Ukraine War Update - 19 February 2015

Thursday, February 19, 2015  7:58 AM PST

If Kremlin turns down peace-keepers in Ukraine, it is preparing for a big war – Portnykov

   (Zik) --- If Putin turns down Poroshenko’s idea to invite UN peace-keepers it will send a clear signal that he is preparing to wage a big war, Vitali Portnykov said in an article for Liga.net Feb. 19.

   If Putin continues the aggression it will open the way to new economic sanctions and West’s weapons to Ukraine. Putin is only too well aware of this.

   The big question today is whether Putin wants to continue the war or would prefer to quit the Donetsk massacre trying to save what remains of his image.

   The answer will be given judging by the Putin’s and West’s reaction to Poroshenko’s idea to deploy peace-keepers in Donbas.

   Peace-keepers can be the only deterrent for Putin and his separatist buddies in Donbas. They will put a stop to any plans to conquer Mariupol and other territories as the rebels will have to fire at German or French peace-keepers.

   The first such shot will cause such an outburst of international indignation that will dwarf the present level of sanctions on Russia. The sanctions will be totally different.

   For the West to send peace-keepers is simpler than arming Ukraine. However, the risk of losing even one soldier will be very costly as Europeans will ask their politicians why they had sent peace-keepers to such an unstable area.
   That is why the West will need the support of Russia on that issue. Moscow will give its support only if Putin really wants to stop the war.

   If Putin rejects the idea it will be clear that he has his sights on a big war,” Portnykov wrote.

Thursday, February 19, 2015  7:30 AM PST

More than 90 Ukrainian soldiers captured on Debaltseve bridgehead - Joint Staff

   (Censor.NET) --- The militants resorted to another provocation today being unable to announce their military successes in the battles with the Armed Forces of Ukraine – they demonstrated captured Ukrainian soldiers.

   Censor.NET reports citing the press service of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

   "The enemy information warfare overstates the number of killed and captured Ukrainian servicemen. More than 90 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were captured when they engaged in the battle with superior forces of the enemy in one of the sectors of the Debaltseve bridgehead's frontline.

   "The Joint Staff is also currently trying to locate 82 missing soldiers. A certain force is involved in search of the missing persons. In addition, we requested assistance of the OSCE special monitoring mission observers, members of the joint centre for control over the demarcation line as well as other governmental and non-governmental organizations.

   "Coming out of the Debaltseve, the Ukrainian military detained several dozen militants who are now bear testimony of their illegal activities as part of the terrorist groups.

   "Unfortunately, we lost 13 soldiers during redeployment as a result of the heavy shelling by the Russian artillery; 157 servicemen received injuries of varying severity. The vast majority of our soldiers were sent to military hospitals where they are currently receiving medical treatment," the agency noted.

Thursday, February 19, 2015  7:09 AM PST

Russia sends missile submarines to occupied Crimea and calls it an ‘impregnable fortress’

   (Censor.NET) --- Russia has taken an unprecedented decision to strengthen the defense of the recently seized Crimean peninsula.

   This was announced by Russian presidential envoy to the annexed Crimea Oleg Belaventsev, Censor.NET reports citing Espresso.TV.

   Belaventsev said that a large military group was created in the occupied peninsula and the aviation group "changed for the better."

   In addition, the Black Sea Fleet is to expand. According to the envoy, "636-project submarines with missiles on board are coming to Crimea." (NATO reporting name Improved Kilo - ed.)

   "Crimea is an impregnable fortress today," Belavenetsev boasts.

   He said that Russia has allocated significant resources to bringing order to the military infrastructure in Crimea, which is badly worn. The envoy noted the revival of the Higher Naval School in Sevastopol, as well as the creation of the Presidential Cadet School, which should also become a naval school.

   Russia annexed Crimea and Sevastopol after a pseudo referendum held on Mar. 16, 2014. Ukraine has not led a military campaign to protect the peninsula. In December 2014 Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu announced the creation of a self-contained group of forces in Crimea.

