Posts
Novorossiya
Military
Briefing – End of August 17,
2014
Combined
Briefings for August 17, 2014
Translated from Russian by Gleb Bazov
Igor
Ivanovich Strelkov
Brief Statement about Igor Ivanovich
Strelkov
Original: Summer56
LiveJournal
Note: Apart from the Antiquariat
Forum, where Igor Strelkov used to post all his short briefings and
commentary, the LiveJournal blog of Summer56 was the first
independent platform that Igor Strelkov used for his longer
statements, appeals, and fulsome regular briefings. For many of us,
this was our first (virtual) encounter with Igor Strelkov. Summer56
is Igor Strelkov's close friend and one of his most faithful
allies.
I have already written that everything is fine with Igor
Ivanovich, and that he is alive and healthy. But today against there
were rumours that he was, after all, heavily wounded and even killed.
What is more, these rumours were being spread not by Ukies, but by
our own bloggers.
I state, taking full responsibility for my
words, that today (August 17, 2014), at approximately 20:30,
I
personally spoke with Igor Ivanovich over the telephone.
To
cannot say that I spoke with him at length. In reality, we just
exchanged a few phrases. As always, Igor Ivanovich was brief. But he
again confirmed that everything is fine with him.
Naturally, I
did not even ask about his new assignment. I do not need to know
this. Nor do you.
10:36 -August 17, 2014 - Colonel Cassad:
Novorosiya Briefing
Original: Colonel
Cassad LiveJournal
Lugansk
People’s Republic
While
to the north of Lugansk the front, stretching along a broken line
from Lutugino to the border with the Russian Federation, has remained
stable for a lengthy some time, on the south-western and southern
outskirts of Lugansk the enemy has launched an offensive with the aim
of establishing a complete blockade of the city. As expected, the
“assault” of Lugansk that began the day before yesterday chocked
while still in the suburbs of the city because it was undertaken with
clearly insufficient forces. The troops advancing from the south
became bogged down in the urban development after being drawn into
inconclusive street battles, which carried greater resemblance to
going through the motions rather justifying the bravura reports that
the “liberation of Lugansk” has begun.
At
the same time, battles for Khryashevatoye (which the enemy does not
control completely) and Novosvetlovka (occupied by the enemy two days
ago) continued. The latter (Novosvetlovka) is encircled on three
sides (the greatest danger to LPR’s entire operation aimed at
stretching out the ring of encirclement to Novosvetlovka comes from
the southern direction) and is being bombarded by the LPR Army using
MLRS and cannon artillery. Nevertheless, the attacks by the infantry
and tank forces of the LPR Army are so far not yielding decisive
success.
Although it has repeatedly called for help, the enemy,
entrenched in the residential development of Novosvetlovka, has so
far been able to retain its primary positions. Both sides have been
sustaining fairly notable losses in manpower and military hardware in
the course of the battles. The perseverance of the factions is
understandable. Novosvetlovka has operational significance with
respect to the fighting near Lugansk, as well as political importance
in connection with the passage of the Russian humanitarian convoy,
which the Junta appears to have agreed to allow.
Overall,
the situation at the border is calm at this time. For a long time
now, there have been no Junta troops to the south of Izvarino,
allowing traffic to cross the border without much problem. Most of
the trophies obtained in the Southern Cauldron have already been
moved – either immediately to the front or for repairs. The main
problem is posed by the lack of fuel and spare parts, as well as
crews. With respect to the recent rumours on the topic of trade in
weapons – on the territory of Donbass there has been a black arms
market, which is not at all surprising. Moreover, it supplies weapons
to both sides. Recently, the Russian Federation authorities have
begun more closely attending to this question due to cases of resale
and export of weapons to Russia. There is nothing surprising in this
– during war, there is always a stratum of people of a criminal
nature that parasitize on conflict and engage in robbery, looting,
racketeering, as well as in arms trade. What can prevent this is more
thorough filtration of people and cargo arriving from the territory
of Novorossiya, as well as the strengthening of special measures to
ensure order in the areas close to the front line and in the rear.
In
the area of Alchevsk and Stakhanov the situation is stable. The LPR
Army and the Prizrak [Note: Ghost] Brigade (no longer just a
battalion) firmly hold key settlements and road junctions, conducting
harassing attacks on the enemy near Pervomaisk and Debaltsevo.
Despite triumphant reports, Debaltsevo itself has not to be taken,
but the line of combat contact between the armies over the past 4-5
days shifted significantly closer to this key centre, forcing the
Junta to hold back for the purpose of defending the city part of the
forces that it could otherwise have used in the battles in the area
of Uglegorsk and in developing its offensive to the south of
Debaltsevo. Overall, considering the limited forces of the Militia in
this area, it has been performing its objectives well here. For now,
the Junta does not have sufficient troops here to commence an
offensive aimed at defeating the Alchevsk-Stakhanov grouping of the
Militia.
