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Ukrainian
Forces Concentrate Along Front Line: Russia
First
Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia in UN Alexander Pankin
claims that the ceasefire regime in Ukraine is turning into Ukrainian
forces concentrating along the front line.
13
November, 2014
UNITED
NATIONS, November 13 (RIA Novosti) — The ceasefire regime in
Ukraine is turning into Ukrainian forces concentrating along the
front line, First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia in UN
Alexander Pankin said at the Security Council meeting.
"On
the contrary, over the past period the ceasefire is actually turning
into a concentration of Ukrainian forces [on the lines of the
front]," Pankin said.
He
also said that NATO's claims concerning the alleged movement of
Russian forces on the territory of Ukraine were "propagandistic
falsifications", as no proof of it has been provided.
"We
are also hearing broad declarations from NATO regarding the sending
of convoys and Russian fighters from Russia. But that isn't actually
reflecting the situation on the ground. These are empty statements
and the usual propagandistic falsifications," Pankin said.
He
added that the Russian-Ukrainian border currently drew particular
attention and could easily be monitored from space.
The
conflict in Ukraine escalated in mid-April, when Kiev launched a
military operation against independence supporters in eastern Ukraine
who refused to recognize the new government that came to power as a
result of the February coup.
The
West has accused Moscow of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs and
escalating the crisis, although Russia has repeatedly denied any
involvement.
On
September 5, Ukrainian government forces and the independence
supporters reached a ceasefire agreement in Minsk. On September 19,
the sides signed a memorandum specifying steps for the implementation
of the Minsk protocol. The opposing sides have subsequently accused
one another of violating the truce
Claims
on dispatching of Russian troops to Ukraine a propaganda concoction -
RF diplomat
No
response by OSCE to Ukrainian army actions "adds fuel to
flames", Russia's First Deputy Ambassador to the UN said
13
November, 2014
UNITED
NATIONS, November 13. /TASS/. Assertions about the dispatching of
Russian troops to Ukraine are nothing more than a propaganda
concoction, Alexander Pankin, Russia's First Deputy Ambassador to the
UN said on Wednesday at a session of the UN Security Council.
“No
one presents real facts or evidence of this. That is why it is
nothing but talk. This is a usual propaganda concoction,” Pankin
told a session of the UN Security Council, adding that Kiev spread
rumours about Russia allegedly sending troops and weapons to Ukraine
“to excuse its failures and mass dispatches of people and equipment
to the front”.
Also
he said that the lack of response by the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to the
actions of the Ukrainian armed forces “adds fuel to the flames”
of the conflict.
“Unfortunately
we have to recognise that an almost total lack of response by the
OSCE mission to the Ukrainian armed forces and other military
formations moving and consolidating their position adds fuel to the
flames,” Pankin told a session of the UN Security Council, noting
reports that heavy artillery and tanks were observed near the town of
Karlovka in the Donetsk region on November 9.
On November 8, the
Ukrainian military was reported to relocate to the Lugansk region its
Grad and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems alongside Scud
tactical missiles.
“Why
do they say nothing about these facts? It should be clear to everyone
that the lack of information on that point in OSCE reports creates a
false and provocative picture of all that is happening,” the
diplomat dded.
Russia
also wants the United Nations Security Council to remain compact. It
also considers any ideas infringing on the right of veto by the
Council’s permanent members to be unacceptable.
“Any
ideas leading to infringement on the prerogatives of the current
permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, including the
institute of veto, are unacceptable for us. It should be remembered
that this institute is a vital factor that stimulates the Council
members to search for balanced decisions. Any encroachment on this
right would be wrong both from historical and political points of
view,” Pankin told the U.N. General Assembly meeting devoted to the
Security Council reform.
The
Russian diplomat noted that Moscow was ready to consider any
reasonable options for expanding the Security Council line-up,
including a compromise solution that should be based on broad U.N.
consent.
At
the same time, Pankin noted, the U.N. Security Council should
preserve its ability to react promptly and efficiently to emerging
challenges.
“This
is particularly important in conditions when trouble spots are
growing on our planet,” Pankin said adding that the optimal number
of Security Council members should not exceed 20 states.
Ukraine mini-SITREP: still expecting an attack
12 November, 2014
Novorussia is still
expecting a Ukrainian attack. First, according
to RT,
"Kiev
is not fully committed to the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine,
Russian deputy UN ambassador Aleksandr Pankin said during
Wednesday's UN Security Council meeting. He added that the
Ukrainian military is amassing forces along the front line".
Then from the Novorussian front lines, we have the
blogger Colonel Cassad who
reports that a friend of his has just visited Donetsk and spoke with
some top people - including 'Motorola' - and that she reports
that:
1. The airport has not yet been fully taken and that combat operations are still taking place there and that both sides are engaged in artillery battles.
1. The airport has not yet been fully taken and that combat operations are still taking place there and that both sides are engaged in artillery battles.
2. The shelling of Makeevka has been strongly reduced thanks to the counter-battery fire of the Novorussians against Nazi positions in Avdeevka and Peski. They are trying to stop the Ukie shelling of the city of Donets.
3. They are still expecting a Ukie attack and the NAF are preparing for defensive combat operations. Novorussian soliders are reporting that Polish soliders are deployed north of Dontesk.
It could go either way, I suppose, and this might be yet another false alert.
A quick note about sources:
Speaking of 'Cassad', I want to recommend him again as one of the best sources of info about the situation Novorussia. Along with another blogger, "Basketok", he provides very good info. The other big quality of Cassad is that he is very factual and avoids all the hysterics that so many bloggers tend to engage in. While Cassad writes in Russian, somebody is translating his writings into English and doing a very good job. Check out the 'English Cassad' blog and, as a good example, this November 11th translation of an article published by the Russian Cassad on the 10th. Today is the 12 but the info contained is still valid and interesting. In other words, the Cassad+English Cassad combo provides pretty solid info, pretty fast. Frankly, as English language sources go, I recommend Colonel Cassad's blog as the first place to go.
