Ukraine: Russian forces in major rebel cities

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-EXCITE

By JIM HEINTZ

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian military forces have been spotted in both major rebel-held cities in eastern Ukraine, an official said Tuesday, prompting Ukraine to declare that it now has to fight the Russian army, not just the separatists.

The statement on the Russians by Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's National Security Council, came after the country's defense minister said Ukraine's armed forces are expanding their strategy from just fighting separatists to facing the Russian army in a war that could cost "tens of thousands" of lives.

Lysenko told reporters Russian troops had been seen in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as other locations throughout the east. The claim could not be confirmed independently. Lysenko also said 15 servicemen had been killed over the previous day.

In Moscow, a Kremlin aide sharply criticized EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso for breaching confidentiality when he quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying that Moscow could take over Kiev in two weeks if it wished.

FULL story at link.



A Pro-Russian rebel prepares arms for the the assault on the positions of Ukrainian army in Donetsk airport, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called on Ukraine to immediately start talks on a political solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Hours later, Ukraine said a border guard vessel operating in the Azov Sea was attacked by land-based forces. (AP Photo/Mstislav Chernov)


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140902/eu--ukraine-35e1d041ed.html

[blackspade]

1. Putin is out of control.

There is no way hat this will have a happy ending...

[TwilightGardener]

2. He likes to make his big moves during NATO summits.

And Olympics. He started his Crimea bullshit at the end of his doomed Sochi Olympics (that's one Olympics no one will want to remember, in the future) when NATO defense ministers were meeting. He feels that once he invades, he can't be pried loose, so he's hurrying before NATO meets and decides what to do. It's to give him more leverage.

[Renew Deal]

4. He's in control

He's changing the rules to the way things were in the old days.

[blackspade]

5. I guess I should clarify....

out of our control....

[ballyhoo]

8. Yes, that is better.

[TwilightGardener]

6. He's actually not. He's reacting to losing Ukraine. He lost control of that country,

and this is the sad result. His world isn't getting bigger, except by little bites.

[ballyhoo]

9. He can have all of Ukraine now in 9-10 days if he wants not even going

to serious toys. I said one week ago: the major would turn back to colonel if the Candy Man kept throwing the chocolate. And now...Ukraine is on the board.

[TwilightGardener]

12. Pootie doesn't have the balls to attack Estonia.

And if he tries to get some balls and do it (in case he's actually crazy), they'll be kicked in, and hard. So now I'm curious, are you for Russian imperialism? Are you for the stronger countries taking over their weak neighbors? Is that a progressive/Democratic party viewpoint?

[ballyhoo]

15. I have the country wrong, I think. I'm looking for the one Merkel said this morning. I'll adjust

the post.

[Renew Deal]

3. Didn't the US agree to defend Ukraine from Russia?

[Billy Budd]

7. East Ukraine or West Ukraine

Lysenko told reporters Russian troops had been seen in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as other locations throughout the east. The claim could not be confirmed independently.

[ballyhoo]

13. Great one on the claim.....

[ballyhoo]

10. The US has its plate full with IS that they armed to the teeth.

[TwilightGardener]

14. Nah. But Pootie might have to say bye-byes to Assad, since we're going to be

in that neighborhood for a while. And also to Pootie Poot's naval base there. The US is pretty good at conducting operations in different places at the same time, we've had practice.

[ballyhoo]

16. That ain't gonna happen now since the phony beheading.

[TwilightGardener]

17. Far more likely now, because of that, actually. I'd be surprised if we didn't

start striking targets there very soon. ISIS is a terrorist threat to the US, and we don't generally let borders get in our way of pursuing them.

[ballyhoo]

21. OK. I'll believe it when I see it. That will be a precursor to WW3.

[IronGate]

22. Phony beheading?

I think the family would take issue with that.
What evidence do you have that this latest beheading is not true?
Please post your links here for all to read about this "phony" beheading.

[Renew Deal]

23. Are you saying the beheading didn't happen?

It was staged or graphically produced?

[ballyhoo]

25. Yes, to all of your questions. The dude beheaded didn't

look remotely like Foley, in the face or build. Foley may have been beheaded but what was shown was all show. Forensics have been done on the video.

[IronGate]

26. So post your links proving it,

because, other than you, this is the first that this has been said.

Or is this another CT?

[Renew Deal]

18. That doesn't answer the question

[ballyhoo]

20. Roger that. Yes, that is what they said.

[Bragi]

11. Thankfully, no

Pres Obama has been careful to not do that because he knows that Russia has way more national interest at stake on its own borders than does the US. Europe seems to agree.

It seems as though it's mostly NATO bureaucrats and military weapons dealers who are fuming for war. Stephen Harper from Canada (alas my own PM), the right-wing mouth that roared, is about the only NATO political hothead calling for war, though by that, to be clear, he means war pursued by others, paid for by others, not by us.

[Renew Deal]

19. I'm talking about the foundational agreement to create Ukraine.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2570335/Former-British-Ambassador-Moscow-warns-Russia-invaded-Ukraine-difficult-avoid-going-war.html

[freshwest]

29. Never. They're not in NATO. That's who we agreed to protect. We're not on a Crusade. The absence of

war isn't always peace and prosperity. Instead, the daily battles over rights and recources continue.

[candelista]

24. Why are these stories always sourced to Ukraine?

It's always "Ukraine official says...." Are there no reporters there who can verify these claims?

[Bragi]

27. Good question! nt

[Blue_Tires]

28. At least we can drop the pretense that this ever had anything to do with "rebels" or "sepratists"

[elias49]

30. Ukraine official: "Putin is killing our kittehs" n/t

[reorg]

31. OSCE: No evidence of Russian troops on Ukrainian soil

In an interview with Deutsche Wirtschaftsnachrichten published on September 1, Roland Bless, spokesperson of the current OSCE Chairmanship holder Switzerland said:

"The OSCE have not found any evidence of Russian troop presence on Ukrainian soil."

Roland Bless, Sprecher des OSZE-Vorsitzlandes Schweiz, sagte den Deutschen Wirtschafts Nachrichten: „Die OSZE hat aufgrund ihrer Beobachtungen keine Hinweise auf eine Präsenz von russischen Truppen auf ukrainischem Boden.“

The organization is now with 250 employees in the region and can clearly observe somewhat freely.

Die Organisation ist mittlerweile mit 250 Mitarbeitern in der Region und kann offenbar einigermaßen unbehindert beobachten.

http://is.gd/uo1OiV shortened link to Google translation: http://is.gd/tkjoWg