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09.01.2015 Ukrainian crisis news. War in Ukraine, Europe, Russia, Donbass, USA
Ukrainian fighters: "We are just 'cannon fodder' for Donetsk airport"
 |
| Donetsk airport captured by DPR on January 15 |
January
15, 2015
TVZvezda.ru
TVZvezda.ru
Translated from Russian by J. Hawk
The Ukrainian volunteers picketing the building of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers complain they are treated as “cannon fodder” at the Donetsk airport, and that their supporting artillery is almost out of ammunition.
“Right now we have several wounded,” told the journalists Vladislav Goranin, representing the OUN Battalion, part of which is located at the airport, while the rest in the adjacent town of Peski. We have no killed, but the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, unfortunately, does. The people in the government, judging by everything, do not understand the seriousness of what’s happening. We need to end this senseless ceasefire. We are cannon fodder, tinned meat. Not soldiers, it would seem.”
Goranin also claimed that the fighters are being supplied only by volunteers.
Another volunteer going by the call-sign of “Lemko” and citing troops located in Peski, said that during the engagements of January 13, the Ukrainian artillery fired in an unknown direction and only for half an hour.
“The ammunition supply situation is very poor,” added Lemko. “It is almost entirely exhausted. If this continues, they will not hold on for long.”
(Published January 14 , 2015)
Translator’s Note:
This sounds like a confirmation of the doubts concerning Poroshenko’s claims about Ukraine’s ability to restore its forces to combat readiness. No doubt these very visible events in which Poroshenko turned over “new” or “restored” equipment to the Ukrainian military had as much to do with attempts to boost his troops’ morale than with actually improving their combat effectiveness. Judging by this and other reports, the Novorossia militia had decided to call Poroshenko’s bluff.
Such comments also are consistent with Semenchenko’s claims that the troops’ morale and patience are at their breaking points. This gives Poroshenko an incentive to attempt another offensive operation even though the Ukrainian military does not seem prepared to carry it out. Either way, the loyalty of the troops, especially of the volunteer units, cannot be taken for granted for much longer by the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief.
P.S. On Thursday, January 15, DPR flag was raised above Donetsk Airport as NAF reported about its capture
Alexander Zakharchenko among his soldiers spoke to the Ukrainian officers who are now in the pocket of the Banderite junta and the press. Among his points: NATO weapons found at the airport; the Nazis in Kiev are conducting their torchlight marches with Nazi emblems and the West shouts: "Look how beautiful these democrats are!" ...
All I can say is that Zakharchenko has become a genuine leader in his own right and is successfully establishing his authority among the people and the troops. The story in the Lugansk Republic is different.
---Vladimir Suchan
Zakharchenko: We will go further, to Slavyansk and Kramatorsk
Head
of Donetsk Republic interview: We had to buy time to adequately
prepare for war (Part One)
14
January, 2015
Translated from Russian by Kristina Rus
Q. Today is Monday, January 12. What happened yesterday in Donetsk?
A.Z.: This didn't start yesterday, it started January 7 [Russian Orthodox Christmas]. Ukrainian authorities showed how ready they are to fulfill their agreements and what their word is worth. This was expected, though. They showed it with massive shelling of Donetsk, Gorlovka, Dokuchaevsk. Nevertheless, we were expecting it and we were prepared.
Q.: I am afraid to ask this question, but is this the end of the ceasefire?
A.Z.: Ukraine unilaterally broke the ceasefire without declaring it officially.
Q. What will be the response of DPR?
A.Z. First of all I would like to address an important issue. The militia and the citizens of Donetsk Republic have the rightful questions about why we allowed rotations, supplies of food and the removal of the wounded by the Ukrainian side at the airport. It is a failure of the Ministry of Defence, the Security Council, and my own to explain this situation to the public.
I cannot expose all the details, but I can say that it is the only concession that we had made. The reality is that we desperately need each extra day of the ceasefire: to rebuilt a normal life, to prepare for inevitable future military operation. If we take unpopular, even embarrassing steps, it is because they are essential for our army, for our economy, and more importantly for a chance to solve this crisis peacefully and to reach the people who had lost all conscience. And not to spill any extra drop of blood. But yesterdays events proved that talks with these people are fruitless. If it was up to me I would continue to allow rotations as long we could continue to strengthen our army and our economy. However, the response of our army had shown that we have prepared well so far. But I want to apologize in front of our people for failing to explain the importance of this. I would like to address the various rumors. No one is dumping anything. War is not only about "Hooray, lets attack!" People think they can shout "Hooray!" and march to Lvov. It couldn't be further from the truth. No, you cannot march to Lvov or anywhere without certain technical capabilities. You will only unnecessary spill blood and damage infrastructure, housing and industry. Dear military, do not forget that behind you are the peaceful citizens, who you should also worry about. The training and preparation of the army needs time. All our efforts were directed to maximally stretch the time so we can adequately prepare.
