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Russia Launches Massive Bomber, Warplane Drill On Ukraine Border As Over 400 Ukraine Soldiers Defect
It has been a while since Russia flexed its military "drill" muscles along the Ukraine border as a reminder of just who would win a pissing contest that involves military intervention. Which is probably why earlier today Russia announced new military exercises involving bombers and fighter jets in a show of strength near the border with Ukraine. As Reuters reported, "an air force spokesman was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying more than 100 planes and helicopters would take part in the manoeuvres from Monday until Friday in its central and western districts." Expect some very dramatic footage of Russian Su-34s and Mi-28Ns hitting YouTube later today.
From Reuters:
The spokesman, Igor Klimov, said the exercises were the first in a series to improve coordination in the military and made no mention of Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels are fighting Ukrainian government forces.
Sure: all purely coincidental.
The move is likely to alarm Western powers which have accused Russia of beefing up the number of troops along its border with Ukraine and arming the rebels in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies supplying the rebels with weapons.
Klimov said aircraft such as Su-27 and MiG-31 fighter jets, Russia's newest frontline bomber Su-34, and Mi-8, Mi-24 and Mi-28N helicopters would be used in the exercises and the aircraft would conduct missile practice.
The aircraft will be testing "aircraft weapons on land and air targets on new ranges, and will be conducting real and electronic launches of anti-aircraft missiles in Ashuluk (Astrakhan region in southern Russia) which is specifically designed to aide the coordination between aviation and anti-missile defence", he was quoted as saying.
Russia's Defence Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.
Cure more hashtags, redlines and maybe even sanctions, although not against Gazprom. Never against Gazprom. And then the logical countersactions as Putin clearly could care less about the west at this point.
And in other news, an official from Russia's FSB security service in the Rostov region, said that more than 400 Ukrainian military personnel requested refugee status from Russian border guards on Monday and Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a corridor for the soldiers, according to RIA Novosti. "Overnight 438 Ukrainian military personnel turned to Russian border guards with a request for refugee [status],” the head of the FSB’s border control in the southern Russian region of Rostov, Vasily Malaeyev, said.
This follows the Sunday defection of 12 soldiers from the Ukrainian Armed Forces into Russia, who applied for asylum at Gukovo checkpoint in Russia’s Rostov Region, saying they had run out of food and ammunition.
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Flying F35? That's an oxymoron :)
If it is true that Ukraine is forcing refugees to hand over their fathers and sons to the Uke army, then I expect to hear of a lot more soldier desertions than just those 450 in the past 2 days.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine (of yesterday) has an interesting article about Strelkov. It mentions a new decree Strelkov has issued for this troops banning swearing. The decree says: "We call ourselves an Orthodox army and are proud that we do not serve the Golden Calf, but rather Our Lord Jesus Christ and our people."
Klimov said aircraft such as Su-27 and MiG-31 fighter jets, Russia's newest frontline bomber Su-34, and Mi-8, Mi-24 and Mi-28N helicopters would be used in the exercises and the aircraft would conduct missile practice.
why they do not practice in Kiev?No need. Kiev is over, it just doesn't know it yet.
A new law in Russia went into effect today requiring all Russian Citizens who also have a foreign citizenship or residency status must register with the Russian embassies in their places of residence.
The Embassies, meanwhile, have been unable to comply with the law. It has been enacted so quickly that there are no forms or policies for performing the actual 'registration'.
I wonder if it is related?
Handwriting and photocopies of ID's will do fine.
And it's one two three what are we fightin' for? Feel like I'm standin' in the rain, next stop is the Ukraine
You may have missed this, but over the past few days much more heavy equipment (mainly seems to be 'seige' type large calibre weapons) has been moved by train into the area SW of Donetsk.No news on what troops are manning them.
It includes many Tocha-U (think upgraded WW2 V2 missiles) which are only accurate to about 70M. No point wasting effort moving them if you are not going to use them and there is no military use, just town bashing. Possibly the US wants them fired so it can monitor the S300 batteries when the Russians try to shoot them down like last time. Tough on the people any that get through land on.
Mind you, with a hundred Russian planes/helicoptors/ASM/troops flying all over the place this week there will be so much electronic traffic that ELINT may not see through it. The US could delay their launch until after the excercise is over but then the missile batteries would be vulnerable to Militia attack during the week. The Russians could 'hide' other actities under cover of the exercise. Mind you this extra activity diverting attention could be why the Ukies are moving them now, the Russians will be occupied.
