Ukraine War Update - Thursday 20 August 2015

Thursday, August 20, 2015  8:29 AM PDT

'Great Wall of Ukraine': Russian border fortification less than 10% built

   (Ukraine Today) --- Officials say mammoth task underway despite lack of control of frontier in Donetsk region

   It's a project dubbed the ‘Great Wall of Ukraine'- a defensive structure along the Russian border. Its purpose is not only to thwart any military advance from neighboring forces– but also a symbol of the new divide between Moscow and the European mainland.

   Some 180 kilometers of anti-tank ditches have been dug, officials say. On top of this, 40 km of barbed wire and 500 fortification obstacles have also been erected. Over the next three years, the project is earmarked to cost more than four billion Ukrainian hryvnia, currently equivalent to about USD 180 million. 

   Some activists have criticized the project. They argue that with hundreds of kilometers of border under militant-control in eastern Ukraine, the fortification serves little purpose. Despite this officials say the plan remains on track.

   Viktor Nazarenko, Ukrainian border guard service head: "This year, we are mainly concentrating our work on creating engineering structures. Next year, we will strengthen protections, through the creation of smaller elements and the introduction of technical security and in the third year, security measures using combat elements will also be completed."

   Ukrainian officials say the wall will also improve the business climate and bring Ukraine closer to NATO membership and EU integration.

   Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has previously claimed the fortifications would further reassure Ukraine's European partners that it is in full control of its borders.

Thursday, August 20, 2015  8:14 AM PDT

State Border Guard Service intends to adopt several vessels for Coast Guard

   (Censor.NET) --- The State Border Guard Service intends to purchase three ships and 18 boats before 2020.

   This is stated in the draft strategy of the State Border Guard Service, Censor.NET informs citing Ukrainski Novyny.

   The statement reads that it is planned to significantly improve the coast guard fleet and air transport force before the reforming of the agency expires in 2020.

   Thus it is scheduled to adopt one capital ship and three capital boats, two ships of the third rank, five boats of the second rank, and 10 small boats.

   It is also planned to acquire 11 unmanned flying vehicles.

   Moreover, it is planned to acquire four light patrol planes, 24 light patrol helicopters and 194 unmanned aircraft systems until 2020.

Thursday, August 20, 2015  7:49 AM PDT

Ukrainian-U.S. joint Sea Breeze naval exercise to start on last day of summer

   (Interfax) --- Ukraine and the United States will be holding a naval exercise, Sea Breeze, in Odessa and Mykolaiv Regions and in the northwestern part of the Black Sea from August 31 - September 12.

   "The Ukrainian-U.S. naval exercise, Sea Breeze-2015, involving representatives from other countries' navies, is due to be held in Odessa and Mykolaiv regions and in the northwestern part of the Black Sea from August 31 - September 12," a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Armed Forces Navy Command said on Thursday.

   The aim of the exercise is to practice a multinational security operation in a crisis region. The exercise aims to increase the level of confidence and security in the region and improve compatibility between the Ukrainian Navy and NATO member and partner navies.

   It was reported earlier that the Sea Breeze exercise will involve up to 2,500 military personnel, with Ukraine represented by up to 1,000 troops, up to nine ships, eight helicopters and airplanes, and up to 50 wheeled vehicles; the U.S., by up to 1,000 troops, up to five ships, two submarines and up to 40 wheeled vehicles.

Thursday, August 20, 2015  4:12 AM PDT

Ukraine army Aug. 19 losses – 4 dead, 14 wounded

   (Zik) --- Aug. 19, Ukraine army lost 4 servicemen as dead and 14 as wounded in the fighting with Russian troops and rebels in Donbas, presidential spokesman told journalists Aug. 20, Interfax-Ukrayina reports.

   The fiercest fighting was in the Donetsk airport area, with the enemy using heavy artillery banned by the Minsk agreements.
   The rebels refuse to withdraw heavy artillery, Grad missile batteries and tanks 30 km away from the touchline. They deny access to OSCE monitors to inspect the areas of alleged deployment of their weapons.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015  23:13 PDT

Rebels threaten to kill observers, OSCE complains

   (Zik) --- OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine deputy head Alexander Hug said at the Aug. 19 briefing in Donetsk that the rebels had threatened to kill OSCE observers if they would come again to Bezimenne, Novoazovsk rayon, UNIAN reports.

The OSCE official also complained about the obstruction of travel to OSCE observers by the rebels.

A. Hug told the rebels impair the operation of OSCE drones. In some cases, military jamming equipment was used to stall the overflights of the drones.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015  22:55 PDT

Prosecutors establish details of deadly Sartana village shelling

   (Zik) --- The shelling of Satrana village near Mariupol was done from the rebel-controlled territory, Donetsk oblast prosecutors say.

   Important, the prosecutors established the direction of the shelling, basing their conclusions on the angles at which the shells (some of them found unexploded) entered the ground. The angle clearly pointed to the rebel-held territories. 

   It was also established that self-propelled SAU artillery was used in the midnight attack that killed 3 and wounded 6 civilians.  

Wednesday, August 19, 2015  22:35 PDT

Donetsk governor predicts Putin’s plans on Independence Day

   (Zik) --- Chances that Putin will launch a massive attack on Ukraine on or around Aug. 24 (Independence Day) are highly probable, says Donetsk Governor Pavlo Zhebrivsky, Replyua reports Aug. 20.

   Pres Putin has many times expressed his scorn for Ukraine and Ukrainians, he says. The tragic Ilovajsk encirclement was schemed to coincide with the ID last year.

   The number of enemy shellings is increasing with every day. The rebels have issued a leaflet describing the procedure of humiliating march in Donetsk of a column of Ukraine army POWs. 

   All this indicates Putin’s plans to foul up on the big Ukrainian holiday.

   This year, however, Ukraine won’t do as bad as last year, with the Ukrainian army much better trained and equipped to repulse Russian attacks, Zhebrivsky said.