Russia Today(RT) man who promised not to return to Ukraine cheers for Russians with Soviet flag

National Security and Defense Council: 34 trucks with Russian “humanitarian” aid crossed the Ukrainian border

Convoy of 34 KAMAZ trucks with Russian “humanitarian” aid has crossed the border into Ukraine. The vehicles have passed through “Izvaryne” border crossing point. Such statement was made by Col. Andriy Lysenko, Spokesman for the Information-analytical center of the National Security and Defense Council at a briefing in the Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “According to the latest information 90 more trucks started moving to the Ukrainian border, the Russian side didn’t let neither Ukrainian border guard officers nor representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross access the vehicles,” added Lysenko.

 

The convoy is moving not escorted by the Red Cross representatives, agreements between Ukraine and Russian Federation as to the customs clearance have been violated. “Ukraine suggested holding talks between representatives of Ukrainian and Russian HQs of the armed forces, however Russia did not agree to this proposal. It’s the Russian Federation that bears full responsibility over the convoy movement along the territory which is not controlled by Ukrainian forces,” underlined Colonel Lysenko.

Putin's media shows a military vehicle heading into #Ukraine, feed cuts after truck approaches.

 

 Putins Mouthpiece 'Russia Today' live feed at Ukraine Border which suddenly went off air when Russia Army trucks passed into Ukraine

 

 

Franko RIP - American Volunteer - He Died for Ukrainian Freedom

 

Submariners World is sad to report "Franko," the American fighting for #Ukraine, is confirmed dead. He spoke to VICE news 2 week's ago.

 

 

Donetsk residents filled up a weapon emplacement dug up by Putin's Russian Terrorist's in civilian quarter

Poland says to speed up attack helicopter purchase due to Ukraine crisis

Poland will move the purchase of 30 attack helicopters forward by two years as part of a review of its army modernisation programme triggered by the crisis in Ukraine, Polish deputy defence minister Czeslaw Mroczek said.

 

Mroczek told Reuters that the first stage of the procurement process, originally scheduled for 2016, had already started and confirmed that 10 companies have submitted their offers but declined to name them.

 

“The events in Ukraine are having a clear negative impact on regional and international security and have made us … realise there was a need for updating our technical modernisation plans,” Mroczek said in an interview last week.

 

“As a result of the review, the plans have been updated byspeeding up the programmes which increase our military’s attack force, as well as its deterrence potential,” he said.

 

Polish military experts have suggested Boeing’s AH-64 Apache, AgustaWestland’s AW-129 Mangusta and Eurocopter’s EC-Tiger as potential candidates.

 

“We will try to have the helicopters ready for combat in 2019 or 2020,” Mroczek said. They will replace the worn-out Soviet-era Mi-24s currently used by the Polish army.

 

Poland, the biggest of the former Communist states to joinNATO after the end of the Cold War, has been a leading voice in calling for sanctions on Russia after it annexed Ukraine’s Crimea and for NATO to shift troops and equipment eastwards to reassure members close to Russia as fighting with rebels in eastern Ukraine continues.

 

Last week, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Reuters that NATO members were “quite close” to reaching consensus on increasing the alliance’s presence in eastern Europe.

 

Poland is already in the process of purchasing 70 multi-purpose helicopters, with Airbus Helicopters, Sikorsky Aircraft and AgustaWestland competing for the tender. Sikorsky and AgustaWestland already own factories in Poland.

 

Mroczek said that following “the Ukrainian review”, Poland will also speed up the purchases of a second naval strike missile system, a long-range missile launcher and air-to-surface JASSM missiles for its fleet of 48 F-16 fighter jets.

 

The country is now also looking to buy long-range unmanned attack aircrafts, also known as drones.

Asked about Poland’s mid-range missile defence system, Mroczek confirmed the tender will be completed next year. In June, Poland shortlisted U.S. firm Raytheon and a consortium of France’s Thales and European group MBDA as potential suppliers of the system.

 

Mroczek said the role of Polish industry in the contract would be an important factor in choosing the supplier.

 

“Polish industry’s participation, that is, how big a part of the (production of) system will be left to Polish companies, will be an important consideration,” said Mroczek.

 

The companies participating in the final stage of the procurement have said the participation of Polish companies would account for a large portion of the contract.

 

Mroczek said that the modernisation programme represented “a great opportunity and vast amounts of money, which can transform Polish military technology science, and, above all, the Polish industry.”

 

Poland’s Finance Ministry estimates that the country will spend around 130 billion zlotys between 2013 and 2022 on modernising its armed forces. The country already spends 1.95 percent of its GDP on the army, one of the highest rates of military spending in the world.

F-15s, troops from 493rd deploy to Bulgaria

Troops and fighter aircraft from the 493rd Fighter Squadron have been sent to Bulgaria as tensions in Eastern Europe continue to run high.

 

A dozen F-15s and approximately 180 personnel from the 493rd, based at RAF Lakenheath, England, have deployed to Graf Ignatievo Air Base to participate in a two-week bilateral training exercise with the Bulgarian air force, Pentagon spokesmen Col. Steve Warren told reporters Monday.