Overall,
on the territory of the LPR there is an operational crisis in the
Novosvetlovsk-Khryashevatoye area, while the situation in the other
section of the front is stable. Here we have to wait to see the
outcome of the battles.
Donetsk
People’s Republic
On
the southern outskirts of Donetsk, the offensive on Ilovaisk has
notably started to fizzle out. Ill thought-out attempts to punch
through the defensive lines of the DPR Army head on and the
unsuccessful attempt to encircle Ilovaisk from the southwest have
resulted in the line of the main strike shifting to Mospino, which
ended up being surrounded on three sides. What is more, the Junta is
now claiming that the unsuccessful battles near Ilovaisk were part of
an insidious plan to distract the DPR Army from Mospino. In reality,
having suffered a defeat at Ilovaisk, the Junta was able to conduct a
strike at the juncture between Ilovaisk and Mospino simply because of
its overall superiority in manpower and military hardware. So far,
the city itself has not been encircled, but the roads leading to it
are open to enemy fire and there is a risk that the Mospino garrison
could be surrounded.
At
the same time, the main strike of the southern grouping is becoming
almost too straightforward, enabling it, at best, in the event
Mospino is taken, to enter onto the southern outskirts of Donetsk.
More ambitions plans involving converging strikes aimed at cutting
off the highway leading to Donetsk through Torez and encircling
Donetsk itself have once again been scrapped. Thanks also to the
garrison of Ilovaisk.
Yesterday
a full-fledged Southern Cauldron 2.0 was born, in which units of two
of the Junta’s brigades and various small units were trapped. The
enemy took up defensive positions with strongholds in the settlements
of Dyakovo, Latyshevo and Dmitrovka. The defeat in the battles for
Miusinsk and Krasniy Luch, as well a the fall of Marinovka, have
simply led to the repetition of the already familiar scenario in
which the battered in heavy battles Junta brigades end up in
operational encirclements and are shelled using artillery. However,
considering the DPR Army’s operations in the are of Dmitrovka, it
is unlikely that they will wait for the cauldron to dissipate on its
own – there is simply no time for it. The militiamen are trying to
speed up the process. It is obvious that, in light of the new
encirclement, the Junta will be forced to redeploy its troops from
the areas of Ilovaisk and Amvrosievka in order to attempt to
de-blockade the Cauldron for the second time. In the nearest future
an offensive by the Junta with the use of mechanized units can be
expected in the area of Marinovka.
It
must be noted that the activity of the DPR Army’s
saboteur-reconnaissance groups (“SRG”) in the area of the Uspenka
border-crossing checkpoint indicates an implicit threat of the
Junta’s grouping being encircled near Amvrosievka. However, this
threat exists of course in the medium term.
The
operational crisis in the area of Miusinsk and Krasniy Luch has, in
general, been overcome. The units of the 30th Mechanized Brigade that
were surrounded to the north of Krasniy Luch broke out of the
encirclement with heave losses, and the enemy has finally been driven
out from the suburbs of Miusinsk. Also repulsed were all the attacks
of the enemy in the area of Snezhnoye. At the time, it can be said
that the battle in the area of Krasniy Luch-Miusinsk-Snezhnoye was
won by the Militia and that the Junta sustained significant losses in
manpower and military hardware, all without achieving in any way
significant results. Accordingly, the Militia at this time retains
control over the key highway that enables supplies to reach Donetsk
and Gorlovka.
The
only direction in which the Junta continues to retain operational
initiative is the section between Gorlovka and Debaltsevo, where it
enjoys significant superiority in armoured vehicles. Utilizing this
advantage, the Junta has been attempting to cut off Donetsk from
Gorlovka and to approach Enakievo, resulting in fighting on the
outskirts of the latter. The blown up bridge near Uglegorsk has
slowed the Junta’s offensive. The Militia’s arriving reserves
fettered the advancing troops, but the risk of Gorlovka being
encircled remains fairly high; moreover, Enakiev’s garrison,
considering that recently it was still in the rear, is still fairly
weak. At the same time, the reinforced armoured group of the enemy
was able to break through to Zhdanovka, prompting heavy battles for
this settlement. The loss of Zhdanovka is fraught with the danger of
Enakievo being encircled from the south, and that is why the DPR Army
is making all attempts necessary to curtail this breakthrough [Note:
Reports from the Militia that came in following the publication of
this briefing indicate unequivocally that Zhdanovka and part of
Nizhnyaya Krynka were liberated today by the DPR Army]. At the same
time, the Junta’s combat actions near Yasinovataya have failed to
yield in any way notable results. Overall, the danger of Donetsk
being encircled from the north and Gorlovka being surround remains.
