Crisis in the Ukraine

Jura said:

I just noticed ИТАР-ТАСС had recently reported (I'm sorry but can't find a link in English)

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somebody "during a day in Donetsk" tried to assassin

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but failed (only a driver was wounded) ... I don't know if it's true or important, but during the conflict this is the first report of that kind I've heard about

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it is conceivable that someone would make such attempt. but the way i see it this is no more than a mere manifestation of the ukrainian government's desperation and carries little strategic weight. even if they were successful, i doubt it would slow down the rebels a single bit.

and now that this attempt had failed, the rebel leaders should be smart enough to develop a succession plan in case the worst does happen.

now for ukraine and NATO countries in general, assassinating putin wouldnt be a bad idea, though the risks are a bit high.

I would say that if US' use of sanctions to get rid of Putin fails then it is conceivable to remove him physically in order for US to continue to dominate EU.

pla101prc said:

it is conceivable that someone would make such attempt. but the way i see it this is no more than a mere manifestation of the ukrainian government's desperation and carries little strategic weight. even if they were successful, i doubt it would slow down the rebels a single bit.

and now that this attempt had failed, the rebel leaders should be smart enough to develop a succession plan in case the worst does happen.

now for ukraine and NATO countries in general, assassinating putin wouldnt be a bad idea, though the risks are a bit high.

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I think the big news today, is the almost total lack of news.

Which is strange, considering all the rapid developments on the ground and in the International arena of the last few days.

Let us not beat about the bush, any story which potentially puts major world and nuclear powers against each other, should be the lead story of the day. So for this story to play second fiddle to defecting Tory MP's Historic Sex abuse scandals or even sick children taken abroad by their relatives is puzzling.

I mean seriously, would they interrupt the three minute warning on TV so that we can have a celebrity sex abuse scandal update? Or could it be that behind the sound and fury, nobody actually believes the accusations and are just paying lip service.

So Russians Forces are in Ukraine and Putin will have to pay the price. I do remember saying at the beginning of this crisis that this was the problem with sanctions. When I go shopping I have to pay the price, when I buy something, so is the West simply quoting the going price of Ukraine, in part or in whole?

The near total lack of hard news from the Donbass is however maddening! Rumours that the new super cauldron is sealed by the capture of Volnovakha, halfway down the Donetsk, Mariupol highway. Stories that Mariupol has been beseiged and the militia have taken a city in the next coastal region along. Calims from Kiev that its forces trapped south of Lugansk have been forced out of the city of Novosvetlovka, thus presumably clearing the Lugansk - Krasnodon/Russia highway.
Rumours of mass surrenders, Rumours of mass defections across the Russian border, rumours of mass retreat from Donetsk etc, but nothing confirmed!

At a time of uncertainly, its good to know that some constants can be relied upon to provide consistency in life and a farcical map from the BBC is up there with the best of them.



There has obviously been a look of uncertainty as too how to try and spin things as this is the third version in the last 24 hours. It still shows Gorlovka has being under Government control and a host of other items of pure wishful thinking. The BBC must be getting tired of being ripped for publishing the nonsense as it is now carrying the disclaimer that it came direct from Kiev.

I just hope we get a proper SITREP and map tomorrow.

Edit: Just found the map dated 29th Aug, found it on Slavyangrad.org

Dannhill said:

I would say that if US' use of sanctions to get rid of Putin fails then it is conceivable to remove him physically in order for US to continue to dominate EU.

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yea i am not sure why the US never learn, if economic sanctions work, we would have rid ourselves of the kim family, assad, putin, and dubya would have been saved of the trouble to take down saddam.

SampanViking said:

I think the big news today, is the almost total lack of news.
...