 

The exercise began Monday and will continue through Sept. 1.

 

The purpose of the deployment is to “conduct training and focus on maintain joint readiness while building interoperability,” Warren said.

 

The move comes at a time when America’s Eastern European partners and allies are concerned about Russian military intervention in Ukraine. There are fears that Moscow might try to destabilize other countries in the region.

 

“This is a reflection of our steadfast commitment to enhancing regional security,” Warren said about the exercise.

 

Last week the Pentagon announced that approximately 600 soldiers from the Army’s 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas, will deploy to Poland and the Baltic states in October for a three-month series of land warfare training exercises.

 

The First Cavalry will bring M-1 Abrams tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored personnel carrier for the exercises, according to the Defense Department

NSDC: Terrorists fired at a column of civilians from Luhansk

Terrorists opened fire using a “Grad” system at a transport column of Luhansk civilians. “The terrorists committed a bloody crime at 9:40 this morning. Near Luhansk, on the road between Khryashchuvate and Novosvitlivka, the mercenaries used “Grad” systems and mine-launchers imported from Russia to shoot at a column of civilians attempting to leave the combat zone. Many people died, including women and children. The number of casualties is currently being determined,” stated NSDC Information Center spokesman colonel Andriy Lysenko during a briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

 

Active combat to free Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as battles near Zhdanivka, Makiyivka, Khartsyzsk, Debaltsevo, Starobesheve, continue. Ukrainian Armed Forces are working to neutralize the mercenaries in Yasynuvate. Horlivka, Mala Ivanivka, Andrianivka and Alchevsk are completely blocked. The Russian mercenaries are fleeing these cities. “ATO bases near Novokaterynivka were fired at tonight using 9P 140 “Uragan” setups. This is the first time weapons of such power were used,” added Andriy Lysenko.

 

Colonel Andriy Lysenko showed a video with more proof of Russian aggression at the briefing. “This footage was taken near the town of Snizhne. It shows servicemen standing around armored equipment units. One of the machines is a modified Russian BTR 80A. The machine has a distinctive feature – the 2A72 canon produced in Tula, which only the Russian army has at its disposal. The terrorists keep repeating “this is war,” “Allah Akbar” and “Insh’Allah.” One of the videos also clearly shows a ZAZ Daewoo vehicle with a Luhansk license plate – BB 3624 CO,” noted colonel Andriy Lysenko.

 

Border servicemen have also documented airspace violations at the border. As such, at 10 p.m. yesterday, the Naval Security Service near Mariupol detected and shot down one Russian unmanned aircraft. Another battalion tactical group from Yekaterinburg arrived at the Ukrainian state border from Russia. Vehicles carrying a big number of containers for BUK missile-launch complexes have been seen at the border on the Russian side. Approximately 30 “Grad” systems were detected near the locality of Gukovo in Rostov oblast across from Sverdlovsk and Chervonopartyzansk in Luhansk oblast. “A Polish journalist managed to document the movement of Russian equipment towards the Ukrainian border,” added the NSDC spokesman.

 

As of 11 a.m., in light of the fact that the issue of security guarantees for the humanitarian cargo on part of the terrorists organizations for Red Cross representatives remains unsolved, the cargo did not undergo border documentation procedures. Detailed inspection of the contents of the Russian humanitarian convoy has not begun. OSCE experts plan to examine the cargo on August 18 or 19. “Yesterday the border servicemen prevented an attempt to import part of the cargo to Ukrainian territory. 16 white tent KAMAZ vehicles, 1 fuel vehicle and 1 bus from the so-called humanitarian convoy arrived at the “Donetsk” border checkpoint on Russian territory at 12:15. They were parked at the lot near the checkpoint. Russian border servicemen watched as a group of mercenaries on 8 cars and 3 buses approached the Ukrainian representatives from the Ukrainian side. The Ukrainian border servicemen took up defense positions. After talking with the Russian border workers, the terrorists retreated back inside Ukrainian territory,” explained colonel Lysenko.

 

OSCE representative Paul Picard stated that the organization may possibly inspect 30 vehicles from the Russian humanitarian convoy on August 18-19. After the inspection, the cargo will be handed over to be escorted by Red Cross representatives.

 

US Senators from both parties showed solidarity in their support for Kyiv in its fight against the terrorists. Senators John McCain and John Donnelly addressed US President Barack Obama with a petition to provide Ukraine with defense weaponry, in particular anti-tank weapons, and increase exchange of intelligence information.

The Security Service of Ukraine Neutralized a Terrorist Group Managed by Russian Security Services 17.08.14

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) exposed and neutralized a terrorist group managed by security services of the Russian Federation. This was reported to President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko by the head of the Security Service Valentyn Nalyvaichenko.

 

The SBU detained six members of a terrorist group suspected of arranging the explosion on the night of August 3 in the territory of Kharkiv Tank Repair Plant. They were detained in the Dnipropetrovsk region during the attempt to destroy one of the administrative facilities at the recreation center where policemen were temporarily residing.

 

The SBU officers seized lots of weapons, including submachine guns, grenade launchers and explosives, as well as storage with videos files of the committed crimes which were used as reports to Russian security services.

