Tank column crosses from Russia into Ukraine

[Syt]

... says Kiev.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/07/us-ukraine-crisis-military-idUSKBN0IR11020141107

Tank column crosses from Russia into Ukraine: Kiev military

(Reuters) - A column of 32 tanks, 16 howitzer artillery systems and trucks carrying ammunition and fighters has crossed into eastern Ukraine from Russia, the Kiev military said on Friday.

"The deployment continues of military equipment and Russian mercenaries to the front lines," spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in a televised briefing referring to Thursday's cross-border incursion.

The report of a new Russian movement of armor across the border follows a charge on Thursday by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine that Kiev government forces had launched a new offensive - which Kiev immediately denied.

Sporadic violence has continued since a Sept. 5 truce in a conflict that has cost over 4,000 lives.

But the ceasefire has looked particularly fragile this week, with separatists and the central government accusing each other of violations after separatist leaders held elections in self-proclaimed 'people's republics' last Sunday.

"Supplies of military equipment and enemy fighters from the Russian Federation are continuing," Lysenko said. He added that five Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and 16 wounded in the past 24 hours despite the ceasefire.

[Syt]

Meanwhile Russia celebrates the 73rd anniversary of the famous Nov. 7th, 1941 parade:

http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/758507

[HVC]

We should mine the border. Hell we should mine every border with russia

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Meanwhile Russia celebrates the 73rd anniversary of the famous Nov. 7th, 1941 parade:

http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/758507

I don't think the iPad in the last picture is historically accurate Red Army equipment. 

[CountDeMoney]

Meanwhile Russia celebrates the 73rd anniversary of the famous Nov. 7th, 1941 parade:

http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/758507

I don't think the iPad in the last picture is historically accurate Red Army equipment. 

I don't see the part of the parade that includes soldiers executed for failing to sufficiently resist for the Motherland, either.

[derspiess]

I don't see the part of the parade that includes soldiers executed for failing to sufficiently resist for the Motherland, either.

No, but I think they at least included NKVD blocking troops.

[Syt]

I wonder if they had a Stalin reenactor in a studio several miles East of Moscow.

[derspiess]

I wonder if they had a Stalin reenactor in a studio several miles East of Moscow.

[Darth Wagtaros]

We should mine the border. Hell we should mine every border with russia

Nuclear mines.

[Razgovory]

I don't see the part of the parade that includes soldiers executed for failing to sufficiently resist for the Motherland, either.

No, but I think they at least included NKVD blocking troops.

Judging from the uniform and equipment, I'd say cavalry.

[Ed Anger]

Anytime I play an East Front wargame as the German, I take pleasure in killing NKVD units.

[CountDeMoney]

Anytime I play an East Front wargame as the German, I take pleasure in killing NKVD units.

Funny; anytime I play an East Front wargame as the Soviet, I take pleasure in killing Soviet units.

[Ed Anger]

 

[Norgy]

Just passing through for Christmas celebrations in Crimea. AND THEY WERE INVITED!

[Syt]

This time 4REALZ.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30025138

Ukraine crisis: Russian troops crossed border, Nato says

Nato has seen columns of Russian military equipment and Russian combat troops entering Ukraine this week, its top commander said.

"Russian tanks, Russian artillery, Russian air defence systems and Russian combat troops" were sighted, US Gen Philip Breedlove said in Bulgaria.

Russia has consistently denied sending troops into eastern Ukraine to bolster pro-Russian separatist rebels there.

However, the rebels have admitted being helped by "volunteers" from Russia.

Heavy artillery fire rocked the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk, the industrial hub held by pro-Russian separatist rebels, on Wednesday morning.

It was unclear whether the fire came from besieging government forces or the rebels themselves, or both.

There were also reports of fighting near the rebel-held city of Luhansk. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another injured north of Luhansk, when rebels fired on government positions near the village of Schastya, Ukrainian security forces said.
Unmarked convoys

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has reported seeing unmarked convoys in the region in recent days.

Asked about the purpose of the alleged Russian troop deployment, Gen Breedlove replied: "As to their intent, I'm not sure. My strategic team believes that there is a possibility that, as you know, this pocket of separatist Russian-backed forces and Russian forces in the east of Ukraine - it's not a very contiguous pocket. There are lines of communications that are interrupted. There are airports that are not held by the Russian-backed forces etc.

"And so it is our first guess that these forces will go in to make this a more contiguous, more whole and capable pocket of land in order to then hold on to it long term."

More than 4,000 people have died since government forces moved in April to put down an armed insurrection by the rebels in the two regions, which border Russia.

A fragile ceasefire was agreed in Minsk on 5 September, although hundreds of people have been killed since then.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday her government was "not satisfied" with the progress in implementing the Minsk agreement, but added that there were no plans at present for further economic sanctions against Russia over its involvement in Ukraine.

"Further economic sanctions are not planned at the moment, we are focusing on the winter and the humanitarian situation there and how to get a real ceasefire," she said.

The OSCE said earlier that the conflict could get worse.

"The level of violence in eastern Ukraine and the risk of further escalation remain high and are rising," OSCE representative Michael Bociurkiw told reporters in Kiev.

In a somewhat Kafkaesque twist, the St Petersburg branch of the Soldier's Mothers NGO is fighting the Russian state. They had pointed out in August that there were hundreds of wounded soldiers coming in from "Undisclosed Locations." They got slapped with the "foreign agent" label. They appealed it, saying that it had been more than a year (as stipulated in the law) since they had received any money from abroad. The ministry had to regretfully decline removing the label, because the law doesn't have a procedure for removing NGOs from the foreign agents list.