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lol bbc is still using the same map? it is time that their editorial department sit down and do some serious soul-searching about professional war journalism.

what i heard on twitter was that NAF does not plan on attacking mariupol just yet. i guess they really wanna drag this on to effect maximum damage on ukraine's economy. by they i actually mean putin.

pla101prc said:

lol bbc is still using the same map? it is time that their editorial department sit down and do some serious soul-searching about professional war journalism.

what i heard on twitter was that NAF does not plan on attacking mariupol just yet. i guess they really wanna drag this on to effect maximum damage on ukraine's economy. by they i actually mean putin.

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They are not still using the same map. But each map they use turns out to be ridiculous. But they do note the source is the Ukraine National Security & Defence Council so they are not reponsible?

pla101prc said:

yea i am not sure why the US never learn, if economic sanctions work, we would have rid ourselves of the kim family, assad, putin, and dubya would have been saved of the trouble to take down saddam.

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Well, look at the shadow of their former selves of Saddam (before 2003), Assad, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, the former USSR (they lost the Cold War economically), and Gadaffi (before 2006). Economic sanctions definitely work, they just may not be sufficient for a direct and speedy death blow on their own.

In fact one of the primary reasons why foreign powers seized the chance to take Gadaffi out once there was sufficient domestic unrest in Libya was because he was on the cusp of successfully transforming Libya into an economically dynamic country which was hostile to the powers that be and would have upset the status quo in Africa.

Well in the absence of real sitreps from the front here's a tiny piece of human interest story.

Well known Russian historian and writer goes to Ukraine to fight alongside the separatists. He was beaten up by anti-Russians a few years back because of his pro-Russia research and writings.

You can Google on his name.

SampanViking said:

I think the big news today, is the almost total lack of news.

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31st August sitrep is up.



Of human interest is the mention of letting some of the trapped Kiev forces leave their cauldron in exchange for the captured Russian paratroopers.

"The process of "humanitarian corridor" began today, where a part of the junta's troops were effectively let out of the cauldron in exchange for the release of "Russian paratroopers" and for some compromises that are not named."

The northern LPR militia is still the separatists' weak link because it is not under a unified command and hence concerted action was not possible. Re the Donetsk airport which still remained under Kiev hands for far too long.

Seems the separatists are under pressure from Moscow to accept a negotiated settlement and not press on further west with their offensive.

Dannhill said:

31st August sitrep is up.

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Of human interest is the mention of letting some of the trapped Kiev forces leave their cauldron in exchange for the captured Russian paratroopers.

"The process of "humanitarian corridor" began today, where a part of the junta's troops were effectively let out of the cauldron in exchange for the release of "Russian paratroopers" and for some compromises that are not named."

The northern LPR militia is still the separatists' weak link because it is not under a unified command and hence concerted action was not possible. Re the Donetsk airport which still remained under Kiev hands for far too long.

Seems the separatists are under pressure from Moscow to accept a negotiated settlement and not press on further west with their offensive.

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i respectively disagree with your last point. I happen to think that the militants would need no outside pressure at all to begin negotiations with ukrainian government. this war has taken as much toll on them thus far as it has on ukraine. in addition, negotiation with the militants signifies formal political recognition, something the militants would jump at, it is after all what they are fighting for.

col cossad's input on lugansk is a display of at least an effort at impartiality, in contrast to western media's laughable distortion or even invention of facts. nevertheless i think he is getting a little far ahead of everyone in suggesting that zaporozhye is on the menu. zaporozhye is about 200km away from DPR's FLOT. with many pockets to mop up and heavy enemy presence on its northern flank, a full assault on zaporozhye is unthinkable at this point. plus if the militants really wanna go that far they cannot do without air power, making such capability avail would be yet another very significant escalation, the economic price of which moscow will need to weigh carefully.

of course i can see the virtue of taking zaporozhye. aside from its industrial relevance, it is also strategically situated. because dnipro river is wider in the southern half, with only two bridges in the vicinity of crimea, capturing zaporozhye could effectively cutoff a large chunk of ukraine from the rest of the country. if the militants can do that it'd be huge.