 

In the course of the investigation it was established that the members of the groups who had connections with employees of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation developed plans of terrorist attacks upon strategically important objects of the Kharkiv region and recruited new members into their group.

 

The Security Services of Ukraine initiated pre-trial investigation.

Ukraine says its troops make breakthrough in rebel stronghold

Ukrainian forces have raised their national flag over a police station in the city of Luhansk which was for months under rebel control, Kiev said on Sunday, in what could be a breakthrough in Ukraine's efforts to crush pro-Moscow separatists.

 

Ukrainian officials allege though that the rebels are fighting a desperate rearguard action to hold on to Luhansk -- which is their supply route into neighboring Russia -- and say the flow of weapons and fighters from Russia has accelerated.

 

The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia were preparing to meet for talks on the conflict in Berlin on Sunday, though it seemed likely that the diplomacy could be overshadowed by fast-moving developments on the battlefield.

 

Russia denies helping the rebels and accuses Kiev, backed by the West, of triggering a humanitarian crisis through indiscriminate use of force against Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine who reject the Ukrainian government's rule.

 

Andriy Lysenko, a Ukrainian military spokesman, said government forces fought separatists in a neighborhood of Luhansk city on Saturday and took control of the Zhovtneviy neighborhood police station.

 

"They raised the state flag over it," Lysenko told a news briefing.

 

Separatist officials in Luhansk could not be reached by telephone, and a separatist spokeswoman in Donetsk, the other rebel strong-hold in eastern Ukraine, said she did not know what had happened in Luhansk.

 

If confirmed, the taking of the police station is significant because the city of Luhansk has for several months been a rebel redoubt where Kiev's writ has not run.

 

Ukrainian troops have been closing in on the city from the outskirts, but had not previously been able to get forces inside the city limits. The separatists still control sections of the border linking Luhansk region to Russia.

 

The four-month-old conflict in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east has reached a critical phase, with Kiev and Western governments watching nervously to see if Russia will intervene in support of the increasingly besieged rebels.

 

The rebels have responded to the reverses with defiant rhetoric, and the fighting continues.

 

Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday that the separatists shot down a Ukrainian warplane. The pilot ejected and was located and recovered after a search, a military spokesman, Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky, told Reuters.

 

On Saturday, Alexander Zakharchenko, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said rebels were in the process of receiving some 150 armored vehicles, including 30 tanks, and 1,200 fighters trained in Russia. He said they planned to launch a major counter-offensive.

"They are joining at the most crucial moment," he said in a video recorded on Friday.

 

The assertion that the fighters were trained in Russia is awkward for Moscow, which has repeatedly denied allegations from Kiev and its Western allies that it is providing material support to separatist fighters.

CRITICAL PHASE

 

In a sign of concern at the latest rebel comments, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko agreed in a phone call on Saturday that deliveries of weapons to separatists in Ukraine must stop and a ceasefire must be achieved, a German government spokesman said.

 

The Ukraine crisis has dragged relations between Russia and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War and set off a round of trade restrictions that are hurting struggling economies in both Russia and Europe.

 

Adding to the tensions, Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads for days over a convoy of 280 Russian trucks carrying water, food and medicine.

 

It was despatched by Moscow bound for eastern Ukraine but has been parked up for several days in Russia near the border.

 

Kiev has said the convoy could be a Trojan Horse for Russia to get weapons to the rebels, a notion that Moscow has dismissed as absurd. It said the aid is desperately needed by civilians left without water and power and under constant bombardment from the Ukrainian advance.

 

After days of wrangling between Kiev and Moscow, there were signs of movement on Sunday.

 

Sixteen trucks separated from the main convoy and drove into a Russian bus depot near a border crossing into Ukraine, a Reuters cameraman said from the scene.

 

The International Committee of the Red Cross said in Geneva that Russian and Ukrainian border guards and customs officials had agreed that the cargo could be inspected.

REBEL ROUT?

 

Ukrainian officials have painted a picture of a separatist force that is on the run and starting to panic - though rebel fighters Reuters reporters have spoken to in Donetsk say they are determined to stand firm.

 

The Ukrainian National Guard said its forces had seized a rebel field commander from Luhansk region as well as 13 others suspected of “terrorist activity”.

 

“The terrorists are putting on ordinary clothes, taking only their passport with them and are trying to pass themselves off as ordinary peaceful citizens on public transport to try to get through the Ukrainian checkpoints,” the National Guard said.

 

In the past week, three senior rebel leaders have been removed from their posts, pointing to mounting disagreement over how to turn the tide of the fighting back in their favor.

The fighting has taken a heavy human toll.

 

The United Nations said this month that an estimated 2,086 people, including civilians and combatants, had been killed in the conflict. That figure nearly doubled since the end of July, when Ukrainian forces stepped up their offensive and fighting started in urban areas.

 

In Donetsk which like Luhansk is now ringed by Kiev's forces, artillery fire has struck apartment buildings, killing and wounding residents, according to Reuters reporters. Officials in Kiev deny they are firing heavy weapons at residential areas.