Kerry and Lavrov to encourage them "to hold talks in London with a view to de-escalating the situation in Crimea and setting up dialogue between Russia and Ukraine".



As part of a series of moves aimed at displaying solidarity with Ukraine, Nato was planning on Fridayto meet representatives of the Tatar population in the Crimea who are largely hostile to a Russian takeover.



Nato's deputy secretary general, Alexander Vershbow, will meet with the Ukrainian MP and leader of the Crimean Tatars, Mustafa Cemilev Kirimoglu.



One person was killed and several were treated for injuries on Thursday evening, when hundreds of pro and anti Moscow demonstrators clashed in the eastern city of Donetsk.