Russia Massing Military Forces Near Border With Ukraine

[steve2470]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/world/europe/ukraine.html?_r=0

MOSCOW — Russia’s Defense Ministry announced new military operations in several regions near the Ukrainian border on Thursday, even as Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany warned the Kremlin to abandon the politics of the 19th and 20th centuries or face diplomatic and economic retaliation from a united Europe.

In Moscow, the military acknowledged significant operations involving armored and airborne troops in the Belgorod, Kursk and Rostov regions abutting eastern Ukraine, where many ethnic Russians have protested against the new interim government in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, and appealed to Moscow for protection.

A day after a deputy minister denied any military buildup on the border, the Defense Ministry released a series of statements beginning early Thursday that appeared to contradict that. They outlined what was described as intensive training of units involving artillery batteries, assault helicopters and at least 10,000 soldiers.

The operations confirmed, at least in part, assertions by Ukrainian leaders on Wednesday that Russia was massing forces, as well as amateur photographs that appeared to show columns of armored vehicles and trucks in a border village called Lopan, only 30 miles from the Ukrainian city Kharkiv. One statement announced that another 1,500 paratroopers from Ivanovo, east of Moscow, had parachuted onto a military base in Rostov, not far from the Ukrainian cities Donetsk and Lugansk.

[DetlefK]

1. Next: Masked, russia-friendly militias spring up in Eastern Ukraine.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

2. Scary.

But I do think Russia is overplaying its hand if they think everyone in the east is going to be sympathetic to Russia simply based on the language. Many of them still consider themselves ethnically Ukrainian and grew up in a time in the USSR where Russian was the language taught and used by everyone.

[dipsydoodle]

3. assertions by Ukrainian leaders

who have agreed surveillance flights with Russia under their open skies agreement. Ukraine made the request on Tuesday which has already been agreed by Moscow.

see : http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024653252

All we need are the pictures to see which side is lying through their teeth. Feel free to post as and when available.

[geek tragedy]

4. did you miss the part where the Russians admitted that they're massing troops for

'training exercises' along the border?

[dipsydoodle]

5. No.

.

[hack89]

6. Excellent intelligence gathering opportunity for NATO. nt