Thursday, February 19, 2015  7:01 AM PST

Lukashenka Says Belarus Ready For Dialogue With NATO

   (RFE/RL) --- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says his country is ready for a "constructive dialogue" with NATO.

Speaking to top Belarusian military officials in Minsk on February 19, Lukashenka said: "As a sovereign state we are open, in particular, to constructive dialogue with NATO on parity and transparency principles."

   He added that "we have a lot of common issues [with NATO]; joint work on which fully meets Belarus’s interests."

   Lukashenka -- who has ruled for 21 years and been called the last dictator of Europe -- said the fighting in Ukraine has shown that Belarus must have an army capable of protecting "its national interests."

   "If need be, we have to be able to defend the independence and sovereignty of our country," he said.

   Lukashenka added that additional finances will be allocated for the ongoing systemic renovation of arms in Belarusian armed forces which is scheduled to be accomplished by 2020.

Thursday, February 19, 2015  5:39 AM PST

Russia, Separatists Dismiss Ukraine Call For Peacekeepers

   (RFE/RL) --- Russia has dismissed Ukraine's calls for UN-mandated peacekeepers to enforce a shaky cease-fire deal in the country's east.

   Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said on February 19 that the truce agreement signed in Minsk last week should remain the basis for the conflict's resolution.

   He also said Kiev was responsible for making sure the accords were carried out.

Ukraine called for peacekeepers to enforce the cease-fire after government troops withdrew from the strategic town of Debaltseve following intense fighting against Russian-backed separatists.

   President Petro Poroshenko's request was approved by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council at an emergency meeting late on February 18.

Poroshenko told the council that "the best format would be a police mission from the European Union."

   He said such a force would be "the most effective and best guarantee for security."

   Russia's RIA Novosti news agency quoted Denis Pushilin, a rebel leader in Donetsk region, as saying the presence of peacekeepers would "violate" the Minsk agreement.

   Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Poroshenko's proposal put into doubt Ukraine's resolve to fulfil the Minsk agreement.

   "When someone, instead of doing what he has signed up to, suggests a new scheme and so soon, that raises suspicions that he wants to destroy the Minsk accords," he was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

   Maciej Popowski, deputy secretary-general of the EU's External Action Service, said on February 19 that "there needs to be more clarity" on Poroshenko's proposal before deciding on sending troops to Ukraine.

   Under the Minsk deal, meant to quell a conflict that has killed more than 5,600 people since April 2014, both sides were due to lay down their arms on February 15 and begin withdrawing heavy armour from the front lines two days later.

   The cease-fire has been broadly observed in eastern Ukraine and some heavy weaponry is said to have been withdrawn by both sides.

   But the rebels continued their assault on Debaltseve, a railway hub linking the main separatist-held cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.

   Poroshenko said nearly 2,500 government troops retreated from the town on February 18.

   Ukraine's army said 13 soldiers were killed and 157 wounded during what Kiev described as "a planned and organized withdrawal."

   It also said more than 90 troops were captured and 82 were still missing after rebels seized Debaltseve.

   Basurin said more than 3,000 Ukrainian servicemen were killed during the "Debaltseve operation" and that more than 300 soldiers were taken prisoner.

   On February 19, shelling was reported in the rebel-held city of Donetsk, with artillery fire shaking buildings in the city center.

   And Ukrainian military spokesman Anatoliy Stelmakh said rebels heavily shelled government-held positions in Shyrokine, near the coastal town of Mariupol, during the day.

   Meanwhile, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France, the four parties to the Minsk accords, held further talks over the phone on February 19.

   The French presidency said the leaders denounced the cease-fire breaches and called for "the implementation of the full package of measures agreed in Minsk" including a full cease-fire, withdrawal of heavy weapons, and the release of prisoners.

   Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had insisted the rebels' actions in Debaltseve had not violated the cease-fire because it was encircled by rebel forces at the time of the agreement, something Kiev rejects.