Q.: Was the rotation part of the ceasefire agreement?
A.Z.: Yes it was. We had to abide by it to ensure the ceasefire. Unfortunately (or luckily) the Kiev authorities took off the fake masks of humanism and peacemaking, and showed their real face.
Q.: We know that Poroshenko used the ceasefire to prepare for war. And did well. Did Donetsk Republic use this time well?
A.Z.: Yes. We had to train the fighters to use the equipment, and most importantly to improve combat coordination of divisions. I would say, we needed this time, just like USSR needed every day of 1941 before the war.
May be I will open a little secret, but you may have heard that we own 55% of Ukraine's coal. Ukrainian economy cannot survive without our coal. They can talk all they want about buying coal from South Africa, Australia or Poland. But, in USSR all the power plants were designed to operate on Donbass coal.
Q.: Are you selling coal to Ukraine?
A.Z.: Yes, we sent the first 554 cars of coal. But we haven't received payment for all of it.
Q. So Ukraine owes money to Donetsk Republic?
A.Z. Yes. But you have to understand, we cannot abandon Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Mariupol. These are all our countrymen. If we consider all of Donetsk region our land, we have to support our people.
Q.: Yatsenyuk said that Ukraine delivered gas and electricity worth of one billion to DPR. Is it true?
A.Z.: The problem is our banking system is not yet recognized world wide. Our large companies pay Ukraine for energy. They also pay taxes and into the pension fund in Ukraine. If Yatsenyuk says they are subsidizing us, then we can just ask them to pay to DPR instead.
Q.: Can Ukraine cut off DPR from energy, like Crimea?
A. Z.: No, Starobeshevskaya GES provides 15% of electricity of the entire Ukraine. It can fully provide DPR with its own energy, except for some areas near Gorlovka, which will be solved by installing some new lines. Ukraine does supply us with gas. You have to understand, this was one country, one empire - USSR, all energy systems were designed for feasibility. Yes, there is a problem with gas, but it is solvable. I think specialists in Ukraine will know what I am talking about.
Q.: Can residents of Donetsk expect a firm resistance to Ukrainian army?
A.Z.: I can guarantee that no Ukrainian soldier will set foot in Donetsk Republic. Even today the areas under fire are the same areas as before. The rest of the city is living a peaceful life. Children are playing outside. This is why I would not cease to negotiate to get the rest of our territory peacefully, while I can, to spare the lives of the elderly, women and children and my friends on the front lines, as a citizen of this city. And any one of you would do the same in my shoes - would exhaust every opportunity to pursue peace first to avoid as many victims as possible. We were frankly hoping that the Kiev authorities would realize the futility of their efforts and the endurance of our resolve, and would gradually replace their desire to fight with us with a desire to talk and trade with us.
Q.: So is there a chance for talks?
A.Z.: The problem is there are many vectors of influence in Ukraine. There is a "war camp" and a "peace camp". Both of them are further divided into radicals and moderates. One side in the "peace camp" wants peace tomorrow, another - wants to continue with current course. The "war camp" is divided between those who want to push ahead, and those who want to hold the current positions. Then there are battalion commanders, who each have their own opinion and a couple thousand men at their disposal. So its hard to tell which way the wind will blow.
Q. What were your hopes for Astana talks?
A.Z.: POW exchange, stopping the fire. To be honest, when they wanted to exchange the airport for Dokuchaevsk, I didn't sign it on September 19. Because it is our land, our fate, our children. I would not give up an inch of our land. Just the opposite - all these talks, all these efforts were directed to buy another month, another two, three or four months to prepare our army to be able to deal with the task at hand - to liberate the rest of our territory. Do you think it is easy to see what they write online, in the papers, to hear what they talk about on the buses or at the market about Zakharchenko? But I have to stay focused on the task at hand, and this is how we will achieve our victory.
