Ukraine: Pro-Coup-Government Forces Hit Hard

July 11, 2014

The pro-federation forces in east Ukraine seem to have severely hit the coup-government's army which is attempting to surround and attack them.

The Ukrainian 79th and 24th brigades from Lviv, western Ukraine, bunched up over night in some place around Zelenopliya between the south-eastern rebel positions and the nearby Russian border. They were hit by a barrage of grad rockets fired by the pro-federation forces. First pictures available on the Internet show many destroyed vehicle – main battle tanks, APCs, trucks – probably the result of secondary (ammunition) explosions.

The not yet confirmed casualty count is 67 killed and 175 wounded government soldiers.

This major loss could lead to a new assessment of the situation by the government side and then to serious attempts to negotiate a ceasefire. It could also lead to further military escalations.

Posted by b on July 11, 2014 at 12:55 UTC | Permalink

Comments

Russian Spring
Donetsk. 07/14/2014-22:51
Strelkov:

Crossed in a car Lugansk two times toward Krasnodon and back. Both trips were quite. Did not notice serious destruction either – just road potholes in several places from shells and bombs.
Three shot down warplanes of Ukrainian Air Force were confirmed. Two “Sus” and one “An-26”. Captured were three pilots. Today in Lugansk region, the opponent could not accomplish any advance.
Here, battles continued in area of Snezhnoye. Our only tank successfully destroyed 2 armored carriers at point blank, other 4 scuttled in fear into Ukrainian own minefield along the border, where blew up and burned.
Also, from area of settlement Dmitrovka, our artillery struck National Guard positions in settlement Tarani (after verifying that all locals gone). 36 rounds of 122 mm shells were fired. After second round, an ammo storage started to detonate. According to our data, National Guard bore considerable losses in personal and hardware.
The opponent retaliated by massive strike by a division of “Grads” (11 units) toward settlement Dmitrovka, which were firing from area of village Grigor`evka (where they arrived from Amvrorosievka region). No single combatant was hurt, however, there were multiple fires and destruction (11 by 40 was how many rocket launched). There were victims from locals who stayed despite persuading them to evacuate.
Promise, this artillery assault will not pass for nothing. Their artillerists chased away to the west are not recommended to get captured. Local combatants bear special “love” to them.

Posted by: Fete | Jul 15 2014 4:04 utc | 101

From Colonel Cassad:

From reliable sources in DPR.
1. The troops of the junta today rolled from Izvarino and Krasnodon (earlier received information that the enemy departs from Alexandrovka and Happiness), and not being able to solve the main task for the blockade of the former state border of Ukraine with Russia. Suffering heavy losses and having problems with supply, on the 15th day the junta troops retreated to 30-40 km from Izvarino, South which takes a kind of “road of life”. Thus, coupled with increasing defeat of South punitive groups and the failure to release the airport Lugansk militia DPR won a strategic defensive operation which lasted more than two weeks, and the junta has suffered the largest loss since the war began. In fact, throwing mechanized forces to the rescue the airport was a gamble, which tried to break the course of unsuccessfully folding operations. To resume offensive operations the junta urgently needs an operational pause, as the situation for it continues to be complicated, so it’s possible in the near future there will be requests for an armistice, which of course will be rejected by the militia.
2. Continued the story with Khodakovsky. Earlier, he was deprived of the direct command of the battalion “East” (which was transformed into the team, so now it should be called the brigade “East”) promptly perepodchinenie Strelkov and its headquarters based on the Council of commanders. Over Hodakovsky, who was Minister of state security of DPR, formed a protege “Bloody Gebni” Lieutenant General, he bitterly sweep the consequences of the work involved in trying to pass Donetsk. With Hodakovskiy continued to stand in order to prevent fermentation in parts and especially fighting in Donetsk. A few days ago Hodakovky was explicitly asked to decide with whom he is with Akhmetov or the DPR. As to agree on good apparently failed, according to the source Khodakovsky today dashed off a paper about the rejection of all posts in the power block DPR, which is easy on the table in political leadership DPR. Whether he will be tolerated is not yet clear, but it is likely in the near future Khodakovsky will leave the military-political leadership of the DPR, as did the newly fallen former mayor of Donetsk Lukyanchenko, who fled to Kiev.
In the military leadership DND and LNR after the success of the last days reigns cautious optimism. So things are coming along.

Posted by: Demian | Jul 15 2014 20:57 utc | 102

Russian Spring
Donetsk. 07/15/2014-00:40
Strelkov:

Huge columns of retreating Ukrainian troops stretching across a dam in area of settlement Kozhevnya (south of Dmitriyevka) aim to escape “caldron”. Tanks, self-propelled artillery, cisterns, trucks – all mixed up.
This is bad (leaving with equipment?). Hopefully, they will not be left with enough time.

Russian Spring
Lugansk. 07/15/2014-19:39
Comment: Ukrainian forces cede seized earlier positions under town Krasnodon. Before, they left settlement Aleksandrovka (west of Lugansk), and started pulling out of town Schast`ye.
The cause of retreat of units of Ukrainian forces from Aleksandrovka and gradual exit from Schast`ye is not related with combatants’ activities.

Posted by: Fete | Jul 16 2014 3:30 utc | 103

Pathetic EU are about to put more sanctions on Russia right now!

Posted by: Anonymous | Jul 16 2014 14:43 utc | 104

Things are not going well for the Ukie “anti-terror operation”. It should come as no surprise that fighting for a country that exists only in the minds of delirious fanatics does not lead to good results.

Posted by: Demian | Jul 16 2014 16:52 utc | 105

Neo-Nazis among Ukrainian Azov Brigade volunteers:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28329329

Posted by: Thirdeye | Jul 16 2014 20:29 utc | 106

US bank sanctions against Russia
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28338897
obama what a pathetic man does he have any will? he would lick himself in the arse if just anyone told him.