   The rebel advance, which defied the cease-fire brokered in Minsk by Germany and France, has been widely condemned.

   NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said "the refusal of the separatists to respect the cease-fire" threatened the peace agreement.

   Stoltenberg also said "Russian forces, artillery, and air defense units as well as command and control elements are still active in Ukraine."

   He urged Russia to end its support for the separatists and withdraw its forces and military equipment from eastern Ukraine.

   Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of sending in troops and weapons to spearhead the assault on Debaltseve, something Moscow denies.

   The White House said Russia has failed to live up to terms of the deal and is "at risk of greater costs" such as further sanctions.

   The U.S. State Department said it does not consider the cease-fire "dead," but expressed concern about ongoing violence.

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on February 18 urged Moscow to stop attacks by Russian troops and separatist fighters against Ukrainian government troops.

   In Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, described the military actions of the separatists in Debaltseve as a "major violation" of the latest truce deal and a "heavy strain" on hopes for peace.

   French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said his country would do "everything to keep the agreement alive."

Thursday, February 19, 2015  3:22 AM PST

14 Ukrainian soldiers killed, 172 wounded Wednesday - NSDC

   (Censor.NET) --- Over the past day, 14 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the ATO area.

   Another 172 soldiers received injuries. This was announced by the ATO speaker Andrii Lysenko at a briefing on Thursday, Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.

   "We lost 14 Ukrainian soldiers, another 172 were wounded," Lysenko said.
   As reported, Ukrainian soldiers started pulling out from Debaltseve, the Donetsk region, on Feb. 18. The Joint Staff announced that 22 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fighting for the city over the past three days.

Thursday, February 19, 2015  3:18 AM PST

Russian warplanes exercised strikes on simulated enemy convoys in proximity to Donbas

   (Censor.NET) --- A training mission of warplanes, which involved more than 10 Su-34 strike fighters subordinate to the Southern Military District, was completed today in the south of the Russian Federation in proximity to the hostilities area in Donbas.

   The press service of the Southern Military District of Russia statement reads, Censor.NET reports citing Liga.

   "The Su-34 squadron crews have accomplished the mission of delivering massive air strikes on targets simulating the enemy military equipment convoys," the statement reads. It is noted that the pilots provided covering fire to advancing and defending motorized rifle and tank detachments "under simulated battlefield conditions."

   The crews committed more than 20 missions having used nearly 40 bombs of different types as part of the exercise.

   It should be reminded that two Su-34 fighters were involved during the Russian intervention in Georgia in 2008.

   The Su-34 strike fighter is primarily designed for high-precision air strikes including with nuclear weapons against ground and naval targets in daytime and at night. 57 such warplanes were in service with the Russian Federation Armed Forces as of Dec. 22, 2014.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015  23:47 PST

Volunteer battalions form coordinating HQ - Semenchenko

   (Zik) --- Speaking to journalists in Dnipropetrovsk late Wednesday, Rada lawmaker and ‘Donbas’ volunteers’ battalion CO Semen Semenchenko announced the formation of a joint HQs by several Ukraine battalions of volunteers, Radio Svoboda reports Feb. 19.

   The developments of the past weeks have demonstrated the inability of the general staff to command the troops effectively, he said.

   “We decided to form a joint HQs of volunteer battalions to preserve Ukraine’s independence, return the annexed territories, fight corruption, make order in Ukraine and help the president at this dire hour,” he said.

   So far, 10 battalions have signed the declaration on forming the HQs.

   The new structure will help the volunteers to coordinate their efforts in reconnaissance data exchange, drawing out plans of future operations, and so on.

Semenchenko once again demanded that the general staff command be replaced.

   Ukrainian servicemen should not die because of the inefficiency, illiteracy and irresponsibility of their commanders, he stressed.
   Many say about the friction between the army command and volunteers who often challenged their orders. The army, on their part, kept volunteer battalions short-supplied and short-equipped, assigning them to the most dangerous areas.