In addition, Enakievo is now threatened. That is why it is too early
to say that the Junta’s offensive on Donetsk has been fully
repulsed.
Overall,
the nature of the fighting has not changed over the past several days
– the Junta is no longer able to advance everywhere and has been
forced repeatedly to regroup before undertaking new strikes.
Moreover, its defeats in the south have become systematic.
Nevertheless, it would be too early to talk about overcoming the
crisis before the Junta’s offensive to the south of Debaltsevo is
repulsed and Novosvetlovka is retaken.
Separately
with respect to “Voyentorg” [Note: an ironic term for the notion
of cross-border military aid coming from Russia]. Over the past
several days, it has stepped up its work, which results in
information seeping through to the mass media and symptomatic “leaks”
from the DPR leadership. Certainly, no one will admit this
officially, just as the presence of “polite people” in Crimea was
not admitted until a certain moment. That is why the official line on
this issue will remain as before – all allegations will be refuted,
which is not, in itself, blameworthy.
The
guerilla war beyond the front line is gradually picking up pace, and
the Junta clearly does not have sufficient men to control the band of
the territory near the front line. As a result, reports about
shootings and attacks on checkpoints at the rear and on columns of
the enemy have started to come in more and more frequently. They
still do not have an appreciable operational effect, but here also
the tendency for the Junta is unfavourable. As recently as a month
ago, it was far calmer at its rear.
Donetsk
and Lugansk continue to be subject to shelling. Every day peaceful
civilians die and residences and infrastructure are destroyed. The
situation has long passed the Rubicon into the territory of a
humanitarian catastrophe.
Note:
Any statement herein that relates to alleged Russian military aid to
the Militia is solely the responsibility of the originator of this
material (Colonel Cassad). I do not express any opinion in this
regard, have no evidence that would confirm these statements and
cannot independently corroborate or verify any of them.
20:52
– August 17, 2014 – Colonel Cassad: Briefly About the Most
Important
Original:
Colonel Cassad LiveJournal
At
this time, Yasinovataya is not taken by the Junta and remains in NAF
hands [Note: additional and highly reliable reports were received
later that corroborate this statement and further indicate that all
attacks on the town had been repulsed successfully]. It was pointed
out at the start of the offensive that Yasinovataya is one of the key
targets for the Junta in the battle for Donetsk. That is why when the
Junta’s tanks rolled into the urban development of Yasinovataya, it
was reported through Poroshenko’s twitter that Yasinovataya was
taken, even though to enter a town and to take a town and completely
different things. Almost identical claims were made a couple of days
ago about the “taking of Lugansk” when the infantry of the Junta
started seeping through into the town to the west of Khryashevatoye.
In Yasinovataya battles are currently unfolding, the factions have
brought in their reserves, and tanks and artillery are actively being
used.
The
LPR Army pushed the enemy near Novosvetlovka. On the Internet there
are already bravura statements by militiamen claiming that the road
was completely unblocked, whereas, in reality, this will still take
time, as a portion of the highway remains open to enemy fire and it
is too early to claim complete control over it. Any attempts to move
a few cargo trucks to Lugansk down this road could end poorly.
In
the course of the day the Militia shot down 3 aircraft – 1 MiG-29
and 2 Su-25. There is confirmation with respect to the MiG from the
Junta; there is already a video showing one of the Su jets (even
though there is some confusion with the video – in a fuller
version, characteristic debris from MiG-29 can be seen, so it may, in
fact, be one and same plane). In other words, 2 certainly were shot
down and 1 remains unconfirmed for now. Overall, it can be stated
that the Junta’s attempts to use its air force in the area of the
punitive operation inevitable lead to losses because the Junta has no
capacity to suppress even an antiaircraft defence comprised of old AA
and MANPADS system.
The
improvement of the situation near Miusinsk and Snezhnoye has enabled
the Militia to redeploy some of its forces and to throw them to the
aid of Donetsk. These reserves also allowed the Militia to develop
its offensive to the west of the Southern Cauldron 2.0, initiating
battles on the approaches to Saur-Mogila, the tip of which remains a
no-man’s-land. Considering the nature of the terrain and the
significant artillery forces on both sides, the fighting here will be
protracted.
The
Russian humanitarian aid column remains near the border with Ukraine.
No go-ahead has been given yet. Most likely, they waiting for the
completion of the battles for Novosvetlovka and the purge of the
enemy’s SRGs that otherwise could attack the convoy on the highway.
