Ukraine War Update - 16 March 2015

Monday, March 16, 2015  8:07 AM PDT

Militants trying to get close to Mariupol, using 'wandering' tanks tactic

   KIEV, March 16 (Ukrinform). --- The situation near the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol remains tense, with a task force of the militants to the north of Novoazovsk continuing to be reinforced.

   Head of the Information Resistance group Dmytro Tymchuk wrote this on his Facebook page.

   He specified that six units of towed artillery weapons, as well as one Strela-10M SAM were transferred to the task force through the village of Maksymovo.

   "In this direction the enemy keeps trying to push the Ukrainian troops back closer to Mariupol, firing on the positions of ATO forces. They are said to have used the tactic of 'wandering' tanks and mortar detachments," Tymchuk wrote.

   He also said militant troops in the Donbas continue to grossly violate the ceasefire by launching attacks on positions of Ukrainian troops. Attacks are carried out mainly with small arms, but occasionally using mortars and other heavy infantry weapons. There have also been several cases of armoured vehicles and artillery being used.

Monday, March 16, 2015  7:34 AM PDT

Six convoys with weapons arrive in Ilovaisk and Debaltseve from Russia

   KIEV, March 16 (Ukrinform). --- Russian-backed militants continue to actively replenish stocks of material resources, focusing on the accumulation of fuel and ammunition.

   Head of the Information Resistance group Dmytro Tymchuk wrote this on his Facebook page.

   "For the last two days we have recorded the arrival of six targeted convoys of supplies from the Russian Federation, including two trains each with eight wagons. The destinations of these trains were Debaltseve and Ilovaisk," he wrote.

Monday, March 16, 2015  6:58 AM PDT

One Ukrainian soldier killed in Donbas in past 24 hours

   KIEV, March 16 (Ukrinform). --- One Ukrainian soldier has been killed in the area of the anti-terrorist operation in past 24 hours.

   Spokesman for the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine Andriy Lysenko said this at a briefing in Kiev on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

   "During the last day one Ukrainian serviceman has been killed, no soldiers have been injured," Lysenko said.

Monday, March 16, 2015  6:39 AM PDT

Poroshenko blames militants for continually violating ceasefire

   (Interfax) --- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the Minsk accords on settling the conflict in Donbas were not being implemented in full.

   "Ukraine observes each single point of the Minsk agreements and instantly abided by the ceasefire accord. The pro-Russian militants did everything the other way round," Poroshenko said in an interview with the German newspaper Bild, posted on its website on Monday.

   Soon after the truce was achieved "the militants attacked Debaltseve, which left 68 Ukrainian soldiers killed and 380 wounded," he said.

   Poroshenko said, meanwhile, that the militants had not been using missile launchers and other heavy weapons "as they did before," which, he said, is a welcome fact. "The truth is, however, that the agreement does not work. Minsk is our hope, not a reality. They claim they are removing weapons, but monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have not been able to control this process," Poroshenko said.

Monday, March 16, 2015  5:38 AM PDT

EU Worried By Military Buildup, Human Rights Situation In Crimea

   (RFE/RL) --- The European Union has said it will stick to its policy of not recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and expressed concern over what it said was a military buildup on the peninsula.

   EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a March 16 statement that the 28-member bloc "remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity." 

   Mogherini's statement came on the anniversary of a March 16 referendum that Russia used as the main justification for its annexation of Crimea, which has been denounced as illegal by Kiev, the EU, the United States, and many other nations.

   "The European Union does not recognize and continues to condemn this act of violation of international law," Mogherini said.

   She said the EU "will remain committed to fully implement its nonrecognition policy, including through restrictive measures."
   "The EU reaffirms its deep concern at the continuous military buildup and deterioration of the human rights situation in the Crimean peninsula, including the denial of free speech and the persecution of persons belonging to minorities," she said. 

Monday, March 16, 2015  5:22 AM PDT

Poroshenko: militants violate truce more than 1000 times since signing Minsk-II

   KIEV, March 16 (Ukrinform). --- Russia and pro-Russian terrorists ignore the Minsk agreements and violate the ceasefire in Donbas.

   Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said this in an interview with Germany's Bild newspaper on the eve of his visit to Berlin, according to DW.

   "More than 60 firing attacks by the Russian side are registered every day - all in all the truce has been violated 1,100 times," the Ukrainian president said.

   According to him, Ukraine has implemented "every single provision of the Minsk agreements" and the implementation was immediate.

Friday, March 13, 2015  10:18 AM PDT

Poroshenko: The first 30 armoured Humvees to arrive to Ukraine next week

   (Censor.NET) --- The first batch of armoured Humvees for the army will arrive to Ukraine next week.

   President Poroshenko said at a meeting with the "volunteer descent" of the Ministry of Defense, Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.

   "I have good news. The first 30 armoured Humvees will be brought to us by plane next week," he said.

   As reported, the U.S. will provide additional non-lethal assistance to Ukraine in the field of security. The president's press office informed March 11 that President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has thanked U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden during phone conversation for additional non-lethal U.S. security assistance to Ukraine, particularly drones, radios, counter-mortar radars, night vision devices and other equipment worth $75 million, as well as 230 Humvees.

Friday, March 13, 2015  9:27 AM PDT

"We were ready to do it," Putin admitted he could use nuclear weapons while annexing Crimea

   (Censor.NET) --- Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Kremlin could alert nuclear forces if annexation of Crimea did not go well.

   Putin spoke about this in a documentary about the occupation of the peninsula called Crimea: The Way Home, shown on Russia 1 TV channel, Censor.NET reports.

   "On the first phase of the work I immediately had to orient our armed forces properly. Not only to orient, but to give direct orders over the possible behavior of Russia and our armed forces in any scenario," Putin said.

   Answering the question about whether Russia was ready to alert nuclear forces if annexation of Crimea did not go well, Russian president said: "We were ready to do it."
   Putin also said that Bastion missile complexes were deployed in the Crimea so that they could be seen from space.