Some of the Russian soldiers killed while on vacation

[pampango]

15. "Nobody, even Russian officials, has ever denied that a number of Russian volunteers is fighting and

dying in Ukraine." Well said.

Of course, the working definition of "volunteer" is important here. How many soldiers take their limited leave time and, rather than visiting family and friends whom they haven't seen for a long time, take that 2 weeks to travel on their own across the border and put in some more time fighting? And are they allowed to take their tanks and artillery with them when they go?

Amnesty International: Ukraine: Mounting evidence of war crimes and Russian involvement

Ukrainian militia and separatist forces are responsible for war crimes, Amnesty International said today. The organisation accused Russia of fuelling separatist crimes as it revealed satellite images indicating a build-up of Russian armour and artillery in eastern Ukraine.

Despite a fragile cease-fire, the situation on the ground remains fraught with danger and Amnesty International calls on all parties, including Russia, to stop violations of the laws of war. “All sides in this conflict have shown disregard for civilian lives and are blatantly violating their international obligations,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, who travels to Kyiv and Moscow in the coming days.

“Our evidence shows that Russia is fuelling the conflict, both through direct interference and by supporting the separatists in the East. Russia must stop the steady flow of weapons and other support to an insurgent force heavily implicated in gross human rights violations.”

http://amnesty.org./en/news/ukraine-mounting-evidence-war-crimes-and-russian-involvement-2014-09-05