Overall,
as mentioned earlier, the Junta retains initiative to the north of
Donetsk and, for now, its offensive there has not been stopped. The
victories in the battles for Ilovaisk, Miusinsk and Krasniy Luch
should not be confused for a victory in the battle for Donetsk. The
situation remains complex and at the moment our forces hold the front
with great difficulty.
The
real State of the Ukrainian Army in the ATO (with English subtitles)
Two
videos which help me fight my disgust with mankind
I
will honestly tell you that I often feel a sense of total despair and
disgust with my fellow human whose behavior often makes me forget how
beautiful humans can also be. Tonight, I want to share with you two
videos which, besides their obvious political message, simply
reminded me that humans are also beautiful and that they carry inside
themselves an "inner dignity" which gives them the courage
and resolve to oppose evil regardless of their chances to prevail.
The following two videos show very different people, but in them both
I see a reason not to despair. I hope that you will see it too.
As
David Rovics always says - we are everywhere!
Kind
regards,
The
Saker
August 18th News from Novorussia from the ANNA-News agency + commentary
Commentary:
So
the Ukies have deliberately done in Lugansk what they have already
done in Slaviansk just before the assault: they destroyed the city's
water supply. In the meantime, other Ukie forces have used MLRS
systems to bomb and destroy a column of refugees fleeing from the
combat area.
It
is crucial to understand that these are not "mistakes".
In
reality, this is typical US/NATO doctrine. Most of you probably
remember the threat of Secretary Baker made to Tarek Aziz in 1991 "We
will destroy your country and bring it back to the stone age.” For
a while, Uncle Sam tried to sell this theory as "shock and awe",
but the real description of it would, of course, be "target and
terrorize the civilian population". Nothing new here. This is
what the US military has been doing most of its history, for the
Indian wars to Libya and Syria in our times. But the best example of
this was the terror war against Yugoslavia in support of the KLA in
Kosovo. There, the USAF and NATO totally failed at even marginally
degrading the Serbian Army Corps in Kosovo so they turned to a
strategic terror campaign against the people of Serbian and
Montenegro. This is also what Israel does every time Hezbollah
defeats it (which is every time the two fight).
In
the Ukraine we see exactly the same scenario playing out. The sole
difference being that with the Ukies the terror against civilians
began on day 1 as soon as Yanukovich was overthrown, especially in
Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov. But pretty soon the junta organized
something like a military force and sent it to fight the Resistance
in Novorussia. Soon, however, it became painfully obvious that the
Ukie military did not want to fight and that the Ukie terror squads
could not fight. So, naturally, they both turned against the
civilians, just like the US and NATO always do.
Though
they will not admit it, the junta leaders probably realize that the
Donbass is lost forever and that even if they occupy it, all they
will get for it in a never-ending insurgency. So from the point of
view of the Nazi junta, terrorizing civilians is a perfect strategy:
either they leave or the die. And, as an added bonus, if the junta
commits enough atrocities, Russia might be forced to intervene, which
would be a dream come true for the junta and Uncle Sam.
But
some reporters, even well-intentioned one, just don't get it. For
example, they say that the Tochka-U missile is inaccurate and that it
cannot be accurately targeted. This is not true at all. The missile
is called "Tochka" which means "spot" or even
"dot" because it is extremely accurate. It's "inaccuracy"
is not in the fact that it cannot precisely be targeted, but because
its warhead can kill everything alive on a surface of three acres,
more with a cluster of FAE warhead. When the Ukies shoot a Tochka-U
at a residential neighborhood of Lugansk (like they did yesterday)
they are deliberately trying to kill as many civilians as possible.
Ditto for their massive MLRS strikes. For the Ukies civilians are not
"collateral damage" - they are the primary target.
From
all the reports, the junta has more or less given up on the notion of
actually fighting the Resistance. Instead, they try to terrorize and
kill as many civilians as possible, and they use their numerical
superiority to probe everywhere along the line of contact. If a
location appears less defended, they then "take it" - even
if the "conquered" position was not even defended in the
first place. It makes for good soundbites and headlines in the MSM.
Now
they have destroyed the main water supply station in Lugansk. Again,
this is not a mistake. Just like the numerous artillery strikes
against local hospitals, including cancer-treatment facilities, the
destruction of the civilian infrastructure is logical "if we
can't have it - neither will you" is how Uncle Sam and his death
squads have always operated. This is why the Ukies have now begun
bombing the coal mines.
What
the Ukies are doing is a terror campaign of ethnic cleansing which is
deliberate and systematic. All that talk about "poor targeting"
and "mistakes" is nonsense.
The
Saker
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.