Ukraine's forces hold line against Russian troops, rebels: Poroshenko.
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday his troops were holding the line against separatists and Russian forces after a sharp increase in attacks and the withdrawal of government defenders from Donetsk airport. Poroshenko, who told the World Economic Forum on Wednesday that Russia had 9,000 troops inside Ukraine, met defense chiefs to work on a plan to "regroup and stop aggression. Across all front lines we are firmly holding our positions," he told the meeting, at which he reported that enemy attacks were 10 times more intensive than before.
Earlier on Thursday at least eight civilians were killed when a trolleybus was hit by an artillery shell or mortar at a public transport stop in the southern district of Donetsk, which is largely controlled by separatists. Poroshenko's comments echoed a report from NATO that said fighting in separatist territories was now more intense in some places than it was before September's Minsk ceasefire agreement. The missile strike that destroyed the trolleybus followed a night of intense fighting at the city's main airport.
Kiev said 10 Ukrainian soldiers were killed overnight, six at the airport complex, a symbolic target where a small group of government defenders had been holding out against Russian-backed separatists for months. A military spokesman said government forces had withdrawn from the airport's new terminal, the core of the complex, in what appeared to be a setback for Ukrainian forces and for Poroshenko himself, who had said the airport should not be surrendered.
Rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko urged local residents to gather at the scene of the bus attack, promising them the opportunity to confront captured Ukrainian servicemen. Separately, video footage showed a handcuffed prisoner being abused and punched by onlookers near the wrecked bus. Regional officials said eight civilians had died. Rebels put the number higher. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk blamed separatists, who Kiev says are being armed by Moscow. Russia, which denies any direct involvement, described the attack as a "crude provocation" by Kiev to undermine peace efforts.
(snip)
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/22/us-ukraine-crisis-casualties-idUSKBN0KV0LL20150122
Now they are just "holding the line?" Only three days ago Kiev said its troops were driving everything before them and had retaken the whole Donetsk airport? What happened to the big new offensive which was going to show Separatists Ukraine could "Hit them in the teeth!" I guess Kiev must need a few hundred million dollars more of our military aid first (and a few thousand American trainers/advisers might be helpful too).
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Igel
(37,535 posts)The media were quite clear about it--Poroshenko, his aides, and the top folk in the military all said the same thing. They would retake the airport--and did. (They're still not entirely out of the airport, which is more than just the new terminal.) And at that point they would stop.
The only people talking about how Ukraine "had chosen the military solution" and focused on the "offensive" were Putin, Lavrov, and their mouthpieces. That, of course, was because of the response to yet one more large-scale effort to take the Donets'k airport as well as the shelling of Schast'e, Popasne, Pesky, and numerous other places.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Yeah, there kind of was an offensive. At the end of last week the Ukrainian government was even boasting about it:
Violence escalated in eastern Ukraine as Kiev’s troops launched a massive assault on militia-held areas Sunday morning. The army was ordered to start massive shelling of all rebel positions, a presidential aide said. The order to launch the offensive was issued early approximately at 6:00 am, according to Yury Biryukov, an aide to President Petro Poroshenko.
“Today we will show HOW good we are at jabbing in the teeth,” he wrote on his Facebook page, a mode of conveying information favored by many Ukrainian officials. In a later post he said: “They are now striking a dot. Uuu…” in a reference to Tochka-U (‘tochka’ means ‘dot’ in Russian), a tactical ballistic missile, one of the most powerful weapons Ukraine so far deployed against rebel forces. “That wasn’t a dot but ellipsis. Strong booms,” he added.
Reports from the ground confirmed a sharp escalation of clashes across the front line, with particularly heavy artillery fire reported at Gorlovka. “Locals in Donetsk said they haven’t heard such intensive shelling since summer,” Valentin Motuzenko, a military official in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, told Interfax news agency. “The Ukrainian military are using all kinds of weapons, Grad multiple rocket launchers, mortars…” Motuzenko said.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026101168
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)These are the "Tochka" missiles President Poroshenko's aide bragged that Ukraine's military was using against Donetsk:
Ukrainian OTR-21 Tochka missiles during the Independence Day parade in Kiev.
Scarab A
The initial Scarab A entered service with the Soviet Army in 1975. It carries one of three types of warhead:
482 kg (1,063 lb) of conventional HE, fragmentation (lethal radius more than 200 m (660 ft)
The minimal range is about 15 km (9.3 mi), maximum range is 70 km (43 mi); its circular error probable (CEP) is estimated to be about 150 m (490 ft).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTR-21_Tochka
Alhena
(3,076 posts)or maybe you missed the mass bombardment of the Donetsk airport by multiple launch rocket systems.
Or maybe you are dense enough to think that the "rebels" actually pulled that off, rather than Russian troops.
Jeeeez.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)And most of the damage to the Donetsk airport was done by Ukrainian forces. All of the airport except one building had been held by the Separatists for months, and they were the constant targets of government artillery during that time.
The fact is that Kiev launched a powerful attack on Donetsk last weekend, but the Separatists responded by counter attacking government units in the North, near Lugansk. The government had to split its forces at the worst possible moment, and that, apparently, led to Kiev receiving another serious thrashing from the Separatists on both fronts.
Alhena
(3,076 posts)in Donetsk was sold in a local market. Video taken today.
You're either a troll or an actual Russian plant. Either way, you're not worth my time.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)So long, Aly.
Adsos Letter
(19,459 posts)
MattSh
(3,714 posts)they would have taken the airport in 8 days, or maybe 8 hours. No way in freaking hell would it have taken them 8 whole months.
The media lied to you about WMD. Do you really think they'll never lie to you again. Seriously?
Don't be like these people...

Alhena
(3,076 posts)is operating that Smech MLRS system in that video? How do you think it got there? Through the Russian military. This isn't an AK-47 you can just hand off to some rebel. It is an advanced system that requires extensive training to operate. There is no way some Ukrainian rebel would get his hands on that weapons system or be able to use it. I can't believe anyone with any kind of common sense would dispute that.
Putin is doing the exact same thing he did in Crimea- using limited amounts of Russian troops with no insignia on their uniforms to make it seem less like the direct invasion it is.
It's you and those like you who are gullible, not me. In September 1939 you probably would have been saying "of course Polish troops attacked that German radio station- no need for war against Germany!"
Maybe you missed the invasion by Russian troops.
There has yet been any verified photographic or video evidence of Russian troops in Ukraine. The State Dept. has not supplied it; NATO has not supplied it; DoD has not supplied it.
As for the person/organization who uploaded this video, Donetsk militari, what do you know about them? Do you always take anonymous uploaders on Youtube at face value without any proof? Where in the video is there proof that this video was taken in Ukraine? Maybe it was taken in Russia?
As for changing the subject to Smerch, do you really believe that Russian troops actually have to enter Ukraine to give this to the rebels? Especially since the rebels control over 100 km of the border with Russia? Russia can just leave them there at the border and let the rebels pick come them up. Russia does not have to physically enter Ukraine to deliver them. But of course, you already knew that. And maybe you already know that Ukraine used to be a part of the USSR. The Smerch is not all that different from systems used by the Soviet military. Many people in current day Ukraine served in the Soviet military, so it would not take a whole lot of training to get them up to speed on this, especially since the Smerch was developed in the 1980's.
I believe Russia has been very clear in it's position. They will not let Ukraine pursue a genocidal war against the Russian population in the east of Ukraine. If Ukraine choose to pursue such war, Russia will supply the means for the local population to defend themselves.