Posted by: Anonymous | Jul 16 2014 20:45 utc | 107

The Western media haven’t figured out how to report that the Ukie military is failing, so there is the usual news blackout.
Meanwhile, the US is pretty much imposing sanctions on Russia unilaterally. European leaders are barely trying to conceal that they aren’t on board any more.

Posted by: Demian | Jul 17 2014 2:25 utc | 108

Well, what goes around, comes around
The “strategy” Russia is accused of here mirrors what “the West” introduced in Syria

The strategy of controlled chaos reportedly includes:
The creation of puppet “state” structures;
flooding the region with illegal weapons;
using foreign paid mercenaries to destroy regional infrastructure and harass local population;
weakening local economy and blocking state functions (e.g. law enforcement, justice, social welfare);
forcing a refugee crisis;
information warfare;
introduction of Russian “peacekeeping forces” .

Posted by: somebody | Jul 17 2014 2:40 utc | 109

Posted by: Demian | Jul 16, 2014 10:25:06 PM | 108 The Western media haven’t figured out how to report that the Ukie military is failing, so there is the usual news blackout
Exactly right. There is a big debacle happening right now in the S.E. corner of the Lugansk oblast. It really does look like about 5000 UA troops are now cut off from their supply lines, i.e. they are surrounded by the Donbas militias.
Even if the Western media is not reporting this story it should be obvious that the US government knows what is happening on the ground. I think this latest round of sanctions by Obama against Russia reflects that understanding. They must know that a major defeat is going to be generally recognized very soon. This is Obama’s pathetic attempt to show he is not only on top of this new development but that it all Russia’s fault.
I suspect that we will soon be seeing a major PR campaign in the the western media that these poor Ukie soldiers were surrounded by Russian troops. In desperation, we will soon be hearing appeals for western intervention to stop Russian aggression. Of course that will not happen, but Obama is definitely trying to position himself in this propaganda war going on in the west.
In the meantime, the Donbas militias will be mopping up after one spectacular victory. That should create some interesting new “facts on the ground” for US policy makers will have to deal with.

Posted by: ToivoS | Jul 17 2014 3:11 utc | 110

Posted by: dh | Jul 14, 2014 11:12:20 PM | 100
Russia wasn’t an ally until 1941, basically Hitler made them an ally. There was lots of Western anti Bolshevist propaganda before. Europe – France, Britain, Prussia, Austria – routinely went to war with Russia in the 19th century all accompanied by war propaganda and the brain washing of school children.
German anti-Soviet cold war proganda had a Nazi racist subtext – see eg this politically uncorrect 1949 CDU election poster.

Posted by: somebody | Jul 17 2014 3:32 utc | 111

@111 True enough. Bolsheviks were scarier than Nazis in some quarters. One theory holds that Churchill was hoping Germany and Russia would cancel each other out.

Posted by: dh | Jul 17 2014 3:49 utc | 112

Russian Spring
Donetsk. 07/17/2014-02:44
Strelkov:

Early morning yesterday, a unit from ranks of battalion “Kal`mius” (?) ambushed an armored carrier group of the opponent – area of settlement Tonen`koye (north-west of Donetsk). 2 armored carriers were destroyed and burst in flames; the opponent carried personal losses; a portable commander’s radio station and a map were seized.

Russian Spring
Donetsk. 07/16/2014-22:22
Strelkov:

Shooting down of second Su-25 was reported from settlement Snezhnoye. An anti-aircraft squad of the combatant unit “Oplot” fired three rounds from a portable anti-aircraft rocket launcher.
Today 8:40, a reconnaissance group of the 2nd battalion south to Mosino (settlement) in settlement Svetloye attacked a base and a block-post of the opponent. Destroyed were 1 armored carrier, 1 KAMAZ (truck), 1 headquarters’ bus, 1 self-propelled guided anti-tank missiles unit.
The opponent (National Guard) lost more than 50 men. After attack, the opponent left the block-post. Remains retreated south. We did not lose anyone here.

Question: Gaining back settlement Snezhnoye.
Strelkov:

Mortars 120 mm from very close distance. Even without optics – “by sight” – experience is adequate already.

Posted by: Fete | Jul 17 2014 4:15 utc | 113

@dh #111:

One theory holds that Churchill was hoping Germany and Russia would cancel each other out.

It’s not just a theory. To this day, Russians are angry with the US and UK for waiting so long to land on the Continent. The Anglos were obviously happy to let the Russians do almost all of the heavy lifting (i.e., dying). The US and UK finally made it to Germany not to defeat the Nazis, but to keep Russia from occupying all of it.
To be fair, Germans themselves preferred to be occupied by Anglos than by Russians. In hindsight, that’s a bit ironic, since the Russian occupiers didn’t make Germans hate themselves, like the Anglo occupiers did. (Sorry to sound like a broken record.)
I have heard that some German military types were disappointed that with the end of hostilities, the Allies didn’t instantly join with the Germans to finish off Russia/the Soviet Union. I am sure that some White Russians felt the same way.

Posted by: Demian | Jul 17 2014 4:24 utc | 114

more cheek from the neocons favorite puppet
‘Obama orders Putin to halt flow of weapons and fighters into Ukraine as he imposes tough new sanctions on Russia’s energy companies and banks
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2693454/US-preparing-unilateral-sanctions-Russia.html
orders does he think he is? The Obama Big lie is to allow Obama to justify his sanctoin war on russia.
oh and didnt Obama send weapons to Syrias jihadis from libya?

Posted by: brian | Jul 17 2014 7:36 utc | 115

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