Second, I recommend Russia Insider. No, not because I am a contributor there, but because there is *a lot* of fresh info there, and that it's "reach of topics" is wider than Cassad's. So Cassad for fresh info about Novorussia, Russia Insider as fresh "context info". RT? Alas, no. I like CrossTalk a lot, but that is a discussion show, not a source of info. But the info on RT is mostly stale and vague. There is also the Voice of Sevastopol in English and the Youtube channels of Kazurra and Anti-Maidan (with whom Basketok is associated). That's about all the English-language news sources about the Ukraine I could recommend. As a general news website to go to I would recommend Information Clearing House and the Asia Times (especially anything written by Pepe Escobar).
The
western perspective
Ukraine
Tells Army to Prepare for Battle as Tensions Rise
13
November, 2014
Ukraine’s
defense minister said the military should prepare for clashes as
growing tensions in the nation’s eastern combat zone threatened to
boil over into open conflict. Bond yields jumped to a record high.
The
separatists and their Russian backers are amassing troops in the
areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions they’ve seized, Defense
Minister Stepan Poltorak told a government meeting today in Kiev. One
Ukrainian serviceman died and five were wounded in the past 24 hours,
a military spokesman said. There was no independent confirmation of
their accounts.
“The
separatists and their Russian sponsors are getting ready to move
again militarily,” said Joerg Forbrig, senior program director at
the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. in Berlin. “That’s being
anticipated by Ukraine, and the Ukrainian side is taking measures.”
Pressure
has been building for days in eastern Ukraine, with the government
and the militants accusing each other of gearing up for a renewed
military push that risks swelling the conflict’s death toll of more
than 4,000. Friction over the region’s fate is driving a wedge
between Russia and its former Cold War foes. President Vladimir Putin
denies stoking the unrest.
Yields
Surge
The
yield on Ukraine’s dollar-denominated note maturing July 2017
jumped 171 basis points to 17.79 percent by 3:19 p.m. in Kiev. The
hryvnia gained 0.7 percent to 15.74 per dollar after earlier
weakening to a record 15.99, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
It’s slumped 14 percent in the past five sessions.
Bondholders
are pulling out of Ukraine after the military said yesterday that the
rebels are mobilizing forces across the war-torn east. The conflict
will deepen the country’s recession, further deplete
foreign-currency reserves and weaken the hryvnia, JPMorgan Chase &
Co. said yesterday in a report.
Near
the center of Donetsk, the biggest city in the conflict zone, the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said yesterday
its monitors saw a convoy of 43 unmarked military trucks. Several of
the vehicles were towing howitzers and multi-launch rocket systems,
according to the OSCE.
“We
see reinforcement,” Poltorak said today. “We follow their
movements, we know about their locations and of course we expect
their unpredictable actions. The main task is now to prepare for
conducting military actions.”
‘Violent
Conflict’
The
rebels say they’ve been shelled by Ukrainian forces 30 times during
the past three days, according to the website.
German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters yesterday in
Berlin that events on the ground suggest “the parties are making
renewed preparations for violent conflict.”
The
U.S. and the European Union blame Russia for fueling the latest
tensions and say it hasn’t adhered to a Sept. 5 cease-fire signed
in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. European nations may tighten
sanctions as a result.
EU
foreign ministers will discuss “restrictive measures” against
Russia when they meet next week, Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU
foreign-affairs chief Federica Mogherini, said yesterday.
Further
economic penalties aren’t planned, with the bloc considering
targeting people associated with “illegal” elections in
rebel-held areas of Ukraine on Nov. 2, German Chancellor Angela
Merkel said.
Russia’s
ruble, which has fared worse than any other currency during the past
three months, was 0.1 percent stronger at 46.2996 per dollar at 4:18
p.m. in Moscow.
Ukrainian
Neo-Nazi Commander: “The US is Training and Funding Us”
12
November, 2014
A
commander of one of the Ukrainian neo-nazi battalions,
the Donbass,Semyon Semyonchenko, has just returned from the US,
where he met with senior senators from both parties, and received
commitments of material support.
He
was also received by IRI (International Republican Institute) and NDI
(National Democratic Institute), the international branches of the
two main American political parties, and met with democratic
Senator Robert Menendez and republican senator Robert Corker.
“Menendez and Corker are the two senators who have sponsored the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, a bill that will allocate money to provide assistance to Ukraine, including the supply of weapons. Radar, anti-tank weapons, drones, communications systems and many other useful things for our army. “
One
of the main goals of his trip was to get training and much more from
the US military. Judging by his FB post, it seems he has
accomplished this.
“Yesterday I signed a contract to organize training courses for the fighters and officers of the battalion Donbass by mobile groups of instructors from the United States, held by military that are not currently in service.
They will work under the traditional training system used by the Navy Seals and Delta Force. Standards have been developed for each department (reconnaissance, special forces, security, etc.) and for each non-commissioned officer.
Particular attention will be paid to the individual training and teamwork. We will use the maximum number of practical exercises.
Another important point is the training of sergeants (NCOs) to allow it to act independently and managing a team.
The instructors will also be used to prepare the internal security forces, and that training is one of the forms of indirect assistance that Ukraine is receiving.
After
his meeting with NDI and IRI he also added:
“They were very useful talks. We explained to them the situation in Ukraine as objectively as possible. We are confident that everything will go according to plan as we hoped. “
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