Kiev-led forces continue to re-deploy short-range ballistic missile systems and multiple-launch rocket systems to Donetsk in a move that could threaten the lives of hundreds of civilians, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
"The Ukrainian army continues to amass Tochka-U ballistic missile systems as well as Smerch and Uragan MLRS near Donetsk," the ministry said in a statement.
"How many more people are these systems going to kill?" the statement said.
A spokesman for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic said earlier on Monday that at least 523 people have died and more than 3,000 have been injured in the region since the start of the Kiev-led military crackdown on independence supporters.
Independence supporters in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic said on Saturday that Ukrainian government troops are moving Tochka-U systems to Donetsk, after the DPR's militia commander Igor Strelkov said Tochka-U complexes had been delivered to Kramatorsk. Strelkov said Kiev was expected to attack disposal facilities in Donetsk and Luhansk that contain at least 150 tons of chlorine.
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140804/191712845/Ukrainian-Army-Amasses-Ballist...
fwiw, there have been unusual rail movements of long trains loaded with USMC equipment through my town in the US recently, headed in the direction of a naval base. Much of it hidden under tarps.
Do you realize that saying anyting like that can land your ass in a sling? TPTB couldn't give a rats ass of what you think politically but would hang you out to dry if it suits them so why give them ammunition? Use your head.
Just spotted that the engine used in Russian helicopters plus lots more engines is made in Ukraine. I wonder if sanctions apply?
VK-2500This engine is used to power the Mi-28N and Ka-52 helicopters as well as upgrading the Mi-14, Mi-17, Mi-24, Mi-28, Ka-32, Ka-50 and Ka-50-2 helicopters.
http://www.motorsich.com/eng/
Color me stupid but how is Cold War 2.0 soma?
If you are interested in watching the progress of the events in Ukraine then bookmark this page.
It is in Russian but appears to be a continuosly updated view of what's going on.
http://militarymaps.info/
Todays update on the MH17 crash site by the search team
http://en.ria.ru/video/20140804/191712053/Personal-Belongings-Found--Hea...
Meanwhile the East and West coasts of the US are flanked by Russian nuclear submarines, except for Red Oktober captained by Sean Connery.
With some apparently invisiable to the US Navy.
"Overnight 438 Ukrainian military personnel turned to Russian border guards with a request for refugee [status],” the head of the FSB’s border control in the southern Russian region of Rostov, Vasily Malaeyev, said."
More will follow, those trapped inside the cauldron along the Russian border have run out of supplies to keep fighting. Ukraine tried offensive actions to free them, but the Self Defense Forces through back the attackers with heavy losses. So the trapped now face death or capture. After a prisoner swap revealed severe torture of rebels handed back by Ukie 25th brigade, the commander of rebels ordered that NO officer of the 25th airborne brigade will be taken prisoner. They killed and tortured 3 captured rebels and then used the dead and nearly dead in a prsioner swap to get two officer back. Now that worked, but the rebels are now out for blood to pay back. They called the commander of the 25th and told him all officers were subject to execution, none will be allowed to surrender. Any enlisted men who are conscripts can surrender at any time and will be allowed to return home after a suitable processing epriod inside Russia. That is why over 400 crossed to freedom. Do you see 400 rebels defecting to the Ukie attackers? No, and they never will. It is now fight to the death.
" ...accused Russia of beefing up the number of troops along its border." - I accused him of blocking when I tried to plant my fist in his face.
NATO is organizing "exercises" in Poland and other Baltic countries so Russia is simply responding to it. What is so surprising about it? Since beginnig of "Ukrainian crisis" Russia is calling for diplomatic negotiations and gets nothing by insults and lies. No wonder she responds to moves made by the US and their proxies.
I have to hand it to Russia - they build some awesome looking aircraft.
" Kiev claims its encirclement of Donetsk is complete"
"Russia announced new military exercises involving bombers and fighter jets on Monday in a show of strength near the border with Ukraine.
An air force spokesman was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying more than 100 planes and helicopters would take part in the manoeuvres from Monday until Friday in its central and western districts."
Russia's central and western districts being a hop, skip and a jump from Donetsk.
(memo to self. get more popcorn)