Part 2 - coming soon
Please not, from what I can see the Moscow Times acts as a liberal fifth column in Moscow
Putin
an Unwelcome Guest for Some at Auschwitz Anniversary
13
January, 2015
President
Vladimir Putin is unlikely to join world leaders gathering
at the site of the Auschwitz death camp this month because
distrust caused by the conflict in Ukraine has cast a pall
on arrangements to commemorate the Holocaust.
The Nazi
camp where about 1.5 million people were killed, most of them
Jews, became a symbol of the horrors of the Holocaust
and a war that ravaged Europe. Seventy years later, conflict
and political division are hampering preparations to mark
the anniversary of its liberation.
Host
country Poland — one of the most vociferous critics
of Moscow over the Ukraine crisis — did not send
a full diplomatic invitation to Putin, wary of the
domestic political consequences of inviting the Russian
leader, according to sources briefed on arrangements
for the Jan. 27 event.
Moscow,
in turn, was upset by what it viewed as a slight
by Warsaw and has therefore not made plans for the
president to attend, said the sources, who declined to be
named due to the diplomatic sensitivity of the matter.
Putin's
absence would stand out, especially as it was Soviet troops who
liberated the camp in southern Poland in 1945,
and many of the Jews killed in the Holocaust were
Soviet citizens.
"The
victory over Nazism depended on the collective engagement
of many countries, the allies in the West but also
the Soviet army," said a senior source in the
European Jewish community, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"For
politics to interfere to exclude one country or another is
a tragic shame to the memory of the Holocaust."
Poland's
Foreign Ministry said it was not the organizer of the event
but that no country was excluded from taking part. Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the moment he could not confirm
Putin would be going, but said the president's decision would
not be affected by any stance taken by Warsaw and that
he did not feel slighted over the arrangements.
The row
over Russian representation at the 70th anniversary event
revolves around the subtleties of diplomatic protocol.
Formal
invitations to foreign delegations were sent not by the
Polish government but by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
and International Auschwitz Council, the joint organizers.
According
to a source involved in negotiations over the event,
the Polish government sent foreign states what is called a "note
verbale" about the Auschwitz events — a notification
which falls short of being a formal invitation.
The source
said Poland chose that format because it would have been unpopular
among voters at home for the authorities to send Putin
a formal invitation, in a year when presidential
and parliamentary elections will take place.
Many
ordinary Poles view the Kremlin with suspicion, opinion polls
show, a sense heightened since Russia annexed the Ukrainian
region of Crimea last year and pro-Moscow militias
in eastern Ukraine rebelled against Kiev's rule.
Warsaw
has lobbied fellow EU states for tougher sanctions on Russia
and pressed for a bolder response from NATO. Moscow
reciprocated by banning imports of many Polish food
products.
'Not Going to Happen'
The source
involved in negotiations said most countries, after receiving
the note verbale, sought clarification from Poland and then
decided to send high-level delegations — a head
of government or head of state, and in some cases
both.
But
the source said Russian officials, viewing the note as
inadequate, did not reply or seek clarification, and took
the view that if Poland wanted a top Russian official
at Auschwitz it ought to send them a formal diplomatic
invitation.
"It's
not going to happen," the source said of the
attendance of Putin, who 10 years ago had joined leaders
at Auschwitz to mark the 60th anniversary.
A Polish
government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also
said Putin was unlikely to come because Poland had not sent
a full diplomatic invitation.
A source
close to Poland's ruling party said the "climate"
was not right for Putin to come.
The Polish
Foreign Ministry said: "The Polish government has played no role
in sending invitations to any third parties."
"The
ministry of foreign affairs would also like to underline
that it is up to the Russian authorities to decide on the
level of representation at the Auschwitz commemorative
event. Everyone wishing to participate will be welcome."
The ministry
did not respond directly to questions about the note
verbale, whether the state wanted Putin to attend,
and whether political considerations were influencing
arrangements.
A spokesman
for the Auschwitz Museum said he could comment on the
composition of foreign states' delegations.
In the
neighboring Czech Republic, President Milos Zeman, a critic
of sanctions against Russia who has expressed sympathy with
Moscow's position on Ukraine, invited Putin and leaders
of the other World War II allies to a separate, smaller,
Holocaust commemoration on the same day as the Auschwitz
event.
But
the invitation to Putin angered many Czechs. The Czech
Federation of Jewish Communities distanced itself from the
invitation, citing Russia's role in Ukraine. No foreign heads
of state have confirmed they will be at the Czech event.
In English
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